The Saudi Arabia working visa allows the holder to stay in the country and work legally. However, you must have all the necessary documentation, as well as a sponsor established in the country. However, the process is not very complicated, although it only depends on the employer who wants to hire you.
In this article, you will find all the information related to the requirements and the process to obtain said visa. In addition, you will learn about the fees and how to verify the status of the document.
Latest news on work visas in Saudi Arabia
Those who wish to work and live in Saudi Arabia must obtain a work visa according to the established requirements. In addition, you must have a job offer from an employer, so you must have an employment contract. You can also provide an official invitation as well as the required medical information.
Skills Verification Exam
Currently, the country started with the skills verification exams to grant the employment visa Saudi Arabia. This measure is current because in earlier times Saudi employers hired unskilled or semiskilled labor.
The Skills Verification Program or SVP test is mandatory for some early-stage job sectors. However, they will gradually apply it to the rest of the professions to guarantee a qualified workforce. Below, you can see the 19 professions that must take the test to access a working permit in Saudi Arabia:
- Building electrician
- Plumber
- Pipe fitter
- Welder
- Underwater welder
- Flame cutter
- Electrical equipment fitter
- Electrical transformer fitter
- Drill rig electrician
- Electrical panel assembler
- Electrical equipment fitter
- Automotive electrician
- Electrical equipment maintenance worker
- Electrical wire connector
- Power line worker
- Electronic panel assembler
- Blacksmith
- Refrigeration equipment assembler
- Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning mechanic
Once the professional verification certificate has been acquired, employees will be able to continue in their jobs. In addition, they can renew their current visa or apply for a Saudi Arabia working visa. In this way, they will expand their job opportunities in the country.
Introduction of temporary work visa
There is a new Saudi Arabia company visa, or temporary visa, which is a visa implemented by the Saudi Arabian government. This document is intended to replace the previous work visa. Generally, the temporary work visa is valid for 1 year, starting from the moment the document is issued.
Added to this, the visa allows the foreigner to work for 90 days with the possibility of extending it for another 90 days. In addition, this Saudi Arabia working visa allows its holders multiple entries as often as required within 90 days.
What is the Saudi Arabia working visa?
The work permit visa Saudi Arabia is the document required by the foreigner residing in the country who wishes to work. Likewise, the company or employer is responsible for sponsoring the work visa for its workers. In addition, the applicant sponsor must have the necessary business permits for the company up to date.
This means that the sponsor can be a qualifying foreign individual, corporation, or business.
Saudi Arabia work visa requirements
As we have mentioned before, an employee requires a sponsor in KSA to acquire an employment visa. In this case, it is the employer who carries out most of the visa application process. Therefore, the employer is the one who will present all the documentation to fulfill the Saudi Arabian work visa requirements.
The documentation required for the work visa application is the following:
- A passport valid through the duration of employment
- Passport size color photograph
- Complete visa application
- 3 copies of a signed medical report
- Letter of employment from the sponsor, that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Saudi Chamber of Commerce musts certify
- Signed copy of the employment contract
- Certified copy of the university diploma of the applicant, validated by the Cultural Mission of Saudi Arabia
- A police report
Saudi Arabia work visa age requirements
To obtain a Saudi Arabia working visa, the applicant must be between the ages of 18 and 60. However, the person must be physically fit and have the required academic and professional credentials. In addition, there may be a shortage of local labor with the said qualifications or credentials.
How to apply for a visa in Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia work visa applicants must be the employer serving as the sponsor. Next, you will see what the steps are to apply for this visa:
- The employer must register on the website of the Ministry of the Interior of Saudi Arabia.
- Then, the said Ministry will open an immigration file with the data of all the foreign workers of the company.
- Next, the employer must apply for a Saudi Arabia working visa at the Ministry of Labor.
- When it receives the approval of the authorities, the Ministry of Labor makes the corresponding notification to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- After about two weeks, the latter ministry issues a number indicating the authorization of the visa.
- The next thing is that the employee must submit the visa application at the Saudi Arabia embassy along with the necessary documentation.
- If approved, the embassy issues the visa about 3 weeks after the application and then the employee can enter the country.
- Once in Saudi Arabia, the worker must apply for the Iqama or residence permit at the Ministry of Labor.
- Then, the said Ministry sends the application to the Ministry of the Interior and the General Directorate of Passports will issue the Iqama.
In addition, this document is essential for the worker, as it is the legal permission to stay and work in the country. Therefore, you must have this document with you at all times to avoid problems with the authorities. Additionally, if the worker must leave and enter the country, they must request an entry/re-entry permit from the Ministry of the Interior.
Checking your Saudi Arabia work visa
There are different ways to verify the Saudi visa stamping status; the most used being the ones that we will mention below:
Muqueem Saudi Work Visa Verification – By Iqama or Visa Number
The Muqeem portal offers an easy way to check the status of your visa, as you do not need to log in. However, you must have the requested information on hand to perform the check quickly. For example, you need to have your visa number or also your Iqama number.
MOFA Saudi Work Visa Verification – By Passport Number
Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) you can also check the validity of your Saudi Arabia working visa. For this, you only need your passport number and follow the steps below:
- Enter the web portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (https://visa.mofa.gov.sa/).
- Then select Visa Application.
- Enter your application and passport number.
- Enter the captcha.
- Select Search.
Upon completing the steps and entering the correct information, the portal will display the status of your Saudi Arabia work visa.
Saudi Arabia work visa fees
One of the important requirements to obtain your work visa is to pay the corresponding fees. These comprise the following:
- The cost would be SAR 7,200 if the company has more than 50% Saudi workforce. This amount includes SAR 750 for the Iqama, SAR 450 for the insurance, and SAR 6000 for the work visa.
- The total cost would be SAR 8,400 if the company has more than 50% foreigners among its workers. This is because the amount of the work visa increases to SAR 7200.
Thus, to obtain a Saudi Arabia working visa, the applicant must meet the requirements established by the authorities. For detailed information on visa processes, you can contact us.
