[Last updated: 1 February 2026, unless otherwise noted]
To qualify for listing on the Saudi Stock Exchange (commonly referred to as Tadawul), a company must have:
Until recently, only domestic companies were allowed to apply for listing on the 'Main Market' of Tadawul. The Listing Rules allowed for a foreign company to cross-list its securities on the Main Market, which paved the way for the first dual listing in December 2022 of Americana Restaurants International PLC on Tadawul and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.
Effective 1 February 2026, Saudi Capital Market Authority opened to all categories of foreign investors, allowing them to invest directly in the main market. As part of these reforms, the approved amendments eliminate the Qualified Foreign Investor (QFI) concept from the main market. Accordingly, foreign investors will no longer be required to meet any qualification criteria to access the market, although certain investment restrictions will continue to apply.
[Last updated: 1 February 2026, unless otherwise noted]
Share price.No minimum trading price is required.
Distribution.To list its securities on the Main Market, a company must have:
The above requirements also apply to foreign issuers applying to cross-list their securities on the Main Market of Tadawul.
To list its securities on the Parallel Market, a company must have:
Operating history. An operating history of three years is generally required for listing in the Main Market, and an operating history of one year is required for a listing in the Parallel Market.
Management continuity. The CMA expects that the company must have been carrying on, either by itself or through one or more of its subsidiaries, its main activity for at least three financial years under substantially the same management for listing on the Main Market, and at least one year for a listing on the Parallel Market.
Accounting standards. Audited financial statements must be prepared in compliance with the standards of the Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accountants.
Financial statements. The financial statements must cover a period of: three years preceding the IPO application for a listing on the Main Market, but only the last year preceding the IPO application in the case of a listing on the Parallel Market.
Alteration in capital/restructuring.An application for registration and admission to listing of securities on the Main Market of an issuer which has undergone material restructuring or has been subject to an alteration in capital using external financing will not be accepted unless one financial year has elapsed since the date of completion of the material restructuring/alteration in capital.
[Last updated: 1 February 2026, unless otherwise noted]
The CMA will review the prospectus and application forms and relevant announcements. The following is a fairly typical process and timetable for listing on the Main Market.
[Last updated: 1 February 2026, unless otherwise noted]
Requirements for Main Market listed companies include:
A listed company has continuing disclosure and reporting obligations under the Listing Rules which include:
[Last updated: 1 February 2026, unless otherwise noted]
A company seeking to list on the Main Market must pay initial fees and annual fees. Initial listing fees are SAR40,000 (approx. US$10,666) for application submission and review, and 0.025% of the market capitalization of shares to be registered, up to a maximum of SAR225,000 (approx. US$59,994). Annual fees are split into fixed fees, which depend on the services provided to the company, and variable fees, which depend upon the number of shares of the company.