POiSON WORLD

Apply for Permanent Family Visa

The biggest problem expatriates face in Saudi Arabia is bringing their families to the Kingdom. Social environment in Saudi Arabia is very dry and if one does not even have family, it becomes drier. In the below lines, I will be explaining in detail how can one bring his family in Saudi Arabia on permanent visa (Iqama). I will be treating as you are Iqama holder in Saudi Arabia and informing you about the procedure you need to adopt after getting your Iqama. Please keep in mind; it is not a simple process. You need to be patient and read all the requirements very carefully.

Documents Requirement :

• The most important hurdle in bringing family on permanent visa is your profession on Iqama. Visa for family can only be issued if you have a good profession on Iqama. List of professions who are eligible to bring families on permanent visas can be seen by clicking here. “List of Professions”
• If profession on your Iqama is suitable to bring your family to Saudi Arabia on permanent visa, you will have to change your profession.  “Change your Iqama Profession”
• If you want to change profession, you will have to send your original degrees to your native country for attestation by Saudi Embassy and Saudi Culture Office.  “Attest Degrees for Saudi Arabia”
• If you have a degree issued by Saudi University, there is no need to attest it.
• If you are intending to bring your wife and children here in Saudi Arabia, next step is to get the marriage certificate and birth certificates of children (along with Arabic Translation) attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your country, then Saudi Culture Office and at the end Saudi Embassy. It is much better to hire some agent in your native country with this regard. They will charge you a little fee like SR 200 per document and you will be able to save a lot of time and effort.

Process in Saudi Arabia :

You need to submit attested degrees along with translation, attested marriage certificate, and attested birth certificates of all your children, copies of passports of all the people applying for the visa, copy of the Iqama and letter from the sponsor stamped by Chamber of Commerce.Take copies of all the original documents and submit them to the window at your turn. Whenever there are some attested documents, make sure you have taken copy of main document as well as attested stamps. He will check the documents and will ask you to wait for a while. After around 30 minutes, you will be called again at the window and if everything goes fine, you will be given a yellow slip. This yellow slip is actually visa for your family. Take the slip and check if the names and other details mentioned on the yellow slip are the same as mentioned on the passport and other formal documents.

Process in Native Country :

1. Now, you need to send this Yellow slip to your native country to your family. It is always advisable to take services of some agent in this regard. Overseas employment agents are expert in these kinds of processes and they have relations inside Saudi Embassy. It is easier for them to get it stamped. They will charge you from SR 400 to SR 500 per passport and take care of all the requirements.
2. In some countries like Pakistan, Saudi Government has established Eitamad Centers. You do not need to contact agents in case Eitamad Centers are established in your native country. You directly go to them with the report of medical test. They will process the permanent family visa for you. Charges of Eitamad Center are also same as mentioned above. Process you need to carry on in Eitamad Centers is explained by one of our writer Mr. Shaneel Ahmed in this article.
3. All your family members will have to go through a medical test before apply for visa to Saudi Embassy. Agent will give a token for every family member and they will have to appear for the test in designated laboratories. If you have Eitmad centers in your country, there is no need to take token. You can directly go to the approved laboratory for test. The report of the test is required to be submitted to Saudi Embassy to stamp the Visa. I have already published an article on this subject, have look at it, “List of Medical Tests for Saudi Visa”
4. It is always suggested to go to some private laboratory in your country for the same tests before going to the officially designated laboratory. Private laboratory staff knows very well about the tests required for Saudi Arabia. You can fine tune your diet for temporary basis after the result of private laboratory. When your results are satisfactory, you can go for the official laboratory.
5. If there is anything wrong in the result, some people will ask for the bribe to get it clear. Please never give money to them. There will be a test in Saudi Arabia as well and you will be deported if found problematic there.
6. Once the Iqama is processed, your family will receive a call from the agent. You can also check it online through your MOI account. As soon as the visa is stamped on your passport, dependents in your MOI system will be updated.

Process after Arrival to Saudi Arabia :

1. When your family has reached to Saudi Arabia, you need to apply for their Iqama. Please be noted that the major work has been done. You will have to appear in a medical test in Saudi Arabia. This medical test is not very critical, you will pass it easily. This test is only performed in the designated laboratories of the government.
2. Report of the test needs to be given to the Government Relations Officer of your company. He will be responsible for the rest of the official activities.  Soon, you will get Iqama!