Relocating to Saudi Arabia: a practical checklist

Written by Saudi Careers editorial Last updated 18 September 2026

Before you accept

Confirm which legal entity employs you. On giga-projects this is frequently a contractor or operating partner, not the headline organisation.
Confirm the work visa is already allocated, not merely applied for.
Get the total package in writing: base, housing, transport, annual flights, schooling, medical tier, end-of-service basis.
Ask which components count toward the end-of-service benefit.
Check whether your profession needs licensing or verification, and how long that takes. For clinicians this is the critical path, not the contract.
Establish the notice period on both sides and what happens to your residence status if you resign in year one.

Between signing and flying

Start degree attestation immediately. It is the slowest thing you control.
Begin professional licensing in parallel if your field requires it.
Complete the medical at an approved clinic when instructed.
Get an international driving permit if you plan to drive early on.
Arrange for mail, tax residence and any home-country obligations — banks and tax authorities generally need notifying, not surprising.
Speak to your own country's tax adviser about how foreign employment income is treated. Do this before you go, not in your first filing season.

First month in the Kingdom

Your employer completes the iqama process. Chase it; nothing else unlocks until it exists.
Open a bank account once your iqama is issued.
Register on Absher, the government services platform. Almost every official interaction runs through it.
Get a local SIM — needed for nearly every service.
If you are bringing family, start school applications early; the good schools waitlist.

Things worth knowing

The working week runs Sunday to Thursday.
Prayer times punctuate the day, and many businesses pause briefly during them. Build it into how you schedule meetings rather than treating it as an interruption.
Ramadan changes working hours and the rhythm of the whole month.
Dress and social norms have relaxed considerably in recent years, particularly in Riyadh and Jeddah, but professional environments remain more formal than most Western workplaces.

Questions worth asking someone already there

A fifteen-minute conversation with someone in the same role at the same employer is worth more than any guide, including this one. Ask what surprised them, what they would negotiate differently, and what the first three months were actually like.

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General guidance. Requirements vary by nationality, profession and employer.