Before you start

A signed job offer from a Saudi employer that holds a valid Commercial Registration and a work-visa quota (block visa) on Qiwa
Degree certificate and (for many roles) employment references attested by the Saudi Culture/MoFA chain — start this early, it is the slowest part
Passport valid 6+ months with blank pages
Clean police record and a fitness-to-travel medical from an approved centre (e.g. GAMCA/Wafid) in your home country

Step-by-step

1
Employer issues the work visa (block visa + MoFA authorisation)
Your company requests a visa against its quota on Qiwa (HRSD), then gets a visa authorisation number from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You cannot start this yourself. Under the skill-based classification they must also slot your role into a High/Skilled/Basic tier — a wrong tier can stall the permit.
Via employerWho: Your employer / PROOften the slowest phase — weeks, occasionally monthsEmployer-paid (work-permit levy ~SAR 800/month for most firms)
2
Stamp the visa at the Saudi embassy in your home country
With the MoFA authorisation number you (via the embassy's agent, often Etimad/Enjazit) submit passport, photo, attested degree, home-country medical and police certificate. The single-entry work visa is stamped into your passport. Enter Saudi Arabia within its validity (commonly 90 days).
In personWho: You (in home country)Days to ~2 weeks after authorisationVisa/MoFA fees ~SAR 2,000+; usually employer-paid
3
Arrive, then do the medical examination
After landing you complete a Saudi medical (blood tests + chest X-ray for infectious disease) at an approved centre. A clear result is mandatory before the Iqama can be issued — book it in your first days, not your first month.
In personWho: YouSame-day visit; results a few days~SAR 300-500 (often employer-paid)
4
Biometrics + employer issues your Iqama
You give fingerprints and a photo (Jawazat / Absher appointment). Your employer then pays the fees and converts your entry visa into the Iqama on Muqeem/Absher. Legally this must happen within 90 days of entry — chase your PRO, because the fine and your inability to bank or get a SIM both land on you.
Via employerWho: Employer PRO files; you give biometricsAim well inside the 90-day limitIqama issuance ~SAR 650/yr (employer); see levies below
5
Activate Absher + Nafath (your digital identity)
With the Iqama number register on Absher (MoI) and set up Nafath — the single sign-on that authenticates almost every government and bank login. From here you self-serve exit/re-entry visas, sponsor family, and unlock banking, SIM, driving licence and housing.
Mobile appWho: YouSame day once Iqama is liveFree

Documents you’ll need

Passport (valid 6+ months) + the stamped work visa
Attested university degree and employment references
Home-country police clearance + approved medical (GAMCA/Wafid)
Passport photos and your employer's Commercial Registration / visa-authorisation details

Things most newcomers don’t know

The embassy visa is not the Iqama — the Iqama is created by your employer after you land and pass the medical.

Newcomers assume the stamped visa means they are set. In reality the entry visa only gets you in; until your PRO converts it to an Iqama (within 90 days), you cannot open a bank account, get a postpaid SIM, drive legally or sponsor family. Make Iqama issuance your week-1 priority.

Source: HRSD/Qiwa + provider consensus, 2025

The 2021 Labor Reform softened — but did not abolish — kafala.

You can now switch jobs at contract end (or with notice) and handle your own exit/re-entry visas via Absher/Qiwa, which removed the worst sponsor chokeholds. But your employer still holds your visa quota, issues and renews the Iqama, and a final-exit still depends on a clean, ended contract. You are freer than pre-2021, not free.

Source: Saudi Gazette / USSBC, LRI effective 14 Mar 2021

Nafath is the real gatekeeper, not just Absher.

Nafath is the national single sign-on layered on Absher; banks, Qiwa, Muqeem, Tawakkalna and most e-gov logins push a Nafath app approval to authenticate you. If your Iqama-registered mobile number is wrong or not in your name, Nafath breaks and you are locked out of everything — get the SIM registered to your own Iqama immediately.

Source: MoI Absher/Nafath, 2026 expat setup guides

Premium Residency (the 'Saudi green card') lets you skip the sponsor entirely.

Via the Premium Residency Center (pr.gov.sa) you can live, work, switch jobs, own property and sponsor family with no kafeel — through several tracks including a one-time large fee or a renewable annual option, plus investor/talent routes. Worth knowing if you are senior, entrepreneurial or planning to stay long-term.

Source: Premium Residency Center (pr.gov.sa), 2025

Common mistakes to avoid

Letting the 90-day post-arrival window slide — the late-Iqama fine plus your frozen access to banking, SIM and travel all fall on you, even when the delay is your employer's PRO.
Underestimating attestation: an un-attested or mismatched degree (name spelling vs passport) is the single most common cause of a stalled work visa. Start attestation before you resign your current job.
Buying a SIM on someone else's ID 'for now' — it won't register to your Iqama, will break Nafath logins, and may be cut off. Register it in your own name as soon as the Iqama is live.
Forgetting the dependent levy (maqabil murafiqeen, ~SAR 400/month per dependent) when planning family finances — unlike the employee levy, this one is the expat's personal cost and recurs every renewal period.