MULKIYA · GUIDES
The Saudi Mobile Number: The Prerequisite in Your Own Name
Reviewed against the official register · Updated 2026-08-02
Article 2 of the Implementing Regulations makes a Saudi mobile number in the buyer's own name a legal prerequisite. What it does and how to get it.
The third of three prerequisites
Article 2 of the Implementing Regulations sets three prerequisites for a foreign individual buying inside the 100+ designated zones: a digital identity approved by the Ministry of Interior, a Saudi bank account in the buyer's name, and a Saudi mobile number in the buyer's name linked to that identity. The law behind them, Royal Decree M/14, has been in force since 22-01-2026, and the regulations were approved by Council of Ministers Decision 43 on 23-06-2026. The number costs little and takes little time. It still sits on the same statutory list as the identity and the account, and the file does not complete without it. Every buyer class needs one in its own name: the non-resident individual, the iqama holder, the Premium Residency holder and the GCC national.
Why the law asks for a number
The number links you to your digital identity in daily use. The Ministry of Interior platforms, Absher and Nafath, reach you through it, and so does your bank once the account is open. Activation codes and verification messages land on the number, so the person named in the file is the person the system can reach. The same identity then runs through the whole purchase, up to registration in the official real-estate registry, the validity condition of the acquisition. A working number in your name is what keeps that chain unbroken between your visits.
Your own name, or it does not count
The prerequisite is personal. A number registered to your spouse, your friend, your agent or your company does not satisfy it, because the linkage runs from the number to your identity, not to anyone near you. This is the same rule that governs the bank account: an account or a number in someone else's name does not count, whoever you are. Set the number up in your name, and keep it active while your file is open. The cheapest item on the list is still a condition of the purchase.
Getting the number, abroad and in person
Identity comes first, because the number keys off it. A non-resident obtains the digital identity through a Saudi embassy abroad, then activates it through Absher or Nafath. A resident holding an iqama takes the shorter path and activates with Absher directly, with no embassy step. With the identity live, the bank account and the mobile number follow in the buyer's name. The remote mechanics for the number are still evolving, so do not assume the whole sequence finishes from your desk. Many buyers complete the account and the number on one first visit to the Kingdom, and that is a realistic plan, not a failure of the system.
What the number is not
The number is not a residence permit and not a contract. Holding one does not make you a resident, and it does not widen what you may buy: ownership stays inside the designated zones, and the official register on REGA's Saudi Properties portal is where a specific parcel is confirmed. The number also moves no money. Every payment in the purchase, the deposit, the price and the transaction costs, flows through official electronic channels tied to the Saudi bank account. The number is the line the system reaches you on. The account is the rail the money moves on. You need both, each in your own name.
The honest next step
The number is one of three prerequisites, and the first question is whether you may buy at all, and where. Mulkiya is not the seller and not the broker, and it takes no commission. Its eligibility check asks seven questions about your status and your target property, and a deterministic rules engine answers against Royal Decree M/14 and the current ruleset, with citations. Run it before you book the embassy visit. Your buyer class decides what you can buy, and the mobile number then becomes an early task on a plan that fits you.
Do I need a Saudi mobile number to buy property?
Yes. Article 2 of the Implementing Regulations lists it among the three prerequisites for a foreign individual, alongside the digital identity and the Saudi bank account. It applies to every buyer class, from the GCC national to the non-resident.
Can the number be in my spouse's or my company's name?
No. The prerequisite is personal: the number is registered in your own name and linked to your digital identity. A number held by anyone else, family or company, does not satisfy it.
Can I get the number without traveling to Saudi Arabia?
Start with the digital identity, which a non-resident obtains through a Saudi embassy abroad and activates with Absher or Nafath. The remote mechanics for the number itself are still evolving, so treat one visit to the Kingdom as a realistic part of the plan.
Does the mobile number replace the bank account?
No. They are two separate prerequisites. Payments move through official electronic channels tied to a Saudi bank account in your name. The number is the line that links you to your identity and carries your verification codes.
I hold an iqama. Does the same rule apply to me?
Yes. A resident holding an iqama follows a shorter path, activating the digital identity with Absher directly, but the linkage rules are the same: the account and the number sit in your own name and tie to your identity.