FINAL EXIT VISA SAUDI ARABIA

This visa is needed by every expat living in Saudi Arabia. Once the purpose of their visit has ended they will have to leave KSA. For this they need the exit visa. This visa can ONLY be issued with the consent of your employer. So if he hinders its processing for some reason you cannot leave Saudi Arabia.

Important things to do before leaving Saudi Arabia with final exit visa

• Clear all your utility bills, police tickets and fines
• Get the credit cards, SIM card deactivated
• Get a clearance certificate from police
• Deactivate all your bank accounts and transfer your money before your accounts are frozen
• As per Saudi Law, you have to give a notice period of 30 days to your employer
• Send your family back to your homeland with all your important belongings so that you can take care of the rest of the tasks
• Have your company transfer end of service benefits into your accounts in homeland.

Importance of police clearance certificate

This certificate is far more important than people realize. For other countries to allow you to come and work for them one of the mandatory requirements is to provide police clearance certificates from all the countries you have previously lived in. Therefore if you plan on leaving Saudi Arabia to work in other countries it is better you get a clearance from the Saudi Arabian Police.

Procedure to get Police Clearance Certificate when in Saudi Arabia

Final exit visa after expiry of iqama

There are chances that if your employer has not yet found a suitable replacement for you, he will withhold your final exit visa long after your iqama has expired. In such a scenario you will have to renew your iqama since you cannot get an exit visa without a valid iqama.

 Leave before exit visa expires

Once you have been issued a final exit visa it is suggested that you leave before it expires.  With an exit visa your iqama is not valid anymore. Overstaying can bring in serious consequences for you. The airport authority can detain you for months before you would be released to head back to your country.

Cancelling Final Exit Visa - Detailed procedure to cancel your final exit. 

Pro Tip: It is important that on your exit you get a copy of your exit visa from your company. These papers are helpful when you want to come back to KSA under a new profession. However, there are companies which do not have a rule of giving a copy of exit papers to their employees. In this case you can ask your agent to process your visa and forward your case to Saudi Embassy. They can check online to see if you had exited KSA properly the last time you were there.

IQAMA RENEWAL

Once you get an iqama made it can stay valid for one year or two years (if your Nitiqat category in Platinum. You can check your companies standing in Nitiqat through: How to Easily Check Iqama Status Nitiqat. After that it becomes the responsibility of your sponsor or employer to have you issued a renewed card. Please note, if you are getting your iqama renewed, your Iqama will now be replaced by the new Muqeem card. The Muqeem card is valid for 5 years but the fee needs to be paid every year.

How to apply for Renewal of Iqama or Muqeem

If you are still holding an Iqama card on renewal you will be given the new Muqeem Card. All you have to do to get your Muqeem card renewed is to notify the HR of your company. Gone are the days when you had to submit your documents manually. Now one can easily apply for the renewal process online. Same is what the HR does too; they simply apply for your iqama online. To check your Muqeem or Iqama Expiry you can read our guide: Check Iqama Expiry in 5 Simple Steps MOI

Iqama Renewal Fees

• The general iqama renewal fee is SR 650 and if you need to get iqama renewed for all your dependents as well, the fee becomes SR 1150.While the iqama renewal fee for dependents above 18 years of age is SR500.

Advice when applying for the renewal of your iqama

• Try to apply for a renewed Iqama three months before the old one expires. If an application is submitted after the due date has expired, the employer or sponsor will have to pay the fine. The fine is equivalent to the Iqama renewal fee.

Residents who have to provide medical tests on Iqama Renewal

The residents of the following countries will have to provide medical test reports every time they get their iqama renewed.

• Ethiopia
• Kenya
• Nigeria
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Thailand

What to do when your old Iqama is taken from you

• Once the new iqama is issued the company will take your old iqama from you after handing you over its copy. For safety purposes it is advised to take a letter in writing from your company that your iqama is under renewal process. Alternatively, you can ask for the printout that is made when your company renews your Iqama. In case you have to deal with police during that time, you can easily show them this letter or printout.

Please note the Iqama or Residence Permit is being replaced with a "Muqeem" Card. This card unlike its predecessor does not need to be reprinted or sent to the Passport Office each year.

Muqeem cards will be valid for 5 years and only the fee needs to be paid each year online by your sponsor.

What to do once you receive your renewed iqama

• Once you receive your renewed iqama you will have to show it to your bank as well, so that all your accounts can stay in running.
• Upon receipt of your new Muqeem Card, scan it and keep a copy in your email.
• Take a picture of the renewed Muqeem Card in you phone.

HOW TO EASILY CHECK IQAMA STATUS NITAQAT

Iqama Status or Nitaqat Category-In the event that your would like to check your iqama status (Iqama check Red, Yellow, Green, Platinum) your can use the below mentioned steps. If you would like to learn more in regards to what Niaqat is, what the categories mean, and the benefits or palatinates associated with Nitaqat, please read: Nitaqat Saudi Nationalization

If you like to check your iqama or muqeem expiry you can do so through: Check Iqama Expiry in 5 Simple Steps MOI

1. Open the Ministry of Labor Website
2. Enter your iqama / muqeem number in the second field, you should see " رقم الإقامة"
3. Enter the Captha, you should see "رمز التحقق"
4. Next Click the button on the right.                          

Once you click, you should see the following screen:

Should you be concerned with Iqama Status / Nitaqat?

So what do these categories mean. Understand that as a expatriate you should not concern yourself with the standing of the company unless your rights are not being fulfilled. This can be highly useful if you would like to take a transfer from you existing sponsor and the company is in RED category. Please note that if you check the status of your iqama, Nitaqat Category, and you find your sponsor in Red you can take a transfer without his consent. To know more regarding transfer of sponsorship, naqal kafala you can read: Transfer of Sponsorship. If you would like to learn more regarding Nitaqat, its categories and the corresponding services you can read more: Nitaqat Saudi Nationalization.

Recently, the government has hinted to a new an improved version on Nitaqat which will cover all the loop holes left by the current system. You can read more regarding this here: Balanced Nitaqat, Coming Soon to Saudi Arabia