Zone (geographic scope)
النطاق الجغرافيA mapped area inside which non-Saudis may buy real estate or real rights, and in Makkah and Madinah the only places they can. The Cabinet approves the list and REGA publishes the boundaries on the Saudi Properties portal, where each zone has a card giving eligible buyers, tenure and term. Zones govern ownership and are drawn separately from the Haram boundary, so a building inside the sacred precinct can be outside every zone.
Also called designated area and ownership zone · Updated 23 June 2026
Looking this up because you mean to buy? Your next question is Am I allowed to buy?
The Makkah Zone Plate. Makkah has 12 designated ownership zones. Burj Ajyad is the nearest, 310 m from the Grand Mosque, and Dahiyat Sumou the farthest, at 16.7 km.
Where you meet it
- Two different questionsFreehold or usufruct in Makkah and Madinah
- Buying in your own nameHow a non-Saudi can own near the Haram
- Can foreigners buy property in Makkah and Madinah?
- Confirm you are eligibleHow to buy a property in Makkah or Madinah, step by step
- Shares in listed developersInvesting in Makkah and Madinah without a unit
- Own use or investment near the Haram
- Off-plan escrow and instalmentsPaying for property in Makkah or Madinah
- The holy-city questionPremium Residency and property near the Haram
- Projects open to buyers from abroad
- Off-plan payment plansWhat it costs to buy in Makkah and Madinah
- Where foreigners can buy in Makkah and Madinah
- Makkah zones
- Madinah zones
- Haram boundary
Related words
- REGA
- The Real Estate General Authority, Saudi Arabia’s regulator for the property sector.
- 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.
- Haram boundary
- The edge of the sacred precinct around Makkah, marked on the ground by boundary markers, which the ihram rules and the restriction of entry to Muslims both follow.
- 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.
- 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.
- Iqama
- The residence permit held by foreign nationals who live and work in Saudi Arabia.
Sources
REGA — law text, Art. 2(3) · 25 Jul 2025
In Makkah and Madinah, non-Saudi purchases are only possible inside the designated geographic zones; the 'one residence outside zones' right for residents does not apply to the two holy cities.Saudi Properties portal — zones · 23 Jun 2026
The official interactive map of designated zones is published on the Saudi Properties portal at saudiproperties.rega.gov.sa/zones.
Where each fact above comes from, with the source’s own date where it gives one.