Saudi Arabia Work Visa for Indians

In order to be eligible for a Saudi Arabia job visa for Indian citizens, you must fulfil the following criteria:

• You must have a valid passport.

• You must be sponsored by a registered and MOFA-certified Saudi Arabian employer or organisation.

• You should have a letter of invitation from your potential employer. It must be duly attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in SA.

• You must have a clean criminal history.

• A registered Saudi Arabian employer or company is responsible for obtaining the work visa on behalf of the candidate. They need to apply for a work permit with the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Labor. Once the work permit is approved, a visa reference number is issued by the Ministry of Forwarding Affairs (MOFA).

• In addition to the work permit, the employer is also responsible for purchasing medical insurance for the candidate.

• All the fees, including the visa fee and medical insurance cost, must be paid by the employer.

As per the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Saudi Arabia, there are mainly three types of employment visas available. These are as follows:

Seasonal Work Visa: A seasonal work visa in Saudi Arabia is available for the foreign workers who are hired on a temporary basis for various seasonal events. These include agriculture activities, tourism, etc.

Note that these visas are available during specific seasonal periods.

Temporary Work Visa: As the name suggests, a temporary work visa is provided to the foreign candidates who are hired to work in Saudi Arabia for a short-period.

Permanent Work Visa: A permanent visa is granted to candidates who have obtained a long-term employment contract in the country.

A critical point to keep in mind before obtaining a work visa for Saudi Arabia is you cannot switch jobs or change your employer on a work visa. You must work with the same employer who has sponsored you in the first place.

Documents play a pivotal role in the process of immigrating from India to Saudi Arabia. To help you understand the requirements clearly, here is a detailed breakdown of all the necessary documents:

Valid Passport: You must have a passport with a validity period of at least six months. It should have at least two blank pages and must not be torn or damaged.

Sponsorship Letter: You are required to submit a sponsorship letter by a registered Saudi Arabian employer. It should state your name, offered position, date, as well as visa block number.

Employment Contract: The employment contract is another critical document for obtaining a Saudi Arabia visa for Indian citizens. It should be signed by you as well as your employer and must also be certified by the Saudi Chamber of Commerce and MOFA. Further, your employment contract must mention your job profile, roles and responsibilities,

Visa Referral Note: A visa referral note is issued by MOFA. It specifies the date and work visa reference number. Note that it is one of the most important documents.

Educational Certificates: In order to get a Saudi Arabia employment visa, you are required to submit a notarised copy of your university degrees and diplomas. Make sure that your education certificates are well recognised and authenticated by the reputed institution or the Saudi Arabian embassy/consulate in your country.

Police Clearance Report: You also need to submit a police clearance report that is issued at least 6 months before initiating the visa application. The PCC is required to make sure that the visa applicant has a clean criminal history.

Application Form: You also need the employment visa application form which can be filled online on the MOFA website. Once filled online, you can submit it along with the documents by main or in-person at the Saudi Arabian Embassy.

Recent Photographs: You need to submit at least two passport photographs as per the specifications given below:

• Must be recent

• 35mm x 45mm

• 80% of the photograph must be covered by the face

• No eyeglasses

• Both eyes and ears must be visible.

• Headwear (allowed for religious reasons)

• Neutral facial expressions

• Coloured with a solid white background

Medical Report: You are required to submit at least three copies of your recent health report. Note that it must be issued not more than the last three months by a registered and licensed healthcare professional.

The report must clearly state the name, contact number, licence number, address along with detailed lab results to prove that the visa applicant is free from any diseases.

The Saudi Arabia work visa process for Indian candidates is a bit different than any other visa. Below are the necessary steps you need to perform:

Step 1: Applying for Work Visa

The process of acquiring a Saudi Arabian visa for Indian candidates begins with your Saudi Arabian employer applying for the employment permit on your behalf with MOFA. Once applied, a visa reference number will be generated and given to you. Next, you need to visit the MOFA portal to complete the work visa application online. Fill in your personal and other necessary details and print the visa application form.

Step 2: Submitting Visa Application

Next step is to submit your visa application along with the required supporting documents to the Saudi Arabian Embassy in person or via mail.

Step 3: Receiving Work Visa

Once approved, you can retrieve your visa from the Embassy or consulate office of Saudi Arabia where you have applied.

Step 4: Applying for a Residence Permit

After receiving the employment visa, you can travel to Saudi Arabia and join your organisation. Note that an employment visa is a type of work visit visa that comes with a validity period of 90 days.

If you want to stay and work for longer, then you need to apply for a residence permit. With this permit, you can live in the country for up to a year.

Saudi Arabia's work visa fees vary based on multiple factors such as type of employment visa, type of job, nationality, and so on.

As a visa applicant, you do not need to worry about these charges as they are paid by your employer. You only need to pay nominal charges for attesting documents, submitting biometrics, and so on.

As compared to other types of visas, the employment visa gets processed faster. You can expect it to proceed within 4-5 days after submitting your application.

However, the visa application processing time can vary depending on the efficiency and workload of the visa processing department. It can take a bit longer due to the higher volume of visa applications.

When it comes to an employment visa, it becomes important to monitor and track the visa application to ensure that it gets approved before your joining date.

The good news is that you can easily track your Saudi Arabia Employment visa application online via the MOFA portal.

All you need to do is follow the below steps:

• Visit the MOFA portal.

• Select the “Track Application” option from the right corner of your screen.

• Enter your visa application number and ID number. (The ID number can be your or your employer’s passport number, Saudi national ID, or any commercial registration number.)

• Hit “Track My Application”.

After arriving in Saudi Arabia, you need to take care of the following things:

Immigration Formalities: Before anything else, you need to go through the necessary immigration formalities and security checks.

The immigration officer at the international airport will check your documents, such as your visa, passport, etc. and ask you some questions regarding your purpose of visit and duration of stay.

Answer all the questions correctly and politely. Also, keep all your documents ready to avoid any hassle or inconvenience.

Dress Code: Following the dress code is very important in Saudi Arabia. You must wear modest clothes, especially when visiting any religious site.

Language and Customs: While Arab is the official language of Saudi Arabia, English is spoken widely across the nation. It means, there will be no communication problem if you know Arabic or English.

Transportation and Accommodation: There are plenty of taxi services available in the international airports of Saudi Arabia. It is recommended to pre-book your cab to avoid any inconvenience. The same goes for the accommodation if it is not provided by your employer.

Residence Permit: If you have a long-term job contract that requires you to live in the country for more than 90 days, then apply for a residence permit at the earliest.

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