Living And Working in Saudi Arabia

Visit Visa Renewal A Click Away :)

2014-08-28T00:15:00.000-07:00

Good news for expatriates in the Kingdom. Expats can now renew visit visas for relatives using the Passport Department’s Abshir system.

Maj. Gen. Sulaiman Al-Yahya, the department’s director-general, will launch the new service next Monday, said Col. Mohammed Al-Saad, director of public relations.

He said the department would also launch another Abshir program to help Saudis renew their passports using the electronic system. “We have readied the two services after testing the systems,” he added.
The launch of the new services coincides with the department’s campaign to increase awareness on its electronic services.

Col. Al-Saad urged Saudis and expatriates to make use of its electronic services to save their time and energy and reduce congestion at the department’s offices across the country.

People can register with Abshir by visiting one of the department’s offices or using interactive machines available at banks (Al-Rajhi, Samba, Riyad, NCB, Al-Jazira and Albilad), as well as at malls and international airports.

Expatriates have applauded the new electronic services. “The registration of expats with the Interior Ministry’s electronic system simplified their residency procedures, including issuance of exit and re-entry visas,” said Omar Abubacker, a business consultant.

Source: http://www.arabnews.com/news/611861

New digital passport service for Pakistanis

2013-09-12T04:08:00.003-07:00

The Pakistan consulate has announced that it will now start providing its expatriates with machine-readable passports, to speed up services and reduce queuing outside its offices.

At a press conference at the consulate on Wednesday, Consul General Aftab Khokhar said a limited number of Pakistanis could start making their appointments for the new passports from next week.
A group of 50 people would be allowed to make appointments, on the phone or by visiting the consulate. He said the normal passport service where applicants have to queue would continue from 8 a.m. to 12 noon for about 200 people daily.
“We know that in the beginning we will face some hurdles so we are asking the community to cooperate with us. Through this service people will get relief from standing in lines for hours and it will also reduce the burden on the consulate,” he said.
He said the consulate plans to ensure the entire service can be done through appointments. “This will save people time and energy. The consulate is also introducing a courier service for applicants to get their passports,” he said.
In the beginning, applicants will be allowed to make appointments a week in advance, but this will be extended to two weeks and then a month in advance.
He said the new passports would be available in 36, 72 and 100 pages, which would cost SR155, SR280 and SR305 respectively. The fees for emergency passports would be SR255, SR455 and SR605. Applicants will receive their emergency passports between 15 and 20 days.

People can make their appointments on the toll free number 08111081412 or the consulate landline number 6692371 at extension 242. The consulate would soon have an online facility to make appointments, he said.

JEDDAH: FOUZIA KHAN
Published — Thursday 12 September 2013 - Last Update 12 September 2013 12:42 am
http://www.arabnews.com/news/464341

Nitaqat System in a Nutshell

2013-01-07T22:58:00.000-08:00

What is the NITAQAT?

Arabian for “ranges,” the Nitaqat is an incentive program designed by the Ministry of Labor of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for the nationalization of the private sector workplace. This is to answer the growing youth unemployment among Saudi citizens, which is higher than every country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) except Iraq. Ironically, KSA employment is dominated by foreigners in the ratio of nine in every ten employees. Although the private sector has been creating jobs, they do not go to Saudis.

The government’s goal is to succeed in creating 1.12 million new jobs for Saudi nationals by 2014, or 92 per cent of all new jobs created, as set out in the current development plan.

How does the National Policy work?

Under the new Nitaqat system, companies will be labelled as “blue or premium”, “green”, “yellow”, or “red” depending on the level of Saudi workers in them to comply with established workers. It assigns different nationalization rates according to the size and activity of companies, so smaller companies have smaller overall quota requirements than larger ones do.

This scheme will also level severe penalties on violators and offer incentives and quotas to firms meeting the quotas.

Nitaqat System in a Nutshell

NITAQAT (ZONES) SYSTEM In a Nutshell			· 41 classifications of employment sectors · 5 company classifications based on employee tally · 4 compliance-related and disciplinary zones
5 Company Classifications (based on total employee tally)
1-10 employees	EXEMPT from classifications				Nitaqat system does not apply
10-49 employees	SMALL classification				5-24% Nationalization required
50-499 employees	MEDIUM				6-27% Nationalization required
500-2999 employees	LARGE				7-30% Nationalization required
3000-more employees	BIG				8-30% Nationalization required
4 Compliance-Related and Disciplinary Zones
Blue zone		GREEN zone		YELLOW zone		RED zone
VIP category INCENTIVES: · Can hire anybody from any part of the world. · Easier visa processing · New visas with open professions through the electronic system. · Can change professions of their workers even to those that are restricted to Saudis, except jobs such as employment officials, receptionists, government liaison officials, treasury staff, and security officers. · Condition-free visa transfer: Can hire employees from Red zone and Yellow zones, and transfer their visas without the permission of their employers · Entitled to a one-year grace period if their municipal and professional licenses or commercial registrations were expired.		Excellent category INCENTIVES: · Can apply for new visas once every two months. · Can change their foreign workers’ profession except to those restricted to Saudis (i.e. Human resource managers; liaison officers; cashiers; receptionists; security guards) · A six-month respite after the expiry of their zakat & revenue certificates. · Can renew work permits of their employees. · Can recruit employees in red and yellow zones and transfer their visas without the approval of their employers.		Poor compliance Punitive Measures: · No new visas · Can get only one visa after the departure of two expatriates · Cannot transfer visas and change professions. · No work permit renewal for employees who have completed six years. · No control on workers who can switch over to premium zone companies *Grace Period:* 9 months to improve their status.		Non-compliance Punitive Measures: Banned from change of profession, transfer of visas, issuance of new visas and opening files for new branches. *Grace Period:* 6 months to improve their status.
Under the new policy, foreign workers employed by companies that are not in compliance are free to work for companies in compliance without acquiring permission from their employers at non-complying companies.

If unfortunately, you are in Red or Yellow Company and want to switch job you can search job, in addition to other popular recruitment sites, at http://www.redyellow.com.sa/jobshome.aspx

source : Saudi Gazette

Saudi Arabia Official Websites, Government Offices and Ministries

2012-05-29T05:41:00.000-07:00

List of Saudi Arabia's Official Websites, Government Offices, Ministries & Divisions.

SAUDI GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES:

http://www.commerce.gov.sa/ (Ministry of Commerce)
http://www.madmoc.com/ (Ministry of Commerce / Madinah Branch)
http://www.saudinf.com/ (Ministry of Information)
http://www.agrwat.gov.sa/ (Ministry of Agriculture and Water)
http://www.mofa.gov.sa/ (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
http://www.mohe.gov.sa/ (Ministry of Higher Education)
http://www.moe.gov.sa/ (Ministry of Education)
http://www.moj.gov.sa/ (Ministry of Justice)
http://www.moh.gov.sa/ (Ministry of Health)
http://www.mcs.gov.sa/ (Ministry of Civil Service)
http://www.moda.gov.sa/ (Ministry of Defense & Aviation, Private information Center)
http://www.haj.org.sa/ (Ministry of Haj)
http://www.mol.gov.sa/ (Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs)
http://www.planning.gov.sa/ (Ministry of Planning)
http://www.mpwh.gov.sa/ (Ministry of Public Works and Housing)
http://www.al-islam.com/ (Ministry of Islamic Endowments and Guidance Affairs)
http://www.mopm.gov.sa/ (Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources)

SAUDI GOVERNMENT AGENCIES:

http://www.customs.gov.sa/ (Saudi Customs Department)
http://www.ports.gov.sa/ (Saudi Ports Authority)
http://www.saso.org.sa/ (Saudi Arabian Standards Organization)
http://www.gosi.com.sa/ (General Organization for Social Insurance, GOSI)
http://www.pca.gov.sa/ (Presidency of Civil Aviation)
http://www.gdp.gov.sa/ (The Directorate General for Passports)
http://www.shura.gov.sa/EnglishSite/EIndex.htm (Shura (consultative) Council)
http://www.mepa.gov.sa/eng_frame.htm (Meteorological & Environmental Protection Ad.)
http://www.swcc.gov.sa/default_e.htm (Saline Water Conversion Corporation)
http://www.sctsaudi.com/ (Supreme Commission for Tourism)
http://www.gab.gov.sa/ (The General Auditing Bureau)
http://www.haras.gov.sa/ (Saudi National Guard)
http://www.haras.gov.sa/ (Public Security, Ministry of Interior)
http://www.spa.gov.sa/ (Saudi Press Agency)
http://www.gpyw.gov.sa/ (General Presidency for Youth Welfare)
http://www.ncwcd.gov.sa/ (National Commission for wildlife Conservation and development)
http://www.sagia.gov.sa/ (Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, SAGIA)
http://www.jic.gov.sa/ (Jeddah Industrial City)
http://www.tic.gov.sa/ (Technical Information Institute)
http://www.sama.gov.sa/ (Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency)
http://www.sfd.gov.sa/ (The Saudi Fund for Development)
http://www.isdb.org/english_docs/idb_home/ (The Islamic Development Bank)

SAUDI ARABIAN COMMERCIAL BANKS:

http://www.anb.com.sa/ (Arab National Bank)
http://www.alahli.com/ (The National Commercial Bank)
http://www.riyadhbank.com.sa/ (Riyadh Bank)
http://www.samba.com.sa/index.html (Saudi American Bank)
http://www.sabb.com.sa/ (The Saudi British Bank)
http://www.alfransi.com/ (Al Bank Al Saudi Al fransi)
http://www.baj.com.sa/ (Bank Al-Jazira)
http://www.shb.com.sa/ (The Saudi Hollandi Bank)
http://www.saib.com.sa/ (The Saudi Investment Bank)
http://www.alrajhibank.com.sa/ (Al Rajhi banking & Investment Corp)

SAUDI BUSINESS LINKS:

http://www.saudiembassy.net/links/top 150 Saudi companies Year 98-99.htm
http://www.saudichambers.org.sa/ (Council of Saudi Chambers)
http://www.riyadh-chamber.org/ (Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry)
http://www.sedc.org.sa/English/Index.htm (Saudi Export Development Center)
http://www.awo.net/commerce/arabcoc/hq.asp (Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Idustry)
http://www.hail-chamber.org.sa/ (Hail Chamber of Commerce & Idustry)
http://www.taifchamber.org.sa/ (Taif Chamber of Commerce & Idustry)
http://www.madcci.org.sa/ (Madina Chamber of Commerce & Industry)
http://www.chamber.org.sa/ (Eastern Province Camber of Commerce & Industry)
http://www.royalcommission.com/ (Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu)
http://www.saudioffset.com/ (Saudi Economic Offset Program)
http://www.aramco.com/ (Saudi Aramco)
http://www.sabic.com/ (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation)
http://www.saudiairlines.com/english/ (Saudi Arabian Airlines)
http://www.nscsa.com.sa/riyadh/ (The National Shipping Co. of Saudi Arabia)
http://www.us-saudi-business.org/ (U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council)
http://www.iccp.com/ (International Certificate of Conformity Program)
http://www.gulf-patent-office.org.sa / (Patent Office of GCC)

SAUDI OFFICES ABROAD:

http://www.saudiembassy.net/ (Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, DC)
http://www.saudiembassy.org.uk/index2.htm ((Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, UK)
http://www.arabia-saudita.it/Ambasciata/index.html (Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Italy)
http://www.un.int/saudiarabia/ (The Permanent Mission of KSA to the United Nations, NY)
http://www.sacm.org/ (The Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission to the U.S.A.)
http://www.iad.org/ (Islamic Affairs Department, RESA, Washington, DC)
http://iiasa.org/ (Institute of Islamic and Arabic Sciences in America)
http://www.saudiacademy.net/ (The Saudi Islamic Academy, U.S.A.)
http://www.aramcoservices.com/ (Aramco Services Company, Houston)

SAUDI EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES:

http://www.kacst.edu.sa/ (King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology)
http://www.northedu.gov.sa/ (General Directorate for Girls Education)
http://www.gpgedu.gov.sa/index_english.htm (General Presidency for Girls Education)
http://www.gotevot.edu.sa/ (General Org. for Tech. Edu. & Vocational Training)
http://www.imamu.edu.sa/ (Imam University)
http://www.uqu.edu.sa/english/index.htm (Umm Al-Qura University)
http://www.kfu.edu.sa/ (King Faisal University)
http://www.ksu.edu.sa/ (King Saud University)
http://www.nadwah1421.org.sa/ (King Khalid University)
http://www.iu.edu.sa/ (Islamic University)
http://www.kfupm.edu.sa/ (King Fahd University of petroleum & Minerals)
http://www.kaau.edu.sa/ (King Abdul Aziz University)
http://www.ipa.edu.sa/ (Institute of Public Administration)
http://www.kfnl.gov.sa/ (King Fahd National Library)

Questions Answers - by Saudi Arabia Expatriates

2012-05-19T03:15:00.000-07:00

Please find below number of common questions frequently asked (FAQs) by Saudi Arabia expatriates regarding various topics. These topics include exit re entry visa, family visa, dependent visa, iqama renewal, iqama lost, traffic violation, final exit and lots of other Saudi Arabia related questions.

1. I lost my exit‐re‐entry visa while traveling outside the Kingdom; how could I get a replacement for it?

Ø You are advised to visit this page (https://www.eserve.com.sa/VVSWeb/) and print a copy of your exit‐re‐entry visa so that you can return to Kingdom without obstacles.

2. My father, mother, wife and brother are coming to perform Umrah; are they allowed to stay with me for a while in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia Capital) where I reside?

Ø Regulations allow that in case you provide a permit from the Hajj and Umrah Administration to let them move outside the holy sites, and sign a pledge that they will leave the Kingdom before the visa expires.

3. Does the Saudi Department of Passports prevent my entry to Kingdom if I do not carry a no‐object letter?

Ø The no‐objection letter is related to the labour office procedures and not to the passports department; anyhow the absence of such a letter does not impeded entry procedures to Kingdom.

4. What are documents required to recruit a relative?

Ø The recruitment office is responsible for this issue not the Saudi Passports Department.

5. Is there any fines prescribed for delaying addition of a dependent born inside?

Ø SR 500 fine is prescribed for delaying addition of a kid born inside the Kingdom for more than three months.

Ø SR 1000 fine is prescribed for delaying addition of a kid born outside the Kingdom for more than one year.

6. I fled my sponsor and came back again; how can I deactivate the escape report knowing that the sponsor has no objection?

Ø Regulations do not allow deactivation of an escape report at the present time after it is made by the sponsor.

7. One of my dependents did not return on time due to study circumstances, how could his visa be extended?

Ø Extending visas from out side the Kingdom is through the website of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

8. My wife left the Kingdom on an exit‐re‐entry visa and gave birth in her country, how can I enter the kid into the Kingdom?

Ø The wife shall visit the Saudi embassy in her country and obtain entry visa for her kid. After the family arrives into the Kingdom you need to apply at the passports department to add the kid.

9. Is there any money burdens prescribed to add a wife coming from outside the Kingdom?

Ø When a wife gets entry visa to reside with her husband after paying recruitment fees, it means the requirements are met and no additional fees required.

10. My Iqama is expired and I have a release from my sponsor for service transfer; is it possible to complete sponsorship transfer and then renew my Iqama?

Ø Regulations stipulate that your Iqama must be valid in order to be able to transfer services to a new sponsor.

11. I lost a residence permit of one of my dependents, am I fined for that?

Ø You must report the loss within (24) hours to avoid financial penalty.

12. I married inside the Kingdom, am I only required to add my wife on my Iqama?

Ø Regulations stipulate that after marriage wife sponsorship must be transferred to her husband.

13. I wish to leave on a final visa (Final Exit Visa) but my passport is expired, what shall I do?

Ø You must renew your passport before applying for a final exit visa.

14. I have a traffic violation, can I obtain an exit‐re‐entry visa?

Ø Regulations stipulate that your traffic records should be clean from violations in order to get the required visa.

15. My wife left the Kingdom on an exit‐re‐entry visa for one year for study and she has (2 kids); can she return to kingdom without her kids?

Ø Regulations do not ban her return without her kids but such a procedure will deprive the kids of their residency rights in the Kingdom.

16. I am 25 years old and I am still a student; can I renew my residence permit and stay on my father sponsorship?

Ø The regulations stipulate that after the age of 25 years, sponsorship be transferred thus both renewal of residence permit and transfer of sponsorship are done at the same time.

17. I encountered special circumstances delayed my return on time; is there a way to extend my visa?

Ø Your sponsor can apply for visa extension for only one month through the website(https://visa.mofa.gov.sa/eDefault.asp) of the ministry of foreign affairs, provided that your residence permit is valid.

18. What are the documents required to obtain a visit visa for a family member?

Ø Obtaining a Saudi Visit Visa is a procedure of the Saudi Ministry of foreign affairs which you can access through its website. (https://visa.mofa.gov.sa/eDefault.asp)

19. Is there any fees prescribed for adding newborns inside or outside the Kingdom?

Ø SR 2000 is defined as fees for adding newborns outside the Kingdom. No fees for newborns inside the Kingdom.

20. My wife entered the kingdom on a visit visa; I did not find the border number in order to pay the fees and complete the extension procedures what shall I do?

Ø The border number is hand‐written near the visa starting with the digit (3). If it is not possible to find it just report to the visa extension division to get the number required for the extending the visa.

21. Is it allowed to change a visit visa into a residency visa?

Ø Regulations do not allow that.

22. How can I change my profession on Iqama (Resident Permit) ?

Ø It is possible to change profession on Iqama (Resident Permit) according to qualification certificates upon Saudi Labour office approval.

23. I have an emergency that requires my travel, can I have a travel visa outside the formal work‐time?

Ø The passports departments work around the clock; but services for special cases outside the official work‐time are assessed and provided if necessary.

24. I have a traffic violation registered in my name, can I get an exit‐re‐entry visa?

Ø You traffic records should be clean from violations in order to be able to get an exit‐re‐entry visa.

25. My family members are added in the Iqama of the mother, could the mother travel without them?

Ø Regulations stipulate that the dependents should travel with the mother, otherwise they should be separated with a special passport/ passports.

26. If my Iqama is damaged shall I apply for a new Iqama or stay until it is expires?

Ø You should apply for a new Iqama; if the damaged Iqama is nearly to expire and you want to renew it, regulations allow adding validity period remaining in the old Iqama to the validity of the new Iqama.

27. Am I allowed to obtain a final exit visa if there is a car registered in my name?

Ø You must sell any vehicle registered in your name before you could be able to obtain a final exit visa.

28. Can I return to Kingdom on a new visa before expiration of an exit‐re‐entry visa?

Ø Regulations do not allow you return to the Kingdom on a new visa as long as you have a valid exit‐re‐entry visa.

29. Is there any fines imposed for a loss of Iqama?

Ø SR 1000 fine is prescribed as fees for Iqama loss.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://www.moi.gov.sa

If you are looking for information on Visa Visa Click Here. For details on applying for Permanent Family Visa, go Here.

For topics pertaining to Living and Working in Saudi Arabia, Click Here

Disclaimer: This information is intened only for helping the information seekers and is not accountable for any legal challenge.

Applying for Permanent Family Visa in Saudi Arabia

2010-02-21T10:54:00.001-08:00

For bringing your family on permanent visa in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Following are the steps which will guide you through this process:

Documents
Attestation
Visa Application in KSA
Visa Application in Pakistan (home country)

Documents:
Following documents are required.
- Your Professional Degree
- Marriage Certificate
- Passport of your Spouse & Children
- B Form (for children only)

Attestation:
Following attestation is required before applying for permanent family visa in Saudi Labor Office (Istikhdam/istaqdam Office), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Find below the document to be attested by the respective institution.

HEC (Higher Education Commission)

Original Degree

Ministry of Foreign Office (Home Country's Foreign Office)

Degree (Original & Arabic both)
Marriage Certificate (nikah nama) (Original & Arabic both)
B-Form (Child birth form for children only ) (Original & Arabic both)

Saudi Culture office (Home Country)

Original Degree
Employer (Kafeel) Letter - (for this its better to check with the agent, if it is really required)

Saudi Embassy / Consulate (Home Country)

Degree (Original & Arabic both)
Marriage Certificate (nikah nama) (Original & Arabic both)
B-Form (Child birth form for children only ) (Original & Arabic both)

Visa Application in KSA:
You need to attest your original degree from Ministry of Foreign Affairs Saudi Arabia (www.mofa.gov.sa) and also your marriage certificate. They will charge your some amount (30 SR / attestation) for attestation.
Once the above documents are ready. You need following documents to submit your application for permanent visa of your family.
- Your iqama copy
- Your spouse passport copy
- Photo copy of attested Arabic translation of Your Degree
- Photo copy of attested Arabic translation of marriage certificate
- Photo Copy of attested Arabic translation of B-Form. (for children)
- Employer letter in which your salary and job details are mentioned.
- Application Form filled by your company for submitting along with documents.
Also keep your all original documents with you which the visa officer may ask for. Once ready, you need to submit these to Istikhdam/istaqdam Office in your region (For Eastern Province it is in Dammam).After some verification of documents he will issue you a visa copy (yellow paper).
Once you get this yellow paper you need to send the following to home country (like Pakistan, India etc…).
- Visa Copy (Yellow Paper)
- Your passport copy ( info page)
- Your iqama copy
Visa Processing from Pakistan(Home Country)
Following are the guidelines for stamping visa from Saudi Embassy in Pakistan (home country).
- Consult any agent who processes visa form Saudi Embassy like in Islamabad Sky Link Services (http://skylinkservices.org/) provides these services.
- Get your spouse medical report from any assigned medical center. You can ask to your agent for the medical center.
- You would require following documents to be submitted to Agent for visa stamping form Saudi Embassy.
  - You iqama copy
  - yellow paper
  - you passport copy
  - medical report of your spouse
  - passport size photos of your spouse ( I think 2 or 4)
  - Original passport of your spouse.
Agent will take some 4-7 days for visa stamping once done you can collect the original passport from agent and schedule the flight.

If you are a Saudi Expat and have some question, please see my blog on Common Questions by Saudi Expats. If you are looking for information on Family Visit Visa Click Here. For topics pertaining to Living and Working in Saudi Arabia, Click Here

Hope it will help!!!!
Disclaimer: This all information is totally on personal experience with sole purpose of to help others who like me is looking for the guideline on this topic.

Family Visa without Profession Restriction

2009-12-25T22:12:00.000-08:00

Really great news for the Expatriates of Saudi Arabia states that there will be no consideration of profession while issuing Family Resident Visa.

Great relief for our brothers, sisters and elders having labor or unskilled profession on their iqamas.

More details are as follows:
Family visa now linked with salaryP.K. Abdul Ghafour | Arab News

JEDDAH: The Foreign Ministry will issue permanent resident visas for wives and children of expatriate workers in the Kingdom, without considering their profession, Al-Yaum Arabic daily has reported.

“The ministry’s office in Riyadh issued such recruitment visas for three days last week and stopped it temporarily. It is expected that the ministry would resume the service next month,” a ministry source told the paper.

The news is a relief for many of the seven million expatriate workers, who are unable to bring their families on resident visas due to their profession written on their iqamas.

The Foreign Ministry and the Recruitment Office only issued permanent resident and visit visas to those in white-collar jobs such as engineers, doctors and executives. The Al-Yaum report said the ministry would only look at the financial status of the applicant. “The family visa is no more linked with profession,” the source said. He said the ministry stopped processing applications in order to implement the new criteria. “This is a great news for thousands of professionals like me who are unable to bring their wives and children to the Kingdom because of the profession in iqama,” said Shabeer Ali, a computer engineer based in Jeddah.

Ali said he has been trying to bring his family to the Kingdom ever since his marriage. “Until now I could not, because they look at the profession on my iqama, which is an electrician. I had presented my Masters degree certificate in computer science attested by the Saudi Embassy, as well as my salary certificate, but they rejected my application,” he said.

He said he had never known about this problem before coming to the Kingdom.

“I know that there are thousands of expatriate workers who are highly qualified and earn good salaries but cannot bring their families because of their profession. I take this opportunity to thank the Saudi government for changing this policy and consider it a great blessing from God.” The Arabic daily said the ministry’s branches in Jeddah and Dammam have not implemented the new system as they have not been informed about the changed criteria.

Over the past three weeks, the ministry’s Riyadh office was issuing visit visas to all expatriate workers for their families without considering their profession.

K.C.M. Abdullah, a freelance journalist based in Riyadh, told Arab News that hundreds of people, including laborers, farmers and construction workers had benefited.

“Now they have stopped issuing visas to drivers and other house servants,” he pointed out. Some people claimed the visa rules were relaxed to mark the return of Crown Prince Sultan to the Kingdom after a yearlong medical trip.

Abdullah said the ministry used to accept around 800 applicants daily, adding over 1,000 people stood in the queue from early in the morning to present their applications made through the ministry’s website.

He said the revised service started a week before the Eid Al-Adha holidays.

After hearing the news of the relaxation in visa rules a large number of Indian workers approached the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah to include names of their spouses in their passports.

Indian missions are now issuing new passports after including spouse names. People who want to include the names of spouses should attach attested marriage certificates. Those who have married recently should register their marriages by producing relevant documents

Click Here for: Original News Article from Arab News

For topics pertaining to Living and Working in Saudi Arabia, Click Here

Extending Visit Visa in Saudi Arabia (Visa Visa Extension)

2009-09-07T03:36:00.000-07:00

The visit visa can be extended to maximum 9 months but still depends on the visa officer.

Following are the steps and procedures which are required to extend Visit Visa.

Following documents will be required to apply for visit visa extension.

Your iqama copy.
Original passport of visitor.
A form filled in arabic. These form are available in Passport Office (jawazaat office). You can get from there and filled there or can ask you employer to provide you with a filled form. This form will be signed by you ( as you are the sponsor of the visitor)
A draft for 100 SR . But now a days this is not mendatory you can submit SR 100 along with your application.

To get maximum months of extension you have to request the visa officer. Normally in case of family they give 2 months if requested they may give you 3 months.

To make the stay longer you have to get this extension each time before its expiring.

Note: Don't take risk to let your visitor over stay even one day as government has tightened the rules and its penality is SR 10,000 and exit.

For topics pertaining to Living and Working in Saudi Arabia, Click Here

Please comment if you have any suggestion/correction.

Regards,

Khurram Shahzad

Saudi Arabia Government Offices Websites & Addresses

2009-08-20T03:37:00.000-07:00

Ministry of Agriculture and Water

Airport Road, Riyadh 11195
Tel: 401-6666
Fax: 403-1415
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Agrigulture and Water:
Implementation of economic plans and programs for agriculture. Water development. Desalination, irrigation, conservation of scarce water, fisheries, animal resources and locust control.

Ministry of Commerce

P.O.Box 1774
Airport Rd., Riyadh 11162
Tel: 401-2220/401-4708
Fax: 403-8421
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Commerce
Foodstuff quality control, consumer protection, companies and commercial agents’ registration, labeling regulation standards, international exhibits, hotels, bilateral trade agreements, and world trade organization.

Ministry of Communication & Transportation

Airport Rd., Riyadh 11178
Tel: 404-2928/404-3000
Fax: 403-1401
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Communication & Transportation
Design, building and maintenance of road network. Coordination of surface transport including railroads and bus systems.

Ministry of Defense and Aviation

Minister: H. R. H. Prince Sultan Bin
Abdul Aziz Al-Saud
Airport Rd., Riyadh 11165
Tel: 478-5900/477-7313
Fax: 401-1336
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Defense and Aviation:
Defense and Aviation.

Army, Navy, Air Force, construction of military bases, civilian airports and meteorology.

Economic Offset Secretariat
Ministry of Defense and Aviation
P.O.Box 27040, Riyadh 11417
Tel: 478-4145
Fax: 478-4123

Ministry of Education

Airport Rd., Riyadh 11148
Tel: 404-2888/404-2952
Fax: 401-2365
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education
Provision of free general education in
primary, intermediate and secondary
schools. Royal Technical Institute
programs for handicapped, antiquities
and museums.

Ministry of Finance and National Economy

Airport Rd., Riyadh 11177
Tel: 405-0000/405-0080
Fax: 405-9202
Website: http://www.mof.gov.sa/
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Finance and National Economy
Government finance, including budgeting and expenditure of all ministries and agencies. Control of national economic growth. Zakat and income tax. Customs, Central Department of Statistics and National Computer Center.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Minister: H. R. H. Prince Saud Al-Faisal Bin
Abdul Aziz Al-Saud
Nasseriya St., Riyadh 11124
Tel: 406-7777/441-6836
Fax: 403-0159
Website: http://www.mofa.gov.sa/
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Political, cultural, and financial international relations. Monitors diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the outside world.

Ministry of Health

Airport Rd., Riyadh 11176
Tel: 401-2220/401-2392
Fax: 402-9876
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health
Health care and hospitals.

Ministry of Higher Education

King Faisal Hospital St., Riyadh 11153
Tel: 464-4444
Fax: 441-9004
Website: http://www.mohe.gov.sa/
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Higher Education
Universities and higher learning institutes.

Ministry of Industry and Electricity

P.O.Box 5729
Omar bin al-Khatab Rd.
North of Railway Station, Riyadh 11127
Tel: 477-2722/477-6666
Fax: 477-5451
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Industry and Electricity
Development of the Kingdom’s industrial infrastructure and power projects. Foreign capital investment, industrial licensing, protection and encouragement of national industry, industrial statistics, industrial cities and SABIC.

Ministry of Information

Nassiriya St., Riyadh 11161
Tel: 401-4440/401-3440
Fax: 402-3570
Website: http://www.saudinf.com/
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Information
Television and radio broadcasts, publication of newspapers, magazines and relations with foreign press.

Ministry of Interior

Minister: H.R.H. Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz
Al Saud
P.O.Box 2993, Riyadh 11134
Tel: 401-1944
Fax: 403-1185
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Interior
Public security, coastal guards, civil defense, fire stations, border police, special security and investigation forces, criminal investigation and traffic control.

Ministry of Islamic, Endowments Call(Dawa) and Guidance Affairs

King Abdul Aziz St., Riyadh 11232
Tel: 473-0401
Fax: 477-2938
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Islamic, Endowments Call(Dawa) and Guidance Affairs
Administration of land controlled by religious trust.

Ministry of Justice

University St., Riyadh 11137
Tel: 405-7777/405-5399
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Justice
Administration of Sharia’s Law and provision of legal services for all citizens of the Kingdom.

Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs

Omar bin Al-Khattab St., Riyadh 11157
Tel: 477-1480/478-7166
Fax: 477-7336
Website: http://www.mol.gov.sa/
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs
Labor relations, manpower planning and general monitoring of employment situation. Labor permits and work visas, labor disputes, inspection, health and safety. Provisions of vocational and on-job training for handicapped. Social development and reform. Presidency for Youth and Welfare, Saudi Red Crescent Society and Social Security.

Ministry of Municipalities and Rural Affairs

Nassiriya St., Riyadh 11136
Tel: 441-5434
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Municipalities and Rural Affairs
Administration of municipalities throughout the Kingdom. Planning of cities and towns. Development of roads and basic infrastructure. Managing and maintaining services to keep cities and towns clean and healthy.

Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources

P.O.Box 757, Airport Rd., Riyadh 11189
Tel: 478-1661/478-1133
Fax: 479-3596
Website: http://www.mopm.gov.sa/
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources
Administration and development of the Kingdom’s oil, gas, oil refineries and mineral resources in conjunction with the General Petroleum and Mineral Organization (Petromin).

Ministry of Pilgrimage

Omar bin Al-Khatib St., Riyadh 11183
Tel: 402-2200/402-2212
Fax: 402-2555
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Pilgrimage
Provision of facilities for the annual visit of pilgrims to Makkah. Madinah and other Holy places in the Kingdom. Administration of land controlled by religious trust.

Ministry of Planning

P.O.Box 1358
University St., Riyadh 11183
Tel: 402-3562/401-3333
Website: http://www.planning.gov.sa/
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Planning
National Planning.

Ministry of Post, Telegraph and Telephone

Intercontinental Rd., Riyadh 11112
Tel: 463-7225
Fax: 405-2310
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Post, Telegraph and Telephone
Development and maintenance of telecommunications and postal services.

Ministry of Public Works and Housing

Washem St., Riyadh 11151
Tel: 402-2268/402-2036
Public Works Fax: 402-2723
Housing Fax: 406-7376
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Public Works and Housing
Supervision, construction and maintenance of Public Sector’s projects. Public housing, evaluation of tenders, allocation of contracts and classification of contractors.

For topics pertaining to Living and Working in Saudi Arabia, Click Here

Family Visit Visa Process

2009-03-07T23:39:00.000-08:00

Following are the steps and procedures which are required to get Family Visit Visa.

I have divided this process into two phases.First Applying for the visa (being in Saudi Arabia) and Second is Applying for Visa Stamping from your Home Country.

Phase 1: Applying Visa
Pre-Requisites:

Your iqama copy.
Your passport copy (info page,visa page,entry page)
Marriage certificate and Degree( original and arabic translation. Attested from Foreign Office of Home Country,also if you could get this attested from Saudi Embassy of Home Country that would be good)

Procedure:

Letter from your employer describing your profession and salary.
Visa Application form filled in arabic.Normally company government relation officer does this sort of stuff.(you can check with your company for this otherwise you can download this form and get this filled from any arabic literate person).
Visa applicatin form should be stamped/signed by your sponsor(kafeel,company) and also you need to sign it as well.
Get these documents ( pre-requisites + Letter + Visa Application Form) and make one file.
Visit istihdam office in your city and apply for the visa.
They will issue you a white paper which is a step 1 of the final 2 step process.
Now ask your company/sponser to apply for visa in Foreig Ministry on basis of the white paper you have got.They will fill an online form and give you another print out with the application number printed on it.
Final step is to collect this printout and attach the white paper you got from Istihdam office and submit it in Ministry of Foreign Affairs.(note: keep one copy of the printout with you as this contains application number which you need to track oninline your visa status after submitting with Foreign Ministry)
It will take 3/5 days before the visa status will be visible online on Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (https://visa.mofa.gov.sa/eDefault.asp) keep checking this link (https://visa.mofa.gov.sa/SrhComFamilyVisa.asp) to see status of your visa.Once you see the page with all the information. Now you can start processing from your home country.

Phase 2: Processs to apply for Visa stamping from Home Country

Documents to apply for visa stamping:

Visa printout from Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs website https://visa.mofa.gov.sa/SrhComFamilyVisa.asp.
Original passport ( of the visitor)
Marriage certificate (original)
Return Ticket.
3 Passport size photograph with white background.

Look for any agent who (in pakistan you can apply through http://www.skylinkservices.org) which will apply for visa stamping from Saudi Embassy. It will take 3/5 days to complete this process.

For topics pertaining to Living and Working in Saudi Arabia, Click Here

Living And Working in Saudi Arabia

Visit Visa Renewal A Click Away :)

New digital passport service for Pakistanis

Nitaqat System in a Nutshell

Saudi Arabia Official Websites, Government Offices and Ministries

SAUDI GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES:

SAUDI GOVERNMENT AGENCIES:

SAUDI ARABIAN COMMERCIAL BANKS:

SAUDI BUSINESS LINKS:

SAUDI OFFICES ABROAD:

SAUDI EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES:

OTHER SAUDI LINKS:

Questions Answers - by Saudi Arabia Expatriates

Please find below number of common questions frequently asked (FAQs) by Saudi Arabia expatriates regarding various topics. These topics include exit re entry visa, family visa, dependent visa, iqama renewal, iqama lost, traffic violation, final exit and lots of other Saudi Arabia related questions.

Applying for Permanent Family Visa in Saudi Arabia

Family Visa without Profession Restriction

Extending Visit Visa in Saudi Arabia (Visa Visa Extension)

Saudi Arabia Government Offices Websites & Addresses

Family Visit Visa Process