Saudi Premium Residency: Sponsor-Free Residence by Fee, Property or Investment

Saudi Arabia does not use the phrase "golden visa". Its investor and talent residence scheme is called Premium Residency. The legal basis is the Premium Residency Law, issued by Royal Decree No. M/106 dated 10/09/1440 AH (15 May 2019) after Council of Ministers approval on 14 May 2019^[2][3]. The law creates two types of status, permanent and temporary, and leaves the detailed conditions and products to an executive regulation and a supervisory committee. Fees are set by the Council of Economic and Development Affairs and must be paid within 30 days of approval^[3].

The Premium Residency Center, chaired by the Minister of Commerce, runs the program and receives every application online through its portal^[1][4]. Until January 2024 there were only two products, both bought for a fee with no investment test. On 10 January 2024 the Center launched five more: Special Talent, Gifted, Investor, Entrepreneur and Real Estate Owner^[4][5]. In 2026 the program is open and accepting applications in all seven products.

What premium residency gives you

• Residence with your family and no Saudi sponsor (kafeel), and exemption from the expatriate levy and the dependant fee^[3][5].
• The right to work in the private sector, to change employer, and to own a business under the investment law^[3].
• The right to own residential, commercial and industrial real estate, except in Makkah, Madinah and border areas; in the two holy cities, holders can take a usufruct of up to 99 years instead^[3].
• Entry and exit without exit/re-entry visas, use of the Saudi and GCC lanes at airports, and the right to hire domestic workers and to issue visit visas for relatives^[3].

Holders remain foreigners for every other purpose: "all laws, regulations, and instructions applicable to non-Saudi residents apply" unless the law exempts them^[3]. The status can be cancelled for a conviction carrying 60 days or more in prison or a fine of SAR 100,000 or more, a deportation order, false information in the application, breach of the rules, or voluntary surrender^[3].

Two products are bought for a fee and five are tied to a profile. For an investor, four matter: the two fee-based products, Real Estate Owner and Investor. Entrepreneur residency is relevant if you are building a funded start-up. Every profile-based product carries a one-off fee of SAR 4,000 (about US$1,067)^[5][6].

Unlimited Duration Premium Residency (SAR 800,000)

A one-time, non-refundable payment of SAR 800,000 (about US$213,300) buys permanent status with no renewal, no investment and no minimum stay^[7][8]. The test is financial solvency, a clean record and good health. For many investors this is the real "Saudi golden visa": it costs less than one-fifth of the property route and does not tie up capital.

Limited Duration Premium Residency (SAR 100,000 a year)

An annual fee of SAR 100,000 (about US$26,700) buys one year of status, renewable each year^[7][8]. Some advisers say several years can be paid in advance. It suits a trial period or a posting of a few years. After eight years the fees would match the unlimited product, so long-term planners usually go straight to SAR 800,000.

Saudi Arabia golden visa real estate: Real Estate Owner residency (SAR 4M)

You must own, or hold a usufruct over, residential property worth at least SAR 4,000,000 (about US$1,066,700). The property must be completed (developed, not land), free of any mortgage or real-estate financing, and valued by an appraiser accredited by Taqeem, the Saudi Authority for Accredited Valuers^[5][7]. Commercial units, offices and land do not count. The residency lasts only as long as you keep the qualifying property^[6][7]. Several advisers describe the permit as issued for up to five years and renewable while ownership continues; the Center's own product terms on this point are not published in a form we could verify. Some agents also say off-plan purchases or a replacement window after sale are allowed; we could not confirm either in an official source, so treat them as unconfirmed.

Saudi Arabia business investor visa: Investor residency (SAR 7M)

Investor residency grants direct permanent residency to a foreign investor who injects at least SAR 7,000,000 (about US$1,866,700) into a Saudi business within the first two years and creates at least 10 jobs within the same two years^[5][6]. Henley & Partners notes that both the capital and the jobs are counted in proportion to the applicant's share in the company^[7]. You need a valid Ministry of Investment (MISA) licence, a commercial registration and articles of association showing your ownership^[5][7]. The fee is SAR 4,000^[6]. If you only need to visit to set up or inspect a business, a business visit visa is enough; premium residency is for investors who want to live in the Kingdom.

Entrepreneur residency (SAR 400,000 or SAR 15M)

Category 1 requires at least SAR 400,000 (about US$106,700) of funding for an innovative start-up and at least 20% ownership, and gives five years, renewable once^[5][7]. Category 2 requires SAR 15,000,000 (about US$4M) and at least 10 jobs a year for the first two years, and gives permanent residency^[5][6]. Arab News reports a 10% minimum equity stake for Category 2; Henley & Partners says 5%^[5][7]. For both categories the funding must come from an accredited investment entity, not from the founder alone^[5][7].

Special Talent and Gifted residency

These are not investment routes but are useful for families with a working spouse. Special Talent needs a salary of at least SAR 35,000 a month for healthcare and science professionals, SAR 14,000 for researchers, or SAR 80,000 for senior executives^[5]. Gifted residency needs a nomination or award recognised by the Ministry of Culture or the Ministry of Sport^[5][6]. Both are issued for five years (Argaam and Henley & Partners say renewable once; Arab News describes Gifted as a fixed five-year term) and can convert to permanent status after 30 months of residence within the five years^[6].

The fee products are simple: SAR 800,000 or SAR 100,000 a year, plus insurance and advice^[7][8]. The property route is cheaper on paper, because the SAR 4M can be recovered on resale, but the transaction costs are high. ZATCA charges the 5% real estate transaction tax on the full price of every sale; the seller is the person liable, but the buyer can be held jointly liable^[12]. Under the June 2026 implementing regulations, deals involving non-Saudis in the four main cities also pay a REGA fee, currently set at 2%. The law allows up to 5%, so combined charges could reach 10% if the rate rises^[10][11]. Sales of residential property are taxed under RETT rather than VAT^[12].

The Investor route is the most expensive because SAR 7M has to be deployed into a real operating business that employs 10 people within two years. Salaries, Saudisation (Nitaqat) quotas and operating costs come on top^[5].

Saudi Arabia golden visa requirements 2026: the core conditions

The law sets the core conditions for every product^[3]:

• A valid passport.
• Proof of financial solvency, such as bank statements or evidence of assets.
• A clean criminal record certificate from your home country and from any country of residence.
• A health report issued within the last six months, showing you are free of infectious diseases.
• A valid residence status if you apply from inside Saudi Arabia.

Applicants must be at least 21 years old, according to most adviser summaries of the executive regulation^[8]. Health insurance has to be in place before the permit is activated^[8]. On top of these, each product has its own evidence: the title deed and Taqeem valuation for Real Estate Owner; the MISA licence, commercial registration and articles of association for Investor; the employment contract and salary proof for Special Talent; and the ministry endorsement for Gifted^[5][7]. The supervisory committee can add conditions case by case^[3].

Can a foreigner buy qualifying property?

Yes, now more easily. Since 22 January 2026, non-Saudi individuals and companies can buy property in designated zones. Residents apply through the Saudi Properties portal using their Iqama number. Non-residents first obtain a digital identity through a Saudi embassy^[9]. The zones approved on 23 June 2026 are specific designated areas rather than whole cities: in Riyadh they centre on projects such as KAFD, New Murabba, Diriyah Gate, Qiddiya and King Salman Park, while Jeddah has the largest number of zones, and AlUla, Makkah and Madinah have their own (published counts differ, from roughly 86 to just over 100 zones)^[11][21]. Check the map on the Saudi Properties portal before you commit to a property. A legally resident foreigner may also own one home outside the zones^[10]. Ownership in Makkah and Madinah stays restricted: REGA says it is limited to Saudi companies and Muslim individuals, while premium residency holders get a usufruct of up to 99 years there rather than a freehold^[3][9].

Premium residency extends to the spouse, children under 25 and parents^[7][8]. Immigrant Invest specifies that children must be unmarried and financially dependent^[8]. Family members must pass the same health and security checks. Spouses and children may work in the private sector and change employer freely^[8]. Because holders are exempt from the dependant fee, which is normally SAR 400 per dependant per month, a family of five saves SAR 19,200 a year compared with an ordinary Iqama^[8].

The Center does not publish a separate per-dependant product fee. Budget for each family member's health insurance, medical report, police certificate and document legalisation. If the main holder's status is cancelled, family members do not keep it automatically. They can apply in their own right, and they keep their status for the original term if the holder dies or loses legal capacity^[3].

Every application is filed online through the Premium Residency Center portal^[1]. For the property route, buy and register the property first.

Saudi Arabia levies no personal income tax on employment income, and there are no inheritance, gift or net-wealth taxes^[13][14]. Business income earned by a foreign individual is taxed as an entity or permanent establishment under the corporate rules (20% income tax on the foreign share), while zakat applies to Saudi and GCC owners^[13]. Holding premium residency does not change your status for zakat or income tax; it is a residence permit, not nationality.

The main transaction tax for investors is the 5% RETT on property sales^[12], plus the REGA non-Saudi fee of up to 5% (2% for now in the four main cities)^[10][11]. VAT is 15% on most goods and services, and residential property sales fall under RETT instead. Undeveloped urban land is subject to the White Land and Vacant Properties Fees Law: since the May 2025 amendments the annual fee can reach 10% of the land's value (it was a flat 2.5% before), and long-vacant buildings in urban areas can be charged up to 5% of their rental value a year^[20]. Land does not qualify for Real Estate Owner residency in any case, but a qualifying home left empty for a long time could in principle fall under the vacant-property fee. Saudi Arabia has a growing network of double tax treaties, but because there is no personal income tax, your home country's rules on residence, exit tax and controlled foreign companies usually matter more. Get advice in both countries before you move.

Saudi Arabia golden visa path to citizenship: what the law says

There is no citizenship-by-investment program, and premium residency does not lead to a passport automatically. Naturalisation falls under the Saudi Arabian Nationality Law. Article 9 requires at least 10 consecutive years of lawful permanent residence, good conduct, a profession the country needs, a lawful income and Arabic proficiency in speaking, reading and writing^[18]. Applications are scored on a 33-point scale (residence, qualifications, family ties), with 23 points needed to proceed, and the final decision is discretionary^[19]. Saudi Arabia generally expects applicants to renounce their previous nationality^[18][19].

In practice, Saudi naturalisation is granted in small numbers, mostly by royal decree to scientists, doctors, scholars and other distinguished specialists. Treat premium residency as permanent residence in its own right, comparable to the nomination-only position in the UAE, explained on our UAE citizenship page. If a second passport is the goal, look at Turkish citizenship by investment from US$400,000 in property, or Egypt's citizenship by investment from US$250,000.

Good fit: executives and business owners relocating to Riyadh or Jeddah, especially those running a regional headquarters; families who want sponsor-free status and to save on dependant fees; buyers of a SAR 4M+ home in Riyadh or Jeddah who plan to hold it for the long term; and investors building a Saudi business with real headcount.

Look elsewhere if: you want a second passport (see citizenship by investment vs golden visa); you need a cheap residence that you will rarely use (compare the lowest-cost residence-by-investment programs); you want EU or Schengen mobility (see the European golden visa comparison); or you want to keep capital in a liquid asset and avoid 7%+ transaction costs on property.

• The UAE's 10-year golden residence: AED 2M (about US$544,600) in property, a deposit or a company, with no residence requirement. It is often the first comparison for anyone weighing Riyadh against Dubai.
• Qatar residency by investment: property-linked residence, with permanent residence above a higher threshold.
• Bahrain's golden residency: 10-year residence for property owners, retirees and long-term residents, with low thresholds by Gulf standards.
• Oman's investor residence programme: 5- and 10-year investor residence.
• Turkey's property residence permit and Jordan's investor residency: lower-cost regional options, with citizenship routes on their counterpart pages.
• For a ranked overview by budget and region, see our golden visa hub and the guide to residence programs with the fastest route to citizenship.