Iqama also known as resident permit is a card which is renewed yearly for any expatriate living or working in Saudi Arabia. A valid iqama is the basic and primary requirement for anyone to work or live in Saudi Arabia and anyone living or working in Saudi Arabia without a valid Iqama is subject to fines and penalties as per law. It is mandatory to Renew Iqama before it is expired to avoid any penalties.
In this post, we will explain step by step process how to renew Iqama in Saudi Arabia.
Iqama Renewal in Saudi Arabia: Requirements for Renewal of Iqama
There are certain requirements which must be fulfilled in order to get your Iqama renewed for a period of one year. These requirements for to renew Iqama are listed below:
- Iqama Renewal Fees must be paid.
- For any dependents under your sponsorship—Dependent Fees must be paid for full year.
- Maktab e Amal Fees must be paid (if applicable to your profession).
- Medical Insurance must be valid.
- For any professional level iqama professions (e.g. Engineers, Computer Programmers, Technicians, Accountants etc.) it is mandatory to have a valid registration with respective counciles. E.g. Engineers, Technicians, Programmers etc. must be registered with SCE (Saudi Council of Engineers).
- Get your medical fitness certificate if applicable (Required only for expatriates from a certain number of nationalities).
How to Renew Iqama in Saudi Arabia?
Once all above requirements are met by you and your employer (as most cases iqama related fees is paid by your employer and health insurance is also taken care of by your employer), Iqama renewal process can be initiated by your employer online through Muqeem Portal.
With all the fees paid and requirements fulfilled, Iqama renewal process is straight forward and your kafeel (sponsor) will do the needful and your Iqama will be renewed for a period of one year starting from the current expiry date of your iqama.
Please note that once your Iqama is renewed, Iqama of your dependents also gets renewed for the same period of time.
Once renewal process for your Iqama is completed and your iqama has been renewed successfully, you should receive SMS on your mobile number which is registered on Absher. You can also login to your Absher account and verify that your iqama has been renewed by checking Iqama Expiry date.
Below are few Important points about Iqama Renewal in KSA
How much Fees needs to be paid to renew Iqama in Saudi Arabia?
Exact fees to be paid for iqama renewal depends on various factors including your profession (as professions like Saiq Khas are exempted from Makatab e Amal fees as of now) and also depends on the fact whether you have to pay any dependent fees or you don’t have any dependents with you in Saudi Arabia.
Maktab e Amal Fees also varies depending upon the fact that your company (Kafeel) has how much percentage of Saudi workers.
As of 2020, below is a breakup of all the costs associated with Iqama Renewal:
Iqama Renewal Fees: 650
Dependent Fees: 400SR per month per dependent (4800 SR per dependent for a year)
Maktab Amal Fees: 9600 if Saudi Employees percentage is below 50% and 8400 if Saudi Employees percentage is above 50%.
Health Insuracne Fees: Varis (On Average around 500)
Please note that above figures are not official and have been obtained only from public information available online and also note that any such fees might be changed by the officials in future.
What is the Penalty of failing to renew Iqama
If your iqama is not renewed in time and it gets expired, you will be penalized as per law. For the first time if you don’t renew your iqama before its expiry date, you will be fined with SR 500 and if you do the same violation second time; fine will be 1000 SR and third time if you fail to renew your iqama on time, you are subject to deportation from Saudi Arabia.
Iqama must be renewed either before its actual expiry date or at max within 3 days of its expiry date.