Saudi Arabia issues and renews resident permits on a quarterly basis.
Saudi Arabia issues and renews resident permits on a quarterly basis.
renewal of iqama, work permit
The Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat), and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development have begun implementing a new quarterly service for expats to get and renew residency permits (iqama).
The Saudi Press Agency claimed on Tuesday that this was done in collaboration with the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence (SDAIA), which is represented by the National Information Center.
The move follows the Council of Ministers’ recent decision to allow the issue and renewal of iqama connected to work permits for a minimum of three months. Domestic workers and others, however, are excluded from this rule.
The new system will allow the employer to renew a residency permit tied to a work visa after paying the expatriate fee (financial compensation) for three, six, or nine months, instead of the 12-month timeframe that was in effect until the Cabinet’s recent decision. Trending Now: Digital IQAMA Activation Procedure via Absher & Tawakkalna App
On November 3, Minister of Interior Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Saud Bin Naif introduced a number of online services, one of which was the renewal of iqama work permit on a quarterly basis. The new service is available on Absher Individual, Absher Business, Muqeem, and Qiwa’s web platforms.
Saudi banks have just begun modernizing their government payments system to allow for the issuing and renewal of iqamas, or work permits, for a minimum of three months. Iqama fees can now be paid on a quarterly, half-yearly, or nine-month basis, in addition to the existing one-year period, according to the recently revised government payments system.
Employers must pay the expatriate fee, which is SR800 per month or SR9,600 per year, in order to renew the work visa. When renewing their iqama on a quarterly basis, expatriates can pay the charge for their dependents and companions in quarterly instalments. A monthly fee of SR400 is charged for dependents and companions. Watch More: Gulf Tech & News.
The new method would allow private sector businesses to improve their cash management by allowing them to renew work permits for their overseas employees based on their actual needs.
Furthermore, this decision will support the growth of private sector entities, contribute to the development of the labor market, enhance its attractiveness, and improve the work environment, as well as provide more flexibility to the existing contractual relationship, allowing it to keep up with global employment markets.
