Business Activities (ISIC) List in Saudi Arabia (2026)

By Ishita Roy — Business Consultant, Noble Core · Updated June 2026

What Is the ISIC Activities List in Saudi Arabia?

ISIC (International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities) is the United Nations classification system that Saudi Arabia adopted — in its fourth revision, ISIC4 — as the official framework for describing what a business does. Every company, establishment, and branch registered in the Kingdom must declare one or more ISIC activity codes on its commercial registration (CR). The Ministry of Commerce and the Saudi Business Center (mc.gov.sa) maintain the national activities directory, while the Ministry of Investment (MISA) uses the same codes to define which activities are open to 100% foreign ownership.

The structure is hierarchical. Each code moves from broad to specific:

• Section — a letter from A to U (e.g., Section C = Manufacturing, Section G = Wholesale and Retail Trade).
• Division — a 2-digit code (e.g., 62 = Computer programming and consultancy).
• Group — a 3-digit code (e.g., 620 = Computer programming, consultancy and related activities).
• Class — a 4-digit code (e.g., 6201 = Computer programming activities).
• National activity — Saudi Arabia extends ISIC4 with 5- and 6-digit national codes that describe the precise licensed activity (e.g., 620101 for software development services).

In practice, when advisers talk about the “business activities list Saudi Arabia ISIC,” they mean this national directory of roughly 2,700+ six-digit activities that you browse and select from during company registration. Choosing the right codes is one of the most consequential early decisions in company formation in Saudi Arabia, because your codes determine your licensing route, your foreign-ownership eligibility, your Saudization (Nitaqat) category, and even which government approvals you need before you can trade.

The 21 ISIC Sections at a Glance

Here is the full top-level map of the Saudi ISIC4 activities list. Every activity you can register falls under one of these sections:

• A — Agriculture, forestry and fishing
• B — Mining and quarrying
• C — Manufacturing (the largest section, divisions 10–33)
• D — Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply
• E — Water supply; sewerage, waste management
• F — Construction (divisions 41–43)
• G — Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles (divisions 45–47)
• H — Transportation and storage
• I — Accommodation and food service activities
• J — Information and communication (includes IT, divisions 58–63)
• K — Financial and insurance activities (regulated by SAMA/CMA)
• L — Real estate activities
• M — Professional, scientific and technical activities (consulting, engineering, legal)
• N — Administrative and support service activities
• O — Public administration and defence (government only)
• P — Education
• Q — Human health and social work activities
• R — Arts, entertainment and recreation
• S — Other service activities
• T — Activities of households as employers
• U — Activities of extraterritorial organizations

For foreign investors, the most commonly registered sections are J (information and communication), M (professional and technical services), F (construction), G (trade), and C (manufacturing) — all of which are open to 100% foreign ownership in most classes under MISA’s investment framework.

Popular ISIC Codes Chosen by Foreign Investors (Examples)

To make the directory concrete, here are examples of frequently registered national activities and where they sit in the hierarchy. Use these as orientation only — always confirm the current 6-digit code and its conditions on the Saudi Business Center guide before filing:

• Software development and programming — Section J, Division 62, Class 6201. Open to 100% foreign ownership; a favorite for tech companies serving Vision 2030 digital-transformation programs.
• Management consulting — Section M, Division 70, Class 7020. Widely used by advisory firms; 100% foreign ownership available under a MISA service license.
• General construction of buildings — Section F, Division 41, Class 4100. High demand from giga-project contractors; note the tougher Nitaqat band for contracting.
• Wholesale trade — Section G, Division 46 (e.g., 4690 for non-specialized wholesale). Trading activities are open to full foreign ownership under MISA’s trading license track, historically subject to capital and investment commitments — verify current conditions with MISA.
• Restaurants and food service — Section I, Division 56, Class 5610. Requires municipal (Balady) licensing and food-safety approvals on top of the CR.
• E-commerce / retail via internet — Section G, Class 4791. Pairs with the Ministry of Commerce e-store authentication and Maroof-style registration.
• Industrial / manufacturing activities — Section C, e.g., Class 1071 (bakery products) or 2220 (plastics). Manufacturing usually adds an industrial license from the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM) and eligibility for industrial incentives.
• Real estate management — Section L, Division 68. Watch the specific code: property development, brokerage, and management have different conditions, and brokerage sits under REGA licensing.

Notice the pattern: the ISIC code is the anchor, but many activities carry a second layer of sector licensing. Mapping both layers up front is exactly the work that saves weeks during registration.

Who Needs to Select ISIC Activity Codes?

Everyone who registers a commercial presence in Saudi Arabia interacts with the ISIC list. That includes:

• New Saudi and GCC-owned companies — select activities directly when applying for a commercial registration on the Saudi Business Center.
• Foreign investors — must first match their intended activities against MISA’s licensed-activities list (which mirrors the ISIC directory) when applying for a MISA investment license, then carry the same codes onto the CR.
• Existing companies adding a new line of business — file an activity-amendment on the Saudi Business Center portal to add or remove ISIC codes.
• Branches of foreign companies — the branch CR carries the ISIC codes matching the parent’s approved scope.
• Freelancers and establishments — sole establishments also register against the same national activity directory.

Your ISIC selection then propagates automatically to other government systems: ZATCA uses it for tax registration and e-invoicing classification, GOSI and Qiwa use it to determine your Nitaqat (Saudization) activity band, and municipal licensing (Balady) checks it before issuing a shop or office license.

How to Browse the Official ISIC Activities List (Step by Step)

You do not need to log in to explore the list. The Ministry of Commerce publishes the national activities directory publicly through the Saudi Business Center. Here is the exact path:

1. Open the Saudi Business Center portal at mc.gov.sa (Ministry of Commerce) or business.sa. Both route to the same national activities directory (“دليل الأنشطة الاقتصادية / ISIC Guide”).
2. Choose “Economic Activities Guide” from the e-services menu. The screen shows a search bar plus the 21 section tiles (A–U).
3. Search by keyword or code. Type a keyword (“software”, “restaurant”, “contracting”) in English or Arabic, or enter a known 4–6 digit code directly. The directory returns matching national activities with their full hierarchy.
4. Open the activity card. Each activity page shows: the 6-digit national code, the ISIC4 class it belongs to, an official description of what is included and excluded, whether prior approval from a regulator is required (e.g., SAMA for finance, MOH for health), and whether it is available to establishments, companies, or both.
5. Check foreign-investment eligibility. Cross-check the same code on MISA’s website (misa.gov.sa) under the investment activities list to confirm the activity is open for 100% foreign ownership and whether any minimum-capital or Saudi-partner condition applies.
6. Shortlist your codes. Most companies register 1–10 activities. Keep them coherent — mixing unrelated sections (e.g., trading plus industrial plus real estate) can trigger extra reviews or separate licensing requirements.

How to Register Your Activities on the Commercial Registration

Once you have shortlisted codes, activity selection happens inside the CR issuance flow on the Saudi Business Center:

1. Log in to the Saudi Business Center with Nafath (national single sign-on) — or, for foreign investors, after your MISA license is issued, your authorized manager logs in with their Iqama-linked Absher/Nafath credentials.
2. Start “Issue Commercial Registration.” Under the 2026 Commercial Register Law, one national CR covers the whole Kingdom — city-by-city subsidiary registrations were abolished, and new CR numbers begin with “7”.
3. Reserve the trade name. Since April 2026, English trade names are permitted alongside Arabic ones.
4. Select ISIC activities. The activity-picker screen lets you search the directory and add codes to your registration. Activities flagged as “requires approval” show the competent authority; the system routes an approval request automatically or asks you to attach the regulator’s letter.
5. Confirm and pay. Government CR fees are indicative at around SAR 1,200–2,000 depending on entity type and publication costs, plus Chamber of Commerce membership of roughly SAR 2,000–3,000 per year — confirm current figures on the official portal before paying.
6. Receive the CR instantly or within a few days. The registration lists your activities exactly as coded. Remember: the new-law CR has no expiry date — instead you file an annual confirmation of your data, with a five-year transitional grace period for existing registrations.

For foreign-owned companies, MISA licensing comes first and typically takes around 3–10 business days when documents are in order; MISA license issuance and renewal fees are suspended in 2026 (they were previously SAR 12,000 and up to SAR 62,000 respectively), which has materially cut the cost of market entry.

Required Documents and Information

To select and register activities you will typically need:

• Nafath/Absher login for the owner or authorized manager (Iqama holders authenticate via absher.sa-linked Nafath).
• MISA investment license (foreign investors) showing the approved activity scope.
• Shortlisted ISIC codes — the 6-digit national activity numbers you intend to register.
• Articles of association / shareholder resolution stating the company’s objects consistent with the chosen codes.
• Regulator pre-approvals where flagged — e.g., SAMA (finance/insurance), Ministry of Health (clinics), Ministry of Education (schools), Communications, Space & Technology Commission (telecom), Saudi Central Bank for payments.
• National address registration for the entity.

After the CR issues, downstream registrations key off your activities automatically: ZATCA (zatca.gov.sa) for VAT at 15% and Fatoora e-invoicing integration (rolled out in waves by revenue threshold), GOSI (gosi.gov.sa) for social insurance (total contributions around 21.5% for Saudi employees, employer plus employee), and Qiwa (qiwa.sa) for labor-market and Saudization compliance.

Fees and Timelines (Indicative, 2026)

Activity selection itself is free — you pay for the registrations and licenses the activities sit on. All figures below are indicative for 2026; confirm current amounts on the official portals before paying.

Item	Authority / Portal	Indicative Fee (SAR)	Typical Timeline
Browsing the ISIC activities directory	Saudi Business Center (mc.gov.sa)	Free	Immediate
MISA investment license (foreign investors)	MISA (misa.gov.sa)	Issue/renewal fees suspended in 2026 (were 12,000 / up to 62,000)	~3–10 business days
Commercial registration (unified national CR)	Saudi Business Center	~1,200–2,000	Same day–3 days
Chamber of Commerce membership	Chamber via Business Center	~2,000–3,000 / year	Instant with CR
Activity amendment (add/remove ISIC codes)	Saudi Business Center	Nominal publication fee, often under 500	Same day–5 days (longer if regulator approval needed)
Regulated-activity pre-approval (health, finance, education, etc.)	Competent regulator	Varies by regulator	1–8 weeks
VAT registration (mandatory above SAR 375,000 turnover)	ZATCA (zatca.gov.sa)	Free (VAT itself 15%)	1–5 business days
Iqama for the general manager (government fee)	Absher / Muqeem	~650 / year + applicable levies	1–2 weeks after entry

Residency-side services for your staff — Iqama issuance, renewals, and exit/re-entry — are then managed through muqeem.sa and Absher once the company is active.

How ISIC Codes Affect Licensing, Ownership, and Saudization

Your ISIC selection is not paperwork trivia — it drives four practical outcomes:

1. Foreign-ownership eligibility

Most ISIC activities are open to 100% foreign ownership under the Investment Law, but a small negative list remains restricted or conditioned (for example certain oil exploration, security, and Hajj-related services, plus some professional activities that require a Saudi partner or higher capital). MISA’s activities list, keyed to the same ISIC codes, is the authority on this — always verify the specific 6-digit code, not just the section.

2. Regulator approvals

Codes in Sections K (finance), P (education), and Q (health), plus specific classes in J (telecom) and H (transport), require approval from the sector regulator before the activity can appear on your CR.

3. Nitaqat (Saudization) band

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) maps each economic activity to a Nitaqat category with its own Saudization percentage bands, tracked live in Qiwa. A contracting code and an IT-consulting code carry different Saudi-hiring expectations at the same headcount, so choose codes that reflect your real operating model.

4. Tax and e-invoicing treatment

ZATCA uses activity data in registration and audit selection, and your Fatoora e-invoicing integration wave depends on revenue thresholds within your registered business. Keeping ISIC codes accurate reduces classification queries later.

Changing, Adding, or Removing Activities Later

Your activity list is not locked forever. Businesses pivot, and the amendment flow on the Saudi Business Center is straightforward when your paperwork is aligned:

1. Foreign-owned companies amend MISA first. If the new activity falls outside your current MISA license scope, file a license-amendment request on the MISA investor portal before touching the CR. Approval typically follows the same 3–10 business-day rhythm as initial licensing, and issuance fees remain suspended in 2026.
2. Pass any regulator gate. If the new code is flagged “requires approval,” secure the competent authority’s letter (SAMA, MOH, MOE, CST, etc.) and attach it.
3. File the CR amendment. Log in to the Saudi Business Center with Nafath, open the amendment service, add or remove codes, and update the articles of association if your company objects clause needs to match. Publication fees are nominal — often under SAR 500, indicative.
4. Update the downstream files. Refresh your ZATCA registration data, municipal license, GOSI/Qiwa activity classification, and your bank’s KYC file so every record shows the same activity set. Mismatched files are the most common cause of frozen transfers and delayed government approvals.

Removing an activity you no longer use is equally worthwhile: it can move you into a friendlier Nitaqat band and reduces the regulator surface area you have to answer for during renewals and audits.

ISIC in Saudi Arabia vs. Other Gulf Classification Systems

If you already operate in the UAE or elsewhere in the GCC, note that activity lists do not transfer one-to-one. Dubai’s DET and the UAE free zones each maintain their own activity catalogues (many also ISIC4-derived but with different national extensions), so the code that describes your business in Dubai will usually have a different number — and possibly different conditions — in Riyadh. When expanding from the UAE into the Kingdom, re-map every activity against the Saudi national directory rather than copying your existing license text. The descriptions matter more than the labels: Saudi activity cards spell out inclusions and exclusions, and the Ministry of Commerce enforces them as written.

Two practical implications for cross-border groups: first, your Saudi entity’s objects clause and CR activities must stand on their own for bank onboarding and ZATCA registration in the Kingdom; second, a MISA license application is assessed against the Saudi activity list, so a scope that was routine in the UAE may need restructuring, an extra approval, or a different entity form in Saudi Arabia. Getting this mapping done before you commit to leases and hiring keeps the setup timeline predictable.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Registering too few activities. If you invoice for work outside your registered codes, banks and ZATCA may query the mismatch. Add the codes you realistically need from day one — amendments are possible but cost time.
• Registering too many unrelated activities. Stacking codes across trading, industrial, and professional sections can pull you into multiple regulators’ scopes and a harsher Nitaqat band.
• Checking only the ISIC section, not the 6-digit code. Ownership rules and approval requirements apply at the detailed national-activity level; two codes in the same class can have different conditions.
• Mismatching MISA license scope and CR activities. Foreign-owned companies must keep the CR activities within the MISA-approved scope; adding a CR activity without amending the MISA license first causes rejections.
• Ignoring pre-approval flags. Selecting a regulated activity without the competent authority’s letter stalls the whole CR application.
• Assuming the old CR renewal cycle still applies. Under the 2026 law there is no CR expiry — but you must file the annual data confirmation, and existing companies have a 5-year grace period to align with the unified national CR.
• Copying a competitor’s codes blindly. Their capital structure, ownership, and regulator approvals may differ from yours.
• Forgetting downstream updates. After adding activities, update your ZATCA registration, municipal license, and bank KYC records so all files match.

How Noble Core Helps You Choose and Register the Right Activities

Selecting ISIC codes looks simple until an approval flag, an ownership condition, or a Nitaqat consequence surfaces mid-application. Noble Core’s KSA team handles this daily: we map your actual business model to the correct 6-digit national activities, verify each code against MISA’s foreign-investment list, obtain any regulator pre-approvals, and complete the MISA license and unified commercial registration end-to-end — typically within 2–4 weeks for a standard 100%-foreign-owned LLC.

Our Saudi company-formation packages start from SAR 36,999 and include activity structuring, MISA licensing, CR issuance under the new Commercial Register Law, Chamber registration, and post-setup registrations with ZATCA, GOSI, and Qiwa. If you are still comparing structures or want a sanity-check on your shortlisted activity codes before you commit, start with our guide to company formation in Saudi Arabia or speak to our advisors about the MISA license requirements for your specific activity list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the business activities list (ISIC) in Saudi Arabia?

It is Saudi Arabia’s national directory of economic activities based on ISIC4, the UN classification. It spans 21 sections (A to U) and more than 2,700 six-digit national activity codes. Every commercial registration must declare one or more codes from this list, and the same codes drive MISA foreign-ownership eligibility, Nitaqat bands, and regulator approvals.

Where can I find the official ISIC activities list in Saudi Arabia?

The Ministry of Commerce publishes it publicly through the Saudi Business Center (mc.gov.sa / business.sa) under the Economic Activities Guide. You can search by keyword in English or Arabic, or by 4-6 digit code, without logging in. Each activity card shows the code, description, inclusions and exclusions, and whether regulator pre-approval is required.

How many business activities can I register on one commercial registration?

There is no hard single-code limit; most companies register between 1 and 10 related activities on one CR. Since the 2026 Commercial Register Law, one unified national CR covers the whole Kingdom. Keep codes coherent, because unrelated combinations can trigger extra regulator reviews, separate licensing requirements, and a tougher Saudization (Nitaqat) category.

Are all ISIC activities open to 100% foreign ownership in Saudi Arabia?

Most are. Saudi Arabia allows 100% foreign ownership across the majority of ISIC activities under MISA’s investment framework, but a small restricted list remains, and some activities carry conditions such as minimum capital or a Saudi partner. Always verify the exact 6-digit national code on MISA’s activities list, not just the broad section.

How do I add a new ISIC activity to my existing CR?

Log in to the Saudi Business Center with Nafath, open the amendment service for your commercial registration, and add the new activity code. Publication fees are nominal, often under SAR 500, and simple amendments complete within days. If the activity is regulated or you hold a MISA license, obtain the regulator approval or MISA scope amendment first.

What does it cost to register business activities in Saudi Arabia in 2026?

Browsing and selecting ISIC codes is free. Indicatively, the commercial registration costs about SAR 1,200-2,000, Chamber of Commerce membership SAR 2,000-3,000 per year, and MISA license issue and renewal fees are suspended in 2026. Regulated activities may add regulator fees. Confirm current figures on the official portals before paying.

How do ISIC codes affect Saudization and taxes?

MHRSD maps every economic activity to a Nitaqat category with its own Saudization percentage bands, monitored through Qiwa, so your codes directly set your Saudi-hiring expectations. ZATCA also uses activity data in VAT registration (15% VAT) and Fatoora e-invoicing wave assignment, so accurate codes reduce tax classification queries later.

What changed for business activities under the new Commercial Register Law 2026?

From 3 April 2026, Saudi Arabia issues one unified national commercial registration covering all your activities Kingdom-wide, with CR numbers starting with 7 and no expiry date, replaced by an annual data confirmation. English trade names are now allowed, and existing companies have a five-year grace period to align with the new system.