Saudi Ministry of Interior: Directives and Regulations

Source: www.moi.gov.sa

Residence Permit (iqama)

1. Employers must obtain residence permits for their employees to enable them move
freely in the city where they work.
2. When an employee travels outside the Kingdom on a multiple entry visa, the
employer must keep the employee’s residence permit until his return to Saudi Arabia.
To obtain a final exit visa, the residence permit is submitted to the passports
authority with a final exit visa request form.
3. If the passport or residence permit is lost, the incident must be reported to the
passports authority within 24 hours. If there is no passport authority in the
neighborhood, the incident must be reported to the nearest police station. Violators of
the rule are punished according to established law.
4. Work-permits must be renewed 3 days before expiration date. First-time violators
pay a fine equals  to the renewal charge. The fine is doubled in case of a second
violation. If a resident violates the rule 3 times, deportation will be his punishment.
5. Householder’s residence permit includes permit for his wife and legal minors (sons
and daughters.) The householder’s son and / or daughter above the age of 18 years
must be a passport holder and obtain a separate visa after paying the applicable fee.
6. A resident alien must submit the residence permit to passports officers at their
request; otherwise, he will be punished according to the established law.
7. The resident must keep the residence permit safely and never hand it to others.
Pawning it is strictly prohibited.
8. The resident householder’s dependents are not allowed to work without the
permission of the concerned authorities. Violators of the rule are liable to be
punished according to the established law.
9. Companies, establishments and individuals must obtain residence and work permits
for their employees. It is illegal to employ an alien who does not possess a residence
or work permit. Employing individuals who are sponsored by others is a violation of
the system.
10.Photographs of dependents must be added to the resident householder’s passport.
11.Lost or damaged residence permits are replaced with new ones, stamped as
“Replacement,” validity of which is as same as of the original permit i.e. untill the
expiry date.

Transferring Services
Saudi Ministry of Interior: Directives and Regulations
Source: www.moi.gov.sa

1. A resident alien who works for a government organisation can not be transferred to
the private sector.
2. Services of a resident alien with a diplomatic residence permit can not be transferred.
3. Services of a resident alien student can not be transferred.
4. Services of a resident alien who works for a company or an establishment that has
temporary operations in the Kingdom can not be transferred.
5. To transfer a resident alien to a new service, his career and qualifications must be
appropriate for the new job.

Alien Visas

1. Unauthorised persons are not allowed to follow up transactions other than theirs; an
alien householder may attend and sign requests on behalf of his dependents.
2. Service offices are not allowed to sign or stamp documents on behalf of clients who
sponsor aliens.
3. A resident alien who gets a re-entry visa or final exit visa may stay for 2 months in
the Kingdom; a visa may be cancelled by the passports authority within the 2 month
period. To get a new visa, set procedures must be followed and applicable charges
must be paid.
4. If the resident alien's passport is stamped with a re-entry visa or a final exit visa and
the resident stays in the Kingdom for more than 2 month, the visa can be cancelled
and a fine is imposed. To get a new visa, set procedures must be followed and
applicable charges must be paid.
5. If an alien needs to get a re-entry visa for his dependents that are added to his
passport, he must have their passports issued by their country's embassy in the
Kingdom.
6. Authorised government relations officers follow up only those transactions that
belong to employees of an establishment that sponsored the employees.
7. All the submitted documents must be genuine, and the information provided must be
correct and valid.
8. Re-entry visa is stamped on the employer’s request, and its validity period is 6
months. Upon the householder’s request, wives and dependents who study abroad
may obtain a single entry visa valid for 9-12 months. The residence permit must be
valid for a period longer than the visa that has been requested.

Important Notes for Aliens

Saudi Ministry of Interior: Directives and Regulations
Source: www.moi.gov.sa

1. Work permit charges for household workers, drivers and individuals are paid to
authorised banks. Companies and establishments must obtain work permits issued by
the Labour Bureau.
2. Workers in the government administrations, students, un-employed males, un-
employed dependents and wives of non-Saudis need no working permits.
3. A sum of Saudi Riyal (SAR) 2000 is paid for securing recruitment permission.
Families of resident aliens who work for the government and foreign embassies are
exempted from paying this charge, whether they are holders of diplomatic passports
or not.
4. A Human Resources development charge is paid by all recruited aliens except the
following:
 Non-Saudi wives of Saudi citizens.
 Contractors who work for government administrations.
 Embassy employees and diplomatic passports holders.
 Household workers, farmers, shepherds, and drivers who are sponsored by
individuals.
 Alien resident’s dependents such as wives, sons, and daughters.
 A female's Companion (husband, father, or brother).
5. A resident alien’s son or daughter has to obtain a separate residence permit and pay
the applicable charges, once he or she turns 18 years of age.
6. The following are exempted from paying residence and visa charges:
 Non-Saudi wives of disabled citizens.
 Non-Saudi students who are on scholarships.
 Military students who come to the Kingdom for training.
7. If sons and daughters of a Saudi woman from a marriage to a non-Saudi are
transferred to her custody, they are exempted from the transfer charge. This
exemption does not include those individuals whose sponsorship was transferred for
work.

Receiving Housemaids at Airports

Saudi Ministry of Interior: Directives and Regulations
Source: www.moi.gov.sa

1. The employer or the authorized agent who is to receive the house maid at the airport
must do so within 12 hours after her arrival.
2. After completing normal arrival procedures, the airport passports officers ensure that
house maids are received by their employers or their agents, and call employers who
do not come.
3. If an employer or the authorized agent fails to turn up, the house maid is moved to
the house maids’ affairs office and attempts are made to contact the employer.
4. If the maid is left at the office for a month, she is transferred to another employee – if
one is available or sent back home, at her request. If the maid is transferred to
another employer, then he pays the transfer charges and the recruitment office fees.
Directives for Residents’ Requests

While bringing an alien’s family into the Kingdom for a visit or residence, the
following directives must be adhered to:

1. All fields of the related form should be filled correctly and stamped by the employer
and authenticated by the Chamber of Commerce before submission to the
recruitment affairs authority.
2. Names of the wife and legal minor sons and daughters must be written as per their
travel documents.
3. If the applicant’s wife or sons and daughters nationality is different from the
applicant's or they had other nationality in the past, then it should be declared in the
specified field.
4. Copies of valid residence permit, passport and qualifications with an Arabic
translation must be attached to the application.
5. Visa charges must be paid to an authorized bank before submitting the request.
6. Adherence to the visa duration is strictly enforced; violators of this rule will be
punished according to the established law.