King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) is not strictly a freezone. In Saudi Arabia, economic cities are established and controlled by the Economic Cities Authority. The laws and regulations in these cities are different to the laws in freezones. Therefore economic cities cannot be called freezones per se.

The Economic Cities Authority (ECA) was established by Saudi Arabia Royal Decree No. A19/1431 to be the sole authority for KAEC and it shall report to the King. The ECA mandate has been amended pursuant to Saudi Arabia Royal Order No. A240/1441 dated 1/4/1441 AH – 28/11/2019. The name of the entity has been changed to “Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority” (ECZA).

The main internal regulations governing KAEC are the same regulations applicable in Saudi Arabia. The ECZA shall coordinate with the Saudi authorities such as the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Labour.