Foreigners can now buy Saudi property, but not yet everywhere

Yes. Since 22 January 2026, non-Saudis can own property in Saudi Arabia under Royal Decree M/14 (SPA), but only in designated zones. As of 28 July 2026 we could find no REGA or SPA text confirming that the map of those zones has been published.

Key figures at a glance

What the law says

Royal Decree M/14 was approved on 14 July 2025. It has 15 articles and appeared in the Official Gazette, Umm Al-Qura, on 25 July 2025. It took effect 180 days later (REGA Q&A), and REGA confirmed the start date of 22 January 2026 (SPA).

It replaces the 2000 law, Royal Decree M/15, which was narrower. Under the old rules a foreign developer needed a licensed project worth at least SAR 30 million, built within five years. Makkah and Madinah were closed to non-Saudi ownership except by inheritance (2000 law, Ministry of Justice via MISA).

The old law allowed ownership everywhere except the two holy cities. The new one allows it only inside zones still to be defined, but opens part of Makkah and Madinah for the first time (REGA comparison table).

Who can buy, and what

REGA lists the eligible buyers: non-Saudi individuals, companies and non-profits, international missions (on reciprocity, with Foreign Ministry approval), Saudi companies with foreign shareholders, and funds or SPVs with foreign investors (REGA Q&A, as of 25 Jul 2025).

They can take full ownership or lesser rights such as usufruct and easement, on "all types of real estate available for ownership, as specified in the geographical scopes document" (REGA Q&A).

Two older routes stay in place. One is the 2011 GCC ownership statute. The other is the Premium Residency Permit Law, which already lets premium residents own property outside Makkah, Madinah and border areas (REGA Q&A; Premium Residency Permit Law via MISA).

The zones are still missing

REGA says Riyadh and Jeddah are open "within specific areas". In Makkah and Madinah, only Muslim individuals and Saudi companies with foreign shareholders can buy, again in specific areas (REGA Q&A, 25 Jul 2025). The maps, ownership caps and permitted rights will sit in a separate document, approved by the Council of Ministers and published by REGA.

When the law took effect, REGA said that document "will be announced in the first quarter of 2026" (SPA, 22 Jan 2026). That quarter has passed.

Where we checked. As of 28 July 2026 we found no REGA or SPA text confirming publication. REGA's zones portal at saudiproperties.rega.gov.sa/zones is live, but the map loads in the browser and there is no zone list to download. Zone counts quoted on advisory websites do not trace back to REGA or SPA, and one later Cabinet-approval date in the press conflicts with REGA's own timeline. We treat the zones as pending.

For a buyer, the zones document matters more than the law. Until it is out, nobody can say which streets a foreigner can buy on.

Fees, penalties and how to apply

A non-Saudi buyer pays 10% of the price in fees. That is the 5% real estate disposition tax everyone pays, plus a non-Saudi fee of up to 5% (REGA Q&A).

General breaches range from a warning to a fine of 5% of the value of the right concerned, capped at SAR 10 million. Giving misleading information can cost up to SAR 10 million plus a forced sale at public auction (REGA Q&A).

The implementing regulation, which sets exact fees and oversight, was due within 180 days of the effective date. That deadline passed on 21 July 2026, a week before our check.

Applications go through the Saudi Properties portal, which has been live since day one (SPA, 22 Jan 2026).

A cooling market

The law arrived as the market slowed. Ministry of Justice data shows transaction value of SAR 82.2 billion in H1 2026, down 51.5% on a year earlier (MOJ via Arab News).

Prices held up better. GASTAT's Real Estate Price Index rose 1.3% year on year in Q2 2026. Residential prices were up 2.6% (GASTAT, Q2 2026). More in our Saudi residential market review.

With no zones published, foreign buyers were in practice shut out through H1 2026. The drop in transaction value is a domestic story. Crediting or blaming the new law for it is early by at least two quarters.

The law is meant to bring foreign money into a sector worth 6.5% of GDP at current prices in 2024 (GASTAT via Arab News). FDI stock already stood at SAR 1.05 trillion at end Q3 2025, up 10% year on year (SAMA via Arab News).

What has not been published yet

Six months in, most of the useful data is missing:

• Applications. REGA has not said how many have been filed or approved on the portal.
• Foreign purchases. Neither the MOJ nor GASTAT splits transactions by buyer nationality.
• Zone maps. Still pending, with nothing downloadable on REGA's portal.
• Premium Residency property thresholds. The minimum values and fees in circulation come only from advisory sites, so we show them as n/a.

We will not fill these gaps with brokers' forecasts. Once REGA or the MOJ publishes application counts or purchases by nationality, we will compare them with SAMA's quarterly FDI series, labelled as our estimate with the method shown. Ask us about a foreign-ownership data briefing if the zones and the first numbers matter to your underwriting.

FAQ

Can foreigners buy land in Saudi Arabia? In principle, yes. The law covers all property types, subject to the zones document (REGA Q&A, 25 Jul 2025). Empty land inside city zones also pays the white land fee, 2.5% to 10% of land value annually by priority tier once holdings reach 5,000 sqm (MOMAH via Amlak, effective from Aug 2025).

Can foreigners buy an apartment in Saudi Arabia? Yes, from 22 January 2026. REGA names Riyadh and Jeddah as open within specific areas (REGA Q&A). Many new flats sell off-plan through Sakani, which listed over 248,000 off-plan units as of August 2025 (MOMAH); see how off-plan sales work in Saudi Arabia.

Can foreigners buy commercial property in Saudi Arabia? Yes. Foreign companies, Saudi companies with foreign shareholders, and funds or SPVs with foreign investors all qualify (REGA Q&A, 25 Jul 2025). The same 10% in fees applies.

Can foreigners buy property in Makkah or Madinah? Some can. Only Muslim individuals and Saudi companies with foreign shareholders may buy there, in specific areas (REGA Q&A). Under the 2000 law, non-Saudis could not own there at all except by inheritance (old law, via MISA).

How does a foreigner actually apply? Online, through the Saudi Properties portal, live since 22 January 2026. Residents sign in with their residency ID and non-residents with an embassy-issued digital ID. Companies without a Saudi presence use an Invest Saudi unified number (SPA).

Does buying property grant residency in Saudi Arabia? No. Premium Residency is a separate track. Premium residents may own residential, commercial and industrial real estate outside Makkah, Madinah and border areas, with usufruct of up to 99 years inside the two holy cities (Premium Residency Permit Law via MISA). We found no official source for the minimum property value or fee, so we show them as n/a.

Sources

• Saudi Press Agency (SPA), REGA statement on entry into force, Saudi Properties portal, zones timeline (22 Jan 2026): link
• REGA, official Q&A on the Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis (decree date, 15 articles, Gazette date, 180 days, eligible categories, zones mechanics, Makkah/Madinah rule, 10% fee, penalties): link
• REGA, Saudi Properties zones portal (live, checked 28 Jul 2026): link
• Ministry of Justice (via MISA), Law of Real Estate Ownership and Investment by Non-Saudis, 2000 (SAR 30m floor, 5-year rule, Makkah/Madinah bar): link
• Premium Residency Permit Law (via MISA), ownership rights and 99-year usufruct: link
• Ministry of Justice Real Estate Market, H1 2026 transactions (via Arab News): link
• GASTAT, Real Estate Price Index Q2 2026 (xlsx): link
• GASTAT, GDP 2024 and real estate share (via Arab News): link
• SAMA / GASTAT, FDI stock and net inflows to Q3 2025 (via Arab News): link
• MOMAH, Sakani off-plan platform statistics (27 Aug 2025): link
• MOMAH White Land and Vacant Real Estate Program, fee tiers (via Amlak Newspaper): link