Saudi Premium Residency through owning property
A built, mortgage-free home worth SAR 4 million or more opens the Real Estate Owner route to Premium Residency. This page sets out exactly what the property has to be, what the status gives you, and where a brokerage’s job ends and a licensed advisor’s begins.
What the property has to be
| Requirement | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Residential | A home. Commercial units and farmland do not qualify. |
| Fully built | Land does not count. An off-plan unit does not count until it is finished and the deed is in your name. |
| Free of mortgage | Owned outright. A financed purchase does not support the application while the charge is on the deed. |
| Valued at SAR 4 million or more | Assessed by an appraiser accredited with TAQEEM, not by the asking price on a listing. |
| In an eligible location | Inside a zone where a person in your position may own. Makkah and Madinah remain restricted. |
Whether you are allowed to own at a given address in the first place is a separate question, and it comes first. That is covered in the buying guide.
What it gives you
- Work without a sponsor, and change employer without one.
- Your spouse, children under 25 and parents on the same status.
- Exemption from the expatriate levy on dependants.
- The right to own property and to run a business in your own name.
- Exit and re-entry without a separate visa each time.
What it does not give you
It is residency, not citizenship, and it does not become citizenship by the passage of time.
It is renewable, not permanent, on the Real Estate Owner route — and it depends on you still owning the property.
Buying the property does not, by itself, grant anything. It is a separate application, to the Premium Residency Center, which decides.
The other routes, in one table
The property route is one of several. If it is the residency you want rather than the building, one of these may suit you better.
| Route | What it takes | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent | A one-time fee of SAR 800,000 and due diligence clearance | Permanent, no renewal |
| Annual renewable | SAR 100,000 a year, with proof of means | One year at a time |
| Real estate owner | A built, unmortgaged home of SAR 4 million or more | Up to 5 years, renewable |
| Investor | SAR 7 million into a Saudi business and 10 jobs within two years | Converts to permanent |
| Entrepreneur | From SAR 400,000 with a recognised licence, up to SAR 15 million at the premium tier | 5 years, or permanent at the top tier |
| Special talent | Demonstrated expertise in a priority field. No investment | Up to 5 years |
Where we fit, and where we do not
RIZQ Property is a licensed brokerage. We are not immigration agents and we will not pretend otherwise, because the people who do are the reason this subject is full of bad advice.
What we do is make the property side unarguable: confirm that someone in your position may own at that address, read the deed and check there is no mortgage or dispute on it, arrange a TAQEEM valuation that supports the figure, negotiate, and complete the transfer at Najiz so the deed is in your name. Your licensed advisor files the application with the Premium Residency Center.
Figures and rules on this page reflect the published position in September 2026 and should be confirmed with the Premium Residency Center before you commit to anything. If you want to start from the property end, tell us the budget and the city.
Questions people ask
Does buying a house in Saudi Arabia give me residency?
Not automatically. A built, mortgage-free residential property valued at SAR 4 million or more can support an application under the Real Estate Owner route. The application is separate and is decided by the Premium Residency Center.
Does an off-plan apartment count towards the SAR 4 million?
Not until it is completed and registered in your name. The requirement is a fully developed property, not land and not a unit under construction.
Can the property be mortgaged?
No. It must be owned outright, with no charge on the deed.
Who is included with me?
Spouse, children under 25 and parents are included on the same status, with work authorisation and exemption from the dependant levy.
Is Premium Residency the same as citizenship?
No. It is a residency status. It does not confer nationality and does not convert into it over time.