Where foreigners can buy property in Saudi Arabia
The approved zones, named one by one, as they stand in September 2026 — and the cities that are not on the list, which is the part most articles leave out.
Part of the guide to buying property in Saudi Arabia. Before the address, check whether your category may buy at all.
Riyadh
Nine areas, and they are development zones rather than ordinary neighbourhoods — which is why a villa in a normal Riyadh suburb is not automatically available to you.
- Diriyah Gate
- The heritage district redevelopment north-west of the centre.
- King Abdullah Financial District
- KAFD, the business district north of the city.
- King Salman Park
- The park development on the old airport land.
- New Murabba
- The downtown project around the Mukaab.
- Qiddiya
- The entertainment and sports city south-west of Riyadh.
- Sedra
- The residential community in the north of the city.
- Sports Boulevard and the Arts District
- The linear park corridor and the cultural quarter.
- King Salman International Airport
- The airport city development.
- Transit-oriented sites
- Designated plots along the metro network.
Jeddah
The widest opening in the Kingdom, and the reason Jeddah is where most foreign buying is actually happening: Jeddah Central, Al Arous, and 55 numbered areas spread across the governorate rather than clustered in one project.
AlUla
Seventeen zones across the governorate, open to all foreign buyers. A tourism market rather than a rental one — the demand is seasonal and the exit depends on the destination continuing to grow.
The giga-projects
NEOM, Amaala and the Red Sea Project, all in Tabuk region, are open to foreign buyers with no residency requirement. Almost everything on sale is off-plan, which makes the payment structure the thing to read carefully.
The economic cities
King Abdullah Economic City on the Red Sea coast, Jazan Special Economic Zone in the south, and Ras Al-Khair in the Eastern Province. Ras Al-Khair is industrial — the buyer there is usually a company, not a family.
Makkah and Madinah
Open since 21 January 2026 to Muslim buyers only: twelve named zones in Makkah, around ten in Madinah, including Jabal Omar, Masar, Rua Al Madinah and Knowledge Economic City.
What is not on the list
Dammam, Al Khobar and Dhahran are not approved zones. If you are applying from outside the Kingdom you cannot buy a home in any of them today. Ras Al-Khair, in the same province, is the exception.
Nor are Riyadh’s ordinary residential districts, Jeddah’s older neighbourhoods outside the numbered areas, or any of the smaller cities. Border zones, military sites and security areas are closed to everyone.
If you live in the Kingdom on an iqama, or hold a GCC passport, none of that applies to you in the same way — you can buy in Khobar or Dammam on the older rules.
City by city, with prices and who may buy in each, is in where we work — including Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province.
How to check an address yourself
REGA publishes the zones on the Saudi Properties portal with an interactive map and the permitted ownership share for each one. Check the address, not the city: two streets apart can be two different answers. We run that check before we show anybody anything, and the list is expected to grow — REGA has said ownership will open in more cities gradually.
Questions people ask
Can foreigners buy property in Riyadh?
Yes, inside nine approved zones including Diriyah Gate, KAFD, New Murabba, Qiddiya and King Salman Park. Ordinary residential districts outside those zones are not open to non-resident buyers.
Can foreigners buy in Al Khobar or Dammam?
Not from abroad — the Eastern Province cities are not approved zones. Residents on an iqama and GCC nationals can buy there under the existing rules.
Where is the widest opening?
Jeddah, with Jeddah Central, Al Arous and 55 numbered areas across the governorate.
Will more cities open?
REGA has said ownership will be extended gradually. The portal is the only reliable place to see the current list.