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Tier 3 · Tabuk

Not yet operational

This is a proposed or in-development free zone. Figures on this page are preliminary and should be verified directly with the authority before relying on them.

NEOM Company (region/project brand: NEOM)

Tabuk Province coastline - Oxagon/Duba (port & industrial core), NEOM Bay, Sindalah island, Trojena mountains · Est. 2017 · NEOM Company (PIF-owned closed joint-stock; royal-decree project). Saudi regulators (MISA, MoC, MHRSD, ZATCA) retain jurisdiction

high confidenceVerified 18 Jul 2026official ↗
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Best for

Capital-intensive industrial, energy, logistics, AI/data-center and technology companies with a multi-year horizon that can anchor or supply NEOM's build-out, and contractors serving its construction program.

Not ideal for

SMEs, freelancers, traders or service firms wanting a fast, cheap, self-serve license - a standard Saudi MISA + CR setup in Riyadh/Jeddah (or a UAE free zone) is far more practical for immediate operations.

01Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

?
Banking7/15
?
Visa scale15/15
?
Cost (lower=better)10/20
?
Activity breadth12/25
?
Workspace options12/15
?
Location8/10
02Where NEOM sits

Tick marks for every zone, NEOM highlighted. The shape of the field, not just the rank.

Year 1 cost← lower is better

Licence + registration, AED.

Setup time← lower is better

NEOM: 2th percentile (60 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.

Visa caphigher is better →

NEOM: 94th percentile (500 visas) · Absolute maximum visa allocation. Values above 500 clipped to the right edge so the bulk of the distribution stays readable.

Banking ease← better
Easy
4
Moderate
73
Difficult
15
Very difficult
1

NEOM: Difficult · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.

03Costs

Year-one license, renewals, and 5-year totals in AED.

—
Year 1 minimum · AED
budget tier
Show in
2-year visa cost
AED 17,900
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 1,000
Dependent / spouse visa
AED 4,700
Year-on-year fee tracking begins 2026 — changes appear here as they accrue.
Indicative, from published ratesOfficial fee schedule ↗Verified 2026-07high confidence

Notify me if fees change — get an email if NEOM updates its licence or setup costs.

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04Visas & workspace

Visa caps, workspace options, and family-sponsorship rules.

Visa allocation
Maximum visas
500
Flexi-desk cap
2
Office cap
5
Warehouse cap
3
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Not available
Golden visa
Available
Green visa
Not available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~21 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
Yes
Flexi-desk
Yes
Coworking
Yes
Dedicated office
Yes
Executive office
Yes
Warehouse
Yes
Industrial unit
No
Land plot
Yes
Ejari issued
No
Parking
Yes
05Banking & setup

Banking difficulty, partner banks, and setup timeline.

Banking
Difficulty
Difficult
Time to account
~10 days
Minimum deposit
AED 25,000
Corp tax rate
20%
Audit cost (est)
AED 15,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
enhanced
Partner banks
Saudi National Bank (SNB)Al Rajhi BankRiyad BankSAB (Saudi Awwal Bank)Alinma Bank
Neo-bank options
STC Bank (SAMA-licensed digital bank)D360 Bank (SAMA-licensed digital bank)
Setup timeline
  1. Registration mode
    Fully online — no in-person visit required
  2. Documents & application
    Passport, visa, business plan — ~3–5 days
  3. Licence issued
    ~14 business days after submission
  4. Bank account active
    Additional ~10 days · Difficult banking
  5. Operational
    Typically ~60 days, up to ~180 days
06Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

12 activities

Sustainable tourism (Sindalah opened Oct 2024); Trojena status now uncertain - Saudi Arabia withdrew as 2029 Asian Winter Games host on 24 Jan 2026 (Games moved to Almaty) and the Webuild dams/lake contract (~USD 4.7bn

30% complete) plus Eversendai/Hyundai packages were terminated in Mar 2026

Categories
Biotech; Design and Construction; EducationResearch and Innovation; Energy; MediaEntertainment and Culture; Food; Health and Wellbeing; Mobility; Sport; Technology and Digital; Tourism; Water
Matched industry clusters
techtradingindustrial
Restricted
Alcohol and gambling (prohibited Kingdom-wide)Activities failing NEOM sustainability/environmental mandatesSectors on MISA negative list for foreign investment
Require approval
All NEOM tenants/investors require NEOM Co agreement in addition to MISA registrationRegulated sectors (finance, health, education) need sectoral regulator licensesEnvironmental approvals for heavy industry
07Jurisdiction & ecosystem

Legal framework, tax status, audit requirements, and zone focus — every value sourced.

Common lawNo
VAT designated zoneNo
QFZP eligible (0% tax)No
Inferred · 2026-07-18
Mainland permitNo
Inferred · 2026-07-18
Audit requiredNo
Inferred · 2026-07-18
Economic substancestandard
Inferred · 2026-07-18

This zone offers physical-office options sufficient for a standard QFZP substance posture, though the bar still applies at the entity level (CTGFZP1).

Focus: Green hydrogen & renewable energy, Advanced manufacturing & industrial gases, AI/data centers & technology, Port logistics & maritime trade, Tourism (Sindalah, Trojena), Biotech, food & water sustainability

350 companieslarge - workforce drawn from 100+ nationalities; Oxagon Hive capacity 2,400 residents; large construction camps across the region communityNetworking events: YesIncubator: Yes
Notable companies

NEOM Green Hydrogen Company (NEOM/ACWA Power/Air Products JV, USD 8.4bn), DataVolt (USD 5bn AI data-center campus), AHG - industrial gases facility (land lease Nov 2025), CMA CGM (first fixed container service, JEDDEX), Air Products (30-yr green ammonia offtake), Bechtel, AECOM, AtkinsRealis (delivery partners)

QFZP, audit, mainland-permit and substance values are sourced where the zone authority or FTA publishes them, and inferred from published zone characteristics otherwise. How we determine these values.

08Strengths & limitations

5 strengths · 5 caveats.

Strengths
  • Operational Red Sea port (250k TEU, expanding to 1.5M TEU by 2030) with CMA CGM fixed service and land-bridge corridors
  • World-scale green hydrogen project ~80-90% complete with 30-yr offtake - real anchor demand for suppliers
  • 100% foreign ownership via MISA registration (no license fee) and full access to the Saudi domestic market
  • Pre-zoned industrial land, cheap renewables and bespoke incentive packages (land, energy, NIF co-investment) for anchor projects
  • Saudi Premium Residency offers sponsor-free long-term residency for principals
Caveats
  • Update NGHC to '>90% complete (Air Products
  • Dec 2025)'. The Line suspension (reported Sep 2025
  • corroborated by Semafor/Bloomberg-linked reporting - medium confidence
  • no official NEOM statement) and Trojena Webuild termination (confirmed by Webuild
  • effective 29 Mar 2026) are accurate as stated.

Not ideal for: SMEs, freelancers, traders or service firms wanting a fast, cheap, self-serve license - a standard Saudi MISA + CR setup in Riyadh/Jeddah (or a UAE free zone) is far more practical for immediate operations.

09Tax considerations

2 tax questions relevant to this zone.

Questions to raise with your tax advisor

  1. Will you need audited accounts even if this zone doesn't require them?

    FTA corporate-tax filing typically expects audited accounts for revenue above AED 50M, and banks often request them at much lower thresholds.

  2. Do any of your customers, suppliers, or shareholders meet the FTA's related-party definition?

    Related-party transactions need transfer-pricing documentation and may push otherwise-qualifying income into the 9% bracket.

These prompts are due-diligence questions, not tax advice. Confirm every answer with a UAE-licensed tax advisor before incorporating.

10About this data

Last verified 2026-07-18 · high confidence.

NEOM data is sourced from official zone authority publications, government fee schedules, and where available, verified against direct communications with the zone. All figures in AED.

Location
Tabuk Province coastline - Oxagon/Duba (port & industrial core), NEOM Bay, Sindalah island, Trojena mountains
Established
2017
Authority
NEOM Company (PIF-owned closed joint-stock; royal-decree project). Saudi regulators (MISA, MoC, MHRSD, ZATCA) retain jurisdiction
Last verified
2026-07-18
Confidence
high
Methodology
How we score →
Cited source
Fee data sourced from the official fee schedule, fetched 2026-07-18. View source ↗
Per-field citations
How we verify every zone →
11Founder reviews

What founders who've registered here say.

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12Take the next step

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