Foreign investment is restricted in certain sectors in Saudi Arabia
Trade barrier summary
Saudi Arabia have opened up many sectors of the economy to foreign investment, though this remains banned in some sectors including:
Manufacturing
▪ Oil exploration, drilling, and production, except mining services listed in categories 5115 and 883 of the International Standard Industrial Classification Codes
Services
▪ Catering to military sectors
▪ Security and detective services
▪ Real estate investment in the holy cities of Makkah and Medina
▪ Tourist orientation and guidance services for religious tourism related to Hajj and Umrah
▪ Recruitment offices
▪ Commission agents, internationally classified in Central Product Classification (CPC) 621
▪ Services provided by midwives, nurses, physical therapy services, and quasi-doctoral services, internationally classified in Central Product Classification (CPC) 93191
▪ Poison treatment centres, blood banks, and quarantine services
▪ Fisheries
Further information can be found at: https://www.misa.gov.sa/media/1128/moi-service-manual-8th-edition-en-v4.pdf
Sectors affected
- Food and drink
- Security
- Healthcare services
- Technology and smart cities
- Consumer and retail
- Railways
- Maritime
- Energy
- Airports
- Medical devices and equipment
- Defence
- Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology
- Creative industries
Resolved
No
Date reported
6 July 2020
Last updated
25 November 2021
Public ID
PID-B8DZPB
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