Saudi Arabia digital nomad visa & residency (2026)

Saudi Arabia's new law governing non-Saudi ownership of real estate took legal effect 180 days after gazette publication, opening property purchase in most cities to foreign residents and non-residents in designated zones. Resident property owners gain a direct route to long-term Premium Residency, creating a concrete property-to-residence pathway.

The Saudi Cabinet approved and published in the official gazette the first comprehensive law permitting foreign individuals and entities to own real estate in Saudi Arabia. The law adopts a designated-zone model, prohibits ownership in Makkah and Madinah, imposes up to a 5 % transaction fee, and ties ownership privileges to residency category — directly linking property investment to the Premium Residency programme.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development published an updated framework classifying work permits by skill category, refining eligibility criteria for the foreign professionals seeking employment-based residency under Vision 2030 labour-market targets.

Saudi Arabia formalised a true permanent-residency pathway through the Premium Residency system, removing the sponsorship requirement and granting holders access to government services, banking, education, and healthcare. The framework targets exceptional-competence, talent, and investor profiles and was accompanied by new rules regulating expatriate outsourcing arrangements.

Saudi Arabia restructured the Premium Residency programme into seven tracks — Exceptional Competence, Talent, Business Investor, Entrepreneur, Real Estate Owner, and Limited/Unlimited Duration — slashing cost barriers (new pathway categories priced at SAR 4,000 vs. the previous SAR 800,000 one-time permanent fee). The expansion triggered 40,163 applications through mid-2025 and 8,074 permits issued in 2024 alone.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Human Resources implemented the Labor Reform Initiative, allowing foreign private-sector workers to change employers after one year of service without the current employer's consent, and to obtain exit, re-entry, and final-exit visas independently. Changes were operationalised through the Absher and Qiwa e-government platforms and applied to all Labour Law-covered expat workers.

Saudi Arabia began issuing tourist visas online and on-arrival for nationals of 49 eligible countries (90-day stay, multiple-entry). This was the first time leisure tourism was broadly accessible to foreigners and is the primary legal entry mechanism for remote workers and digital nomads visiting the Kingdom before a dedicated long-stay visa exists.

The Council of Ministers approved, and Royal Decree M/106 enacted, the Premium Residency programme — Saudi Arabia's first sponsor-free long-stay permit for foreigners. The original programme offered two tiers: permanent residence (SAR 800,000 one-time) and annual residence (SAR 100,000/year), granting rights to live, work, own property, and operate businesses without a Saudi kafeel.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's blueprint for economic diversification away from oil. The plan explicitly targeted attracting global talent, investors, and tourists, setting the policy mandate for every subsequent residency reform: the tourist eVisa, Premium Residency, kafala overhaul, work-permit liberalisation, and the 2025–2026 real estate and permanent residency laws.