Work Permit in Arab

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It is the responsibility of an employer or sponsor to arrange an Employment Visa (valid from 14 to 90 days) to allow an employee entry into Saudi Arabia, and to subsequently apply for a Residence Permit (Iqama).

It is also possible, although less common, for an employee to enter the country on a Business Visa, a Temporary Work Visa, a Group Employment Visa or a Seasonal Employment Visa:

Business Visa

A Business Visa allows foreign nationals to conduct limited business with a sponsor or client in Saudi Arabia – for example, to discuss contracts or hold general business meetings. In practice, this visa is also often used to enable short-term contract services, such as medical, technical and consultancy, or for training. Business Visas do not give the right to live in the country, or work beyond the limited conditions of the short-term contract.

Applications for this visa normally require a letter of invitation from a Saudi national or company (who acts as a sponsor), addressed to the applicant’s local Global Pathway Consultancy and giving specific details of the work or service to be provided. This requirement may not apply to chairmen, chief executive officers, presidents and vice-presidents of certain established companies.

Temporary Work Visa

This allows an individual or the employee of an organisation with no presence in Saudi Arabia to perform temporary work for clients in the country, for 30 or 90 days. The procedure to obtain the Temporary Work Visa is similar to that for an Employment Visa.

Group Employment Visa

Also known as a ‘block visa’, this visa allows a Saudi employer to process multiple visas at the same time, without having to identify the prospective employees. When the application is approved, the required number of visas are issued and other documentary requirements are forwarded to the relevant Saudi Consulates.

Residency Permit

Once the employee arrives in Saudi Arabia, before being legally entitled to start work, the sponsor must apply for a Residency Permit (Iqama) from the Ministry of the Interior’s Directorate General for Passports (in Arabic). In practice, employees normally start working soon after arriving, and are issued with an Iqama card after two or three weeks. However, applications can take up to several months, but the Iqama must be obtained before the expiry of the Employment Visa.

In addition to the documentation required for an entry visa, an additional medical report showing that the employee is free of contagious diseases is normally required for work and residence permits.

Applying for Residency for Families

Once the Iqama has been issued, a male employee may apply for a residency visa (Istiqdam) for his wife and children. However, a female employee may only apply for residency for dependent children. In both cases, the employee in effect becomes the sponsor for their family. It is not possible to apply for an Iqama for a spouse and children prior to arriving in the country. In practice, male employees normally arrive in Saudi Arabia first and make visa and other arrangements for other family members. An employer will normally assist with these applications.

Only employees whose job requires a university degree (that is, supervisory or managerial professions) are eligible to bring family members to Saudi Arabia, either temporarily or for residency.

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