Monsha'at's Isterdad 2.0 program refunds up to 80% of the expat labor levy (Muqabil Mali) and up to ten categories of government fees to Saudi micro, small, and medium enterprises during their first three years of operation. To qualify, a company must be classified as an MSME, established after January 1, 2024, at least 60% owned by Saudi nationals or by other SMEs, and compliant with its required Saudization rate. Registration is open on the Monsha'at portal through the end of 2026, with refunds disbursed periodically through the end of 2028 (Monsha'at, September 2025).
For an SME owner, that is a government-backed cash-flow release during the three years when overhead is heaviest and revenue is least predictable. For a Gulf investor or diaspora entrepreneur weighing a first move into Syria's reconstruction economy, it is also a funding source worth noticing: capital freed from routine compliance costs at home is capital that can underwrite due diligence, travel, and early positioning abroad.
What does Isterdad 2.0 refund?
The headline benefit is an 80% refund on the expat labor levy — the per-worker fee Saudi employers pay on non-Saudi staff, one of the largest fixed costs for labor-intensive SMEs. Patent and trademark registration fees are refunded alongside it. Monsha'at has structured the program around ten total fee categories; the complete, current list is published on the Monsha'at portal at the time of registration, since fee schedules are periodically updated.
Who qualifies
- The company is officially classified as a micro, small, or medium enterprise under Monsha'at's size definitions.
- It was established on or after January 1, 2024 — the program targets businesses inside their first three years.
- At least 60% of ownership sits with Saudi nationals, or with other qualifying SMEs.
- The company meets its required Nitaqat/Saudization rate at the time of application.
An SME that falls short on the Saudization threshold can typically still register once it corrects its workforce ratio, since eligibility is checked at the point of application rather than locked in permanently.
Why the timing matters
Registration closes at the end of 2026. Disbursements then run periodically through the end of 2028, so an SME that registers late in the window still receives refunds, but on a shorter runway of qualifying spend. There is no benefit to waiting: the fee categories being refunded accrue continuously, so each quarter without registration is a quarter of otherwise-recoverable cost.
The connection to regional expansion
Tibyan tracks Gulf regulatory and funding conditions for the same reason we track Syria's: investors moving into Syria's reconstruction economy rarely start from a standing start. Many are Saudi or Gulf-based operators redeploying capital and management attention from an established home-market business. A program like Isterdad 2.0 changes the near-term cash position of exactly that kind of company — worth factoring into the timeline for a Syria feasibility study or diaspora-network entry strategy, not treating as unrelated good news.
If your SME's next move is evaluating a market-entry opportunity — in Syria's telecom, real estate, or healthcare sectors, for instance — a market-entry strategy engagement is the natural next step once your domestic cost base is under control. Diaspora-owned SMEs specifically should also look at our diaspora bridge strategy work, built for exactly this profile of investor.
How to register
Registration runs through the Monsha'at portal. Applicants submit commercial registration details, ownership structure, and Saudization compliance documentation; Monsha'at verifies eligibility against the four criteria above before approving periodic refund disbursements. Because the exact document checklist and fee-category list are maintained on the portal itself rather than fixed at launch, confirm current requirements directly with Monsha'at before applying.
For a related read on how regional capital conditions are shifting this year, see our analysis of H1 2026 MENA venture funding and what it means for investors weighing where to deploy freed-up capital next.
Ready to put freed-up capital toward a Syria market-entry plan? Book a call with Tibyan.