What Is the Ejar Platform? A Complete Guide for Saudi Tenants (2026)
Ejar (ejar.sa) is Saudi Arabia's government platform for documenting rental contracts. How an Ejar contract is documented, what you need, Ejar fees and who pays them, and how to get a copy of your contract.
You just signed your first lease in Saudi Arabia. The broker mentioned something about “Ejar registration.” Your landlord said it’s “taken care of.” But nobody actually explained what Ejar is, what it does for you, or why it matters.
Here’s the short version: a lease documented on Ejar is what protects you. If anything goes wrong, whether that’s a landlord who won’t return your deposit, an unexpected rent increase or an eviction threat, the documented contract is the official record you rely on.
Looking for the government Ejar platform itself? Its official site is ejar.sa. This guide is by Ejari, a separate private service, and we explain the difference below.
What Is Ejar?
Ejar (إيجار) is the government’s electronic network for rental services, and one of the platforms of the Real Estate General Authority (REGA). Think of it as the official record system for every rental relationship in the country.
It’s not a listings site, and it isn’t mainly a payment app. It’s the legal infrastructure that makes your lease enforceable: a unified lease contract documented on Ejar counts as an enforceable instrument (Ejar, in Arabic), so if either party breaks it, you can go straight to the enforcement court instead of starting a lawsuit from scratch.
The scale tells the story: more than 10 million rental contracts have been registered on Ejar since it launched, according to REGA.
Ejar and Ejari: Clearing Up the Confusion
This is the question that confuses almost every tenant in Saudi Arabia, and it’s worth addressing head-on.
Ejar (إيجار) is the government platform, ejar.sa. It handles the legal documentation of contracts and is part of REGA. Residential and commercial leases in Saudi Arabia are documented here. Think of it as the legal foundation of your lease.
Ejari (ايجاري) is a REGA-licensed private service, ejari.sa. It’s a rent-now-pay-later platform that lets tenants pay rent monthly instead of paying the entire year upfront. It’s the payment flexibility layer.
Here’s how they connect: when you sign up with Ejari, your rental contract is documented on the government Ejar platform as part of onboarding. You don’t need to handle it separately. Your landlord gets paid the full year upfront, your contract is documented and enforceable, and you pay monthly.
Why Is Ejar Registration Mandatory?
Because without it, you’re renting on a handshake.
Brokers are required to register residential and commercial leases (Ejar’s FAQ, in Arabic) on the network under Council of Ministers resolution No. 405 of 22 Ramadan 1437H. Once your contract is documented, its terms become an official record held on the platform: the rent, the term, the payment schedule and any deposit clause.
What if your lease isn’t documented? The provisions announced on 25 September 2025 (REGA, in Arabic) require landlords to submit unregistered leases for registration on Ejar, and let tenants request registration themselves. Either party can object to the contract details within 60 days of being notified.
How an Ejar Contract Is Documented: Steps and Documents
The short answer: a residential Ejar contract is entered by a real estate broker accredited on Ejar, you and your landlord approve it electronically, and it’s documented immediately once both parties approve.
Documents you need
According to REGA’s Ejar services guide (December 2024 edition, in Arabic):
| Party | What’s needed |
|---|---|
| Tenant (citizen or resident) | A valid ID and a mobile number registered in Absher |
| Landlord | A valid ID, the property ownership documents, a mobile number registered in Absher, and a bank account (IBAN) if rent is paid through SADAD |
The steps
- The broker creates a new residential lease and fills in five sections: contract details, the parties, the financial terms, the terms and conditions, and the property and units.
- They review the full contract, pay the documentation fee, and send the contract to the parties.
- You receive a text message on your number registered with Nafath, with a link to the contract, and approve it from that link.
- Once both parties approve, the contract is documented straight away.
How long does it take? The documentation itself is instant once both parties approve. What usually takes time is waiting for the other party to approve, so don’t plan around a fixed number of days.
How do you know it’s documented? Ejar texts both the landlord and the tenant, on the numbers registered with Nafath, when the broker requests documentation. If you haven’t received anything, ask the broker or your landlord.
If you rent through Ejari, we handle the Ejar documentation during onboarding, and you get the same approval message.
Ejar Fees: How Much, Who Pays and How to Pay
| Item | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Documenting a residential contract | SAR 125 for each year of the contract | The landlord |
| Automatic renewal | The contract fee, deducted from the landlord’s Ejar wallet 60 days before the contract ends | The landlord |
| Broker commission | 2.5% of the first year’s rent only, unless agreed otherwise in writing | The party that signed the brokerage contract |
The amounts come from REGA’s Ejar services guide (December 2024 edition) and Article 14 of the Real Estate Brokerage Law. Fees can change, so check the service page on Ejar before you pay.
Do tenants pay the documentation fee? No. Ejar’s FAQ (in Arabic) says the landlord bears the cost of registering and documenting the contract. If anyone asks you, as the tenant, to pay a documentation fee, ask why.
What about the broker’s commission? That’s separate from Ejar’s fees. It’s paid once, by whoever signed the brokerage contract with the broker. So if you hired the broker, the commission is yours. If a broker contracts with more than one party to the same deal, their total commission can’t exceed the set rate.
How are the fees paid? The documentation fee is paid while the contract is being created, before it’s sent to the parties, by the landlord or the broker. The automatic renewal fee comes out of the landlord’s Ejar wallet, which is topped up through SADAD, mada or Apple Pay.
How to Get a Copy of Your Ejar Contract
Your contract is stored electronically on Ejar. The landlord and the tenant can both print the unified contract, though there’s no need to: the copy held on the platform is the official one.
- On Ejar: log in to your account at ejar.sa, open your contracts, and view or download a copy.
- Through REGA’s services: the lease contracts inquiry service shows the contracts linked to your ID number, whether you’re the tenant, the landlord or acting for one of them.
What Does Ejar Registration Actually Include?
When a contract is documented on Ejar, it captures everything that matters: start and end dates, the agreed rent, unit details, and both parties’ identification, which is a national ID for Saudis and an iqama number for residents.
Two features most tenants don’t know about. First, automatic renewal. It’s switched on when the contract is registered, if both parties agree, and a renewable contract renews automatically unless the parties agreed beforehand not to renew. It isn’t available for contracts shorter than three months, and the renewal fee is deducted from the landlord’s wallet 60 days before the contract ends. Those 60 days are when the fee is taken, not a notice period. How much notice you need to stop a renewal is set by your contract’s terms and the rules; see our guide to breaking a lease.
Second, the payment schedule and all agreed terms are documented on the platform. This creates a record that matters if you ever need to prove what was agreed.
Recent Changes That Affect Tenants
Riyadh’s rent freeze. The provisions announced on 25 September 2025 halted annual rent increases on residential and commercial leases within Riyadh’s urban area for five years, for both existing and new contracts. Vacant units that were let before are fixed at the rent in their last Ejar contract, so your contract’s record on the platform is now the reference for the price. Details are in our guide to the rent freeze.
Paying rent inside Ejar. You can pay rent instalments from the financial menu in Ejar with mada, Apple Pay or SADAD (biller code 153). The receipt is issued automatically, and the money reaches the landlord within five working days, according to Ejar’s FAQ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ejar documentation free for tenants? Yes. The landlord pays the documentation fee, which is SAR 125 for each year of the contract.
Can I register my own rental contract on Ejar? Documentation is done through a real estate broker accredited on Ejar, and your part is approving the contract from the link you receive. If your landlord hasn’t documented your lease, you can request registration.
What if my landlord refuses to register on Ejar? The provisions announced in September 2025 require landlords to submit leases for registration, and let tenants request registration themselves.
How do I get or print my Ejar contract? Log in to Ejar, open the contract and download a copy. You can print it, though the electronic copy is the official one.
Is my Ejari contract registered on Ejar? Yes, as part of Ejari onboarding. The only step for you is approving the contract.
Does Ejar work for expats? Yes. Documentation is open to tenants who are citizens or residents. You need a valid ID and a mobile number registered in Absher.
Your Ejar contract is the foundation of your rental protection in Saudi Arabia. If you’d rather not deal with the documentation yourself, Ejari handles it during onboarding: your contract is documented, your landlord is paid, and you pay monthly. See how it works on ejari.sa.
