Resource Guide · Updated November 2025

The Complete US–Saudi Work Visa Guide

Every requirement, every step, and the real timeline for the employment visa to Saudi Arabia. Built for professionals relocating to the Kingdom from the United States.

Read it on this page instead

Every document, exactly specified

The complete checklist: what to provide, in what format, and what must be mailed as an original.

Realistic timelines for every stage

Stage-by-stage durations, which steps run in parallel, and the typical end-to-end range.

The OccuMed medical, handled for you

How scheduling works, what to bring, and when results return.

Section 01

How the Saudi Work Visa Works

The Saudi work visa is an employment visa sponsored by a Saudi employer. It gets you into the Kingdom, where your employer converts it into an Iqama, the residence permit that lets you live and work there long term. It is a single-entry stamp placed in your physical passport, and it must be used to enter within 90 days of issuance.

The three things that make the visa possible

The employer's visa authorization (the 'block visa')

Your Saudi employer secures authorization to hire you electronically through QIWA, reserving a work visa slot for your role. Without an active block visa, nothing can be submitted.

The signed employment contract

The final, fully executed contract, signed by you and the employer. The role on it must match the role authorized in the block visa.

The power of attorney

Authorizes your representative to submit the application and deal with the consular section on your behalf. Your advisor prepares it for you.

Requirements can change

Saudi consular requirements, accepted facilities, and processing times change without notice. This guide is dated November 2025 and reflects the process as Astrapi Advisors operates it. Your advisor confirms the current requirement for every item before you act on it.

Section 02

Requirements: The Complete Checklist

Items marked with an asterisk must be originals or certified copies mailed in physically; everything else is first uploaded to Navigator as a clear color scan. Your advisor reviews every upload and tells you what needs fixing before anything is submitted.

Eligibility

A signed offer from a Saudi-registered employer

The employer must hold an active block visa authorization for your role.

A passport in good condition

Valid at least six months beyond your planned entry, with two clear adjacent visa pages and no damage to the photo page or laminated cover.

Qualifications matching the role

Your degree or professional credentials must correspond to the position in the contract.

A clean background

A stamped local police report and an FBI background check are both required. Prior incidents must be disclosed to your advisor early.

Health clearance

The OccuMed medical must clear the screening described in The Medical Examination.

Legal status in the US

US citizens submit their passport. Non-US citizens residing in the US also submit proof of residence: a green card or the visa page stamped in their passport.

Documents

Passport*

Original. Valid at least six months beyond entry, with two clear adjacent visa pages. Damaged passports are refused; renew first if yours is close to expiry.

Four passport photos*

Front-face, white background, 2x2 inches, identical across the set, no more than six months old. No glasses if they cause glare.

Visa application and declaration form*

Prefilled by your advisor and sent to you for signature. Sign in ink exactly as your passport is signed, without touching the photo box.

Electronic visa block number letter

The QIWA-issued authorization from your employer. Your advisor confirms the block is active before submission.

Signed employment contract*

The final executed version. Drafts are not accepted.

Copy of your degree

The highest degree relevant to the role. If your qualification is a high school diploma, the original diploma is required instead.

Official university transcripts

Official transcripts from your institution, used for credential verification.

Proof of experience

Reference or experience letters from current or previous employers confirming the roles and dates relevant to the position.

Stamped local police report*

Requested in person from your local police station. The stamped original is required; photocopies and internet printouts are not accepted. Ideally under three months old at submission.

FBI background check

The FBI identity history summary, apostilled for Saudi authorities. FBI issuance takes time, so request it the week your file opens.

Power of attorney

Prepared by your advisor through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Medical report and lab results*

Completed by OccuMed on the embassy's form, signed and stamped by the physician. Three copies go into the submission. See The Medical Examination.

Proof of US residence (non-US citizens)

A green card or the visa page stamped in your passport.

Visa cancellation letter (if applicable)

Required if your last Saudi employment ended within the past three years.

Employer-specific forms (if applicable)

Some employers require their own medical or application forms. Upload them too; your advisor tells you which are mandatory.

Section 03

Degree and Credential Verification (QVP)

Your qualifications and experience are verified through the Qualification Verification Program (QVP), run by the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development on the Qiwa platform. QVP verifies the validity and alignment of your qualifications and experience with the professional requirements of the Saudi labor market, by checking them directly with the institutions that issued them. No work visa is issued without a completed QVP verification, so start it early.

What you do

Create your account at qvp.qiwa.sa with your email and phone number, confirm the one-time code, and set a password.

Upload your credentials

Clear color scans of your passport, degree certificate, official transcripts, and experience letters on company letterhead stating your job titles and exact dates.

Sign the Letter of Authorization

The LOA gives the QVP verification team consent to contact your university and previous employers directly.

Pay the government fee

The QVP fee is currently USD 93, paid through the portal.

What happens next

The QVP team verifies your credentials through primary source verification: your university's registrar and your previous employers are contacted directly rather than relied on from uploaded documents alone. Verification typically takes two to four weeks. When it completes, the result is registered in Qiwa and the employer can issue the electronic visa authorization. If an institution cannot be reached or a name does not match your passport exactly, your advisor resolves it with you before it stalls the file.

If your degree was issued outside the United States, it must already show the signature and seal of the issuing country's Saudi consulate; obtaining that attestation takes one to two months, so raise it with your advisor on day one. Physicians should send their valid medical license plus residency, fellowship, or board certificates immediately: they follow a specialist verification track and are reused for professional licensing in the Kingdom later.

Section 04

Apostille and Authentication

An apostille is a certification that authenticates a US-issued document for use with foreign authorities. Three items in your file must be apostilled: the FBI background check, your experience letters (notarized first), and, where required, the medical report. Each chain runs from notarization through State Department certification, and your advisor starts each one the moment its underlying document is ready, running them in parallel. If you use Astrapi's apostille service, this entire section is handled for you and tracked in Navigator.

Section 05

The Medical Examination Through OccuMed

Every work visa applicant must pass a medical examination on the embassy's official report form, completed by OccuMed, the facility approved by the Washington, DC consular section. A medical from your personal physician, on any other form, cannot be submitted no matter how complete the labs are. The medical is a hard gate: the visa is not submitted without it.

How it works, step by step

We open your medical stage

Scheduling begins only when your file is otherwise moving: your block visa is active and your other documents are in review. A completed report is valid for three months from the date it is signed, so we time the medical close to your submission, never long before it.

We schedule the medical for you

Your advisor books the appointment directly with OccuMed. You do not contact the facility or book anything yourself.

OccuMed reaches out to coordinate

An OccuMed representative contacts you to set the date, time, and location, and handles all of the medical paperwork. Nothing is put in front of you to prepare, fill, or submit.

You confirm and show up

Your only role: confirm your appointment with the OccuMed rep, meet the requirements below, and show up for testing. If you need to change the time, tell the OccuMed rep or your advisor at least 48 hours ahead so your timeline is not pushed back.

Results return in three to five business days

Your advisor tracks the results so you do not have to chase the facility. The physician signs and stamps the embassy form, and three copies of the report with the lab results attached are prepared for submission. OccuMed and your advisor handle all of it.

Follow-ups are handled for you

If a finding needs a physician explanation letter or specialist clearance, or if you are or may be pregnant, your advisor coordinates the follow-up and tells you exactly what is needed and what it means for your timeline.

What to bring to your appointment

Your valid passport

The original passport you are applying with. It is checked against the medical report form.

Government photo ID

A second ID for check-in.

Glasses or contact lenses

Wear or bring whatever you use for vision, since corrected vision is checked.

Your medication list

A written list of current medications and diagnosed conditions, including doses. Be ready to discuss your medical history openly; the physician must record it.

Fasting, done at home

Fast for 8 to 12 hours before the appointment for the fasting blood tests. Water is fine and encouraged. Take prescribed medications as normal unless your physician says otherwise.

Section 06

The Application Process, Step by Step

The full journey, in order, from accepted offer to passport in hand. Your advisor runs the verification, apostille, and medical stages in parallel wherever the sequence allows, which is how the overall timeline stays in weeks rather than months.

Engage and authorize

You accept the offer and engage the process. Your advisor issues the power of attorney for signature, opens your file, and creates your Navigator portal.

The employer authorization lands

Your Saudi employer completes the QIWA block visa authorization. Nothing is submitted until it is active, but nothing on your side waits for it: your advisor monitors it directly with your employer.

Upload your documents to Navigator

Clear color scans of every item in the requirements checklist. Your advisor reviews each upload.

Advisor review and corrections

Every document is checked against consular requirements: photo quality, signature placement, report dates, and name spellings matching your passport exactly. You fix and re-upload flagged items; the file moves forward only when every item passes.

Verification and apostilles run

Your credentials are verified through the QVP portal on Qiwa (see Degree and Credential Verification), and the apostille chains run on your FBI check and experience letters. These are the longest-running stages and start as early as possible.

The OccuMed medical is completed

Your advisor schedules it, an OccuMed rep coordinates the appointment with you and handles the paperwork, you attend, and results return in three to five business days.

Your shipping label is issued

Once every document has passed review and every verification is complete, Astrapi generates a pre-paid, trackable shipping label in Navigator. You use it to send the physical items: original passport, signed forms, original police report, photos, signed contract, and the medical copies.

Assembly and submission

Your advisor assembles the complete file in the exact order the consular section requires, pays the consular fees, and submits. Your case stage moves to Submitted.

Consular processing

The consular section processes the application, typically five to ten business days. If corrections are requested, your advisor handles the response and updates you in Navigator.

Issuance and passport return

The visa is stamped into your passport and mailed back to you with tracking, together with your other original documents. Check the visa page the moment it arrives: your name, the visa type, and the 90-day entry window, and tell your advisor immediately if anything is wrong.

Section 07

Timeline Overview

Typical durations for each stage. Stages marked 'in parallel' run at the same time as others. Your advisor confirms the current expected duration on your specific file.

Stage	Typical duration	Who acts
Employer block visa (QIWA + MFA)	1 to 3 weeks, in parallel	Saudi employer
Your document collection and uploads	1 to 2 weeks	You
Advisor document review	2 to 5 business days	Astrapi
Degree verification (QVP)	2 to 4 weeks, in parallel	QVP (Qiwa)
Apostille chains (FBI, experience letters)	1 to 3 weeks, in parallel	Astrapi
OccuMed scheduling and appointment	About 1 week	Astrapi and you
Medical results and embassy form	3 to 5 business days	OccuMed
Shipping physical documents	2 to 4 business days	You
Consular processing	About 5 to 10 business days	Consular section
End to end from a complete file	Typically 4 to 8 weeks	Everyone together

Durations are typical, not guaranteed

Consular decisions, verification volume, and individual findings can extend any stage. No timeline in this guide is a promise of a specific outcome or date.

Section 08

After Your Visa Is Issued

Enter within 90 days

The visa expires unused 90 days after issuance. Book travel as early as you can within that window.

Carry the right documents when you fly

Keep your passport with the visa page accessible, along with your signed employment contract.

At the port of entry

Immigration verifies the visa and your sponsor, and captures routine biometrics. Your employer is notified of your arrival, which starts the Iqama clock.

The Iqama is processed

Your employer processes your residence permit after arrival, including the mandatory medical insurance enrollment that accompanies it. Confirm with your employer who handles each piece and by when.

Professional licensing, where applicable

Regulated professionals, including all health practitioners, must be licensed in the Kingdom before practicing, through the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (Mumaris platform). Your verified US credentials are reused here.

Family members

Spouse and children visas are a separate, later application under your sponsorship; those aged 16 and above need their own medical examination. Plan family relocation after your own Iqama is issued.

Rather have the Astrapi team handle all of this?

We run the entire process end to end: documents, verification, apostilles, the OccuMed medical, submission, and your passport's safe return.

Start your visa request