Freehold vs usufruct
Freehold means your name is on the title deed in the Real Estate Registry with no time limit, while usufruct is a right of use for a fixed term, registered against someone else’s title. The zone cards on the Saudi Properties portal show which of the two each zone offers. Both can be bought, sold and inherited, but a usufruct loses value as its term runs down, and lenders treat the two differently.
Updated 22 January 2026
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Where you meet it
- Three forms of tenureFreehold or usufruct in Makkah and Madinah
- Scam patterns to recogniseVerify before you pay
- Usufruct as an alternativePremium Residency and property near the Haram
Related words
- Title deed (sakk)
- The document that proves ownership of a property or of a registered right in it.
- Real Estate Registry
- The national register of property titles, at rer.sa.
- Usufruct
- A right to use a property for a fixed term (to live in it, let it or sell the right on) while the title stays with its owner.
- Zone (geographic scope)
- A mapped area inside which non-Saudis may buy real estate or real rights, and in Makkah and Madinah the only places they can.
- Saudi Properties portal
- REGA’s online service for non-Saudi ownership, covering the eligibility enquiry, the zone check, the application, fee payment and the progress of a request.
Sources
REGA — system enters into force · 22 Jan 2026
In Makkah and Madinah, non-Saudi ownership and real rights are limited to Muslim natural persons (Law Art. 2(4)); REGA states this applies whether residing inside or outside the Kingdom.Premium Residency Law (English, MISA) · 1 Nov 2024
Usufruct rights in Makkah and Madinah of up to 99 years remain available (zone cards show 99 years; Premium Residency Law Art. 2(1)(e)).
Where each fact above comes from, with the source’s own date where it gives one.