Real Estate Ownership Law for Non-Saudis

BY Nassr Albarakati · 16 May 2025

Real Estate Ownership Law for Non-Saudis

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

In line with the rapid economic growth Saudi Arabia has seen in recent years, the updated Real Estate Ownership Law for Non-Saudis was issued to regulate real estate ownership rights for individuals and companies. This updated Law supports the growth of real estate investment and national development, and will take effect at the start of 2026.

Main Objectives

Stabilizing foreign investment by enabling genuine ownership of economic establishments.

Attracting foreign investment and stimulating and improving the efficiency of the real estate market.

Increasing real estate investment's contribution to the Saudi economy and supporting income diversification.

Expanding urban development and improving the quality of urban life.

Easing the burden on citizens and increasing their opportunities to own real estate by expanding the available supply.

Key Features of the Law

The Law allows non-Saudis to own real estate and acquire other real rights over real estate in Saudi Arabia, subject to certain restrictions: the geographic areas in which non-Saudis may own property, the types of rights available, the permitted ownership percentage, and the maximum period allowed for the use of the property. All of these are determined by resolution of the Council of Ministers.

Broader scope than the previous law. This Law is broader in scope than its predecessor. The previous law limited real estate ownership to non-Saudi individuals and investors and diplomatic missions, while the updated Law extends to individuals, for-profit entities, non-Saudi companies, diplomatic missions, and Saudi companies with foreign ownership participation. It also extends to all types of real estate, unlike the previous law, which limited investor ownership to property needed for business operations and for the investor's own housing and that of their employees, and limited resident ownership to their own housing only.

Geographic scope of ownership. The new Law permits ownership in specific areas, as set out in a geographic scope document identifying all areas available for ownership and other real rights over real estate. This differs from the previous law, which permitted ownership throughout the Kingdom except in Makkah and Madinah. The new Law also permits ownership and use by Muslims only within specific designated areas, whereas the previous law permitted only use, not ownership, in this respect.

Position of companies. A company not listed on the Saudi stock exchange, established under the Saudi Companies Law, in which one or more natural or legal persons who are not Saudi nationals hold a share of the capital, may own real estate or acquire other real rights over real estate within the geographic scope specified under the Law.

Necessary clarification. Application of this Law does not affect the provisions of the Premium Residency system, or the regulations governing real estate ownership by nationals of Gulf Cooperation Council member states within GCC countries for the purposes of residence or investment, or any other applicable regulations that grant a non-Saudi more favorable rights with respect to real estate ownership or the acquisition of other real rights over real estate.

Important note. A non-Saudi's ownership of real estate, or acquisition of other real rights over real estate, in the Kingdom does not give rise to any rights or privileges beyond those established by law for the holder of the real right in question.

Obligation and notice. A non-Saudi company, or non-Saudi non-profit entity, must register with the competent authority before owning real estate or acquiring other real rights over real estate in the Kingdom, in accordance with the Implementing Regulations, and ownership is not valid until real estate registration has taken place.

Penalties. A person who violates the Law is subject to a warning and a fine, in accordance with a schedule of violations and penalties to be set out in the Implementing Regulations.

Implementing Regulations. The Council of Ministers will issue the Implementing Regulations within one hundred and eighty days of the date the Law is published in the Official Gazette. The Implementing Regulations will set out the procedures for a non-Saudi to acquire real rights over real estate in the Kingdom, the requirements for enforcing the Law's provisions against a non-Saudi who is not resident in the Kingdom, the amount of the fee referred to in Article Nine of the Law, and the transactions subject to a zero percent fee rate, along with the cases, conditions, and controls governing this.

Entry into force. The Law takes effect one hundred and eighty days after the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.