Saudi Arabia · Employment
Saudi Arabia Standard Residence Permit (Iqama)
This system runs under the Residence Law (Nizam al-Iqama) and the Labor Law, administered by the Ministry of Interior's General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat), with work permits issued through the MHRSD/Qiwa platform. The sponsor (kafala) framework saw substantial reform under the Labor Reform Initiative, effective March 2021, which made job transfers and exit or re-entry easier. As of 2026 the permit is still employer-tied and renewed annually. It remains separate from the Premium Residency track, known as the Saudi Green Card.
This is the standard, employer-sponsored way to legally live and work in Saudi Arabia. But it is a job-tethered permit with no built-in path to permanence. It is not a residency-by-choice product.
Qualifying routes
This is paid to Jawazat per worker, per year, for employees in companies, institutions and the agricultural sector. Domestic workers are charged SAR 600.
There is a monthly maktab amal levy, roughly SAR 700 a month where expats do not outnumber Saudi staff, and roughly SAR 800 a month where they do. That works out to SAR 8,400–9,600 a year, and it is legally the employer's obligation. On top of that sits a work-permit licence fee of about SAR 100 a year.
This runs SAR 400 a month, or SAR 4,800 a year, per sponsored family member, paid by the sponsoring employee. New arrivals are typically exempt for the first 90 days.
The facts
- Minimum
- 650 SAR
- Total landed cost
- In the first year, employer and employee outlay commonly lands at SAR 12,000–15,000 or more per worker. That covers the work visa (about SAR 2,000), a medical exam (about SAR 400), Iqama issuance (SAR 650), the work-permit levy (SAR 8,400–9,600), plus licence and processing fees. Add roughly SAR 4,800 a year per dependent, plus a one-off dependent entry visa of about SAR 2,000. In practice, employers usually absorb the levy and issuance costs for the worker.
- Route type
- By employment
- Timeline
- 1–3 months (Once the employer secures a block visa and work visa, the Iqama is issued within days to weeks of arrival, following a medical exam and biometrics. Overall, onboarding from offer to issued Iqama typically takes 1-3 months.)
- Physical presence
- You need to actually live in the Kingdom. The permit stays tied to continued employment with your sponsor. There is no fixed minimum-days rule, but a prolonged absence or losing the sponsoring job will invalidate the Iqama. Travel abroad requires an exit/re-entry permit, though this is now largely self-service via Absher after the 2021 reforms.
- Family
- SpouseChildren
- Permanent residency
- None automatically. The standard Iqama does not convert into permanent residence. Permanent or renewable residence is a separate paid programme, the Premium Residency, sometimes called the Saudi Green Card, and it does not require an employer sponsor.
- Citizenship
- Extremely limited and discretionary. In principle, naturalization becomes possible after 10 years of continuous legal residence, with Arabic proficiency, lawful income and a clean record. In practice, approvals are rare and effectively reserved for exceptional or strategic cases. Ordinary employees should not treat the Iqama as a citizenship route.
- Language test
- Arabic proficiency is required for the discretionary naturalization route, assessed by the authorities. There is no language test for the Iqama itself.
- Dual citizenship
- Not permitted. You would have to renounce.
- Requirements
- A Saudi employer sponsor holding a valid work (block) visa and Qiwa work permit for the role.Entry on a work visa, a passed medical examination, and biometric enrolment (fingerprints/facial scan) at Jawazat.A valid passport and, for regulated professions, attested qualifications and Saudi professional accreditation.Annual renewal, with fees paid and the work permit kept current. An income threshold applies for sponsoring dependents.
- Status is tied to the employer. Losing or leaving the job, outside the reformed transfer rules, can end your legal residence.
- Recurring costs are significant, and the dependent levy, SAR 4,800/year each, falls on the employee, not the company.
- There is no path to permanent residency or realistic citizenship, and Saudi Arabia does not recognise dual nationality. Do not treat the Iqama as a long-term settlement route.
- Government fees and levy tiers change from time to time. Confirm current rates with Jawazat/MHRSD before you budget.