Arriving in Saudi Arabia on a work visa starts a chain of registrations in which each step unlocks the next. The iqama, the residence permit, is the key to everything: without it there is no bank account, no SIM card in your own name, no Absher account, and no way to sponsor a family later. Done in order, the first month is a series of short errands. Done out of order, it is a month of being told to come back. Here is the order, with the fees and the deadlines that apply in 2026.
Week one: entry, fingerprints, iqama
You enter on the work visa your employer obtained through Qiwa and the embassy. Fingerprints are taken on arrival, and within the first days your employer’s government-relations officer files for the iqama, which is issued electronically and collected as a physical card. The iqama is the residence permit every other system keys on, and KSA Guides’ iqama guide for foreign workers covers issuance, renewal periods, fines and transfers in one place. Two things to know from day one: the iqama number is the identifier every bank, telecom and government portal will ask for, and renewal now runs on flexible three, six, nine or twelve-month periods, with a three-month renewal costing roughly SAR 163, so the expiry date is something you manage rather than something that happens to you.
Week two: SIM card, Absher, bank
- SIM card. A prepaid SIM can be registered on the visa in the first days, but the line you will keep needs the iqama. STC, Mobily and Zain all register in-store with the iqama and a fingerprint check. Once you have it, check how many lines are registered to your ID through the regulator’s free Argami service; a line you did not buy is a problem to catch early.
- The Ministry of Interior portal is where iqama status, traffic fines, exit and re-entry visas and family visit applications live. Registration needs the iqama number and a Saudi mobile number in your own name, which is why the SIM comes first. Activate it at an Absher kiosk or through your bank.
- The national login app. Link it to your Absher account and almost every other portal, and most banks, will sign you in with a two-digit code instead of a password.
- Bank account. Needs the iqama and, at most banks, a Nafath login and a salary letter. Salaries are paid through the Wage Protection System, so the account must be open before the first payroll run.
Week three: housing and the family question
Rent is paid annually or semi-annually, and the tenancy contract is registered on the Ejar platform, which you will need for utilities and for sponsoring dependents. On dependents: the fee is SAR 400 a month per sponsored family member, SAR 4,800 a year each, payable in advance at iqama issuance and renewal. It is the single largest surprise in most new arrivals’ budgets, and it is worth knowing before a family follows.
One more errand belongs in week three if you intend to drive. Licences from a list of recognised countries convert to a Saudi licence through Absher without a full test, with an eye test and a short practical assessment; everyone else goes through a driving school. Saudi cities are built around the car, Riyadh’s metro notwithstanding, and most residents end up with one within the first year, so the conversion is worth starting before the paperwork from home is out of reach.
Week four: the gold habit
Sooner or later every resident notices that gold is not a luxury here but a savings instrument. Gold is priced per gram at one national rate that moves with the world market, since the riyal is pegged at 3.75 to the dollar; KSAGoldLive publishes the live 24K, 22K, 21K and 18K rates in riyals. The practical consequences are simple. The metal price is the same in every shop in the country on a given day, so the only thing to compare between shops is the making charge. The standard karat is 21K, hallmarked 875. Jewellery carries 15 percent VAT on the whole invoice, while certified bars of 99 percent purity are zero-rated, which is why people who buy to save buy bars and people who buy to wear buy 21K. Buy nothing in the first month; understand the rate first.
| Day | Task | Where | What you need | Fee |
| 1 to 3 | Fingerprints and iqama filing | Airport; employer via Muqeem | Passport, visa, medical | Employer pays issuance |
| 3 to 7 | Prepaid SIM | Operator store | Passport and visa; iqama later | SIM plus plan, from SAR 50 |
| 7 to 10 | Absher registration | absher.sa; kiosk or bank to activate | Iqama, Saudi number | Free |
| 7 to 10 | Nafath | App store | Absher account | Free |
| 10 to 14 | Bank account | Any bank | Iqama, Nafath, salary letter | Free |
| 14 to 21 | Tenancy on Ejar | Ejar platform via landlord | Iqama | Registration fee varies |
| 21 to 30 | Dependent sponsorship (if any) | Absher or Muqeem | Marriage or birth certificates, attested | SAR 400 a month each |
| 21 to 30 | Understand the gold rate | Any souq, no purchase | Nothing | Nothing yet |
Three mistakes that cost money
- Letting the iqama lapse. Renewal is blocked by unpaid traffic fines, missing health insurance or a lapsed GOSI registration, so check all three a month before expiry, not the week of.
- Buying a SIM in someone else’s name. Every line must be registered to your own iqama, and a line registered to a colleague blocks your own Absher registration.
- Paying a third party to check your status. Iqama expiry, visa validity and work permit status are all free on Absher, Muqeem and the ministry portals.
Fees checked September 2026. Amounts vary by employer arrangement and by how many family members are sponsored.