The Saudi Exit/Re-Entry Visa: What You Need to Know

Introduction

If you’re currently working in Saudi Arabia or plan to work there, you’ll need to know about the Saudi exit/re-entry visa.

Saudi Arabia is home to several bustling metropolises, such as Riyadh’s financial and business district Al-Olaya, and the King Abdullah Financial District’s special economic zone. It’s also home to fantastic opportunities for expatriates.

A June 2023 report noted that foreigners made up 41.6% of Saudi Arabia’s population, about 13.4 million people. As Saudi authorities ease work restrictions, they hope to attract more Western professionals into the country. Typically, expats enjoy tax-free salaries on top of a handsome benefits package.

What is the exit/re-entry visa and how does it work? How can you benefit from it if you’re a resident of Saudi Arabia and how can you avail of it?

In this article, we take a deep dive into the exit/re-entry visa and what you need to know about it.

Defining the exit/re-entry visa

Before we go into how an exit/re-entry visa works, we must first define what it is.

An exit/re-entry visa is a document issued by a government to allow an individual such as a resident or visitor in the country to temporarily leave the country for a certain time for various reasons such as travel, family matters, residency renewal, or an expiring visa.

Eligibility

Now that we’ve defined what an exit/re-entry visa is, let’s discuss who can apply for it.

A exit/re-entry visa is typically issued to foreign residents such as expatriates who have a valid residency permit (Iqama). Apart from expatriates, the exit/re-entry visa also applies to their dependents or family members whom they’ve sponsored such as their spouse, kids, and parents, who are living in Saudi Arabia under a family visa.

Foreign students in Saudi Arabia under a student visa are also eligible to apply for an exit/re-entry visa, as well as foreign investors, businessmen, and people on special visas.

How the exit/re-entry visa works

Having defined who the Saudi exit/re-entry visa is for, let’s talk about how it works.

Exit/re-entry visas are issued through the Absher platform, the electronic platform of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior. Absher can be used by Saudi citizens, expatriate residents, employers, as well as government agencies to access different government services such as renewing and issuing driver’s licenses, issuing Iqama, issuing death certificates, registering newborns, and verifying birth certificates, among others.

A business owner, for example, may use Absher to issue or extend an exit/re-entry visa for foreign individuals working for him, if they have to temporarily leave Saudi Arabia for whatever reason.

To qualify for an exit/re-entry visa, the following conditions must be met:

• The business owner and the worker should not be registered as dead, absconded (escaped from business owners), or have an Istiqdam violation. Istiqdam refers to the process of bringing in foreign workers or domestic workers into Saudi Arabia.
• All of the worker’s traffic violations must be paid.
• The worker should not currently have a valid visa, should be in Saudi Arabia when an exit/re-entry visa is requested, and should have a valid Iqama and passport.

Requesting an exit/re-entry visa

Here are the steps to requesting for an exit/re-entry visa:

1. First, the worker must submit a request for an exit/re-entry visa through the Absher platform. Next, he or she must wait for 10 days. During this time, the employer/business owner must decide whether to approve the request or not.
2. Once the 10 days are up and the request has been approved, the worker will only have five days to pay for the visa fees and to have the Saudi exit/re-entry visa issued before the request expires.
3. If the business owner objects to the request for an exit/re-entry visa, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Labor and Social Development will review the objection and decide on it within the initial 10-day period. Note that the 10 days here start on the day of the request, and not from the day of the objection.

Special conditions must also be met for a Saudi exit/re-entry visa:

• The validity of the worker/resident’s Iqama must not be less than three months when added to his/her visa duration.
• The request must indicate the duration by days, which should not go beyond 30 days to determine the exit/re-entry visa duration.
• Dependents of foreign workers must meet certain criteria to qualify for a Saudi exit/re-entry visa:
  They must have a passport that is valid three months after the expiry of a visa.
• Their Iqama must have a validity equal to or exceeding their visa duration plus an additional 90 days for the exit/re-entry visa duration.
• They must not have any outstanding or unpaid violations.

Once the dependent’s exit/re-entry visa is issued, it should be printed out so the worker can show it to Saudi immigration authorities outside Saudi Arabia. Only dependents must have a printout of their visa.

Note that the exit/re-entry visa can be issued up to seven days before an Iqama expires.

While dependents such as a foreign worker’s spouse, children, and parents are eligible for a Saudi exit/re-entry visa, newborn dependents, on the other hand, are not.

Visa fees

It costs SAR 200 ($53.33) for a single Saudi exit/re-entry visa, with a maximum period of two months. There is a fee of SAR 100 ($26.66) for each succeeding month until the Iqama expires.

A multiple Saudi exit/re-entry visa, on the other hand, costs SAR 500 ($133.32), with a maximum period of three months. A fee of SAR 200 ($53.33) will apply for every month in addition to the three months.

Requesting an exit/re-entry visa extension

Your exit/re-entry visa can be extended for a maximum of 30 days if you have not stayed outside Saudi Arabia for over seven months. If you extend your stay outside the Kingdom beyond seven months, then your employer or sponsor must acquire authorization to extend your Saudi exit/re-entry visa.

To extend a worker’s Saudi exit/re-entry visa, they can request an extension by paying for the fees through the employer’s Absher or Muqeem accounts.

If the worker needs to extend the duration of their Saudi exit/re-entry visa for their dependents, they must meet the following requirements:

• Their Iqama should be valid for over 90 days.
• Their Saudi exit/re-entry visa should have not expired for more than seven months.
• The Saudi exit/re-entry visa extension fee must be paid.
• Their dependent must be outside Saudi Arabia.

The expatriate entry ban

In January 2024, Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) instructed all land, sea, and airports to permit the entry of certain returning expatriates.

The directive comes after the lifting of a three-year ban on foreign workers who left Saudi Arabia but did not return once their exit/re-entry visas had expired. Saudi business owners had earlier emphasized that they had suffered financial losses because of expatriates who did not return in time.

When expatriates don’t return as scheduled, it also disrupts the market’s stability as contracts may be terminated. Under the Saudi labor system, employers and business owners have to pay various recruitment and residency fees for their workers. They also have to pay for labor licenses, renewing Iqama and work permits, as well as plane tickets for their workers who have to head back home to their country after the end of a contract.

As part of its commitment to make improvements in its labor and investment sectors, Saudi Arabia lifted the three-year ban to introduce reforms and streamline processes for foreign workers.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are new to the process of requesting a Saudi exit/re-reentry visa, we’re sure you may have plenty of clarifications about it. Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions.

How do I check the status of my exit/re-entry visa?

To check the status of your exit/re-entry visa, simply log into the Absher platform and look for the Inquiries section. From there, select “Exit and Return Visa Status” to see the details of your visa.

Can I come back to Saudi after I am issued a final exit visa?

If you have been regularly leaving Saudi Arabia on a final exit visa without any issues, then you can always return under a new Saudi visa.

Can you cancel your exit/re-entry visa?

Yes, it’s possible to cancel your exit/re-entry visa via the Absher platform. Just make sure that you cancel it within 90 days from the visa’s issuance date or before the return date indicated on the visa (whichever comes first). You must also be in Saudi Arabia when you cancel the visa.

Are fees refunded, after canceling the exit/re-entry visa, through Absher platform?

No, fees are not refunded after you cancel your exit/re-entry visa.

Can I issue a final exit visa for family members while there is a traffic violation logged against the resident?

No, you cannot issue a final exit visa for family members if there is an unsettled traffic violation fine. Make sure to pay the fine so the resident can be eligible for a final exit visa.

I have a female house worker who is currently in the probationary period, the Iqama has not been issued yet. How is a final exit visa issued via Absher platform?

To issue a final exit visa for a domestic worker, employers must log into the Absher platform.

Conclusion

Saudi Arabia is home to fantastic career opportunities for expatriates. In June 2023, over 41 percent of the country’s population was comprised of expats.

In 2024, Saudi Arabia lifted its three-year ban on returning expatriates who did not return in time once their exit/re-entry visas had expired. The ban was a result of the financial losses suffered by business owners who had to pay for new work permits, residence permit renewals, labor licenses, and plane tickets for their workers about to end their contracts.

A Saudi exit/re-entry visa allows residents such as foreign workers to temporarily leave Saudi Arabia under a determined period. Workers may also apply for an exit/re-entry visa for their dependents, subject to conditions.

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