Saudi Arabia has announced a significant relaxation of the real-estate route to Premium Residency: applicants no longer need to wait until a property is built and fully paid for. Under the newly announced changes, the application process can begin once a buyer has invested SAR 1 million into an off-plan property purchase, provided the property’s value is at least SAR 4 million. Here is what has changed, and what it means for international buyers.
Quick answer
Until now, the Real Estate Owner track of Premium Residency required a completed, mortgage-free property independently valued at SAR 4 million or more — off-plan purchases did not count until handover. Under the announced changes, buyers can start their Premium Residency application from the point they have paid SAR 1 million towards an off-plan purchase, so long as the property being bought is worth at least SAR 4 million. The SAR 4 million value threshold stays; the timing and cash-up-front burden change dramatically.
What the rules were
The Real Estate Owner category of Premium Residency — the Kingdom’s “golden visa” — has until now demanded that applicants own residential property in Saudi Arabia that is completed, free of any mortgage, and appraised at SAR 4 million or more by a valuer accredited with the Saudi Authority for Accredited Valuers (Taqeem). Off-plan units were expressly excluded: however much a buyer had committed to a development under construction, the residency application could only begin after completion and registration.
For buyers of new-build property — which is most of what is coming to market in the Kingdom’s giga-projects — that created an awkward gap of years between committing millions of riyals and receiving any residency benefit.
What has been announced
The announced changes close that gap. The key features:
The new off-plan route at a glance
Application trigger: SAR 1 million invested (paid) into an off-plan property purchase.
Minimum property value: SAR 4 million for the property being purchased.
What it replaces: the previous requirement to hold a completed, fully paid, mortgage-free property before applying.
In practice, a buyer who reserves a qualifying SAR 4 million+ unit in an approved development and pays the first SAR 1 million under the developer’s payment plan can begin the Premium Residency process at that point — roughly a quarter of the capital previously needed before an application could even start.
Why the change matters
The logic is straightforward: since January 2026 the Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis has opened designated areas of the Kingdom — including zones of Makkah and Madinah for Muslim buyers — to direct foreign ownership, and most of the inventory reaching those markets is sold off-plan by master developers. Aligning Premium Residency with how new-build property is actually bought removes the biggest timing mismatch in the system, and gives developers a powerful selling point for international purchasers.
For buyers, the practical effects are:
What this means for you
Earlier certainty: residency processing can run in parallel with construction rather than after it.
Lower up-front capital: SAR 1 million paid, rather than SAR 4 million completed and unencumbered, opens the door.
Payment plans work for you: instalment structures offered by developers now dovetail with the residency timeline.
A note for buyers in Makkah and Madinah
If you are a Muslim buyer purchasing in the designated zones of the Holy Cities, remember that you do not need Premium Residency to own there — the 2026 ownership law gives you a direct freehold path through the official Saudi Properties portal. Our guide to Premium Residency and property ownership explains when the residency route is still worth considering: it brings long-term residency for you and your family, visa-free living, and property rights across the wider Kingdom beyond the Holy Cities’ designated zones.
For eligible buyers, the two routes can also work together: an off-plan purchase in a giga-project elsewhere in the Kingdom could now start a residency application, while a designated-zone purchase in Knowledge Economic City, Masar or Rua Al Madinah secures a home near the Haramain.
Verify before you commit
As always with a newly announced change, the executive detail matters: which developments qualify, how the SAR 1 million payment must be evidenced, what happens if a project is delayed, and how the SAR 4 million value is assessed for an unbuilt unit are all points to confirm through the official Premium Residency Center (sapr.gov.sa) and qualified advisers before transacting. We will update this article as the implementing rules are published.
Thinking about how these changes affect your plans? Book a consultation or check your eligibility to buy in the Holy Cities.
Important
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Always obtain independent legal advice in both Saudi Arabia and your country of residence before entering into a transaction.