Permanent Family Visa to Saudi Arabia

Taking your family in saudi is easy if you have the right profession. I’ll walk through the checklists and process you have to do. This post is relevant to Jeddah Isthigdam.

First thing, you need the right profession in your Iqama (Residence Permit). If your profession is marked as labour, electrician, plumber or any other non-professional or non-supervisory category, you are not eligible for bringing your family to the kingdom. If you are a marketing manager, computer programmer, network engineer, medical professional etc, you are eligible.

Supporting Documents to be prepared from home country:

1. Your original marriage certificate to be attested from the saudi embassy in your home country
2. Your original educational certificate (relevant to your profession in your Iqama) to be attested by the saudi embassy in your home country
3. Birth certificates of your kids attested by saudi embassy in your home country

Supporting Documents to be prepared from Saudi:

1. Arabic translation of your marriage certificate
2. Arabic translation of your education certificate
3. Arabic translation of your children’s birth certificate
4. A letter from your sponsor stating his consent to bring your family, with all your ID numbers and salary details mentioned. There is commonly used template available. Check with your sponsor. This letter should be in the sponsor’s letter pad (or his company’s) and should be attested from the Chamber of Commerce.
5. The family visa request application form in Arabic. This requires signature and seal of your sponsor.
6. A bank transfer of SR 2000 to the government towards the “Family Visa” issue account. This payment can be done online if you have a bank account here and has online facility. If you don’t have it, there are document making people in most of the corners and they will help you if you pay some commission to them. Mention your Iqama ID as the sponsor ID correctly while the transfer (You are the sponsor for your family). This amount is per application and not per person in the application. Keep a copy of the transfer receipt with you.
7. Copy of your Iqama
8. Copy of your Passport including the Visa stamped page, very important.

The Istiqdam in Jeddah

It’s in the Al Amr Metab Street Close the Falasteen Street. The office opens at 07:30 AM and operation starts at 08:00 AM. Make sure your reach as early as possible because there will be people standing in the queue even 6 AM.

Procedure

1. Keep all the documents mentioned above with you
2. There will be other applicants and they will be writing their names in a blank paper, indicating who came first. Write your name and queue number. If you are the first who have reached, then just get blank paper and start the queue !
3. There are 2 counters in the building, one for Visit visa and another for family visa. You need to go the family visa when the office opens at 08:00 AM. The prepared list of queue will be given to the officer and he will grand you the token respective to your queue number. I like that system. No panics there. If you reached late after 08:00, then get your token from the office directly. Now wait for your turn.
4. When your token called, give your documents to him. Everything works smooth if you have all documents in good shape. The officer collects your documents and ask you to wait
5. The officer calls you by name and if everything is fine, he will give you the Yellow slip which will have your wife’s and kid’s name mentioned in it.

That’s pretty much it. Send this document to your home travel agent. Ask your wife and kids to do the medical. Stamp the visa in your passport. Get the ticket.

Happy home.

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