Saudi Arabia: November 2009

Driving Liccnse In KSA

Sunday, November 29, 2009 7:54 AM Posted by Saudi Arabia

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Expatriates planning to work in Saudi Arabia will find it convenient to have a driving license. Public transport in the kingdom is not that well developed, and if you are with your family, I would strongly advise you to have a car, as mentioned earlier .

Having a driving license is an absolute must, before you drive a car in the kingdom. Note that this is also used as an authentic proof of identity while entering some of the compounds and it has the added benefit of validity in other GCC countries. Let me now brief you about the latest procedure to have a driving license.

It is not necessary for you to go to a driving school to obtain a license, but I would strongly urge you to do so, even if you know driving. The chances of you being failed if you bypass the school, is quite high, going by experiences of several expatriates .

The first step is to fill in the application form (usually the driving school or your sponsor will have this), affix the required photographs, take an introduction letter from your sponsor in Arabic and submit it to the police. The police would verify your application and give their approval for the next step.

Now, you will have to take this form to any of the hospitals and get your blood test and eye test done. Remember that without the police approval mentioned above, the hospital would not do these tests, so do not bypass any of the procedures mentioned here .

Once you complete your medical tests, you will have to submit the same to the police once again, who will then give approval for you to proceed to the driving school. Take this approved form to the driving school, pay SR435 along with your iqama copy and register your name. You are now officially a student of the driving school .

From the date of registration with the school, you will have to give the driving test within 6 months. It is up to you whether you attend the classes every day or every other day, but most expatriates would like to complete this procedure quickly, and so do it at a stretch of about 10-15 days.

When you feel comfortable driving the car, you will have to tell your driving instructor of the same. He will make you undergo a short test and if convinced, he would sign on a form and ask you to proceed to the real test the following day.

Now, you will have to just give your driving test. It is mainly reverse parking, which is tested. You will have to drive your car in reverse and park it within a rectangular box marked on the ground. If all the four tires of your car are within the box and if you have followed all the rules (wearing seat belts, giving appropriate indications, locking the hand brake, etc), then you are through with the first part of the driving test.

The next part is the computer test. There are 20 multiple choice questions which you will have to answer. If you answer even one of the first 10 questions wrong, then you are disqualified and the computer will lock, not allowing you to answer the remaining questions. If you have answered the first ten questions correctly, you will have to answer at least 5 out of the remaining 10 questions correctly. If you have answered these, the results would be announced immediately and the file would be given to you.

Take this file, go to either Riyad Bank or Al Rajhi Bank - unfortunately, you have a choice of only any of these two banks at the moment and pay SR400 . Attach the receipt along with your file and submit it to the police through your sponsor. You should be getting your driving license within a week.

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Moving & Relocating to Saudi Arabia

Saturday, November 28, 2009 9:21 PM Posted by Saudi Arabia

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If You In Labour Class In Saudi

Before you move into Saudi Arabia, I would advise you to first do some research on the type of housing. Typically, western expatriates stay in housing compounds. The rents are quite high, but in almost all cases, the employer takes care of it. Inside these compounds, life is quite free in the sense that there are no dress restrictions, particularly for women. Usually these compounds have luxurious villas and are quite secure.

Non-western expatriates, on the other hand, are usually paid a House Rent Allowance instead of accommodation. Again, this depends on your job title. For junior and lower level positions, you would be provided shared company accommodation, but this again depends on your sponsor.

Big companies usually provide good accommodation, but if your sponsor is one of those small contracting companies and you are single, then rest assured that your accommodation is going to be quite uncomfortable and will probably be a shack where you have to share with 10 other people in the same room. This is why you must specifically find out about your housing from your sponsor and do quite a bit of research on his credentials before signing a contract and entering the kingdom.

If you are a non-western expatriate and are entitled for family status, the general standard is to provide 25% of your basic salary as monthly housing allowance. Remember, house rents have shot up exponentially in the kingdom in the past 6 months, so you must bargain well before entering into a contract with your sponsor.

Also, remember that house rents are paid in 2 installments of 6-months each or in one annual lump-some amount to the house owner, not monthly. House owners usually enter into a written contract with the tenants and collect the rent in advance.

If you are a non-western expatriate and are planning to stay with your family, please do some research on your locality. Some areas are quite notorious, so you must do some talking with people of your own nationality or colleagues before booking a flat. If you are not given a company-paid accommodation, I would advise you not to bring your family for at least 3 months after you first arrive in the kingdom, because typically this is the time you would need to settle down and also to save some money.

Beware, that if you plan to move to another house within the 1-year period, you will have to pay the remaining rent for the whole year, otherwise you may be thrown into jail if you don't pay up. But if the house owner wants you to vacate, he may ask you to do so within the 1-year period. The contract with your house owner is supposed to be mutually binding, but in practice it is one-sided and a rather meaningless piece of paper, as most of the time you are left with no option but to comply with your house owner's demands.

Do not bring with you any electronic or house hold goods. You get almost everything here, probably at a price which is even cheaper than your home country. Certain ethnic food-stuffs from your home country may not be available, so try to do some research / ask friends. Also remember that certain items like khas-khas which are quite commonly used as an ingredient for sweets in Asian countries, is strictly banned here. Of course, it goes without saying that you should also not bring with you pictures of non-Muslim Gods, crucifixes and the like. Most of them are anyway available in the internet, so you can always download those pictures for your personal use at home (don't take them out of your house!). Avoid bringing video CDs - they may be harmless but again, it depends on the mood of the guy at the customs who may simply allow you to pass or may ransack your entire luggage looking for something suspicious, so why take the hassle?

Finally, try to avoid mixing with strangers and keep a low profile. Do not carry much cash with you and avoid walking alone in deserted places.

Touts for family visa in Saudi Arabia

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 10:45 AM Posted by Saudi Arabia

Expatriate Grievance Cell
Vehicle ownership by expats in Saudi
Bringing pets into Saudi Arabia
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Moving & Relocating to Saudi Arabia
Driving Liccnse In KSA
Vacation entitlements

Working in Saudi Arabia could be psychologically extremely stressful for those who are without their families,( My earlier post and the tremendous response it has received just proves this point over and over again, which has prompted me to write this particular post. This is quite understandable, because at the end of the day, no amount of money can equal the happiness when you are with your family .

Desparation drives people to extreme steps. I have got e-mails from people saying that they have been contacted by touts to help them get a family visa. Let me make it clear. The rules are very straight forward and simple. If the job title in your iqama states that you are a laborer, you have no chance of bringing your family. The logic behind this is simple - if you are a laborer, you wouldn't be able to sustain your family with your income levels.

However, if you are a qualified person and you still have this job title in your iqama, the best option is to change your profession in the iqama. For this you need to get your degree or diploma certificate attested by the Saudi Embassy in your country. For Indian citizens, I have covered the procedure for this here. Once this is done, take your sponsor into confidence and through the Government Relations Officer of your company, fill up the required form in the Passport Office and get your job title changed in your iqama. .

The process is not complicated, trust me Never, ever, ever depend on any tout of middle man to get your family visa papers done. It is illegal and if you are caught, you may be deported or worse still, be jailed. It is also likely that by some hook or crook you do manage to get your job title changed through a tout or broker, but when you try to bring your family (which was why you did this in the first place), you would end up in trouble. Never do anything which is against the law of the land. Remember, you have come to work in Saudi Arabia, not to indulge in such activities .

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Bringing pets into Saudi Arabia

Saturday, November 14, 2009 8:36 AM Posted by Saudi Arabia

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Expatriate problems in Saudi Arabia
Unscrupulous recruitment agents
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Job title, salary and position
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Working Women in Saudi Arabia

Some of the western expatriates planning to work in Saudi Arabia may be thinking of bringing their pets along with them. Here is the procedure to be followed.

The fundamental and most important document you need for importing any pet animal into Saudi Arabia is an Import Permit. Note that without this all-important document, your pet would never be allowed into the kingdom.You can get this form from the Agricultural Directorate in Riyadh (not to be confused with Ministry of Agriculture). Fill in the details (in Arabic) and submit the same. Once you get the Import Permit, the rest of the documentation has to be done in your home country.

Get a Veterinary Health Certificate from your home country. This certificate must be accompanied by a covering letter from your veterinarian listing out all the vaccinations given to your pet. There must also be a declaration in the letter that the pet is free from any kind of disease, most importantly rabies. This letter must be addressed to the Director of Customs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Get these documents translated in Arabic and attested by the Saudi Embassy in your home country. Now you are all set to transport your pet into the kingdom.

I would advise you to take the services of a professional animal transporter. You must collect your pet from the Cargo Depot in Saudi Arabia. You would be required to fill in a form at the depot, so it would be helpful if you take a Saudi along with you as the form would be in Arabic.
You may also bring the pet along with you if you prefer, provided you have all the required documentation ready. Hope the information given here was helpful.

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Vehicle ownership by expats in Saudi

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 12:11 PM Posted by Saudi Arabia

Quick Iqama
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Hi,

Public transport is almost negligible in Saudi Arabia. As an expatriate, it is really convenient if you have a car of your own.

For those of you with your families, it is almost impossible to survive without a vehicle. The reason is not too far to seek. Women aren't allowed to drive and hence are dependent on their husbands to take them out for shopping, because it is rather not advisable for them to go alone for shopping. This could sometimes be quite a pain, because if your kid is sick or something urgent is required at home, you have to take time off from your work to attend your family. Having a vehicle would come in handy for that rainy day.

If you already have an international driving license before coming to Saudi Arabia, you can skip the first level of driving test. But in any case, it is advisable to go through a driving school in the kingdom before the test rather than giving the test directly, because the chances of your failure are quite high if you give the test without undergoing the driving school lessons. Not that you do not know driving, but that's how the system works here.

Once you have obtained your driving license, the next step is to get a document called 'Istemara', which literally means vehicle registration. You will be given two cards - one which proves that you have registered your vehicle and the other to prove that you are the owner of the vehicle. You must always carry these two cards in your wallet, along with your iqama (residence permit) , vehicle insurance (called 'Ruksa') and driving license. You may be quite surprised that your wallet contains more paper than money!

Never ever, ever drive your car without a vehicle insurance. Usually, if you take your vehicle insurance from a reputed company, you would be given a letter in Arabic which is addressed to the police. The letter simply states that your vehicle is insured and if you show this to the police, you would not be jailed. Hence, you must atleast carry a photocopy of this letter in your vehicle all the time along with a copy of your iqama.

You must keep renewing your istemara once every thre years. However, a pre-requisite for istemara renewal is that you must get your vehicle certified by what is commonly called as 'Computer test' or MVPI (Acronym for Motor Vehicle Periodic Inspection). Your vehicle would be subjected to a series of tests. In 9 out of 10 cases, it would fail the first attempt, so you would have to go back, get the 'fault' corrected and give a re-test. Of course, you have to pay every time you give the test!

By the way, expatriates are not allowed to own pickup vehicles. I would also strongly advice you not to offer lift to unknown people. Also, if you ever travel with your friend's wife, even if it is for dropping the lady nearby, make sure that your friend is also in that car. Despite all your good intentions, it is a crime to do this here. It's no joke, you may be in serious trouble if you do that, because according to the law, it is an offense for an unrelated man and woman to be talking or travelling together.

Be Safe Drive Safe

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Some Question Related to Saudi arabia - FAQ

Question Related to Family

1 i am working in KSA and i have a valid IQAMA, can i bring my grand father on visit visa ?

It depends on the type of your visa. If you have your family with you in the kingdom, it becomes easier. If you are on a labor visa or any other non-supervisory profession mentioned in your iqama, you will not be able to sponsor anyone on visit visa. .
2 If a person is on a technician visa, does he have to produce his diploma at the time of applying for permanent family visa. ?What if the diploma/degree does not match the profession (assuming supervisory)mentioned on the Iqama. Does it matter?

You MUST get your qualification certificate attested by the Saudi Embassy in your country for processing permanent family visa. It DOES matter if the qualification does not match with the iqama profession and for sure it will get rejected at the embassy.
3 Is my wife eligible for bringing me to KSA, under family visa ?" If not, What will be the ideal visa for me to proceed ?

In case your wife's employer is offering her a family status, then you can join her as a dependent (permanent family visa). Note, however, that you cannot work in the kingdom and would have to stay at home. If this is okay with you, then ask your wife to accept the offer. The only other way is for you to get a job in the same city as which your wife is working. Of course, there would be separate sponsors for each of you. Think of all the consequences and possibilities before accepting any offer.
4 I have a family visa.My wife is now in India with an exit and re-entry visa. We are expecting a new born baby in India soon. If I want to bring the baby within 2-3 months of birth,is there any requirement of separate visa or we can bring without the visa and after reaching hear we can add him to the existing Ikama?
The baby will be given a visa on arrival at the airport. However, make sure that the baby has a separate passport, not attached with the mother.
5 I am working in Jeddah, when i want to renew my driving licence there is problem with the name of Iqama, before was no any problem. How i know that my name is not same in Jawazat office ? May i check through Internet ?

Please involve your company's Government Relations Officer. He should fill in a form (available in Passport office) and make corrections to the name in your iqama / system if there is any error. Do not try to do it yourself as they will not even entertain you..
6 How can I bring a servant from India?

You can only sponsor your family members, i.e., either your spouse or children. The definition of "family" does not even include one's parents or siblings. Hence, it is not possible to legally bring someone, even on a visit visa, as a domestic help. The housemaids you see may be doing part-time work or may be runaways from their original sponsors. .
7 What Saudi labour is doing if they found any unauthorised degree,I mean, what is action is to be taken according to labour law of Saudia Arabia, If person found a false attestation or the documents. ?

It is precisely for this reason that the Saudi Embassies all over the world require an attestation from the respective Human Resources Ministries or their equivalents to prove the genuineness of the documents. It becomes almost impossible to prove or disprove a certificate's authenticity .

otherwise. At a later date, if it is proved that a certificate is not genuine (which is going to be a herculean task), it becomes a criminal case. This is not covered under Labor Law, but will be handled by the police separately as a criminal offence. .

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Question Related To Visa

1 if i leave my job. is there any change that i was chaged for my visa fee and other expenxcess?

yes its quite possible .
2 My trade in visa is "kaarbaayi aam" actually i dont know what is this kaarbaayi aam ?can i bring my wife and childeran to here either permanently or on visit visa,is it possible??

"Khaarabaayi Aam" means a general electrician. You cannot bring your family in this profession. Please get it changed to some other supervisory title. If you are a diploma holder, try to get it changed as an electrical technician, which is eligible for family status.
3 I would like to initiate for my wife visa. I am working as an IT Manager and my profession mentioned is Computer Programmer. I want to know the cost for my wife's visa and who would pay that amount ?

if your contract offers family status, all the expenses in bringing your family into the kingdom has to be borne by your sponsor. .
4 My profession in iqama is programmer, and have family visa. My wife delivered in India, and the kid is 5 months now. Is it possible to bring him without visa? Read More

Yes, what you heard is right. Only make sure that your child has a separate passport..

Out Of line Questions

1 I heard about a "free visa" concept. What does it really mean? My wife works in saudi, some of her co-workers told her that they brought their spouses on "Free visa?What is the difference between the so called "Free visa" and other visas like, "visit visa".

As you may be aware, you need a Saudi citizen or company to be your sponsor for you to legally work in the kingdom. In the earlier days, this rule used to be a gold mine for Saudis to make a quick buck. Some Saudis used to apply to the Government for certain visas on letterhead companies. Once they obtained such visas, they used to illegally sell those visas at a very high premium to desparate expats wanting to enter the kingdom. Those expats, after arriving in the kingdom, used to change their professions after finding some otber job. Not any more. The government has put a halt to such a racket and has now made it mandatory not to transfer visas within a year after arrival. Indulging in such so-called "free" visas is illegal and is fraught with risks.:
2 I am offered a job working for an American Company but will be based on client sites, would that pose any problems?

Be vigilant about the contract you sign, because that is what is binding ultimately on both sides. Do not ever compromise on anything. There are a lot of western expats working here, but almost all of them invariably stay in secluded compounds. Working for an American company on a client site is not a problem and this type of arrangement is quite common here. .
3 I've have the choice of choosing between an AC Technician visa or a Decor Technician visa, however I'm a Pakistani with a Mechanical Engineering degree from the US. My degree is attested. Can my degree be utilized for this type of technical visa when I want to get the permanent residency visa issued for my family?

If you have an engineering degree, you might as well come here on an engineer visa, which has its own benefits. I would strongly advise you not to come on either of the visas you have mentioned, because you have a qualification which is better than these. .

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Professional Questions's

1 I am a General practitioner working in Nejran region since 3 years.I want to know about the possibility of transfer to a another city where schools are there & if possible, how can I proceed.?

There are several options. If you are working under MOH directly, you should look out for a mutual swapping from someone who wants to work in Nejran. The second option is to obtain permission from your sponsor to get a transfer to another city. Of course, the last way out is to get an NOC from your current sponsor (if he is willing to give one) and re-enter on a fresh visa. Otherwise, you have to wait for 1 year for re-entry.
2 My Iqama professional is General Electician so can i bring my family by Family resident visa?

No, you cannot bring your family as your job category is non-supervisory.
3 My profession in iqama is "TRANSLATOR" and I am holding a bachelor of arts in English Literature attested by saudi consulate. Can I bring my family?

Yes, by all means. You are a degree holder and should not have any problem in bringing your family..
4 The issue is that the profession on degree does not match to that of iqama (degree is engineering and iqama is technician). My question is only regarding when I go to SA and apply for family visa. Would there be a problem ? ?

No, you should not have a problem as technicians are allowed to bring their families. .
5 My profession on my Iqama is FANNI KAHARBAI is I am elegible to bring my family here either permanently or on visit visa ?

Unfortunately you cannot bring your family in this category. If you have a degree or a diploma, try to get your profession changed into some other supervisory category.
6 What i do for change my profession. in iqama

First get all your certificates attested by the Saudi Embassy in your home country and translated in Arabic. Next, through your sponsor, fill in the relevant form and submit all the documents for profession change, along with your original iqama. That's all
7 Mason or malaeyas can bring famly in Ksa ?

No.
8 My employer and agent told me that they will change my profession later and "mechanical drughtman" can bring family or by my degree certificate am I eligible to bring my family as per commitment by my employer?

Don't get fooled by verbal assurances. If your company can change the profession after landing in the kingdom, why cant they do it right now? The fact is that changing the profession is quite a lengthy and complicated procedure. You should not join this company unless they give you a visa which is eligible to bring your family. A draughtsman cannot sponsor his family. .
9 At present my profession is plumber and now I would like to change my profession to computer engineer, since the attestation get so old will the Jawazat office will accept these documents or should I need to re-attest these documents.Can I sponsor my mother after If I change my profession …?

There is no time limit. Once your papers are attested, it is done for life. So go ahead and get your profession changed right away.
10 I have a three years of diploma in computer science which is attested by the Saudi sansulate of my home country and re-attested by the forign affair of KSA Dammam.Will it enough to change my profession to computer technician.? Read More.....

Yes, this is adequate .

Some More Questions

1 I AM WORKING IN SAUDI AS A MECH-ENGINEER. BUT VISA Profession IS "WATER TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR" IS IT POSSIBLE TO BRING MY FAMILY TO HERE? ?

You cannot bring your family as long as the profession in your iqama is an "Operator". Since you are a diploma holder, try changing your iqama profession to any supervisory category. This should be done after getting your diploma attested by the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi and the Saudi Embassy.
2 My friends want to bring his family on this profession "AMIL MAYMARI"...can you please let me know about that can he or not?

No, this profession is not eligible to bring his family.
3 My Visa is auto Electrician Am i allow to bring family in KSA?
You cannot bring your family in this category.
4 Manzil karbai , which i found out to be building electrician . is transferable =?
Your category is a building electrician. This is a transferable visa. Once you are transferred to another sponsor, it depends on him and the effort he puts on to change your profession into an engineer visa, to enable you to bring your family. Read my post on changing profession
5 "kaharbe mabanee" and on iqama it is "kaharbae" can bring family ?

Kaharbe mabanee" means literally "Electrical Civil". Rather, it would mean as a house electrician when roughly translated. Unfortunately, this title is not eligible to sponsor a family. .
6 Can i bring family with "operator " job title?
If the profession in your iqama is an "operator", you will not be entitled to bring your family, whatever be your salary. So, what matters is the visa profession, not your job title. Check with your prospective employer whether he is giving you a supervisory category visa, otherwise you can neither bring your family nor can change your profession after reaching here.
7 I was given a laborer visa. I have completed a 3 year Automotive Technician diploma. Will i be eligible to bring my family on a permanent residence visa here in KSA should i change my profession based on my qualification? ?
irrespective of your actual profession, if your iqama profession is a labour, you will be able to neither change your profession nor sponsor your family. In the earlier days, you could atleast change your profession, but for the past few months, the passport office is not encouraging such cases.
8 I want to know the minimun period of time after which I can come to KSA on another visa after getting NOC from the earlier sponsor(MOH)?

If you have an NOC from your earlier sponsor, you can re-enter immediately. If you do not have an NOC, you have to wait atleast one year.

Read More....

Exit Reentry Questions

1 I am on direct sponsorship of the school as you mentioned. I hope to sign a new contract with another school soon, so I don't mind paying for my ticket home but I just want to leave this school without any trouble. Contractually I can leave, but I can't guarantee they will give me the NOC. If they refuse, I've heard the old trick of leaving the passport in the washing machine and getting a new one, clean of any previous visa.
What you are going to do is illegal as per Saudi law. I hope you have not given your finger prints already (it is being made compulsory for all expatriates). Assuming that you have not given your finger prints and assuming that you do come back on a new passport, you will have to live a life like a fugitive. If ever your present employer comes to know that you are back and working with another employer, rest assured that you will be deported back by the next available flight (if you are lucky) or worse, you may simply be put in jail indefinitely. Do not even try this! .
2 My question is about NOC. Is there a validity period for NOC from the date of issue? I am planning to go on exit and come back on another visa in about 6 months. Since the new visa will take some time, should I take my NOC now or only when the visa is avalable?
There is no validity for an NOC. It is just a letter which says that your current employer has no objection to your working with someone else in the kingdom. For that matter, after one year, the NOC has no value because automatically you become eligible to work with anyone else. The one year period starts from the date of expiry of your iqama or the date of final departure, whichever is later of the two
3 Is it possible to reenter on a "visit visa" and work with a new company within the first year? I know some people who work here on a visit visa since their company doesn't sponsor people. Would it be illegal for me to work on a visit visa if i don't obtain a NOC?
Don't even think of trying it. If you are caught, you would be straightaway thrown into prison and should consider yourself lucky if you are deported!
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