Iqama Transfer from Student

Your new company or a third party (called Maktab Aama) will do the process. Roughly the following docs are required.

- The demand letter from your company.
- Request for transfer letter from your dad (on his company letter head) in the name of Jawazaat.
- Your iqama valid at least for 3 months.
- Your original passport.
- The CR (Commercial Registration) of your company.
- The valid GOSI certificate of your company.
- May be a Zakat certificate as well.

For profession, I'm afraid I don't know.

All the best @agent47.

Thanks! And yes in my case the Company is going to do the process for me. I just need to provide them the NOC letter from my Dad. I guess my company will take care of the remaining documents.
Can anyone let me know what I have to do for my degrees. because I have heard that the profession depends entirely on the degrees that I have. And i have also heard I need to get them attested. What I dnt know is from where?

Also is it true that the Saudi Government will stop taking transfers of expats? I have heard this from the rumour mills!

your dad's NOC is irrelevant. what he needs to do is to get a "release" from the passport office. its a form that they stamp and says that you will be transferring from your father (his info) to the company (company name) they stamp it and you give it to your company.

as far as your degrees, they need to be attested from Saudi Embassy in the country of graduation. you need to send your degrees to the saudi embassy and have them stamp it.  OR give it to the Ministry of Higher Education in Riyadh (but that will take at least a month or even more) so i would send it to a buddy who can ask the local saudi embassy in UK for the attestation.

what was your major and your degree title?

Thanks borntobemild! Ok great. Thats a new piece of information about the release form from the Passport office.

So regarding my degrees I have to get them attestd from the UK. What worries me is that it needs to be stamped from the Saudi Embassy in the UK. This doesnt sound good. Im just imagining the GOOD Saudis looking down on my degree and then my face in the embassy and giving me a list of to-do's before they stamp my precious degree. Cant complain thou!

My degree was a M.Sc in Quantitative Finance and Financial Engineering from the Manchester Business School.

Agent 47,

My buddy got the attestation done in the UK. You donot need to send the original certificate. I know the complete procedure for US and UK should be similar.

First the degree needs to be verified from cultural mission and then legalized from Saudi Embassy in UK.

The cultural mission requires a sealed copy of transcript from the university and/or letter. For US, you need to print the slip from degreeverify.com and submit.

PM me your contact details and I will try to get as much information as I can from my friend.

Okay, here's what I needed to do in the US to get the visa.  I don't know if this information will help you, but I hope so
You'll notice mention of "Diran Visa Service."  I sent all the information and my passport to them, they took it to the Saudi embassy in DC, and got the visa issued.  It took a few weeks.

Saudi work visa requirements for US citizens without training certificates but with higher education degree.

The following is required of each candidate:

1.Passport (valid for more than six months) having two empty, side-by-side visa pages with no markings at all on those pages.
2. One Saudi visa application form (you can download from our website: www.diranvisa.com)
3. Four passport-size photos on a white background
4. Police clearance report from the US
5. Copy of college/university degree *
    You must your diploma verified from either www.degreeverify.org or, www.degreechk.com.
Make sure you print-out the verification and attach it to your diploma.
6. Updated official transcript in sealed envelope*
7. Medical Report -- three copies (you can download from our website). Make sure the employee has complete physical and lab tests as indicated on the front sheet of the Medical Report. Original lab results (and two copies) MUST accompany the medical report form. The original x-ray is not to be sent – only the radiologist's reading of the x-ray. Doctor must sign in the original on each of the three copies, making note of his/her license number, address, phone number and fax number. The Medical report must be done in the U.S., unless the candidate has privileges at the U.S. Military Base abroad. The medical report and lab work are good for only 90 days.

Notes:
You must provide a copy of your letter of offer or contract with your visa application material.

If you have worked in Saudi Arabia at any point within the last three years, you must provide a Letter of No Objection from your previous employer.

If you have an Israeli entry/exit visa stamp in your passport, we suggest you obtain a new passport.

* See Below for Application for Authentication of Documents
_____________________________________________
The following sample is the to be used by those employees who have graduated from US colleges/universities only.  Each candidate must write a letter to the Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Education Section requesting authentication of their diploma.

Application For Authentication of Document (copy of diploma)

Name of Employee: [candidate's name]
Name of the Employer:
Name of the Courier Agency: Diran Visa Service

The following documents are needed:

1. A letter from the individual, stating the reason for authentication, with a contact number (e.g., "I have accepted a position with _________ as [job title] and I would like to legalize my degree so that I may apply for a work visa.)
2. Copy of your passport
3. Authorization letter from the applicant to allow Saudi Mission to obtain information about his academic record.
4. Name of the college/university and telephone # of the registrar or the records office.
5. Verification letter from the registrar's office at the college/university including your SS# (school ID#) and the telephone # of the contact person at the registrar's/record's office. This letter must be in a sealed envelope.

Thanks Alliecat, I believe you are right about the requirements being similar. Yes I do have to get it attested/stamped from Saudi Cultural Attache in the UK (the purpose of this step is to verify if the degree in question is from a reputable institution WHICH is recognized by the Saudi in the Saudi Arabian Cultural Attache). You also need to get the document legalised from the Saudi Embassy in London (this guarantees the Cultural Attache Stamp is authentic). The next step is to get it stamped from the British Council in Jeddah (or Riyadh). (This step basically guarantees that the above institution is credible and the degree is authentic belonging to the credible institution duly represented by the Council of UK - not a bogus college scam degree). Once stamped from the British Council, this stamp needs to be legalised now from the British Consulate in Jeddah (or Riyadh).
The only problem is getting it done across two continents. And the irony would be you go to UK to get it attested (or even ask someone) you never know what other list of procedure they might inform you about as a pre-requisite. The lack of information is scary in this country.

oh and yeah there are a list of requirements by the UK Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau in London. I am still working on finding out what these are.

agent47 wrote:

The lack of information is scary in this country.

YES!  Regarding everything!  Regular Saudi's don't even know how things work here lol  Ask a group about something and they'll argue among themselves

if you go through the culture mission in riyadh that will take you at least a month and theres a chance in them loosing your degree. (you should see their office, its like degrees stacked on top of everything, i even saw a stack of degrees under someone's desk with a half eaten sandwich on top!)

yes you do need to send the original degree to the saudi embassy in UK. they will not accept any copies.

my degree was attested from the saudi embassy back in the States and the geniuses at the "higher education" in the saudi embassy in washington stamped a huge ink stamp on the front and had wrote the company i was transferring to! yes, on the effin front!!

the embassy stamps a paper stamp after the higher education department at the embassy places their ink stamp(they forgot to put a paper stamp in the back of mine and i had to send it again to get it!) only after that, the ministry of foreign affairs places their stamp in the back of your degree which is the requirement from labor office!

if you go through some saudi to get this done, you have to assume...heck you have to be sure that he dosent not know anything and if he tells you 10 days, that probably gonna mean 40 days!

i wish i had someone tell me all this when i was about to get all my stuff done, youre one lucky lad to have this blog with ppl helping you out!

good luck!

borntobemild wrote:

yes you do need to send the original degree to the saudi embassy in UK. they will not accept any copies.

Actually, they accepted copies of mine in the US BUT... maybe they thought they were the originals because here's what I had done:  I'd taken the originals and sheets of 8x12 gloss paper, the kind of paper photos are printed on, to the UPS store and had color copies printed on the gloss paper.  I submitted those copies and they were accepted, no problem.

I really didn't intend to misrepresent anything-- I just thought color copies on gloss paper would look impressive and I knew, even then, that appearance carries a lot of weight in KSA.

Alliecat wrote:

I knew, even then, that appearance carries a lot of weight in KSA.

Agreed. But Yeah im grateful for all the help I am getting. I just hope they dont bother me much. Because hey we all know for sure how much they pleasure bothering us for no reason.

I have got the degree stamped from the British Council here in Jeddah and got it notarized as well. Just need to send it over to UK Saudi Arabia Cultural Bureau. heck they have a website but no english button on it. However I dis get through to a contact person related to the degree attestation department there in the UKSACB London. If anyone wants their contact details PM me.

Thanks again and I will keep the updates coming in.

Hey Agent47,

I am in the same situation as you are; under-grad from Australia, post-grad from UK and now trying to transfer my Saudi visa from my dad's sponsorship to the Company's.

I contacted an agent in UK that gets educational certificates legalized from various embassies for a fee. Here is what they had to say:

Reference to the above mentioned subject and our telephone conversation, the following are the requirements for document attestation:

1. Covering letter addressed to (Saudi Arabian Cultural Attaché) requesting the attestation of the document, stating the reason. Full address, contact numbers and email.
2. Original Letter from the present employer in Saudi Arabia, addressed to (Saudi Arabian Cultural Attaché) stating the reason (attested from Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Saudi Arabia for private sector employers).
3. Copy of the job offer from the present employer.
4. Copy of the passport.
5. Signed consent letter addressed to the Records Office/Registry   of the issuing body (e.g. university, Royal College).
6. The certificate.
7. Self addressed envelope with full return address.

Please note that authentication will take a minimum of 4/5 weeks. In case of documents issued prior to 1985 the process will be quite lengthy as not all issuing bodies have computerised their records and require doing a manual check.

Once you attest the document from this office you need to legalise the same from the Saudi Embassy in London, Saudi Arabian Consular Office.

Now the problem I am facing is with requirement no. 2... The ministry of foreign affairs does not attest the letter until it's attested by chamber of commerce. The chamber of commerce refuses to attest any documents as long as I am being sponsored by my father. So essentially, the only work around that I have figured out is to first get my visa transferred to the Company under the profession of "Labour" and then go through this whole process.

My visa just got transferred to the Company after a waiting period of month and a half. Now I will again go through this whole process to get my degree attested and then through the process of getting my profession changed; that's essentially another 2-3 months... They sure know how to make life miserable for you!

Do keep us updated on how things are going with you and whether you  found a simpler solution or not.

Best of Luck!

no bro u shud have not transfered it on labor ! it has many problems ahead ! wat profesion u are in? beter way was to pay sum bribe at moi thru agent and get it done ! and jcci is no problem, i got it atested from dere but later on moi refused to atest becoz of not bein on deir sponsorship lyk u ! nut if u are a doc or enginer dere is an easy alternate which can be done thru council !

faizan_ahmed wrote:

Hey Agent47,

Now the problem I am facing is with requirement no. 2... The ministry of foreign affairs does not attest the letter until it's attested by chamber of commerce. The chamber of commerce refuses to attest any documents as long as I am being sponsored by my father. So essentially, the only work around that I have figured out is to first get my visa transferred to the Company under the profession of "Labour" and then go through this whole process.

My visa just got transferred to the Company after a waiting period of month and a half. Now I will again go through this whole process to get my degree attested and then through the process of getting my profession changed; that's essentially another 2-3 months... They sure know how to make life miserable for you!

Do keep us updated on how things are going with you and whether you  found a simpler solution or not.

Best of Luck!

Faizan I know about the UKSACB requirements. I sent you my contact details in the pm. Check and drop me a call. I personally think transferring to the labor is not such a good idea (However you have done it so best of luck). I wanted to know if you tried informing the UK SACB about the situation you were facing.

Heck I would not even bother doing that as it would be going from bad to worse (in my case). However, this issue you speak of is not unheard of. The work around I would be aiming for is (1) to talk to the guys at the UK Cultural Attache in UK and update them on the latest situation of the red tape in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JCCI. IF they insist to get the letter attested, I would go then (2) try to pay someone extra money to get the letter attested from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the JCCI. I will have to put all this effort by myself as unless my degree is attested my company's muakib cannot do shit for me.

However if all else fails then I will have to get a iqama transferred not to the position I deserve but something that can be bought easily off the market other than Labour(you know what I mean).

Hi I live in England.
I have send my documents for verification to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia Cultural Bureau in UK, I have send my original degree. it's now one month and I have heard nothing from them. I am worried how much time this people take. I called them but they dont give proper Answers, Please if anybody can help me with this querry I will be graetly obliged.
Thanks
Gazala

TheLegendLeads wrote:

Your new company or a third party (called Maktab Aama) will do the process. Roughly the following docs are required.

- The demand letter from your company.
- Request for transfer letter from your dad (on his company letter head) in the name of Jawazaat.
- Your iqama valid at least for 3 months.
- Your original passport.
- The CR (Commercial Registration) of your company.
- The valid GOSI certificate of your company.
- May be a Zakat certificate as well.

For profession, I'm afraid I don't know.

All the best @agent47.

TLL..
Can you please confirm me that my employer says for transfer of your iqama.. i have submitted your documents to Maktab al amal..
it has been two weeks and no progess.. how long will it take?

waiting
Imad M Khan

AGENT 47:

Please can u reply if u managed to get ur degree attested? many thanks

Dear Friends..

I am a student iqama holder and now my sponsorship change is in progress , initial procedures has been finished and my new sponsor has submitted the files in Makthab Amal and they issued a tocken with a file number, name and service type,  when we checked through the MOL web portal it shows that my application is approved and forwarded to jawazat , but when my sponsor goes to jawazat he returns saying that my file/ tocken number has not yet reached the Jawazath. For last one month no progress in this issue. What might be the reason????

My Dad's iqama expiry date is coming closer, therefore i need a advice or reply from u people