Real Estate Saudization: Brokerage Roles, Rates and Rules

Real estate Saudization is one of the older 100% rules still on the books. Under a decision that took effect on 1 October 2021, MHRSD reserved twelve named real estate professions for Saudis and set a 70% Saudi share of total staff at real estate establishments. This page sets out the roles, the quota, the dates, how the rule sits beside REGA's FAL licensing, and what we could and could not confirm for 2026.

Is real estate Saudization still in force?

MHRSD announced that the real estate decision took effect on Friday 1 October 2021 (24/02/1443 AH), at the end of its grace period, together with a cinema decision. That announcement is the confirmation of the decision. We found no later amendment, repeal or new rate for real estate in MHRSD's news, in REGA's pages, or in the 2026 law-firm summaries we reviewed. A 2026 Gulf Business roundup of Saudization rates also lists it among the rules in force.

Treat the rule as in force, and confirm the current wording with MHRSD or Qiwa. The same approach applies to the other earlier 100% decisions.

Which real estate roles are reserved 100% for Saudis?

Twelve professions in three groups are reserved at 100%, according to MHRSD's announcement.

MHRSD described the aim as creating productive jobs for Saudi citizens and raising their share of the labor market, in line with Vision 2030. Coverage follows the profession registered for each employee. See how to map job titles to occupation codes before assuming a title is in or out.

MHRSD's announcement gives role names, not occupation codes. We did not locate the procedural guide for this decision, so we do not list codes. Press coverage in Ajel also reports that the ministry expected the decision to create more than 11,000 jobs, a figure we have not independently checked.

What is the 70% rule for real estate establishments?

MHRSD set a second requirement: Saudis must make up 70% of total staff at establishments in real estate activities, and each such establishment must employ at least one Saudi. The announcement says the activity covers owned or leased property, real estate work done for a fee or under contract, and other sub-activities.

This is a different test from the 100% roles:

An establishment can therefore face both at once. A brokerage firm needs Saudis in all its named brokerage roles, and Saudis across 70% of its whole payroll.

Worked example

A real estate company with ten staff must have seven Saudis under the 70% quota. If three of the ten are brokers, those three must be Saudi, and they count toward the seven. The remaining four Saudis can sit in any role. Up to three non-Saudis can work in non-reserved roles such as accounting or administration. The example applies the percentage only; MHRSD's announcement does not publish a rounding rule, so check how fractions are treated for your headcount.

How does REGA broker licensing relate to the Saudization rule?

The FAL licence and the Saudization rule are separate regimes with separate regulators. REGA, the Real Estate General Authority, licenses who may carry out real estate activity. MHRSD decides how many of the staff in those roles must be Saudi.

REGA states that real estate brokerage activities may only be carried out by those it licenses, under the Real Estate Brokerage Law, and that the law covers all intermediary roles, including electronic brokerage on websites and social media. REGA describes the FAL licence as a set of five licences for individuals and establishments, plus a sixth for real estate advertising. Brokerage and marketing, and consultation and analysis, can be issued to individuals and establishments. Property management, facility management and auction management are issued to establishments only. REGA reported more than 46,000 active FAL licences by April 2024, 64% held by individuals and 36% by establishments.

What REGA's published pages do not state is a nationality condition for FAL licences. That does not settle who may hold a brokerage job. The MHRSD decision, not the FAL licence, is the source of the 100% Saudi rule for brokerage professions. Holding a FAL licence does not exempt an establishment from it. We have not confirmed how the two agencies reconcile every case, such as non-Saudi licence holders, and we do not advise on it.

What changed in real estate rules in 2025 and 2026?

Nothing we found changes the Saudization percentages. Two nearby developments are easy to confuse with them:

• Foreign property ownership. A law on non-Saudi ownership of real estate has been reported by a consultancy as taking effect on 21 January 2026. It deals with who may own property, not who may work in brokerage.
• Brokerage licensing. REGA's licensing platform has operated since the Real Estate Brokerage Law came into force, and we found no change to it affecting Saudization.

Neither alters the 100% professions or the 70% quota above.

Key dates

The decision date, the announcement and the grace period are not separately published in the announcement we reviewed, so we give only the effective date. See the Saudization calendar for current deadlines.

How does it compare with other 100% rules?

Real estate sits among the earlier reserved-role decisions, alongside remote customer service, cinema and shopping malls. Newer rules such as administrative support work differently: they apply from a single worker in the covered profession, while real estate adds an establishment-wide 70% quota. For sales-type roles that are not named above, see sales Saudization. The rates database lists every rate with its threshold.

How can you check whether a role is covered?

1. Find the profession registered for the employee on Qiwa.
2. Compare it with the twelve named roles in the table above.
3. Confirm the establishment's activity is real estate, because the 70% quota follows the activity.
4. Count Saudis against total staff for the 70% test, and against each reserved role for the 100% test.
5. Review the Saudization penalties page for how enforcement works.

This page describes what the rules say. It is not legal advice.

What does the rule mean for Saudi jobseekers and expats?

For Saudi jobseekers, the rule keeps brokerage, property marketing, sustainable construction engineering and inspection, and real estate arbitration open to nationals. See Saudi careers under Saudization for pathways. The rule raises demand; it does not guarantee any individual a job.

For expatriates, the named professions are reserved, but the remainder of a real estate establishment's staff can include non-Saudis within the 30% left by the quota. Many roles, such as finance or IT inside a real estate firm, are not named in the decision. The expat guide describes how to check a registered occupation factually.