Saudi Arabia will open its real-estate market to foreign ownership starting January 2026, in one of the most significant regulatory shifts under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform programme. The announcement was confirmed by Fahad bin Suleiman, Executive Director for Non-Saudi Property Ownership at the Real Estate General Authority (REGA), in statements to Bloomberg.
Under the new framework, foreign individuals and companies will be able to own a “wide range” of real-estate assets, including residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial properties, and may also acquire land for development, provided the properties are located within zones designated by the government.
Bin Suleiman added that designated areas for foreign ownership in Riyadh, Jeddah, and the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah are still under review, and that the full list will be announced “very soon” alongside the final regulations governing foreign acquisition.
Early guidelines indicate that foreign ownership quotas in these zones will range between 70% and 90%, depending on the area.
The reform follows the approval of a new real-estate law earlier this year, replacing a two-decade-old system and positioning Saudi Arabia as one of the region’s most open property markets. The move is expected to stimulate foreign direct investment, support major urban-development projects, and strengthen the Kingdom’s competitiveness as a global investment hub.
