Apply for a permanent family visa (Iqama) online
The online application for a permanent family visa is available only for certain selected professions.
In our experience, expatriates in the following professions have been able to obtain visas through an online application. If you have a different profession, you can still try your luck; it costs nothing.
- Doctors registered with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.
- Engineers registered with the Saudi Council of Engineers.
- Accountants and auditors registered with SOCPA.
Log in to your account and click on the "My services" tab. https://www.absher.sa/.
On the next screen, click on "Expatriate Services" from among several options offered.
In the next step to apply for the permanent family visa online in Saudi Arabia, you will need to click on "New Family Visa Application" after reading the instructions.
In the next step, a new page will appear containing your full details, including your full name, Iqama number, passport number, passport expiry date, religion, mobile phone number, nationality, Iqama expiry date, passport issue date, passport issue location, and your occupation as stated on your Iqama. It will also contain information about your sponsor.
Simply ensure that the information retrieved by the Ministry of the Interior's system is correct and click on the "Apply for a family visa" tab.
If you are eligible to apply for a permanent family visa online, this application form will appear on the screen. You will need to fill in details such as:
Salary amount in SAR. Education level. Date of obtaining highest level of education and; Main subjects studied.
After filling in this information, you will need to add the names of dependents, their passport number, their age, their religion, their relationship to you, and the place of embarkation.
The port of embarkation refers to the city where your family will affix the visa to their passport. If the second and third names of the dependent are not available, simply write "–" in the second and third names fields. The name must be entered exactly as it appears on the passport.
Online permanent family visa application fees
Application process
- After submitting the application, the Absher system will give you the option to print the family visa recruitment form containing an order number at the top.
- You will submit this family visa recruitment form to the human resources department of your company.
- The company will open the Ministry of the Interior's website, choose an option related to the family visa recruitment form, enter your order number, authenticate the application and submit it.
- They will receive an acknowledgement of receipt from the Ministry of Immigration regarding the submission of documents. Soon, you will receive a message from Absher containing the visa number.
- Your Absher account status will now also be updated and will indicate "has been approved".
- Download this approved document from Absher and send it to your home country for further processing. Approved online permanent family visa application
Once you have obtained the visa number, you can send the application to your home country to obtain the visa.
Reasons for online application rejection
«"Your request cannot be processed because it does not comply with Istiqdam's online service business rules."»
If you receive this message, the system will ask you to go to the Istiqdam office with the following message:
«"Your sponsor is not included in the family visa application. Please go to Istiqdam for more information."»
If this message appears, it means that your employer's business registration, chamber of commerce, or Maktab Amal account has expired.
Offline Request
First, you need to make an appointment with Istiqdam in the same city whose chamber of commerce certified your documents.
Every document that has been authenticated by the Saudi embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can now be apostilled. This applies to all your documents, whether they originate from a French authority or are certified by a French authority for use abroad, as well as foreign public documents intended for presentation in France. It is no longer necessary to obtain embassy certification.
Required documents The following documents must be submitted to Istiqdam to apply for a permanent family visa in Saudi Arabia according to the latest update in 2023.
- Istiqdam Form for a permanent family visa with the company seal and authorized signature.
- Copy of the Iqama.
- A copy of the Saudi visa affixed to your passport.
- Copy of passport of all applicants for permanent visa.
- Diploma certificate attested by the Saudi embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs corresponding to your profession mentioned on the Iqama + translation into Arabic.*
- Marriage certificate certified by the Saudi embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs + translation into Arabic.*
- Children's birth certificates certified by the Saudi embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs + translation into Arabic.
- Copy of the final exit visa – if they have already had an Iqama.
- Salary certificate (example). The letter must be stamped by the Chamber of Commerce.
- Certificate GOSI mentioning your salary.
- Professional certification for doctors, engineers, technicians, accountants, and auditors. Business registration certificate for the company you work for.
*All your documents can have an apostille certification from France; you will no longer need to have them certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
*Under certain conditions, you need a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) for your application to be accepted. Do not hesitate to reapply several times if your application is rejected.
Gather all the required documents to apply for a permanent family visa in Saudi Arabia into a folder and go to the Istiqdam office at the appointment time. How do I book an appointment at Istiqdam for a family visa?
You must pay a fee of 2000 SAR per family
After about 30 minutes, you will be called back to the counter and if all goes well, you will be given a yellow slip.
Please ensure that the names on the Yellow Sheet are correct. If any information on the Yellow Sheet is incorrect, you may return to the Istiqdam within 3 business days to make changes.
The validity of the yellow receipt or permanent family visa issued by Istiqdam is one AH year, i.e., 354 or 355 days from the date of issue. This means you must now process the visa in your country within one AH year. Post-application process: Approximately two weeks after obtaining the visa, you can engage an agent in your home country to have the visa affixed to your passport.
If a baby is born after the issuance of the permanent family visa in Saudi Arabia, there is no need to amend it. Simply submit the newborn's documents to your agent, along with the mother's passport, and the Saudi embassy will stamp the visa.
To get all the latest news, please join our Telegram group. CLICK HERE
