# Zullfa

> The verified guide for Muslims abroad buying a home in Makkah or Madinah.

Every figure on this site is a claim with a source URL and a source date; only claims confirmed against an official source, or two independent sources, are presented as facts, and anything resting on a single report is attributed to that report. Information, not legal or financial advice.

## About Zullfa
- Name: Zullfa (Arabic: زلفى)
- Site: https://zullfa.com/
- What it is: The verified guide for Muslims abroad buying a home in Makkah or Madinah.
- Covers: buying a home in Makkah or Madinah from abroad as a non-Saudi: who may buy, the designated ownership zones, the projects inside and outside them, the costs, the law and how a purchase runs.
- How the record is kept: [Editorial standards](https://zullfa.com/methodology) · [Working with Zullfa](https://zullfa.com/how-we-are-paid) · [Licence](https://zullfa.com/licence) · [About](https://zullfa.com/about) · [Press](https://zullfa.com/press)
- Profiles: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/zullfa), [X](https://x.com/zullfahomes), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/zullfahomes), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/zullfahomes), [Threads](https://www.threads.com/@zullfahomes), [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@zullfahomes), [Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/zullfahomes)
- Contact: hello@zullfa.com
- Not legal or financial advice: the site routes readers to licensed people rather than advising.

## Short answers, each from a verified claim
The words are the claims' own statements; the source and its date follow each one.

- **Can a foreigner buy property in Makkah or Madinah?** Article 2(4) of the Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis (Royal Decree M/14, in force 22 January 2026) limits the non-Saudi right to own property (تملك) and to acquire other real rights over it in Makkah and Madinah to Muslim natural persons, and the right it restricts is ownership itself, so a Muslim individual may own inside the designated zones and is not limited to usufruct. (REGA — law text, Art. 2(4), 25 July 2025) More: https://zullfa.com/guides/can-foreigners-buy-property-in-makkah-and-madinah
- **Since when?** The Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis entered into force on 22 January 2026. (REGA — system enters into force, 22 January 2026) More: https://zullfa.com/law-tracker
- **Where may a non-Saudi buy?** The official interactive map of designated zones is published on the Saudi Properties portal at saudiproperties.rega.gov.sa/zones. (Saudi Properties portal — zones, 23 June 2026) More: https://zullfa.com/guides/where-foreigners-can-buy-the-22-zones
- **What does a buyer own inside a zone?** On the Saudi Properties portal every designated zone in the two holy cities carries an ownership-rules card allowing a 100% ownership share, a usufruct of up to 99 years and all ten real-rights types (ownership and usufruct among them) for Muslim natural persons. (Saudi Properties portal — zone list and ownership-rules cards) More: https://zullfa.com/guides/freehold-or-usufruct
- **How far are the zones from the mosque?** A designated zone is not necessarily near the mosque: measured from each zone's nearest boundary point, Makkah's zones run from about 310 metres to about 16.7 kilometres from the Grand Mosque, and Madinah's from about 650 metres to about 12.4 kilometres from the Prophet's Mosque. (Saudi Properties portal — zone boundaries) More: https://zullfa.com/haram-minute
- **What does it cost on top of the price?** Real Estate Transaction Tax is 5% of the transaction value (RETT Law M/84 of 1446H, effective 10 April 2025). (ZATCA — RETT, 10 April 2025) The non-Saudi ownership fee is set at 2% in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah under Executive Regulations Art. 9; the law caps it at 5%. (Gulf Business — REGA clarification, 8 July 2026) Broker commission defaults to 2.5% of the transaction value unless agreed otherwise in writing, paid by the party who engaged the broker (Brokerage Law Art. 14). (REGA — Real Estate Brokerage Law, 9 September 2026) More: https://zullfa.com/guides/what-it-really-costs
- **Can a buyer who lives abroad pay from abroad?** SAMA rule 200.2.4, added by circular 482004268 of 1 July 2026, lets Saudi banks open accounts for non-Saudi individuals living abroad who are covered by the ownership law, on presentation of the digital ID, a passport copy, the home address and a Saudi contact number linked to the digital ID, any contract with a licensed broker or developer, and bank details plus an authenticated statement from the customer's home bank. (SAMA Rulebook — 200.2.4 Non-Saudi Natural Persons Outside Saudi Arabia Covered by the Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis, 1 July 2026) More: https://zullfa.com/guides/paying-for-it

## Start here
- [Can foreigners buy property in Makkah and Madinah?](https://zullfa.com/guides/can-foreigners-buy-property-in-makkah-and-madinah): Yes. Since 22 January 2026 a Muslim individual of any nationality, living in Saudi Arabia or abroad, can own property inside the designated zones of Makkah and Madinah.
- [What it costs to buy in Makkah and Madinah](https://zullfa.com/guides/what-it-really-costs): On top of the price, a non-Saudi buyer in Makkah and Madinah should budget for the 5% Real Estate Transaction Tax, the 2% non-Saudi ownership fee and, if a broker is involved, a 2.5% commission, which comes to about 9.5% of the price in all.
- [How to buy a property in Makkah or Madinah, step by step](https://zullfa.com/guides/how-to-buy-step-by-step): A non-resident Muslim buys in Makkah or Madinah in a fixed order. First a digital ID from a Saudi embassy, then a Saudi bank account and mobile number, an application on the Saudi Properties portal, a licensed listing, a reservation or contract, payment through the portal, and title in the Real Estate Registry.
- [Where foreigners can buy in Makkah and Madinah](https://zullfa.com/guides/where-foreigners-can-buy-the-22-zones): A Muslim buyer from abroad can only own inside the geographic zones the Cabinet approved on 23 June 2026. The Saudi Properties portal draws twelve of them in Makkah and ten in Madinah, and its map is the authority for any plot.
- [Buying from your country](https://zullfa.com/buyers-from)
- [Buying property in Makkah, zone by zone](https://zullfa.com/makkah)
- [Buying property in Madinah, zone by zone](https://zullfa.com/madinah)
- [What it costs: the charges on top of the price, the cost calculator and the developer’s price list](https://zullfa.com/data/market-pulse)
- [Every project in Makkah and Madinah, in and outside the ownership zones](https://zullfa.com/projects)
- [The Haram Minute: how far every designated zone is on foot](https://zullfa.com/haram-minute)
- [Eligibility checker](https://zullfa.com/tools/eligibility-checker)
- [Cost calculator](https://zullfa.com/tools/cost-calculator)
- [Law tracker: every change to the rules, dated and sourced](https://zullfa.com/law-tracker)
- [Second Opinion: send us the offer you were given, and we check it](https://zullfa.com/second-opinion)

## Machine-readable
- [All verified claims (JSON)](https://zullfa.com/facts.json): statement, the page on this site that shows it (url), source_url, source_date, topics, entity_ids; CC BY 4.0
- [Zone boundaries (GeoJSON)](https://zullfa.com/data/zones.geojson): all 22 designated ownership zones as polygons, each with the register's code and names, area, the three measured distances to the mosque, permitted uses and eligible buyers
- [Every figure, with its files and its licence (JSON)](https://zullfa.com/figures/index.json): 32 named maps, what each answers, its one-sentence finding, the numbers only it states, and its PNG, SVG and CSV
- [News RSS](https://zullfa.com/news/rss.xml)
- [Sitemap](https://zullfa.com/sitemap-index.xml)

## Figures you may cite by name
The whole set is at https://zullfa.com/figures: 32 of them, each with a name, an edition date, a table and a downloadable image. Terms: the measured data is CC BY 4.0, the drawings are ours to be embedded or used with their printed credit (https://zullfa.com/licence).

Every map on this site is one component drawing the regulator's published boundaries, and each has a name, an anchor and an edition date. Below every one is a table listing every zone it shows: the drawing is SVG, the record is HTML, and the record is the part to quote. Cite as: "The Makkah Zone Plate, Zullfa, 2026-09-19 edition".

- **The Makkah Zone Plate**: [https://zullfa.com/makkah#the-makkah-zone-plate](https://zullfa.com/makkah#the-makkah-zone-plate). All 12 designated ownership zones in Makkah. Nearest: Burj Ajyad at 310 m from the Grand Mosque; farthest: Dahiyat Sumou at 16.7 km.
- **The Madinah Zone Plate**: [https://zullfa.com/madinah#the-madinah-zone-plate](https://zullfa.com/madinah#the-madinah-zone-plate). All 10 designated ownership zones in Madinah, on the same square and the same scale as Makkah so the two compare. Nearest: Rua Al-Madinah at 650 m from the Prophet's Mosque.
- **One Zone Plate per zone**, at `/<city>/zones/<slug>`, anchored `#the-<slug>-zone-plate`: the zone's own boundary with its neighbours outlined, its nearest and farthest points marked, and the distance to the mosque drawn on it. Every project page inside a zone draws the same plate.
- **Makkah Within Fifteen Minutes**: [https://zullfa.com/figures/makkah-within-15-minutes](https://zullfa.com/figures/makkah-within-15-minutes). 5 of Makkah's 12 designated ownership zones are within fifteen minutes' walk of the Grand Mosque.
- **Makkah Within Half an Hour**: [https://zullfa.com/figures/makkah-within-30-minutes](https://zullfa.com/figures/makkah-within-30-minutes). 7 of Makkah's 12 designated ownership zones are within half an hour's walk of the Grand Mosque.
- **Makkah Within an Hour**: [https://zullfa.com/figures/makkah-within-an-hour](https://zullfa.com/figures/makkah-within-an-hour). 9 of Makkah's 12 designated ownership zones are within an hour's walk of the Grand Mosque.
- **Makkah Beyond an Hour on Foot**: [https://zullfa.com/figures/makkah-beyond-an-hour](https://zullfa.com/figures/makkah-beyond-an-hour). 3 of Makkah's 12 designated ownership zones are more than an hour's walk from the Grand Mosque.
- **Madinah Within Fifteen Minutes**: [https://zullfa.com/figures/madinah-within-15-minutes](https://zullfa.com/figures/madinah-within-15-minutes). 2 of Madinah's 10 designated ownership zones are within fifteen minutes' walk of the Prophet's Mosque.
- **Madinah Within an Hour**: [https://zullfa.com/figures/madinah-within-an-hour](https://zullfa.com/figures/madinah-within-an-hour). 5 of Madinah's 10 designated ownership zones are within an hour's walk of the Prophet's Mosque.
- **Madinah Beyond an Hour on Foot**: [https://zullfa.com/figures/madinah-beyond-an-hour](https://zullfa.com/figures/madinah-beyond-an-hour). 5 of Madinah's 10 designated ownership zones are more than an hour's walk from the Prophet's Mosque.
- **The Makkah Precinct Crossings**: [https://zullfa.com/figures/the-makkah-precinct-crossings](https://zullfa.com/figures/the-makkah-precinct-crossings). The sacred precinct and the designated ownership zones are separate boundaries, and a property can be inside one and outside the other.

The sacred precinct and the designated ownership zones are separate boundaries, and a property can be inside one and outside the other. (https://zullfa.com/figures/the-makkah-precinct-crossings)

Zone boundaries: Saudi Properties portal, retrieved 2026-09-19. Roads, rail, stations, landmarks and precinct signage: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0; that attribution travels with any reuse.

## Guides
- [Freehold or usufruct in Makkah and Madinah](https://zullfa.com/guides/freehold-or-usufruct): A zone open to non-Saudis tells you who may buy there, and nothing about what a developer sells inside it, whether a title deed in your name or a right of use for a term of years. The residences in the Abraj Al Bait towers beside the Haram were sold on 23-year leases over endowed land, and for most projects selling today the developer's material does not say which. Ask the developer in writing, and have the answer put in the contract.
- [Verify before you pay](https://zullfa.com/guides/verify-before-you-pay): Since 1 May 2026 each real estate advertisement in Saudi Arabia has needed a REGA licence. Brokers need a FAL licence, off-plan projects need a Wafi licence with an escrow account, and non-Saudi purchases run through one official portal. You can check each of these yourself before any money moves.
- [How a non-Saudi can own near the Haram](https://zullfa.com/guides/ways-to-own-in-makkah-and-madinah): A non-Saudi has seven lawful routes to a stake in Makkah or Madinah property, each suited to a different need. Buying in your own name inside a designated zone gives a title deed and is the simplest. Off-plan through Wafi spreads the payment, usufruct gives use for up to 99 years without ownership, and a Saudi company you own can hold the deed at the cost of running a company. Premium Residency adds the right to live in the Kingdom, and listed shares and licensed funds give a stake without a key.
- [Investing in Makkah and Madinah without a unit](https://zullfa.com/guides/indirect-routes): If your budget is below the price of a unit near the Haram, or you want a stake without the work of owning one, there are three listed routes. Saudi REITs hold holy-city hotels, developers such as Jabal Omar, KEC and Umm Al Qura trade on Tadawul, and SEDCO Capital and Wahed are preparing a suite. Since February 2026 any foreign individual can open a Saudi brokerage account.
- [Own use or investment near the Haram](https://zullfa.com/guides/own-use-or-investment): Most buyers from abroad want a home near the Haram for Umrah, family and retirement, and some want rent and resale. The rules treat the two motives differently. Short-term letting is licensed and, on the sources we have, closed to non-Saudi owners, leaving a unit empty can attract a fee, and there is little published yield data.
- [Paying for property in Makkah or Madinah](https://zullfa.com/guides/paying-for-it): Non-resident buyers pay through a purpose-restricted Saudi bank account opened under a SAMA rule dated 1 July 2026, with every payment made electronically through the SAMA-integrated portal and, for off-plan units, into the developer's Wafi escrow account. Bank mortgages are in practice not available to non-residents, so most buyers fund in cash or on a developer instalment plan.
- [Premium Residency and property near the Haram](https://zullfa.com/guides/premium-residency-and-property): Premium Residency has a Real Estate Owner product built around SAR 4 million of residential property. A Muslim holder can own inside the Makkah and Madinah zones under the 2026 ownership law, whose Article 5 preserves residency rights; the residency law's older "usufruct only" wording no longer states the rule. The question still open is whether the Premium Residency Center accepts a holy-city unit for the SAR 4 million threshold, which is an administrative matter.
- [Projects open to buyers from abroad](https://zullfa.com/guides/the-projects-guide): Inside the Makkah and Madinah zones, a handful of projects are selling to buyers abroad or taking registrations of interest. Each one is listed with its developer, zone, status and product, what is public about units and prices, and the official channel.

## Other pages
- [Home](https://zullfa.com/)
- [All guides](https://zullfa.com/guides)
- [Every legal way to own, compared](https://zullfa.com/guides/ways-to-own-in-makkah-and-madinah)
- [Shares and funds: the listed companies and licensed funds that hold holy-city property](https://zullfa.com/invest)
- [Residency and property](https://zullfa.com/residency)
- [Glossary](https://zullfa.com/glossary)
- [Podcast](https://zullfa.com/podcast)
- [Films](https://zullfa.com/videos)
- [News](https://zullfa.com/news)

## Zones
- [Abraj Makkah (makkah)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/zones/abraj-makkah)
- [Al-Manar (makkah)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/zones/al-manar)
- [Burj Ajyad (makkah)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/zones/burj-ajyad)
- [King Salman Gate (makkah)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/zones/king-salman-gate)
- [Tilal Village (makkah)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/zones/tilal-village)
- [Jabal Omar (makkah)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/zones/jabal-omar)
- [Thakher Makkah (makkah)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/zones/thakher-makkah)
- [Dahiyat Sumou (makkah)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/zones/dahiyat-sumou)
- [Masar (makkah)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/zones/masar)
- [Makkah Zone 1 (makkah)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/zones/makkah-zone-1)
- [Makkah Zone 2 (makkah)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/zones/makkah-zone-2)
- [Makkah Zone 3 (makkah)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/zones/makkah-zone-3)
- [Al-Ghurra (madinah)](https://zullfa.com/madinah/zones/al-ghurra)
- [Madinah Zone 1 (madinah)](https://zullfa.com/madinah/zones/madinah-zone-1)
- [Madinah Zone 2 (madinah)](https://zullfa.com/madinah/zones/madinah-zone-2)
- [Al-Mahwa (madinah)](https://zullfa.com/madinah/zones/al-mahwa)
- [Darat Al-Hijra (madinah)](https://zullfa.com/madinah/zones/darat-al-hijra)
- [Downtown Madinah (madinah)](https://zullfa.com/madinah/zones/downtown-madinah)
- [Diyar Al-Maqar (madinah)](https://zullfa.com/madinah/zones/diyar-al-maqar)
- [Rua Al-Madinah (madinah)](https://zullfa.com/madinah/zones/rua-al-madinah)
- [Knowledge Economic City (madinah)](https://zullfa.com/madinah/zones/knowledge-economic-city)
- [Mishraf (madinah)](https://zullfa.com/madinah/zones/mishraf)

## How far each zone is from the mosque (the Haram Minute)
Straight-line distance from the zone boundary the Saudi Properties portal publishes, and the shortest walk that distance allows at 1.2 and 1 metres per second (US FHWA pedestrian capacity study). A real walk is never shorter than a straight line, so these are floors, not estimates. Method: https://zullfa.com/haram-minute
- Burj Ajyad (makkah): 310 m from the Grand Mosque, at least 5–6 min on foot
- Abraj Makkah (makkah): 320 m from the Grand Mosque, at least 5–6 min on foot
- Jabal Omar (makkah): 450 m from the Grand Mosque, at least 7–8 min on foot
- Rua Al-Madinah (madinah): 650 m from the Prophet's Mosque, at least 10–11 min on foot
- King Salman Gate (makkah): 690 m from the Grand Mosque, at least 10–12 min on foot
- Madinah Zone 1 (madinah): 710 m from the Prophet's Mosque, at least 10–12 min on foot
- Masar (makkah): 820 m from the Grand Mosque, at least 12–14 min on foot
- Makkah Zone 2 (makkah): 1.3 km from the Grand Mosque, at least 18–22 min on foot
- Thakher Makkah (makkah): 2.0 km from the Grand Mosque, at least 28–33 min on foot
- Makkah Zone 1 (makkah): 2.4 km from the Grand Mosque, at least 35–41 min on foot
- Downtown Madinah (madinah): 3.0 km from the Prophet's Mosque, at least 42–51 min on foot
- Madinah Zone 2 (madinah): 3.1 km from the Prophet's Mosque, at least 44–53 min on foot
- Darat Al-Hijra (madinah): 3.2 km from the Prophet's Mosque, at least 44–53 min on foot
- Makkah Zone 3 (makkah): 3.7 km from the Grand Mosque, at least 52–62 min on foot
- Knowledge Economic City (madinah): 4.8 km from the Prophet's Mosque, beyond walking distance
- Tilal Village (makkah): 6.4 km from the Grand Mosque, beyond walking distance
- Al-Mahwa (madinah): 8.3 km from the Prophet's Mosque, beyond walking distance
- Mishraf (madinah): 8.9 km from the Prophet's Mosque, beyond walking distance
- Al-Ghurra (madinah): 10.8 km from the Prophet's Mosque, beyond walking distance
- Diyar Al-Maqar (madinah): 12.4 km from the Prophet's Mosque, beyond walking distance
- Al-Manar (makkah): 14.6 km from the Grand Mosque, beyond walking distance
- Dahiyat Sumou (makkah): 16.7 km from the Grand Mosque, beyond walking distance

## Projects
- [Al-Alya (Knowledge Economic City)](https://zullfa.com/madinah/projects/kec-al-alya)
- [Jabal Omar serviced apartments](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/jabal-omar-serviced-apartments)
- [Diyar Al Haram (Masar)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/masar-diyar-al-haram)
- [777 branded residences (Masar)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/masar-777-branded-residences)
- [Roya Al Haram (Masar)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/masar-roya-al-haram)
- [Masar Corner](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/masar-corner)
- [King Salman Gate](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/king-salman-gate)
- [Thakher Makkah](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/thakher-makkah)
- [ROSHN Almanar](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/roshn-almanar)
- [Rua Al Madinah](https://zullfa.com/madinah/projects/rua-al-madinah)
- [Dar Al Hijrah](https://zullfa.com/madinah/projects/dar-al-hijrah)
- [Rihab Makkah Gate](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/rihab-makkah-gate): outside the designated non-Saudi ownership zones
- [Al-Nada](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/al-nada): outside the designated non-Saudi ownership zones
- [El Bayet (Al Bait Abr Al Mamlaka)](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/el-bayet): outside the designated non-Saudi ownership zones
- [Jawharat Makkah](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/jawharat-makkah): outside the designated non-Saudi ownership zones
- [Jadan Alsadan](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/jadan-alsadan): outside the designated non-Saudi ownership zones
- [Jeera](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/jeera): outside the designated non-Saudi ownership zones
- [Dar Al Mashaer](https://zullfa.com/makkah/projects/dar-al-mashaer): outside the designated non-Saudi ownership zones
- [Shams (Al Ghoroub)](https://zullfa.com/madinah/projects/shams-al-ghoroub): outside the designated non-Saudi ownership zones
- [Daniat Al-Ghroub](https://zullfa.com/madinah/projects/daniat-al-ghroub): outside the designated non-Saudi ownership zones
- [Arak Al-Mukiman](https://zullfa.com/madinah/projects/arak-al-mukiman): outside the designated non-Saudi ownership zones
- [Saraya Al Bader](https://zullfa.com/madinah/projects/saraya-al-bader): outside the designated non-Saudi ownership zones
- [Darah Almadinah](https://zullfa.com/madinah/projects/darah-almadinah): outside the designated non-Saudi ownership zones
- [Safa 102 (Al Mokaymen)](https://zullfa.com/madinah/projects/safa-102-al-mokaymen): outside the designated non-Saudi ownership zones

## Buyers by country
- [United Kingdom](https://zullfa.com/buyers-from/united-kingdom)
- [United States](https://zullfa.com/buyers-from/united-states)
- [Canada](https://zullfa.com/buyers-from/canada)
- [Australia](https://zullfa.com/buyers-from/australia)
- [France](https://zullfa.com/buyers-from/france)
- [Germany](https://zullfa.com/buyers-from/germany)
- [Malaysia](https://zullfa.com/buyers-from/malaysia)
- [Singapore](https://zullfa.com/buyers-from/singapore)
- [Indonesia](https://zullfa.com/buyers-from/indonesia)
- [Türkiye](https://zullfa.com/buyers-from/turkey)
- [Pakistan](https://zullfa.com/buyers-from/pakistan)
- [Nigeria](https://zullfa.com/buyers-from/nigeria)

## Attribution
Cite as "Zullfa" with a link to the page (each fact in facts.json carries its page as url) and, for any figure, the source URL given in facts.json.