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The Gulf Expat

How do I bring my family to Saudi Arabia?

Apply on the KSA Visa Platform. For family who will live with you, the Residence Visa costs SAR 379; MOFA does not say whether that is per person or per request. MOFA's own step takes 1 business day, and the embassy or consulate step follows.

Checked 8 November 2026

If this is you

You live in Saudi Arabia on an iqama and want your family to join you, to live here or to visit.

If you miss it

Your family's Residence Visa follows your own residency: for a resident, the family's visa lasts for the validity period of the resident's own residency. Renew your iqama before it ends.

Official page: KSA Visa Platform. Read the fee on the platform screen before you pay.

What to do now

  1. Check how long your own iqama has left. Your family's Residence Visa follows it.
  2. Decide which you need: the Residence Visa to live with you, or the family visit visa.
  3. Gather each family member's passport, medical report and photo.
  4. Apply on the KSA Visa Platform and keep the request number.
  5. Read the fee on the screen, and check whether it is per person or per request, before you pay.

This also affects

Two visas, two jobs

The Residence Visa is for family who will live with you. The family visit visa is for a visit.

Residence Visa: to live with you

  • Who it is for: MOFA's page says it is for the families of residents and Saudi citizens, to bring in their first degree relatives.
  • Steps: apply on the KSA Visa Platform under Visitor Services, then Residence Visa Request; keep the request number; the family member then completes the embassy or consulate steps.
  • Documents: a valid passport, the approval document or issued visa, an approved medical report and a personal photo.
  • Cost: SAR 379.
  • Time: 1 business day for MOFA's own step. The embassy or consulate step comes after.
  • How long it lasts: for a resident, the family's visa lasts for the validity period of the resident's own residency.

MOFA does not say whether this fee is per person or per request. Read the fee on the screen before you pay.

Ask MOFA whether any salary or job condition applies to you, through the contact details on mofa.gov.sa.

To follow your application, enter the request number and the image code on the visa platform to see the status of a visa request.

Family visit visa: for a visit

  • Who can visit: MOFA's family visit page says a family visit is for first-degree relatives (parents, wife, children), and the resident needs a work iqama, not a dependant's.
  • Steps: apply on the KSA Visa Platform under Citizen and Resident Services, then Family Visit Request; get it attested by your employer or the chamber of commerce if required.
  • Documents: a family relationship with you, a valid passport, certified proof of the relationship and your ID or residency.

Read the family visit fee on the KSA Visa Platform before you pay.

Renewing your family's iqamas later

After your family arrives, each person needs an iqama. When one needs renewing, an iqama for a family member can be renewed on Absher even while they are outside the Kingdom. Iqama and dependants' fees covers the cost.