Green Card Saudi Arabia Full Details
The Saudi green card is also known as privileged Iqama, a resident permit. Recently there is some great news I want to share. The Saudi Council Shoura approved the new privileged iqama system, new green card style, and implementation of the residency scheme. However, there are rumors that it’s going to be the end of Iqama. However, according to Arabnews and Al-Qura newspaper, there are certain conditions under which the old iqama might get disposable.
Back in 2016, the iqama was first proposed by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Now it has clearly been approved as the new green card or privileged iqama.
The main of the green card in Saudi Arabia is to provide permanent residency to expatriates and everyone else living in the Kingdom. Also allow them to own property, and make an investment as per the law. One of the best things for highly skilled expatriates in Saudi Arabia is they won’t need any sponsorship from a Saudi guy or company. They will be set free forever.
The benefit is not only for those expatriates who are highly skilled, but for those also who have their own capital funds in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, in this article, I am going to explain everything related to privileged iqama in Saudi Arabia, its costs, rights benefits and requirements, and much more.
The End of the Kafala System (Sponsorship Transfer)
As per the current Saudi law and regulations, the kafala system is mandatory. This means expatriates will stick to just Kafeel, company, Mosasa, institute, etc. According to the kafala system, an expatriate is abounded to get leave or visit the home country as per the choice of his Kafeel, and similar in many more cases.
However, it is going to be the end of the kafala system as per Saudi Vision 30. There is no sign of an exact date, but soon we are going to see the news about the end of the Kafala system.
One of the worst things about this system is that things sometimes get unusual. For example, the iqama renewal may take more time, and without an iqama ID, an expatriate can not do anything. This is because the currently prevailing system, most of the time discourages the potential of Expat investors as well.
I will tell you what, the Saudi guys or the company under which an investor Expat will be sponsored might be good or bad. The good is okay but the bad is not, so it takes the investors far away from investing in KSA. That is the main reason for implementing the new kafala system as per Saudi Vision 2030 and a new privileged iqama/green card/resident permit.
Rights and Benefits of Saudi Green Card Holders
Lots of expatriates and other people from around the globe may wish to know the rights and benefits of Saudi Green Card holders. You can get the following rights and privileges by getting a Saudi Green Card.
The residence permit, green card, or privileged iqama holders won’t pay for the dependent fee as per the recent approval of Saudi Council Shoura. All changes made to the Green Card will take effect in May as per the approval of Saudi Council Shoura. The Green card holder can stay in the KSA up to the next renewal of the privileged iqama with his family without any worries.
Privileged iqama holders can get as many visas as they want for their family members. And guess what they can hire and recruit domestic workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The owners can own businesses and property. They can visit Makkah and Madina without any worries for up to 99 years. They can work in private establishments and can switch their job as per their choices and better opportunities.
A Saudi Green Card holder can leave and enter the Kingdom as per his/her choice without any restrictions. They will be able to get jobs and take the desks at the airport as well as Saudi citizens do.
Requirements and Conditions
There are a few terms/conditions and requirements expatriates need to follow in order to get a Saudi Green Card. They are:
- You should have a valid passport to show it to the authorities.
- A person must be 21 years old in order to apply for a privileged iqama or green card.
- Police clearance certificate.
- Health certificate.
- A valid iqama ID.
- And the required fees for the privileged iqama ID.
If you follow all the above conditions and fulfill the requirements. Then I am sure you can get a permanent iqama ID. Moreover, the required fees for getting a temporary or permanent iqama id is:
- The temporary Iqama/Green card fee is SAR 100,000 (26,666 USD)
- The permanent Iqama/Green card fee is SAR 800,000 (213,333 USD)
Saudi Green Card, Don’t Cancel it
There are certain things you need to follow in order to keep the Saudi Green Card safe from being canceled. The green card in Saudi Arabia or privileged iqama will be canceled. If the expatriate is convicted of a crime. The person gets jailed for 60 days or a Saudi Riyal fine of 100,000.
Another reason is if you are submitting or applying with a document and the application form data is incorrect. In short proving, the wrong bio-data in the application form can get your green card to be canceled. If an expatriate instantly changes their residency.
