Working in the Gulf

Working in Saudi Arabia — sponsorship and work-permit basics

Most Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Saudi Arabia, use an employer-sponsorship system (often called "kafala"): a licensed employer, not the worker, applies for and holds the work permit, and that permit is what lets you live and work in the country. What actually differs from one GCC country to the next — and what has genuinely changed in recent years — is below, sourced from each government's own portal.

What actually applies

• Work visas are issued through Qiwa, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's own platform — again, it is the employer who applies, not the worker.
• Whether an employer can sponsor new foreign workers, and on what terms, is tied to that employer's Saudization (nationalization) compliance record — the same requirement applies to every employer, not something a candidate can influence directly.
• Qiwa distinguishes permanent, temporary, and Hajj/Umrah-season temporary work visas as separate categories with their own rules.
• A residence permit (iqama) is the linked document that lets you actually stay and work in the country once the visa itself has been issued.

Qiwa — the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development platform: Check the current, official version →

This page describes how the system is structured, not a specific fee schedule or step-by-step timeline — those change on each government's own portal, which is why every fact above links straight to it.

Ask the concierge how this applies to your own situation →