Saudi Aramco

What Aramco is

Aramco, legally the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, describes itself as "one of the world's largest integrated energy and chemicals companies". Its global headquarters is in Dhahran in the Eastern Province. Dhahran is also the largest of the residential communities Aramco runs for its employees.

What they hire for

This site carries no Aramco adverts at present. Aramco recruits international staff through its own portals. Its page for international applicants names the fields it hires into: engineering, geosciences, drilling and R&D, plus education, finance, law and other administrative areas.

The same page says Aramco generally looks for "a minimum of five to 10 years of applicable experience". Read that as the bar for applying from abroad. Saudi nationals and international applicants are recruited through separate routes. International applicants are then split by region: one portal is for the Americas, the other for Africa, Asia Pacific and Europe. Both are linked from the international applicants page.

What candidates should know

The offer is conditional and comes from a regional entity

Aramco's published hiring process runs in this order:

1. An application form.
2. An interview with technical representatives, held at its London, Houston or Singapore offices, at a recruiting event, or remotely.
3. "A written conditional offer of employment" from a regional Aramco entity.
4. An assigned Relocation Advisor helps you clear the medical examination and background checks. The same adviser helps with the visa, which is arranged with the Saudi consulate, with your travel, and with clearance for your children to attend Aramco schools.
5. A pre-departure orientation before you relocate.

The regional entities it names are Aramco Americas Company, Aramco Overseas Company UK, Aramco Singapore and Aramco India. Our work visa guide covers what the visa stage involves.

The contract is open-ended

Aramco's benefits page describes "Permanent Employment on an Indefinite Term Employment Agreement". It also lists:

• up to 38 calendar days of paid annual leave
• an annual bonus plan
• a settling-in allowance in your first or second paycheck

Aramco publishes no salary figures. It says packages are "commensurate with experience, job description, responsibility level, and individual qualifications", and that they "can include expatriate premiums to help defray cost-of-living expenses in Saudi Arabia". Ask whether your offer includes that premium, and how much of the total it makes up.

Housing: four company communities, or off camp

Aramco runs four residential communities in the Eastern Province:

• Dhahran: the largest, and home to the headquarters.
• Ras Tanura: on the coast, supporting aviation, marine and refinery operations.
• Abqaiq: supports oil processing.
• Udhailiyah: smaller, southwest of Dhahran, with company transport to Hofuf.

Employees may instead live off camp and receive a rental assistance allowance. The communities support different operations, so ask which one your role is attached to. Then compare the offer against our Dammam and Khobar guide, not against Riyadh.

Company schools run from K4 to grade 9

Saudi Aramco Expatriate Schools teach an English-language American curriculum for K4 to grade 9. Employees hired on family status may qualify for an education assistance plan for dependent children. Aramco says it "may include" Aramco's own schools, international schools in the local community, or international boarding schools anywhere in the world. If you have a child near or past grade 9, get those terms in writing before you accept.

Arrival is organised; the timeline is not published

Aramco has a general office at Dammam airport that is open 24 hours a day. A company representative meets new hires on arrival and takes them to their accommodation.

Aramco does not publish how long it takes to get from application to arrival. Once you are shortlisted, ask your recruiter how long the medical, background-check and visa stages usually take for your discipline, and plan your notice period around the answer.

Aramco does not charge recruitment fees

Its fraud notice says it "will never request fees or payment during any stage of its recruitment process". It also warns of fake look-alike domains and gives an address for checking a suspicious message. Any request for a fee, at any stage, means the message is not part of Aramco's recruitment process.

Know whether you are with the operator or a contractor

Another company may advertise work "on an Aramco project". In that case that company employs you, holds your iqama and sets your package. Direct Aramco employment is the operator side of the divide described on our energy salary page. Read how to negotiate a Saudi offer before comparing the two.

Sources

• Aramco careers home: separate Saudi and international recruitment routes. aramco.com/en/careers (checked 10 October 2026)
• For international applicants: disciplines, experience requirement, regional portals. aramco.com (checked 10 October 2026)
• Hiring process: interview locations, conditional offer and the regional entities that issue it, Relocation Advisor, pre-departure orientation, Dammam airport office. It gives no timeline. aramco.com (checked 10 October 2026)
• Your benefits: contract type, leave, bonus, settling-in allowance, pay wording and expatriate premiums, housing options, education assistance. aramco.com (checked 10 October 2026)
• International schools: curriculum and grade range. aramco.com (checked 10 October 2026)
• Life in Saudi Arabia: the four communities. aramco.com (checked 10 October 2026)
• Scam and fraud notice. aramco.com (checked 10 October 2026)
• About us: self-description. aramco.com (checked 10 October 2026)
• Global contacts: Dhahran headquarters address. aramco.com (checked 10 October 2026)
• Advert data: expatjobssaudi.com listings for Aramco, 9 October 2026 (none live)