On which date did the new Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis enter into force, according to REGA?
- 1 January 2025
- 22 January 2026
- 25 July 2025
- 1 October 2026
The law was published on 25 July 2025 and entered into force on 22 January 2026, 180 days later. Its implementing regulations followed in July 2026.
REGA, Non-Saudi Property Ownership System enters into force (2026-01) Under the 2026 non-Saudi ownership system, who may own property in Makkah and Madinah?
- Any foreign individual or company, without conditions
- Only GCC companies
- Muslim individuals (inside or outside the Kingdom) and Saudi companies, within the designated zones
- Nobody except Saudi citizens
REGA limits ownership in the two holy cities to Muslim individuals and Saudi companies. A non-Muslim foreign buyer must look at the zones in Riyadh or Jeddah instead.
REGA, Non-Saudi Property Ownership System enters into force (2026-01) The law allows REGA to charge non-Saudi buyers a fee of up to 5%. What rate did the July 2026 implementing regulations set inside the geographic zones of Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah?
- 0%
- 1%
- 5%
- 2%
The implementing regulations set the non-Saudi fee at 2% in those zones, with 0% in some listed cases. It is separate from the general 5% real estate transaction tax (RETT).
Legal 500 (A&O Shearman), New foreign ownership law in Saudi Arabia (2026-07) A non-Saudi investor buys a SAR 2,000,000 apartment inside a Riyadh ownership zone. Add the 5% real estate transaction tax and the 2% non-Saudi fee. What is the total of these two charges in SAR?
SAR RETT: 2,000,000 x 5% = 100,000. Non-Saudi fee: 2,000,000 x 2% = 40,000. Total 140,000. RETT is legally due from the seller but is often priced in, so agree in writing who pays it.
Raghdan, Can foreigners get a mortgage in Saudi Arabia? 2026 guide (2026-09) Through which official digital platform do non-Saudis apply to own property under the 2026 system?
- Ejar
- Sakani
- Saudi Properties
- Balady
REGA's Saudi Properties portal (saudiproperties.rega.gov.sa) is linked to the real estate registry and checks eligibility automatically. Residents apply with their iqama; non-residents first get a digital identity through a Saudi embassy.
REGA, Non-Saudi Property Ownership System enters into force (2026-01) In September 2025 a royal decree froze rent increases in Riyadh. What does it cover?
- Residential only, for one year
- Residential and commercial properties within Riyadh's urban boundary, for five years
- Commercial only, for three years
- All Saudi cities, for ten years
From 25 September 2025, rents for residential and commercial property inside Riyadh's urban boundary are frozen for five years, for existing and new contracts. REGA can extend the framework to other cities with approval.
Arabian Business, Saudi Arabia freezes rent increases in Riyadh for 5 years (2025-09) An investor buys a vacant Riyadh apartment that was rented last year. Under the rent freeze rules, what rent can he ask from a new tenant?
- Any rent he likes, because the unit is vacant
- The value of the most recent registered contract
- The average rent of the district plus 10%
- Half of the previous rent
Vacant units in Riyadh are fixed at the last registered contract value; only units never rented before can have their first rent agreed freely. Investors must price their yield on today's rent, not on hoped-for increases.
Arabian Business, Saudi Arabia freezes rent increases in Riyadh for 5 years (2025-09) After the 2025 amendments to the White Land Tax law, what is the annual fee on undeveloped land of 5,000 square metres or more in the highest priority zone?
- 2.5%
- 5%
- 10%
- 1%
The flat 2.5% was replaced by tiers of 10%, 7.5%, 5% and 2.5% by priority zone, with 0% outside designated zones. The aim is to push landowners in cities like Riyadh to build or sell, adding supply.
Al Tamimi, White Land Tax in Saudi Arabia: implementing regulations and Riyadh roll-out (2025-10) By September 2025, how many foreign companies had set up regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia, according to the Minister of Investment?
- About 660, above the 2030 target of 500
- About 150, far below target
- About 300, on track for 2030
- Over 2,000
Khalid Al Falih reported 660 regional headquarters in September 2025, already beyond the 500 targeted for 2030. Each one brings senior staff who need quality housing, mostly in Riyadh.
Mubasher, Al Falih: Saudi Arabia to host over 1,000 RHQs soon (2025-09) What is the headline tax incentive of the Saudi Regional Headquarters (RHQ) programme?
- No VAT on any purchase for 10 years
- 0% corporate income tax on eligible RHQ activities for 30 years (renewable)
- A 50% discount on property purchases
- Free land in KAFD
Eligible RHQ income is taxed at 0% for up to 30 years, with 0% withholding tax on qualifying payments, plus a 10-year Saudization exemption. Since 2024, firms without a Saudi RHQ are largely excluded from government tenders.
DLA Piper, Saudi Regional Headquarters Program: tax and non-tax incentives (2024-03) When will World Expo 2030 Riyadh take place, and where is its site?
- October 2030 to March 2031, near King Salman International Airport
- January to June 2030, in Diriyah
- October 2029 to March 2030, at KAFD
- Summer 2030, in Jeddah
Riyadh won the vote in November 2023 with 119 votes, ahead of South Korea and Italy. The site near the future King Salman International Airport will be reachable by metro, supporting growth in north and north-east Riyadh.
Arabian Business, World Expo 2030: Riyadh wins bid (2023-11) Saudi Arabia's FIFA World Cup 2034 bid named five host cities. Which of these was NOT one of them?
- Abha
- Al Khobar
- Madinah
- Jeddah
The bid book named Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha and NEOM, with 15 stadiums (8 in Riyadh) and over 230,000 hotel rooms planned. Event-driven hotel and infrastructure spending is concentrated in those cities.
Argaam, Saudi plans to host FIFA WC 2034 in 5 major cities (2024-07) In January 2026, what happened to the Mukaab, the giant cube planned at the heart of New Murabba in Riyadh?
- It opened to the public
- Construction beyond excavation and piling was suspended while financing and feasibility are reviewed
- It was moved to Jeddah
- It was sold to a private developer
Reuters reported the Mukaab suspension in January 2026. Work on the surrounding New Murabba district was set to continue, but its completion has slipped from 2030 to 2040, so do not sell it as a near-term story.
Gulf Business (Reuters), Saudi suspends Mukaab as PIF reassesses spending (2026-01) A client asks whether buying near NEOM's The Line is a good bet in 2026. Which statement reflects the reported status?
- The Line is on track to house 1.5 million people by 2030
- Work on The Line is delayed until at least after 2030, and Trojena will no longer host the 2029 Asian Winter Games
- The Line opened its first residential module in 2025
- NEOM has been fully cancelled, including the Oxagon port
Reports in 2026 say The Line is on hold until after 2030 and the 2029 Asian Winter Games moved to Almaty. NEOM is still investing in Oxagon's port and data infrastructure, so the honest answer is: not a residential play today.
Yahoo Finance (Semafor), Saudi's NEOM halts The Line until after 2030 (2026-05) Which project is described as a USD 63.2 billion development of about 14 square kilometres, targeting over 100,000 residents, and is among those PIF kept as a priority in 2026?
- Diriyah
- The Line
- New Murabba
- Sindalah
Diriyah, north-west of central Riyadh, combines heritage, branded residences and hotels, with its overall completion now targeted for 2030. Reuters listed it with Qiddiya and Expo and World Cup infrastructure as spending priorities.
AGBI, Saudi giga-projects: Diriyah (2026-10) Which Qiddiya milestone is correct?
- Six Flags Qiddiya City opened on 31 December 2025
- Qiddiya opened its first theme park in 2019
- Qiddiya's first park is planned for 2032
- Qiddiya was suspended in 2026 alongside the Mukaab
Six Flags Qiddiya opened on 31 December 2025 and the Aquarabia water park followed for Eid Al Fitr in March 2026. Qiddiya is about 45 km from downtown Riyadh, so its housing story is long term.
Gulf News, Aquarabia water park opens in Qiddiya this Eid Al Fitr (2026-03) According to Knight Frank's Q2 2026 review, how did Riyadh residential values move year on year?
- Apartments and villas both up more than 15%
- Apartments up about 3.1% (around SAR 6,369 per square metre), villas down about 2.2%
- Apartments down 10%, villas up 10%
- Both flat at 0%
Growth has cooled sharply after the 2019 to 2025 boom: national transactions were down 12% year on year in Q2 2026. Use current data like this rather than past boom figures when advising investors.
Arab News, Saudi housing deals rebound 9% in Q2: Knight Frank (2026-09) Knight Frank estimates Riyadh's residential stock at about 2.81 million units in 2026. What is the projection for 2030, and why does it matter to investors?
- About 2.0 million units, so shortages will push rents up
- Unchanged at 2.81 million, so prices are guaranteed to rise
- About 3.30 million units, so new supply could limit rent and price growth in some segments
- About 10 million units, so the market will crash
Roughly 490,000 extra units by 2030 is significant supply, on top of the rent freeze. A good broker flags supply risk and picks locations with real demand drivers such as metro access, offices and schools.
Arab News, Saudi housing deals rebound 9% in Q2: Knight Frank (2026-09) ROSHN, the PIF-owned community developer, builds SEDRA in which city?
- Jeddah
- Dhahran
- Makkah
- Riyadh
SEDRA (about 20 square kilometres) is in north Riyadh, and WAREFA is in east Riyadh. ROSHN also builds ALAROUS and MARAFY in Jeddah, ALDANAH in Dhahran, ALMANAR in Makkah and ALFULWA in Al Ahsa.
Wikipedia, Roshn (2026-10) Jeddah Central (formerly Jeddah New Downtown) is a 5.7 million square metre waterfront project. Which set of landmarks does it plan?
- A ski slope and a desert theme park
- An opera house, a museum, a sports stadium and marine aquariums
- An international airport and a cargo port
- A financial district modelled on KAFD
The SAR 75 billion project, funded by PIF and investors, plans about 17,000 homes in its first phase plus an opera house, museum, stadium and aquariums. Phases are planned to 2027, 2030 and beyond, so check delivery before selling timelines.
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