A Question That Arrives Every Week

Of all the questions that reach the contact inbox, few appear as consistently as this one: how long does it actually take to close a sovereign deal? Entrepreneurs, investors, and even seasoned executives ask it, often with a note of frustration. They are used to commercial timelines, where a term sheet can move to signature in weeks. Sovereign work operates on a different clock entirely, and understanding why is the first step towards working effectively with governments.

In my role as Senior Advisor to HRH Sheikh Ahmad Bin Faisal Al Qassimi of the UAE, I have seen agreements mature over many months, and sometimes considerably longer. That duration is not a sign of dysfunction. It reflects the number of stakeholders involved, the weight of the commitments being made, and the simple reality that a state signs nothing lightly.

Why Sovereign Timelines Are Longer by Design

A private company answers to its shareholders and its board. A sovereign entity answers to ministries, regulators, national strategies, and in many cases future generations. Every clause in a government-level agreement is reviewed through legal, economic, and diplomatic lenses. Each of those reviews involves people whose duty is to protect the national interest, and they take that duty seriously.

There is also the matter of alignment. A sovereign partnership typically has to fit within an existing national vision, whether that is an economic diversification plan, an infrastructure roadmap, or an energy transition strategy. If a proposal does not clearly serve those priorities, it will be reworked until it does, or it will be politely declined. Neither outcome happens quickly.

The Stages Most People Underestimate

In my experience, the phases that consume the most time are rarely the ones outsiders expect. Negotiating commercial terms is often the fastest part. What takes longer is relationship establishment, because trust between institutions must be earned before substance is discussed, and internal ratification, because the approving side must socialise the agreement across departments that may have competing priorities.

Due diligence at the sovereign level is also far deeper than commercial due diligence. Counterparties are examined not only for financial standing but for reputation, track record, political exposure, and long-term reliability. A firm that looks attractive on paper can stall a process for months if a single question about its history cannot be answered cleanly.

What Patience Actually Buys You

The compensation for these long timelines is durability. A sovereign agreement that has survived every layer of scrutiny tends to be honoured through changes in personnel, market cycles, and political weather. Commercial contracts can be fragile; sovereign frameworks, once ratified, become part of how two states or institutions relate to one another. That is a foundation worth waiting for.

I often tell partners that the slowest deals I have supported have also been the most resilient. When a partnership has been examined from every angle before signature, there are very few surprises after it. The work done during those long months is not delay, it is construction.

Practical Advice for Those Entering the Arena

First, budget for time honestly. If your business model collapses because an agreement takes a year instead of a quarter, the model is wrong for this arena. Second, invest in the relationship continuously, not only when documents are moving. Silence between milestones should be filled with presence, courtesy, and genuine engagement. Third, respect the process rather than trying to shortcut it. Attempts to accelerate sovereign review by applying pressure almost always achieve the opposite.

Finally, work with people who understand both sides of the table. Much of the advisory work I undertake involves translating between commercial urgency and governmental thoroughness, helping each side understand why the other behaves as it does. When that translation is done well, timelines shorten naturally, because misunderstandings stop consuming the calendar.

The Honest Answer

So how long do sovereign deals take? The honest answer is: as long as they need to. A straightforward memorandum of understanding may conclude within months. A complex investment framework touching energy, infrastructure, or strategic industries can take far longer, and rightly so. Anyone who promises you a fixed, rapid timeline for sovereign work is either inexperienced or not being candid.

What I can promise is that the discipline demanded by these timelines produces better outcomes. The journey from first introduction to final signature is where partnerships are truly built. If you would like to understand more about how this work unfolds in practice, the about page outlines the experience I bring to it, and I always welcome thoughtful questions for future mailbag editions.