What changed?
The White Land and Vacant Property Fees regime imposed fees under the existing statutory framework without this specific ownership-transfer documentation condition in Decision No. 263.
Ownership-transferring transactions involving in-scope land may not be documented until outstanding fees are verified as paid; non-transfer documentation must preserve the State's collection rights and not affect development.
Practical consequence: Build fee-clearance verification into transaction due diligence and closing mechanics, and monitor the ministerial committee's detailed implementing controls.
Confirmed facts
Council of Ministers Decision No. 263 was published in the Saudi Official Gazette on 4 September 2026.
The decision provides that an ownership-transferring real-estate transaction involving land subject to the White Land and Vacant Property Fees Law may not be documented until payment of the fees due on that land has been verified.
For a real-estate transaction that does not transfer ownership, documentation must preserve the State's right to collect the fees due and must not affect development of the land.
The ministerial committee referred to in Article 14 of the underlying law is to establish the controls and procedures governing the decision.
What changed
Outstanding fee status now becomes a direct condition in the documentation process for ownership transfers of land within the scope of the White Land and Vacant Property Fees regime.
The decision also establishes an enforcement principle for non-ownership-transferring transactions: documentation must not prejudice the State's collection rights or impede development of the land.