Saudi Arabia is one of the attractions for foreigners looking for employment. This country has a low cost of living if the employee has housing, education, and rent allowance in the salary package. The ex-pats can lead a luxurious life due to tax-free income and health security and provide quality education to their children.
The ex-pats who live and work in Saudi Arabia should hold Iqama – resident visa. The government issues Iqama for one year, which can be renewed at the end of a year.
In some cases, the employment will be for a fixed term and Iqama will be valid for the period he stays there. An employer who employs you has to apply for Iqama on your behalf. Similarly, when you leave the country, he has to pay repatriation fees.
Come on; let us understand how to renew Iqama.
What is Iqama?
Before understanding how to renew Iqama, let us understand what Iqama is. As an ex-pat, you will be allowed to work in Saudi Arabia only if you hold an employment contract from the employer who has hired you or an admission letter for study in any institute of Saudi Arabia and Iqama. Iqama is the residence proof that helps the government to manage foreign nationals living in Saudi Arabia.
Why should we check Iqama’s status?
Foreign employees or students in Saudi Arabia need to hold Iqama. It is valid only for a certain period of time, he has to check the Iqama status. It will tell the validity status of the resident visa and information about when to renew it.
The employer and employees or student and institute authority have to check the renewal date to avoid legal complexities of iqama expiry in saudi.
Iqama renewal fees in Saudi Arabia
Various factors decide the renewal fees for Iqama. The employer has to apply for Iqama renewal, for which he will pay fees depending on the duration of the work contract. The fee for a renewal is 650 Saudi Riyal same as for the issue of Iqama. For three months, the fee is SAR 163; for six months, it is SAR325, and for nine months, it is SAR 488.
The employer should renew an employee’s work permit too, along with Iqama. For this, they have to check visa validity check online. Let us now look at the work permit renewal fees.
The monthly fee for work permit renewal is SAR 800, and the employer can decide the amount he has to pay based on the duration he wants to renew. For 3 months, the fee is SAR 2,400 and for six months, it is SAR 4,800. The nine-month fee is SAR 7,200, and for 1 year, it is SAR 9,600.
Iqama renewal process in Saudi Arabia
Collect as much information as possible to renew Iqama, as Saudi Arabia has made it mandatory to live in that country. If he has dependents living in the country, he should pay the renewal fee for them too. The country has provisions for three months renewals for him and his dependents.
Requirements to renew Iqama:
- Pay the appropriate Iqama renewal fee.
- Pay the appropriate work permit fee.
- Work permit fee.
- You should have valid health insurance.
- Pay fee for dependents.
There should be no pending fees as of the date of renewal.
You need to keep track of your fines which will reflect on the identity card. If you satisfy all the conditions, your employer can start the process to renew your Iqama.
Step-by-step process of renewing Iqama:
Renewal of Iqama is possible online, and the employer is the only person qualified to apply for renewal. He can apply for renewal six months before the expiry date. An employer can renew the Iqama even when his employee is out of the country. The process for renewing Iqama is:
- Log into Muqeem’s official website.
- Change the default Arabic language to English.
- Feed his credentials to log into the website.
- Go to electronic transactions.
- Click on Iqama renewal and input the security code you received on your mobile.
- Type the Iqama number and select the duration of the Iqama.
- Click submit.
Conclusion
Iqama is issued for one year and can be renewed for the duration of your choice. You should continuously check the Muqeem website to know when you are up for renewal. This will help you to avoid any legal issues in a foreign country.
