Procedure For Family Visa In Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is one of the richest countries in the world, and they have a population of 32.5 Million residents. Due to its long-term stability, and economic and social development, as well as its role in serving global security and regional stability, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a great place for non-Saudi families to apply for family visas to establish their life in this flourishing country. Although there are several procedures to do this, however our team of expert legal professionals at Naseej provides the quickest and most simplified method to get your family visa.
Saudi Arabia family Visa is very easy process to made with the help of Saudi Arabian embassy in the United States. Many applicants confused about the procedure, because it seems that it is so difficult and a lot of steps are involved. The following article covers all necessary steps for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Family Visa process for you.
Saudi Arabia is the land of opportunity, where people from around the world come to fulfill their dreams. The booming of construction business makes Saudi Arabia one among the top ten economies in the world. There are ample job opportunities available for foreign nationals and millions of people visit Kingdom every year for job purposes. Due to increased number of employment opportunities, processing family visas has become easy and quick.
Procedure For Family Visa In Saudi Arabia
There are many types of Saudi visas. A family Visit Visa or Mofa Family Visit Visa can be issued to an immediate family member of the legal residents or citizens of KSA. This is specifically meant for family members to be able to visit KSA and stay or spend time with their family.
There are two types of Mofa Family Visit Visa.
| Number of Entries | Duration | Validity |
| Single | 30 days | 3 months |
| Multiple | 90 days | 1 year |
Validity vs Duration of Saudi Visit Visas
I have been getting a lot of comments on this, so let me clarify. Not just the MOFA family visit visa, lots of visas in the world come with a validity period, and a duration.Validity decides by when can you enter the country.
Duration decides the duration the visa gives you can stay in the country before the validity expires.
So for example, let’s say the visa is stamped on Jan. 2020.
It has multiple entries and expires on 21-01-2022.
In this case, the visa holder can enter any day before 21-01-2022. But the duration starts when you enter. So if you enter on 10-02-2020, then that’s when the count starts.
- The multiple entry visa is valid for 1 year after it is stamped.
- The single entry visa is valid for 90 days from the date of stamping.
Family Visit Visa MOFA Approval Validity
Once you get the Family Visit Visa MOFA Approval, you need to get the stamping done within 90 days from the date of approval.
- COVID Update: Stamping MOFA Family Visit Visa in Dubai for Indians
- Who can Get MOFA Family Visit Visa for Saudi Arabia?
- How to Apply Mofa Family Visit Visa?
- How much Does a Saudi Family Visit Visa Cost?
- How to Check Your Family Visit Visa Status Online?
- Can You Extend Family Visit Visa for Saudi Arabia?
- Do You Need Health Insurance for KSA Family Visit Visa?
- KSA Family Visit Visa Rejection Reasons
- MOFA Family Visit Visa F.A.Q.S
COVID Update: Stamping MOFA Family Visit Visa in Dubai for Indians
Update: Now the Saudi embassy in Delhi is stamping the visas. But if you already are in Dubai or already purchased the tickets, you can stamp it there.
To get the Family visit visa stamping in Dubai, you first and foremost need to get the visit visa approved.And give Dubai as option or destination while applying for visa.
Then check whether you need a visa for Dubai or not. If you are an Indian, go through the article on Dubai tourist visa from India to learn how to get a visa for Dubai. Since the quarantine requirement is for 14 days, get a 30-day UAE tourist visa, as arriving and departing dates are not counted in UAE.
No need for any residential ID.
Once you are in Dubai, you need to quarantine and do the PCR test as per the government requirements and then go for the Saudi visit visa stamping.
Check on the latest developments on this as this can change without any notice.
You need the following documents:
- Online visa
- Original Passport(Minimum Validity 6 Months) and old passports if any
- Photographs(6×4 And Background Should Be White)
- Sponsor’s passport copy
- Sponsor’s Iqama copy- valid for at least 90 days
- Marriage Certificate
- Birth Certificate
Once done, buy a flight ticket from Dubai to Saudi Arabia and leave.
Who can Get MOFA Family Visit Visa for Saudi Arabia?
A family visit visa is issued to immediate family members only. So if you are a legal Saudi resident or citizen, only the following people are eligible for a family visit visa.
- Parents
- Children
- Father-in-law and mother-in-law
- Husband or wife
- Brothers/Sisters of foreign wives/husbands married to Saudis
This means the following family members can’t get a Mofa family visit visa.
- Cousins
- Uncle/aunt
- Nieces/nephews
- Grand parents
If you ask me, grand parents should be considered immediate family members, but I digress. Maybe some day, that will change.
This article is written from the point of view of a legal resident of Saudi Arabia. The process is same if you are a citizen. The only difference will be that you would be filling in everything in Arabic and you won’t need an Iqama.
Are All Professions Eligible for Saudi Family Visa?
One of the deciding factors in the KSA Family Visa is the profession of the Iqama holder in KSA.Unfortunately, not all professions are eligible to sponsor a family visa.
And the profession that your Iqama says is the only one that matters, not what you have studied or what you did before coming to KSA or that you do something in your company that doesn’t go with your Iqama.
With help of some fellow expats, I have compiled an article that contains the complete list of professions that can sponsor KSA Family Visa, and the process to change your Iqama profession.
Please go through the article before commenting.
Can You Bring Wife’s Brother/Sister on Saudi Family Visit Visa
There has been a very recent announcement that now you can apply for a family visit visa for your brother, sister, brother-in-law and sister-in-law. So hopefully the option will soon be available online.
But it is not yet finalized. I will update the article when it is fully implemented.
Now, some expats swear that they have been able to apply under the “other” option and mentioned brother/sister there. But I can’t really assure you how true is that. So you can give that a shot or wait for the new rule to be implemented.
How to Apply Mofa Family Visit Visa?
A Saudi Family visit visa application is a process that involves separate processes for the family member living in Saudi Arabia and the applicant who is outside Saudi Arabia.
In order to get the family visit visa, an Iqama holder has to initiate the process in Saudi Arabia. The Iqama holder’s dependents cannot themselves apply for a visit visa application using their own Iqamas.
Various websites often open in Arabic. Try to see change the language to English by clicking on the option on the top left corner.
1. Apply For Family Visit Visa at MOFA Online
The resident Iqama holder has to submit an application for the family visit visa on behalf of the visitor. For this, the Iqama should be valid for at least 4 months.
In order to apply for Saudi family visit visa, the very first step would be to start the process on the official visa services platform.
On Visa Services Platform
Choose Individuals, and select your category. Note that if you select citizen, you would need to fill in the whole application in Arabic.
