Saudi Arabia · Citizenship by naturalisation
Saudi Naturalisation
Open
Last verified July 2026
This exists in law, but it is entirely discretionary. Since 2021, Saudi Arabia has granted citizenship to a small number of exceptional individuals, among them scientists, doctors and scholars, by royal decree. There is no programme behind this and no reliable route to it.
We include this so no one sells you Premium Residency as a citizenship pathway. It is not one. No Gulf state naturalises foreign investors, at any price, and Saudi Arabia requires you to renounce your existing nationality.
Qualifying routes
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Discretionary naturalisation
Roughly 10 years of lawful residence, fluency in Arabic, a clean record, and an exceptional contribution to the Kingdom. Even then, it is granted at the discretion of the state, typically by royal decree.
The facts
- Total landed cost
- No published fee. There is no route you can simply purchase.
- Route type
- By residence
- Physical presence
- Approximately 10 years of residence, in practice continuous.
- Family
- A spouse and children may be included, but only at the state's discretion
- Permanent residency
- Premium Residency is as far as this path goes in practice.
- Citizenship
- Discretionary only.
- Language test
- Arabic fluency is required.
- Dual citizenship
- Not permitted. You would have to renounce.
- Requirements
- approximately 10 years of lawful residenceArabic fluencyclean recordexceptional contributionrenunciation of existing nationality
What can go wrong
- Dual citizenship is generally not permitted. Naturalisation would mean renouncing your existing passport, and for a UHNW family that is almost always value-destroying, given that the Saudi passport ranks 54th.
- There is no application route an investor can rely on. Any adviser who presents Premium Residency as a citizenship pathway is misrepresenting it.
- Arabic fluency is a real requirement.