If you are working in Saudi Arabia and interested to bring your family in the kingdom; this post is for you. Here are the steps for getting Saudi Arabia Permanent Family Visa which is also known as dependent visa processed:
Step 1: Check Eligibility of Your Profession
As a sponsor for your family (wife, children); you are eligible to apply only if your profession on Iqama meets the requirements as Saudi Arabia doesn’t allow only some certain professional level iqama holders to sponsor their families.
Please also note that the criteria are based on Iqama profession and not on the actual job that you are doing. For example; if you are on a labor Iqama and no matter you are working as Computer Programmer (just an example); you are not eligible for family visa sponsorship.
For such cases there are two choices—Either change your iqama profession or else; forget about bringing your family.
Step 2: Apply for Family Visa
Once you are sure of eligibility of your iqama profession for family visa application; then you may sit, relax and cheer as the first test-case has passed and the road to the destination has cleared the thick fog.
To apply for the family visa; you can opt for either online application or manual one by visiting Istiqdam physically.
For applying online; you need to have Abshir account on MOI (Ministry of Interior) website. Getting Abshir account is very simple and straight forward. Just register on MOI site and then go for activation of your Abshir Account. You can activate your Abshir account through Banking services or by going to Self-service kiosks or by visiting Jawazat office. If you have a bank account in Saudi Arabia, easiest way is to login to your banking account and get your Abshir Account activated online. Remember that you will have to pay the visa fees (2000 SAR) before applying for visa online.
After getting your Abshir Account activated, you are good to go for applying online. For this, login to your Abshir account, click on eServices and then choose Family Visa Service from the Expatriate Affairs section as shown and circled below:
The next screen will have all the useful details and instructions for you. Go through the instructions and once clear; click on New Family Visa Application button in the bottom. Complete the subsequent steps and then submit the application.
After submitting the application, print it and get it stamped & signed by your sponsor.
For those opting for manual method of applying for family visa, will have to get an appointment for Istiqdam through Abshir eServices and then visit Istiqdam along with required documents (attested degree, attested marriage certificate etc). Officer will verify your documents and if everything is good, you will get the visa (yellow slip) within minutes.
Step 3 & 4 are for those who applied online. Those who opted for manual method, can skip reading this.
Step 3: Get CoC Approval
After getting the printed application stamped/signed by your sponsor; visit Chamber of Commerce office in the same city where you sponsor company is registered and get it attested. Chamber of Commerce will charge you 25 SAR for the attestation.
After CoC attestation, this printed application needs to be activated for which you need to hand over your attested application to the desk of foreign office.
Step 4: Visa Approval
After submitting your application online and getting it attested by Chamber of Commerce, wait for a few days (roughly 3 to 4 days) for receiving SMS from MOI about approval of your family visa.
Once you got the SMS, double check on your Abshir Account to ensure that status appears as Approved and also VISA number is appearing.
After visa approval from MOI, you still need to wait for another few days (again roughly 3 to 4 days) for your visa information to get updated in MOFA website. Remember that visa can’t be processed back in your home country before MOFA update.
Once MOFA update is done; your visa processing steps here in Saudi Arabia are completed. You can just take a print of it from MOFA site and send a copy to your family back home.
Step 5: Medical Fitness Test from GAMCA
Once you have sent approved visa to your family, the next step is to get medical fitness certificate from a Gulf Approved Medical Center. Ask your family to visit GAMCA office along with passport and the visa copy. GAMCA officer will ask your family to go to some specific medical center for medical checkup.
Medical center will do the necessary tests by taking blood and urine samples. They also perform Chest X-Ray and Eye test. The report stating FIT or UNFIT is usually provided within a week.
If any of your family member is declared UNFIT, he or she will not be able to proceed further.
Step 6: Submit Visa Application to Embassy/Consulate
After medical clearance, your family can now submit visa application to the embassy/consulate of Saudi Arabia in your home country for stamping the visa on the passports. In Pakistan, you need to get services of Etimad Private Limited for this purpose as they are authorized for this. Etimad center will verify all your documents and if all is good; you will get E no (Enjaz no). Go to the medical center again with this E no and ask them to online your medical results. Remember that your medical results must be made online against your E no otherwise embassy won’t stamp the visa.
After successful submission to embassy; embassy/consulate will perform their necessary steps and will stamp the visa on your family’s passport if it meets their all requirements.
Get the visa stamped passports back from Etimad and that’s it!!!!
Book the flight tickets for the family and enjoy your family life 🙂