Can foreigners buy property in Makkah and Madinah?

Zullfa Weekly · From Abroad

The rules for non-Saudi buyers in Makkah and Madinah, covering who can buy and where ownership is allowed.

Updated 18 September 2026 · 5 min

The script it was made from

Host: If I live abroad and hold a foreign passport, can I actually own a home in Makkah or Madinah?

Guest: Yes, provided you are a Muslim individual. Under the Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis, non-Saudis who are Muslim natural persons can hold full ownership and other real rights in Makkah and Madinah.

Host: Many people believe non-Saudis can only get long leases, not true ownership.

Guest: That is the part people get wrong. The Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis entered into force on the twenty-second of January, twenty twenty-six. The right granted to a Muslim natural person is ownership itself, not merely a lease.

Host: Where does the idea of a ninety-nine year lease come from?

Guest: Usufruct rights up to ninety-nine years remain available under the rules. On the official portal, allowed ownership percentage and usufruct duration are separate fields, so ninety-nine years is just the maximum term for a usufruct, not a limit on ownership.

Host: Does this apply whether a buyer lives inside Saudi Arabia or abroad?

Guest: REGA, the Real Estate General Authority, confirms that this rule applies to Muslim individuals whether they reside inside or outside the Kingdom.

Host: Can a buyer purchase property anywhere across the two holy cities?

Guest: No. In Makkah and Madinah, purchases are permitted only within designated geographic zones, and the general right for residents to buy one home outside zones does not apply there.

Host: What about someone holding Saudi Premium Residency?

Guest: Under the twenty twenty-six law, a Premium Residency holder who is a Muslim natural person may own within the designated zones because the law preserves rights rather than limiting them.

Host: Can a company buy a property in those holy city zones as well?

Guest: REGA clarifies that ownership in Makkah and Madinah is restricted to Muslim individuals and to Saudi companies with non-Saudi shareholders. Under Executive Regulations Article eight, paragraph three, an unlisted Saudi company with foreign shareholders can own in the zones without Ministry of Investment approval.

Host: What must an individual living abroad complete before making a purchase?

Guest: Under Article two of the Executive Regulations, a non-resident individual must obtain a Saudi digital ID, open a bank account in the Kingdom in their own name, and get a Saudi phone number in their name linked to that ID.

Host: Can family members buy their own separate homes under the resident rules?

Guest: Under Article seven, a resident’s spouse and non-Saudi descendants count as dependants, so none can own a home separately unless the marriage ends or the descendant turns twenty-five.

Host: Do citizens of Gulf Cooperation Council countries have separate terms?

Guest: Under the GCC statute, GCC citizens receive the same treatment as Saudi citizens for buying and inheriting real estate, subject to developing land within four years of registration.

Guest: The core rule is clear: Muslim individuals from abroad can hold real estate ownership in Makkah and Madinah within the designated geographic zones.

Host: Every source for this episode is documented on zullfa dot com, and this information is not legal or financial advice.

An AI conversation generated from this script and its sources. Information, not legal or financial advice.

Sources

  1. REGA — law text, Art. 2(4) · 25 Jul 2025
    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.

  2. REGA — system enters into force · 22 Jan 2026
    The Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis entered into force on 22 January 2026.

  3. 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.

  4. Umm Al-Qura — Executive Regulations, Art. 2 · 3 Jul 2026
    Executive Regulations Art. 2 set three prerequisites for a non-resident non-Saudi individual before owning: a digital ID, a bank account in the Kingdom in their own name, and a Saudi phone number in their name linked to the digital ID.

  5. 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)).

  6. Saudi Properties portal — zone card labels (zones.rules, English)
    On the Saudi Properties portal's zone cards, allowed ownership percentage and usufruct duration are two separate labelled fields, each filled from its own value, so the 99 years is the longest usufruct term a card can show and does not limit ownership.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. REGA — Q&A on the updated Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis
    REGA's official Q&A on the updated law states that ownership in Makkah and Madinah is restricted to Muslim individuals and to Saudi companies with non-Saudi shareholders.

  10. Umm Al-Qura — Executive Regulations, Art. 8(3) · 3 Jul 2026
    Under Executive Regulations Art. 8(3), a Saudi-incorporated company that is not listed on the Saudi Exchange and has one or more non-Saudi shareholders may own property, or acquire other real rights over it, inside the designated geographic scope (including Makkah and Madinah) without obtaining Ministry of Investment approval.

  11. Umm Al-Qura — Executive Regulations, Art. 7 · 3 Jul 2026
    Under Executive Regulations Art. 7 a resident non-Saudi's spouse and non-Saudi descendants count as dependants for the one-residence right: none of them may separately own a home unless the marriage ends or the descendant turns 25.

  12. Bureau of Experts — Statute of Real Estate Ownership by GCC Citizens
    The GCC Statute of Real Estate Ownership by GCC Citizens, in force in Saudi Arabia, lets GCC nationals and wholly GCC-owned entities buy, lease and inherit land and buildings for residential or investment purposes with the same treatment as citizens, subject to developing land within four years of registration.

Where each fact above comes from, with the source’s own date where it gives one.

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