State Real Estate Registry Rules and Procedures

BY Nassr Albarakati · 23 November 2025

Table of content

State Real Estate Registry Rules and Procedures

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

Introduction

State-owned real estate is a fundamental component of the Kingdom's national assets, playing a central role in supporting administrative and development work, as well as in the sustainable management of public resources. In recognition of this, the regulator has worked to protect and organize this area through the Rules and Procedures for the State Real Estate Register, issued by Resolution No. Q/5/27/2025 of the Board of Directors of the State Properties General Authority (SPGA), dated 25/01/1447H. The Rules are designed to safeguard the state's ownership of its real estate, document and protect the related data from loss or misappropriation, and support national plans for managing land and public property. The key provisions of the Rules and Procedures are set out below.

Main Objectives

Documenting the state's ownership of all its real estate through a sound, systematic process.

Coordinating between government entities and the Authority to register all state-owned real estate in the real estate register.

Documenting all data and amendments relating to a given property, safeguarding its confidentiality, and raising the level of real estate security.

Part One: Definitions and General Provisions

Article One sets out a number of definitions that form the basis for understanding the Rules, the most significant of which are as follows.

State real estate refers to all land and buildings owned by the state, within the Kingdom and abroad, evidenced by a title deed, except for what is excluded by statutory provision, along with any land within the Kingdom released from private ownership.

The State Real Estate Register refers to an electronic database, integrated with a geographic information system, dedicated to state-owned real estate.

Dealings in real estate refers to transactions and restrictions that create a principal or ancillary real right, final judicial rulings confirming any such right, and any other transactions or restrictions approved by SPGA.

A consolidated title deed refers to a title deed issued for a defined area that combines a number of title deeds that could not be merged for spatial or regulatory reasons.

Article Two sets out the objectives of the Rules, explaining that they are intended to establish the state's ownership of all its real estate through specific procedures, covering any changes affecting a property and any dealings carried out in relation to it.

Part Two: Registration

Article Three provides that all state real estate is registered under the name "State Real Estate," except where a special order or resolution provides otherwise. The same applies to real estate gifted to government entities, which is likewise registered under that name, provided the title deed records that the property was given as a gift or donation, identifies the beneficiary entity, and states any condition set by the donor.

Article Four provides that the government entity in question, in coordination with the Authority, is responsible for taking the steps needed to register the state real estate under its control in the real estate register. For all other state real estate, the Authority is responsible for taking the necessary registration steps, in accordance with the provisions of the Real Estate Registration Law.

Article Five sets out how dealings are registered. The Authority is responsible for completing the deregistration and registration process, accepting registrations, and recording all dealings that follow the property's initial title registration, without prejudice to a government entity's right to deal with its own real estate under applicable law. The entity concerned must notify the Authority of any change to a property's description within no more than thirty days of the date of the change, so the Authority can take the necessary action under the Real Estate Registration Law.

Article Six provides that the Authority records all state-owned real estate in the register referred to in Article Seven of the Rules, and that title deeds must be issued for state-owned real estate in the following cases: where an ownership order or resolution has been issued to that effect; where the property falls within approved urban plans or designated real estate zones under the Real Estate Registration Law; where it has been allocated to a government entity; where it is leased or invested; or in any other case determined by SPGA's Board of Directors.

Part Three: The Electronic Register

Article Seven governs the contents of the electronic register established by the Authority, known as the State Real Estate Register. The register is managed by the Authority, records certain categories of data, and is governed by a number of rules, the most important of which are as follows.

All state-owned real estate and its geographic information.

Any dealings affecting that real estate, such as allocation, leasing, or investment.

Government licenses issued for a property, and data relating to the services provided to it.

The register allows documents to be stored, archived, and tracked for amendments.

Allocation decisions, lease agreements, and investment agreements must be recorded within thirty days of the date they are issued or concluded.

The register must maintain the highest standards of confidentiality, privacy, security, and data integrity.

The Authority coordinates with relevant entities to unify the standards used for documenting data recorded in the State Real Estate Register.

Real estate located outside the Kingdom. Article Eight requires government entities to submit all data relating to their real estate located outside the Kingdom to the Authority, and to provide the Authority with any subsequent amendment within sixty days of the date of the change. The Authority records state real estate located outside the Kingdom in the State Real Estate Register, along with any amendments made to it.

Part Four: The Consolidated Title Deed, and Regulating Ownership Within Its Boundaries

Article Nine sets out the procedures for issuing a consolidated title deed. The Authority issues the deed following approval from the Chairman of the Council of Ministers and completes the process of annotating the title records of the state real estate falling within the boundaries of the consolidated deed.

The Article also sets out what the Authority must take into account when proposing the issuance of a consolidated title deed, including that the deed serves the general economic interest and is consistent with the approved strategic and urban development plans, along with the other considerations the Article requires.

Register data. Article Ten sets out the Authority's obligations when registering or entering data in the State Real Estate Register, including the following.

Adhering, in all registration or entry procedures, to the Rules, procedural guides, and forms approved by the Board.

Verifying that the data and requirements needed for each registration or entry are complete, including: the property data specified under the geographic information system; the ownership data and the rights and obligations arising in relation to the property; decisions issued regarding the allocation or recovery of the property, or its lease and investment agreements; evidence of the authorized party's approval of any dealing involving the property; and the property's survey report, where one exists.

Article Eleven provides that the Authority is responsible for completing the process of amending a property's title deed data, following the applicable procedures, where the area recorded in the deed differs from the property's actual area on the ground, provided this does not affect private ownership rights. Where the name of the entity to which a property has been allocated changes, or that entity is merged or dissolved, the Authority is responsible for implementing the resulting orders and resolutions by amending the property's title deed accordingly.

Part Six: Preserving Original Documents and Forms, and Publishing the Rules

Articles Twelve through Fourteen of the Rules require the Authority to retain all original ownership documents for state real estate, within the Kingdom and abroad, along with their digital records. The Authority may carry out the procedures set out in the Rules electronically, and prepares the forms needed to implement the Rules' provisions.

The Rules are published in the Official Gazette and take effect from the date of publication.

Conclusion

The regulator continues to work toward building a comprehensive database for managing state property with accuracy and transparency, in step with technological progress and digital transformation. The Authority and government entities alike are bound by strict deregistration and registration procedures, strengthening the state's role in managing its real estate, protecting public funds, and ensuring that ownership is documented in a clear, systematic manner.

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