Designing a One-Stop E-Residency Program for Saudi Arabia: Vision 2030, Integrated Services, and Risk Mitigation Frameworks

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 seeks to transform the Kingdom into a global hub for investment, innovation, and digital governance. This paper proposes a comprehensive e-residency program for KSA—modeled on leading initiatives in Estonia and Lithuania, but expanded into a one-stop shop that ties together digital identity, banking, medical insurance, capital markets access, postal services, and real estate investment for nonresident entrepreneurs and investors. Once granted, a KSA e-resident status would provide a government-verified digital identity allowing the holder to open bank accounts, obtain one-year health insurance, invest in the Saudi stock market and real estate, receive a physical post box address, and access other privileges similar to physical residents, without immediate relocation. Using lessons from national digital ID systems and e-residency programs, we develop a risk mitigation framework that addresses cybersecurity, cross-border data protection, financial integrity (AML/CFT), human rights, and inclusion. We propose a technical architecture based on public key infrastructure (PKI), strong authentication, privacy-by-design, and decentralized storage of biometric templates to avoid single points of failure. The paper argues that a well-designed e-residency program could contribute significantly to Vision 2030 goals by boosting foreign direct investment, digital entrepreneurship, and remote work ecosystems, while positioning KSA as a global leader in digital residenc.