The Saudi General Directorate of Passports has launched the new permanent residency system for expatriates, in a move aimed at enhancing residents' stability and granting them wider opportunities without the need for a sponsor, while providing multiple privileges that enable them to benefit from government and economic services inside the Kingdom. The permanent residency fee is 4,000 Saudi riyals.
The system offers residents the following:
Electronic access to government services.
Opening bank accounts.
Benefiting from accredited education and health programs.
The ability to bring family members over and reside with them legally, enhancing family stability and encouraging social integration.
The permanent residency program includes multiple categories, including the annual premium residency and the unlimited-duration permanent residency, as well as categories dedicated to investors and holders of rare skills. These categories offer benefits including the right to own residential property, running commercial activities in accordance with Saudi regulations, and freedom of movement in and out of the Kingdom without the restrictions of the traditional sponsorship (kafala) system.
The competent authorities have set the eligibility criteria for permanent residency, which cover experts in modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data science; medical specialists in cardiac surgery and oncology; and scientists and engineers in the renewable energy, space and advanced urban planning sectors.
They also include entrepreneurs and investors who present distinctive projects in priority sectors, and elderly people who have resided legally in the Kingdom for more than ten consecutive years, according to the "Premium Residency Portal" website.
Saudi Passports said applications are submitted through the unified national platform for premium residency, subject to several conditions, most notably a clean criminal record, proof of a legal and stable source of income and legal residence in the Kingdom for several consecutive years, in addition to passing a medical examination confirming that the applicant is free of infectious diseases. All applications are reviewed by specialized committees before the final residency is issued.
