Tips, how-tos and explainers on Iqama, visas, jobs, banking, driving and everyday life in the Kingdom.
Most expats know their Iqama by its expiry date, their photo, and maybe their Iqama number. Far fewer pay close attention to a small line on the card and inside their Absher and Qiwa dashboards labeled "Mehna" — Arabic for profession. In 2026, that field has quietly become one of the most consequential pieces of information tied to your residency status.
23 Jul 2026End of service benefits — often called gratuity — are one of the more misunderstood parts of working in Saudi Arabia, largely because they only come up once, at the end of your employment, when there's a lot else going on: exit paperwork, final settlements, and often a looming departure date. Understanding how it's calculated well before that day arrives puts you in a much stronger…
23 Jul 2026One of the first questions most expats ask before accepting a job offer in Saudi Arabia — right after salary — is simply: what will life actually cost once I'm there? The honest answer is that it depends enormously on which city you end up in. Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam each have genuinely different cost structures, and picking the right one for your budget and lifestyle can make a…
23 Jul 2026Opening a bank account is one of the first practical tasks most expats tackle after arriving in Saudi Arabia, and for good reason — without one, receiving your salary, paying rent, or even signing up for a mobile plan becomes needlessly complicated. The process itself is fairly straightforward once you know what's required, but a little preparation saves you an unnecessary second trip…
23 Jul 2026Health insurance is one of those things expats often sort out quickly and then never think about again — until they actually need to use it, at which point the details suddenly matter a great deal. In Saudi Arabia, health coverage isn't optional for most expats, and understanding what's legally required versus what's genuinely worth paying extra for can save you both money and serious…
23 Jul 2026If you have family or friends who've been putting off a visit to see you in Saudi Arabia because the visa process seemed daunting, there's good news depending on their nationality. Starting 1 July 2026, Saudi Arabia introduced an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system for a growing list of nationalities — British citizens among the first — replacing the traditional visa…
23 Jul 2026Saudi Arabia's labor enforcement has moved from occasional spot-checks to something much closer to continuous digital monitoring over the past couple of years, and 2026 has brought a fresh round of updated penalties that both expats and employers genuinely need to understand. Ignorance of a specific fine amount has never been much of a defense, but with enforcement now largely…
23 Jul 2026The year 2026 has brought some of the most significant residency reforms to Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030. Among these, the introduction of the new 5-Year Physical Iqama (Resident ID) is the most talked-about update.
14 Jul 2026Saudi Arabia’s national localization program, Nitaqat (Saudization) , has entered its most rigorous phase in 2026. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has introduced stricter compliance quotas, extending restricted job roles from entry-level positions to key mid-level and administrative jobs.
14 Jul 2026