Can a company buy in Makkah?
Film, 1 min 2 s
A company incorporated outside Saudi Arabia can't. Neither can a non-profit. A Saudi-incorporated company with foreign shareholders can, inside the zones.
Updated 6 July 2026
What the film says
Can a company own here?
Say you're buying through a company. Can the company own in Makkah?
Who may, and who may not
A company incorporated outside Saudi Arabia can't. Neither can a non-profit. A Saudi-incorporated company with foreign shareholders can, inside the zones.
The Kingdom-wide route
There's a second route, and this one is open Kingdom-wide, holy cities included: a company listed on the Saudi exchange, a licensed fund, or a special purpose vehicle.
No MISA approval needed
And an unlisted Saudi company with non-Saudi shareholders doesn't need Ministry of Investment approval to own inside that scope. That one surprises people.
15 days to notify
What it does need is to be registered, to disclose its owners directly and indirectly, to appoint a representative holding a Saudi identity, and to notify the ministry within fifteen days of a change.
A Saudi company, or a listed one
So the company route is real — it just has to be a Saudi company, or a listed one. Get the structure right before you start shopping.
Drawn from the sources on this site and narrated by a synthetic voice. Information, not legal or financial advice.
Sources
Greenberg Traurig — implementing regulations · 6 Jul 2026
Foreign-incorporated companies and non-profits cannot own in Makkah and Madinah; Saudi-incorporated companies with foreign shareholders may own inside the zones (Law Art. 3).REGA — law text · 25 Jul 2025
Tadawul-listed companies, licensed funds and SPVs may own real estate Kingdom-wide including Makkah and Madinah under CMA rules (Law Art. 4).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.Umm Al-Qura — Executive Regulations, Art. 3 · 3 Jul 2026
Executive Regulations Art. 3 require a non-Saudi company to register with the Ministry of Investment, disclose its direct and indirect owners, appoint a representative who holds a Saudi ID, open a Saudi bank account, and notify the Ministry within 15 days of any transfer of 5% or more of its ownership.
Where each fact above comes from, with the source’s own date where it gives one.
