To work in Saudi Arabia, you will need to obtain a work permit Saudi Arabia. With this permit, you will be able to work in a country full of opportunities, with a good salary and tax exemption. Likewise, in the country, there are many areas to work, such as engineering, and construction, among others.
In this article, you will learn what is work permit in Saudi Arabia and how you can obtain one. Also, you will easily understand the entire process through a practical guide for you.
Understanding the Saudi Work Visa
We will start by defining what is work permit. This is a document that you will need to work in the country. Likewise, it is the employer or the sponsoring company that must manage the work visas for their employee. The sponsors could be a particular person, a corporation, or a foreign company that meets the requirements in Saudi Arabia.
Benefits of obtaining a work permit Saudi Arabia
- One of the main benefits is the flexibility and speed in acquiring the visa.
- You can bring personnel from abroad, quickly and flexibly because you will be able to hire only those you will need for the project.
- Similarly, it allows you to efficiently hire specialist personnel according to the requirements of a project.
- The downside of the visa is that you will not be able to convert it into long-term entry. However, you may do some scouting before accepting a long-term employment contract.
Types of Saudi Work Visas
In Saudi Arabia, there are several types of visas available if you wish to travel to the country to work. Likewise, if you want to work remotely or in person, you could apply for a work permit Saudi Arabia among the following:
Business visit visa
- These visit visas are for a short period of stay for employees or business executives to enter the country. Additionally, when traveling to the country for business you will have to attend consultancies or meetings for a short period.
- In the same way, the visa is a single entry visa for a period of stay of 1 month and will be valid for 3 months.
- There is also the 90 days multiple entry visas that could be valid for 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, or 5 years. In this case, it will vary depending on your type of request.
Employment visa
The employment visa is appropriate if you wish to enter the country for work reasons. In this case, the employer must have the permits required by labor law to operate in the country and thus be able to sponsor it without problems. Also, it is the employer that must manage all the visas and permits that you will need.
Additionally, you will require the Iqama permit that will allow you to work in Saudi Arabia for 2 years.
Residence visa
With the residence visa, you can bring your family to the country to live with you. In this case, you may bring your spouse, unmarried daughters, and sons under 18 years of age to the country. Equally, your sponsor is the one who will have to obtain authorization from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Temporary Work Visa
Another of the Saudi Arabia work visa types established is a temporary visa that will replace the work visit visa. Also, this temporary visa will be valid for 90 days and may be extended for an additional 90 days. Additionally, it is a multiple-entry visa that will allow you as an employee to leave and enter frequently within 90 days.
Validity of Saudi Arabia visa or work permit
The work visa will allow you to stay in Saudi territory for a valid period of 90 days. Likewise, when you are already in the country, you will have to apply for a residence permit from the Ministry of Labor. Furthermore, with the residence permit and the Iqama, you will be able to reside and work in the country. In this case, it will be for one year and you will be able to extend if it is necessary.
Step-by-Step Guide to Obtaining Your Saudi Work Permit
If you want to know how to get work permit in Saudi easily, we will provide you with a simple guide. Below are the steps so you can obtain a work permit without problems:
Secure a Job Offer
Make sure you have a letter from a company or organization indicating the invitation to work in the country. Also, remember that said company must be approved by the Saudi Chamber of Commerce and MOFA. Additionally, the letter must include your name, the position to be held, the visa number, and the date.
Employer Sponsorship
As we mentioned, you must have a sponsor who will apply for the necessary permits and visas on your behalf. If approved, the MOFA will give you an authorized visa number.
Medical Examination
You as an applicant must have 3 copies of the updated medical reports and they must have been made in the last 3 months by a legal doctor. Likewise, the doctor’s details must include the doctor’s address and membership number. Finally, you must attach laboratory tests that demonstrate that you are in good health.
Collect Necessary Documents
Be sure to gather the documents required to process the work permit or visa application, this way you will avoid complications due to any missing documents.
Visa Application Submission
Apply for the work permit Saudi Arabia by completing the form that can be found on the MOFA website. Also, you must include the documents along with the form, you can send them by mail or take them to the embassy or authorized office in your country.
Visa Approval
Once the visa is approved, you can look for it at the embassy or in any office where you made your application. At the same time, check that the information matches each other to avoid inconveniences.
Work permit Saudi Arabia Requirements
Most of the application procedure is handled by the sponsoring employer. However, the prospective employee must still submit all necessary documentation details below:
- The valid passport based on the duration of employment.
- Passport size color photo
- a complete visa application
- 3 photocopies of the signed medical report
- The employment letter issued by the sponsoring company in Saudi Arabia, with a certificate from the Saudi Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Signed photocopy of the employment contract
- Photocopy of your university diploma certificate validated by the cultural mission of Saudi Arabia
- The police report issued
Sponsor Eligibility Requirements
For your employer to be eligible to apply for a work permit Saudi Arabia or work visa, they will have to meet these conditions:
- Your company or organization must have a CR or Commercial Registry up to date, except for operations that do not require it.
- Its establishment status must be, Existing.
- The organization or company must have the Nitaqat green qualification or higher.
- Your employer should not make negative comments about the WPS or Wage Protection System.
- The company must have a balance for the visa to be issued.
- Your employer must be solvent with the visas because if your staff’s visa has expired, the government will deny your application.
Age requirement for Saudi Arabia work visa
The age to apply for a work permit Saudi Arabia is between 18 and 60 years old as long as they are in good physical condition. In addition, they must have academic or professional certificates if there are no residents with the same credentials. You must also be within the categories of workers required in Saudi Arabia.
How to apply for a work visa
As we have already said, your employer is the one who will apply for the Saudi work visa. Thus, these will be the steps to follow to apply for the Saudi visa and residence permit:
- Your sponsoring employer will need to register with the Ministry of the Interior of Saudi Arabia.
- This Ministry will open the immigration file that contains the information of the employer’s foreign employees.
- Your employer will submit your work visa application to the Ministry of Labor of Saudi Arabia.
- When the Ministry of Labor has approved the application, it will notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Then within two weeks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will issue the visa authorization number.
- Afterward, you will submit your application along with the aforementioned work visa documents to the relevant Saudi embassy.
- The embassy will issue your visa after about 3 weeks, and it is at this time that you will be able to travel to the country.
- You must apply for a residence permit, or Iqama, to the Ministry of Labor.
- The Ministry of Labor will send your approved application to the Ministry of the Interior, and it will issue the Iqama through the General Directorate of Passports.
- Make sure you always carry your Iqama to prove that you have legal permission to live and work in Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, if you wish to leave or enter the country during your work time, you will have to apply for an exit and re-entry permit. This request can be made to the Ministry of the Interior and you will receive it 1 week after the request is made.
How to check work permit in Saudi Arabia?
There are many ways you could use to check your visa status. Below, you can see the methods most commonly used by residents and Saudis to do this task:
Saudi Arabia Work Visa Check Online
In this case, you will be able to view the visa status through the Muqeem website. This process is easy and you will not need to log in to carry it out. Furthermore, to do it you will only need the necessary information and it will give you the status of your visa in minutes.
This Muqeem website will allow you to check the visa status through the visa number. Likewise, if you are a foreign resident you will also be able to see the validity of the visa using your Iqama number.
Saudi Arabia work visa check by passport number
You can verify your passport number through the MOFA or Ministry of Foreign Affairs platform. Likewise, these services are available on its online platform and you can use them by following these steps:
- Go to the address https://visa.mofa.gov.sa/
- In the query type, Choose visa application
- Provide your passport number and application number
- Integrate the Captcha code
- Selections where it says to search
- As long as you have entered all the required information correctly, the next page will display all the information related to your Saudi visa
Work permit Saudi Arabia Processing Time
Saudi Arabia work visas will take between 3 and 2 months to process depending on your particular case. Therefore, it is best to start the application process sometime before to avoid delays of any kind.
Saudi Arabia Work Visa Fees
Below you will see the breakdown of the Saudi work visa fees that your employer will have to pay:
- If the company has more than 50% national workers, the cost of the visa will be SAR 7,200 and SAR 750 for Iqama. Additionally, you will pay SAR 6000 for the work visa and SAR 450 for your insurance.
- The total rate may increase to SAR 8,400 if the sponsoring company has more than 50% of workers of foreign origin.
Extension of work permit Saudi Arabia
Work visas can be extended for about 90 days, with this you can stay in the country for 180 days in total. In addition, it is advisable to apply for an extension sometime before the visa expires to avoid legal inconveniences.
Tips for a Smooth Application Process Saudi Work permit
- First of all, you should seek the advice of a professional to avoid setbacks when processing the visa. These professionals must be well-qualified and have extensive experience in this task.
- If you are going to bring your family members, also collect everything you need in terms of documentation to avoid loss of time and resources.
- Make sure your sponsor has a valid business registration and that the company is active.
- Plan everything so you can find solutions to possible problems.
In conclusion, the work permit Saudi Arabia or work visa represents an important employment opportunity in Saudi Arabia. However, you must keep in mind that you will need to comply with all the documentation you will need, in addition, you will have to find a sponsor who meets all the requirements established by law.
Additionally, if you need additional help, you can contact us and we will help you with your legal procedures.
