Premium Residency
الإقامة المميزةA long-term Saudi residency for foreigners, with several tracks, one of them for owners of residential property. Under the 2026 ownership law a holder who is a Muslim individual may own inside the designated zones of Makkah and Madinah, because that law keeps Premium Residency rights intact. The older wording, ownership only outside the two cities and usufruct inside them, no longer states the rule for such a buyer.
Also called Saudi green card · Updated 7 September 2026
Looking this up because you mean to buy? Your next question is Am I allowed to buy?
Where you meet it
- Through a Saudi company you ownHow a non-Saudi can own near the Haram
- What you ownCan foreigners buy property in Makkah and Madinah?
- Two routes for a buyer abroadHow to buy a property in Makkah or Madinah, step by step
- Mortgages and Islamic financePaying for property in Makkah or Madinah
- Premium Residency and property near the Haram
- Premium Residency and property
Related words
- 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.
- 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.
- Taqeem
- The Saudi Authority for Accredited Valuers, which accredits the professionals who value property in Saudi Arabia.
Sources
Gulf News — Premium Residency options · 11 Jan 2024
The Premium Residency Real Estate Owner track requires residential property worth at least SAR 4 million, developed, free of mortgages, and valued by a Taqeem-accredited valuer.REGA — law text, Art. 2(4) read with Art. 5 · 25 Jul 2025
A Premium Residency holder who is a Muslim natural person may own property inside the designated zones of Makkah and Madinah under the 2026 Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis (Art. 2(4)), because Art. 5 of that law preserves Premium Residency rights; the older Premium Residency Law wording (ownership only outside the two holy cities, usufruct of up to 99 years inside) no longer states the governing rule for such a buyer.Reported by Al-Thomali Lawyer
Al-Thomali Lawyer — Premium Residency exceptions · 7 Sep 2026
Whether property in Makkah or Madinah can count toward the SAR 4 million Real Estate Owner threshold is not confirmed by an official source; a Saudi law firm (7 Sep 2026) states holy-city ownership is excluded for Premium Residency holders.
Where each fact above comes from, with the source’s own date where it gives one.