Country Profile:

Saudi Arabia ranks as the second-largest nation by land area in the Arab region and is uniquely bordered by both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. 

Saudi Arabia is considered both a regional and middle power. The Saudi economy is the largest in the Middle East; the world’s nineteenth-largest economy by nominal GDP and the seventeenth largest by PPP. As a country with a very high Human Development Index, it offers a tuition-free university education, no personal income tax, and a free universal health care system. 

Capital: Riyadh

Population: 32,175,224 (2022, 46th)

Ethic Group: 90% Arab

Area: 2,149,690 km²  (12th)

Offical Language: Arabic

Currency: Saudi riyal (SR)

GDP per Captial: $68,452 (27th)

How To Immigrate To Saudi Arabia:

Data from 2017 highlighted that 37% of Saudi Arabia’s population consisted of foreign residents, a majority of whom held work visas.

In the past, Saudi Arabia did not even issue tourist visas to foreigners. It wasn’t until 2016 that Crown Prince Salman of Saudi Arabia first proposed the idea of issuing a Saudi “green card”. In Salman’s ambitious plan, such a green card could attract overseas investments of up to 100 billion US dollars for Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Premium Residency Program:

In 2019, the Saudi government unveiled the Saudi Premium Residency (SPR) as an innovative investment immigration initiative. In its debut year, the program garnered several thousand applications, of which 76 were green-lighted.

SPR is the first “green card” program introduced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and offers two economic options:

1. The permanent Saudi green card comes with a tag of 800,000 Saudi Riyals (equivalent to about 213,000 US dollars, though it’s advisable to check the most recent exchange rates). Holders are required to refresh this card every five years.

2. An alternative is a one-year residency visa, priced at 100,000 Riyals. Should visa recipients wish to extend their stay beyond a year in Saudi, they need to procure the subsequent visa, with the second year’s fee being 98% of the initial cost, and a subsequent 2% decrement annually.

Required application materials include ID cards of the main applicant and co-applicants, passport photocopies, Saudi address, educational background; medical examination certificate; investment proof; and local bank endorsement. All documents must be submitted in Arabic or English. Translations of original documents must include the certified translation certificate with each application.

Spouses and children under 21 years old will receive Premium Residence as dependents of primary Premium Residency holders. Their parents, male children that are students between the ages of 21 and 25, and female children that are unmarried and older than 21 years old will get the residency as relatives of the primary holder. Male children that are not students above the age of 21 and females that are either married or employed and over the age of 21 will get the residency as residents. Family members of Premium Resident holders will also receive residency privileges. There is no limit to the amount of family members a Premium Resident can have within Saudi Arabia.

A notable perk of the SPR is its absence of minimum residency requirements, allowing cardholders the flexibility to possess the card without the mandate of residence in Saudi.

The process is as follows:

To apply for the Premium Visa, you must first log on to https://saprc.gov.sa, read and follow the instructions carefully, then submit your application.

After receiving an approval of your application, you must bring all your documents and passport to the nearest Saudi consulate, to receive the Visa.

Naturalization:

In theory, foreigners who have legally resided in Saudi Arabia for ten yeas can apply for Saudi Arabian passport.

Once an application is provided by the applicant, the official committee will evaluate the application based on three components, representing a total of 33 points to be distributed as follows:

1. Residency of the applicant for at least ten consecutive years with a total score of ten points.

2. The profession of the applicant is proven through scientific qualifications and is based on the country’s needs. The total points should not exceed 13 points and only one qualification of the applicated is counted as follows:

Doctorate degree in medicine or engineering allotting thirteen points

Doctorate degree in other sciences allotting ten points.

Master’s degree allotting eight points.

Bachelor’s degree allotting five points.

3. Family ties, ensuring that the applicant has Saudi relatives. The total points should not exceed ten points, distributed as follows:

If the father is Saudi, he is allotted three points.

If the mother and her father are Saudi, three points are allotted, however if only the mother is Saudi and her father is not, two points are allotted.

If the wife and her father are Saudi, three points are allotted, however if the wife is Saudi and her father is not, one point is allotted.

If the applicant has more than two Saudi children and brothers, two points are allotted, however if there are no more than two, one point is allotted.

If the applicant obtains 23 points as a minimum score, the committee recommends that he continues reviewing his application.

Passport Power:

Saudi Arabia does not recognize dual citizenship. Its passport ranks 55th globally. Passport holders can freely travel to a total of 79 countries and regions around the world, including Russia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Useful Links:

Saudi Arabia Premium Residency Center：https://saprc.gov.sa/#/