Working in Saudi Arabia,
permit by permit.

Qualification

Article 33 of the Labour Law asks for the professional competence or academic qualifications the country needs. For the high-skill tier, the Ministry's guide adds that the occupation falls in major groups 1 to 3 of the Saudi occupational classification, that the total wage is not below the tier's minimum, that the worker passes the Professional Accreditation programme, and that the application passes the Ministry's points system on qualifications, experience and wage.

Professional Verification

No standard time is published. The Ministry reports checks completed in a record time not exceeding 15 days

Visa, work permit and residence permit

Not published on any official page we could open: the platforms that run them (Qiwa, Absher, my.gov.sa) block automated reading. Ask your employer which of them it pays

Health certificate

Paid on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa platform; the amount is not shown on its public page

4 steps · 2 possible outcomes · 4 official sources

Salary floor

SAR 35,000 a month (2026 figure)The floor for the healthcare and scientific professionals track, on a contract with a whitelisted entity in a priority specialisation and with the minimum score in the Center's points system. The researcher track is SAR 14,000 a month, and the executive track SAR 80,000 a month in total wage at the first or second executive level. The portal prints no year against these figures: they are the ones on the page on 5 October 2026, and the Center says all conditions are subject to change.

Qualification

For the researcher track and the healthcare and scientific professionals track: a bachelor's degree or higher and more than three years of work experience in a related field. The executive track names no degree.

Residency term

Five years, renewable for one term on meeting the eligibility criteria again

One-time fee

SAR 4,000

3 steps · 3 possible outcomes · 1 official source