Real estate careers in Saudi Arabia

The rules a broker must know

Real estate authority

Real Estate General Authority (REGA)

Broker licence (FAL)

Nobody may broker or market property without a REGA licence, issued under the FAL brand and applied for online through REGA's brokerage platform. Under the implementing regulations an individual must be at least 18, have full legal capacity and a clean record, complete REGA's qualification programme for each activity and pay the fee; the licence lasts one year and can be extended up to five, with renewal requested within 60 days of expiry. From 1 September 2026 first-time applicants take three mandatory remote courses (brokerage, marketing, anti-fraud and money laundering) and an in-person exam set by the Saudi Real Estate Institute. The regulations set no nationality rule, but brokerage and real estate marketing have been 100% reserved for Saudi nationals by the labour ministry since October 2021, so in practice non-Saudis cannot work as licensed brokers; official fee amounts are not published in the regulations.

Brokerage rules

The Real Estate Brokerage Law (Royal Decree M/130, June 2022) requires a written brokerage contract with a fixed term (90 days if none is stated), deposited on REGA's platform, or it cannot be enforced. The default commission is 2.5% of the sale price or of the first year's rent, paid by the party who signed with the broker, and a different rate is only allowed by written agreement; when several parties share one deal, the total stays within that rate. Every advert needs its own REGA advertising licence and must show the broker's name and licence number, and online property platforms must themselves be licensed and integrated with REGA (71 were licensed by April 2025). Fines reach SAR 200,000, with suspension or loss of licence for serious breaches.

Foreign buyers

The Law of Real Estate Ownership and Investment by Non-Saudis (Royal Decree M/14 of 19/1/1447 AH, July 2025, published 25 July 2025) came into force on 22 January 2026, replacing the 2000 law. The Cabinet approved its regulations and zones on 23 June 2026: 9 zones in Riyadh (including KAFD, Diriyah Gate, New Murabba, King Salman Park, Qiddiya, Sedra and the Sports Boulevard), about 57 in Jeddah including Jeddah Central, 17 in AlUla, and 12 in Makkah and 10 in Madinah that only Muslim individuals may use. Legal residents may also buy one home for themselves outside the zones (not in Makkah or Madinah), while non-residents must stay inside the zones and first obtain a digital ID via a Saudi embassy; foreign companies register with the Ministry of Investment (Invest Saudi) and everyone applies on the Saudi Properties portal. The law keeps the separate GCC ownership statute and Premium Residency rights in place, and REGA may charge non-Saudis a disposal fee of up to 5% (reported at 2% in the first regulations).

Tax and fees

Sales pay the 5% Real Estate Transaction Tax to ZATCA (current law and regulations in force since 9 April 2025); the seller is legally liable, the buyer can agree to bear it and can be held jointly liable, and it is due within 30 days, before the title transfer is completed. Property sales fall under RETT instead of the standard 15% VAT, and the state covers RETT on the first SAR 1 million of a Saudi citizen's first home. Non-Saudis also pay REGA's disposal fee (capped at 5% by law), and every transfer must be recorded in the national Real Estate Registry.

Off-plan (Wafi)

Off-plan sales are governed by the Off-Plan Real Estate Projects Sale and Lease Law and supervised by REGA through its Wafi programme: no unit may be marketed, sold or rented off plan without a project licence, and developers must be registered. Buyer payments go into a dedicated escrow account per project and are released as construction advances, with 20% of project value held to completion and 5% (or a bank guarantee) kept for a year after handover. Since November 2025 REGA issues off-plan sales licences instantly once conditions are met, instead of within 30 days.

Rentals

Every residential and commercial lease is registered on Ejar, the national rental platform, using the unified lease contract; if the landlord fails to register, the tenant can. On 25 September 2025 Saudi Arabia froze rents in Riyadh's urban area for five years for new and existing leases, fixing each rent at the last Ejar-registered amount, adding automatic renewal unless specific exceptions apply, and setting fines of up to 12 months' rent. REGA's board can extend the freeze to other cities with approval from the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, but no extension had been confirmed by October 2026.

Platforms

FAL (REGA brokerage licence)REGA advertising licenceEjarWafiSaudi Properties (saudiproperties.rega.gov.sa)Real Estate RegistrySREM (Saudi Real Estate Market, Ministry of Justice)SakaniNafath