The amendments made by the Council of Ministers in Article 5 of the Real Estate Ownership and Investment Law excluded banks and real estate finance companies licensed by the Monetary Authority from the ban on owning real estate in Makkah and Madinah, Provided that this is limited to their ownership of real estate in order to finance them for those of Saudi nationality, as well as real estate allocated to their headquarters or branch headquarters or necessary for the exercise of their activity, in accordance with controls set by the Monetary Agency, and the fifth article excluded listed companies whose purposes do not include dealing with real estate, and limited this to real estate allocated to their headquarters and branches and necessary for their activity, provided that it is exploited.
<p class="p2According to the second paragraph, which interprets the phrase »non-Saudi" in Article 5 of this law, a natural person who does not hold citizenship by any means other than inheritance is prohibited from acquiring the right of ownership, easement or utilization on a property located within the boundaries of the cities of Mecca and Medina, except for the acquisition of the right of ownership if accompanied by the endowment of the property owned in accordance with the legal rules on a specific Saudi entity, provided that it is stipulated in the endowment that the competent authority for endowments has the custodianship of the endowment as specified by the regulation.
According to the second paragraph, which interprets the phrase "non-Saudi" contained in Article 5 of this law.
The fifth article also prohibits a non-Saudi company or one that is founded, co-founded, or owns shares in it by any natural or legal person who does not hold Saudi nationality.
The fifth article also prohibits the establishment of a non-Saudi company.
The Economic Committee of the Shura Council announced its approval of the Cabinet's amendments to Article 5 of the Real Estate Ownership and Investment Law, and emphasized in a report that these amendments do not affect the content of the Shura decision issued in this regard more than two years ago, except for the amendment related to the addition of another party to the categories of exclusion. It added another party to the categories excluded from the provision of this article, namely real estate financing companies licensed by the Saudi Monetary Agency, and their ownership of real estate in order to finance them for those who hold Saudi nationality, as well as real estate allocated to their headquarters or branch headquarters or necessary for the exercise of their activity, in accordance with the controls set by the institution.








