Obtaining Premium Residency in Saudi Arabia. Service offer

An applicant for Premium Residency must meet a number of requirements:

1. The applicant must be at least 21 years old;
2. The applicant must hold a valid passport (valid for at least another 180 days at the time of application for Premium Residency);
3. Proof of financial solvency (recent bank statements or any other documents proving the financial capacity to live in Saudi Arabia);
4. Clean criminal record;
5. Medical report (must be issued by a medical centre accredited by the Kingdom or a medical centre certified by any of the diplomatic missions of the Kingdom).

To apply for Premium Residency, the following documents must be prepared:

• certified copies of the applicant’s passport and copies of passports of all the applicant’s family members included on the application;
• personal photos of all individuals included on the application;
• proof of residential address (such as utility bill, residence permit, etc.);
• bank statements for the last 12 months;
• certified copies of proof of the applicant’s academic qualification;
• medical report issued by a licensed medical centre in Saudi Arabia or any other centre certified by a Saudi diplomatic mission;
• proof of the applicant’s financial solvency, such as pay slips, commercial register extracts, or audited financial statements.

In some cases, the list of documents required to apply for Premium Residency differs from the standard one. Different reasons for applying for Premium Residency require different additional documents.

1. Unlimited Duration Premium Residency (the holder permanently resides in the Kingdom);
2. Limited Duration Premium Residency (the holder resides in the Kingdom for a year or more with the possibility of renewal);
3. Special Talent Residency (designed for exceptional professionals in executive leadership, healthcare, science, and research);
4. Gifted Residency (designed for skilled professionals and talented individuals in the sports, cultural and artistic sectors);
5. Investor Residency;
6. Entrepreneur Residency;
7. Real Estate Owner Residency.

A person who is an exceptional professional and who has resided in the Kingdom for more than 10 years must be granted the right of permanent residence. When obtaining Special Talent Premium Residency, a person gets exempt from the Nitaqat Programme, which makes it mandatory for companies to hire Saudi nationals*.
*Nitaqat is a programme aimed at replacing foreign employees of foreign companies with Saudi nationals.

For healthcare and scientific professionals:

• The applicant must have an employment contract and a total monthly salary of at least SAR 35 000 (~USD 9 330);
• The applicant must have a bachelor’s degree or a higher degree from a university approved by the Saudi Ministry of Education;
• The applicant must get a minimum score in the points system for assessment of qualification, experience, and achievements used to identify special talents in important fields of healthcare and science and approved by the Premium Residency Center*;
• The applicant must provide at least 3 researches in a related field.

* The Premium Residency Center was established by a Royal decree, with the approval of the Council of Ministers. It is an independent administrative and financial agency associated with the Economic Affairs and Development Council.

For researchers:

• The applicant must have an employment contract and a total monthly salary of at least SAR 14 000 (~USD 3 730);
• The applicant must have a bachelor’s degree or a higher degree;
• The applicant must get a minimum score in the points system for assessment of qualification, experience, and achievements used to identify special talents in important fields of healthcare and science and approved by the Premium Residency Center;
• The applicant must have more than three years of experience in a related field.

For executives:

• The applicant must have an employment contract and a total monthly salary of at least SAR 960 000 (~USD 256 000);
• It is issued for a period of 5 years and is renewable. The applicant must reside in the Kingdom for at least 30 months during the period of his stay, whether uninterrupted or not;
• The applicant must have more than three years of work experience in a related field.

• The applicant must have unique creative abilities, a unique gift or be a winner of a specialised award;
• It is issued for a period of 5 years and is renewable. The applicant must reside in the Kingdom for at least 30 months during the period of his stay, whether uninterrupted or not;
• The applicant is exempt from the Nitaqat Programme, which makes it mandatory for companies to hire Saudi nationals;
• The applicant must obtain a recommendation from the Ministry of Culture or the Ministry of Sports.

• The investor must invest at least SAR 7 000 000 (~USD 1 870 000) in economic activities in the Kingdom;
• The applicant must obtain an investment licence from MISA (Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia);
• The investor must provide the company’s memorandum of association showing the investors’ participation shares.

1) The applicant must receive a minimum of SAR 15 000 000 (~USD 4 000 000) as investment round(s) from an investment entity, provided it is included in a special list of approved investment entities in the Kingdom. In this case, the entrepreneur’s share in the company must be at least 10%.

Or, the applicant must receive a minimum of SAR 400 000 (~USD 106 700) as investment round(s) from an investment entity, provided it is an approved investment entity in the Kingdom. In this case, the entrepreneur’s share must be at least 20%.

2) The applicant must create 10 direct jobs in the first year and another 10 direct jobs in the second year.

Direct jobs are jobs designed to perform specific work in the production of goods and services, while indirect jobs are designed to perform functions that are not directly related to the business of the entity.

An example of a direct job is the collection of raw materials, while an example of an indirect job is administration. A direct job involves a long-term contract, the employee is hired for a permanent job, and the employer takes responsibility for fulfilling the requirements of labour legislation for the provision of a workplace, minimum wage, social contributions, insurance, etc.

3) The applicant must obtain an entrepreneur licence from MISA.

• The value of own or usufruct* real estate in the Kingdom must be at least SAR 4 000 000 (~USD 1 067 000);
• The duration of Real Estate Owner Residency is linked to the validity of the ownership or usufruct of the property;
• If the owner sells the property, he can exchange it within 90 days for another property the value of which is not lower than the minimum limit;
• The property must be residential rather than commercial, industrial or agricultural;
• The property must be developed and should not be from undeveloped or unimproved land;
• The property must be appraised by an accredited valuer from the Saudi Authority for Accredited Valuers – “Taqeem”.

*Usufruct is a real right to use someone else’s property with the right to derive income from it, but with the condition to preserve its integrity, value, and economic purpose.

*The cost of services is effective as of the July 2024.