Monitoring Desk
RIYADH: Working in Saudi Arabia is an appealing option for many people due to the high income and tax-free environment. Construction, engineering, information technology, and other sectors offer numerous job prospects.
As a result, people seeking to live and work in Saudi Arabia must first understand how to secure a Saudi work visa and residency permission. We have compiled all of the necessary information on how to obtain your Saudi work visa below.
What is a Saudi Arabia work visa?
A Saudi Arabia work visa or employment visa is required for any foreign residents who intend to work in Saudi Arabia. The entity responsible for sponsoring Saudi work permits for their employees is the employer or company. This means that sponsors could be a Saudi enterprise, an individual, or a foreign organisation that has the necessary authorization to do business in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi work visa is normally valid for one year from the date of issuance and permits foreign people to work in the country for up to six months without the need to apply for a residence permit.
Visa Requirements
Employees seeking to work in Saudi Arabia must have a sponsor to obtain a visa. Although the employer takes charge of most of the application process, the potential employee must provide the following necessary documents:
1- A passport that will be valid for the duration of employment
2- A passport-sized photograph in colour
3- A completed visa application three copies of a signed medical report
4- A letter of employment from the sponsoring company in Saudi Arabia, which must be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Saudi Chamber of Commerce
5- A signed copy of the employment contract
6- A certified copy of the applicant’s university diploma, which must be validated by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission
7- A police report
Saudi Arabia’s work visa age requirement
Anyone who is physically fit, between the ages of 18 and 60, and has the professional or academic credentials required by the Kingdom (assuming there is a scarcity of residents with those credentials), or falls under the category of employees required by the Kingdom, is eligible to work in Saudi Arabia.
How to apply for a Saudi Arabia work visa?
The employer must be the one who made the Saudi work visa application. Here are the necessary steps to obtain a visa and residency permit in Saudi Arabia:
1- The sponsoring employer must register with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior the Ministry will open an immigration file with information regarding all of the employer’s expatriate workers
2- The employer will lodge an application for a work visa with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Labor
3- Once the application is approved, the Ministry of Labor will notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Within two weeks, the Ministry of Foreign affairs will issue a visa authorization number
4- The employee will submit their employment visa application to the relevant Saudi embassy along with the documents listed above
5- The embassy will issue the visa within one to three weeks, at which point the employee can travel to Saudi Arabia
6- In Saudi Arabia, the employee must apply for a residency permit, or Iqama, through the Ministry of Labor.
7- The Ministry of Labor will forward the approved application to the Ministry of Interior, where the Iqama will be issued through the Directorate General for Passports.
Employees should carry their Iqama at all times in order to prove that they are legally allowed to live and work in Saudi Arabia.
If the employee would like to travel in and out of Saudi Arabia during the duration of their employment, they will need to apply for an exit/re-entry permit through the Ministry of Interior. This permit is generally issued within one week.
Checking your Saudi Arabia work visa
There are numerous ways of checking your Saudi work visa. Here we list some of the most prevalent methods of checking your Saudi visa online for both visitors and residents.
Saudi work visa check Muqeem – by Iqama or visa number
Checking your Saudi Arabia visa through the Muqeem portal is an easy and simple process. There’s no login required, and provided you’re able to provide the required information, you can determine your visa validity in a matter of minutes.
The Muqeem portal allows visitors to check the validity of their visa through their visa number. Expat residents can also check their visa validity by providing their Iqama number or visa number.
How to Check Your Saudi Visa Validity Status
A valid visa is an essential travel document for those looking to travel to Saudi Arabia. Travellers need to ensure they don’t overstay their welcome as detailed by their visa validity. Those looking to check the validity of their Saudi visas may do so by checking via the Muqeem online portal. This also applies to holders of the exit/re-entry visa looking to check the validity and detail of their visa.
Keep reading to know more about the process of the Muqeem visa validity check and exit/re-entry visa validity.
To avail of the Muqeem visa validity check service of your Saudi visa on the Muqeem platform, please follow the following steps:
1- Visit the Muqeem portal
2- Enter your Iqama number or visa number
3- You can opt to cross-check your visa or Iqama number by date of birth or passport number
4- Provide your preferred information and click on the ‘Check’ button
After clicking on the “Check” button, you can view the visa validity, visa type, date of visa issue, and other details on the very next page.
Saudi work visa check MOFA
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides visa validity checking services by passport number on their online portal. Here are the steps you can take to check the validity of your Saudi visa.
1- Go to https://visa.mofa.gov.sa/
2- Select ‘visa application’ on the inquiry type
3- Provide your application number and passport number
4- Enter the Captcha code correctly click on ‘Search’
Provided you’ve entered all the required information correctly, the next page will display all information concerning your Saudi visa.
Saudi Arabia work visa fees
The breakdown for obtaining the Saudi Arabia work visa is as follows.
If the workforce of the company sponsoring your work visa consists of more than 50% Saudi nationals, then the total cost would be SAR 7,200. The cost includes SAR 750 for obtaining an Iqama, while the work visa and insurance cost SAR 6,000 and SAR 450, respectively.
However, please note that the total cost will increase to SAR 8,400, with the work visa fee being SAR 7,200, should your sponsoring company employ more than 50% foreign nationals.
