Country guide
How to Migrate to Saudi Arabia
The fact that you are looking at Saudi Arabia means the scale of its new projects has caught your attention. Saudi Arabia is the Gulf's largest labour market and, under the Vision 2030 reforms, the most ambitious. Giga-projects like NEOM, Qiddiya and the Red Sea developments have created enormous demand for skilled foreigners, and the tax-free salaries remain a powerful draw.
Tax-free
No personal income tax on your salary
Why Saudi Arabia?
- Main language
- Arabic (English widely used at work)
- Avg. salary
- SAR 120,000 to 360,000/year (tax-free)
- PR timeline
- No tenure-based PR; Premium Residency on approval
- Currency
- Saudi Riyal (SAR)
- The headline reason is money that stays in your pocket: Saudi Arabia charges no personal income tax, so a gross salary is close to what you keep.
- Vision 2030 has poured trillions into construction, tourism, technology, healthcare and entertainment, opening roles that simply did not exist a decade ago.
- Employer packages frequently bundle housing, transport, schooling and annual flights home.
- The country is far more open than its reputation suggests (women can now drive, work broadly and travel independently), while proximity to Europe, Africa and Asia makes it a practical base.
- The trade-offs are a conservative legal system and a job market built almost entirely on sponsorship.
Visa routes
Work Visa (Iqama sponsorship)
- Best for
- Skilled professionals with a Saudi job offer
- Timeline
- 1 to 3 months
The standard route. Your employer secures a block visa and work permit, then you convert your entry visa into an Iqama (residence permit) after arrival. The employer is your legal sponsor (kafala), though reforms now let many workers change jobs and travel more freely.
Premium Residency (Saudi Green Card)
- Best for
- High earners, investors and talent wanting independence
- Timeline
- 1 to 3 months once approved
Launched 2019 and expanded since. Offers residence without a local sponsor, the right to own property and run a business. Options include a one-off Unlimited-Duration (permanent) Residency fee of SAR 800,000 or a renewable Limited-Duration Residency at SAR 100,000/year, plus special talent, gifted, investor, entrepreneur and real-estate owner categories.
Investor / RHQ & Business Visa
- Best for
- Founders, executives and companies relocating regional HQs
- Timeline
- 2 to 4 months
MISA (Ministry of Investment) issues investor licences and residence for those establishing a company. The Regional Headquarters (RHQ) programme gives multinationals and their senior staff tax and residency incentives to base their Middle East HQ in Riyadh.
Skilled Talent / Professional Verification route
- Best for
- Engineers, doctors, nurses and other regulated professionals
- Timeline
- Adds 2 to 6 weeks to a work visa
Not a visa itself but a mandatory step: many professions must pass the Saudi Professional Accreditation (via the Saudi Council for Engineers, SCFHS for health workers, etc.) and a pre-arrival qualification verification before an Iqama is issued.
Seasonal / Umrah & visit visas
- Best for
- Short-term and exploratory stays only
- Timeline
- Days to weeks
The tourist eVisa and business visit visas do not grant the right to work. They are useful for interviews and reconnaissance, but paid employment always requires converting to a sponsored work visa.
Step by step
- 1
Secure a sponsored job offer
Nearly all work migration begins with a Saudi employer. Target Vision 2030 sectors (construction, healthcare, tech, tourism and energy) via LinkedIn, Bayt, GulfTalent and giga-project career portals like NEOM and Aramco.
- 2
Attest and verify your qualifications
Get your degree and key documents attested by your home foreign ministry and the Saudi embassy. Regulated professionals must also complete Saudi accreditation (Saudi Council for Engineers, SCFHS for health) and pre-arrival qualification verification.
- 3
Employer arranges the visa and you complete medicals
Your employer obtains a block visa and work permit, then issues your entry visa. You complete an approved medical exam and police clearance, and stamp the visa at the Saudi consulate or via the online Enjaz/visa platform.
- 4
Enter Saudi Arabia and convert to residence
Travel on your work entry visa. Your employer then processes your Iqama (residence permit) within roughly 90 days, taking your biometrics and issuing the card that legalises your stay and lets you open a bank account and sponsor family.
- 5
Settle sponsorship terms and register dependants
Confirm your labour contract in the Qiwa platform, understand your right to transfer employers and exit/re-entry rules under the labour reforms, and, if applicable, arrange family visas so your dependants can join you.
- 6
Consider Premium Residency for long-term independence
Once established (and if you meet income, investment or talent criteria), apply for Premium Residency to remove the sponsor requirement, own property and stay long term. See our Saudi Arabia arrival guide for first-week logistics.
What you need
Requirements
- A confirmed job offer from a licensed Saudi employer willing to sponsor your work permit and Iqama
- A university degree or trade qualification, usually attested by your home country's foreign ministry and the Saudi embassy
- A valid passport with at least six months' validity and blank pages
- A clean medical examination (including tests for infectious diseases) from an approved clinic
- A police clearance certificate from your home country
- For regulated professions: Saudi professional accreditation and pre-verification of qualifications
Language and tests
There is no points-based language test for a work visa. Arabic is the official language, but English is the working language across multinationals, giga-projects, healthcare and tech, so most professionals get by without Arabic. Regulated fields have their own gatekeeping exams instead: health workers sit SCFHS/Prometric assessments, and engineers register with the Saudi Council for Engineers. Learning basic Arabic helps with daily life and paperwork but is rarely a legal requirement for employment.
Jobs in demand
- Civil & Construction Engineers
- Doctors & Nurses
- Software Developers
- Project Managers
- Cybersecurity Specialists
- Hospitality & Tourism Managers
- Renewable Energy Engineers
- Teachers (STEM & English)
What it costs
For a standard sponsored worker, the employer legally bears most costs: the block visa, work permit and often flights. Your own outlay is mainly document attestation, medicals and relocation. The Premium Residency route is the expensive exception, with large one-off or annual government fees.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Work/employment visa & permit | Employer-covered (SAR 2,000 to 7,000+ in state fees) |
| Degree & document attestation | SAR 300 to 1,500 depending on country |
| Medical examination | SAR 300 to 800 |
| Police clearance certificate | SAR 100 to 400 equivalent |
| Flight (one way) | SAR 1,500 to 5,000 |
| Premium Residency (optional) | One-off ~SAR 800,000 or ~SAR 100,000/year |
Path to PR and citizenship
- Saudi Arabia has no automatic permanent residency from years of work. The traditional Iqama always depends on a sponsor.
- The route to long-term status is Premium Residency (the 'Saudi Green Card'), granted either by paying a one-off or annual government fee, or by qualifying under investor, entrepreneur, special-talent, gifted or real-estate owner categories; this frees you from a sponsor and permits property ownership.
- Citizenship is rare and discretionary, historically requiring around ten years' residence, Arabic proficiency and exceptional merit.
- Saudi Arabia does not generally permit dual citizenship, so naturalisation usually means renouncing your original nationality.
FAQs
Do I pay income tax in Saudi Arabia?
No. Saudi Arabia levies no personal income tax on salaries, so your gross pay is effectively your take-home pay. There is a 15% VAT on most goods and services, but employment income itself is untaxed, one of the main reasons expatriates move there.
Can I move to Saudi Arabia without a job offer?
For work, generally no. The standard route is employer-sponsored, and your company secures your work permit and Iqama. The main exception is Premium Residency, which lets qualifying high earners, investors and special talents reside without a local sponsor, but it carries substantial government fees.
What is the Saudi Premium Residency (Green Card)?
It is a residency programme, launched in 2019 and since expanded, that lets foreigners live in Saudi Arabia without a sponsor, own property and run a business. You can pay a large one-off fee for permanent status or a smaller renewable annual fee, or qualify through investor, entrepreneur, talent, gifted or real-estate owner categories.
Does Saudi Arabia allow dual citizenship?
Generally no. Saudi citizenship is rare, discretionary and normally requires renouncing your original nationality. Most long-term expatriates aim for Premium Residency instead, which provides indefinite or renewable residence and property rights while letting you keep your current passport.
This guide is general information, not legal advice, and rules change often. Always confirm the current requirements on the official government website for your destination. How we research & source our guides.
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