RIYADH: Saudi authorities have issued clarifications regarding family iqama fees for families living in the kingdom, the government has facilitated the renewal of iqamas for foreign workers.
According to the Saudi website, a monthly fee is charged for the renewal of residence of foreign workers’ families in Saudi Arabia. Without payment of the fee, the residence of workers and their families cannot be renewed.
Since last year, the Saudi Ministry of Interior has also provided a quarterly facility for the renewal of expatriate residences, which aims to facilitate people, whereas in the past, renewal fees were required to be paid on an annual basis.
A person questioned on Twitter that the monthly family fee imposed for renewal of residence of a widow must be paid or can be waived?
Jujazat said that according to the Iqama laws, which has been implemented in Saudi Arabia since 2017, every foreigner living in the kingdom has to pay a fee of one year on a monthly basis to renew the Iqama of their dependent families. It has to be paid.
It should be remembered that when the aforementioned fee law was promulgated in 2017, it was collected at the rate of 100 Rials per family per month, the fee was collected in 12 months.
In the second year in 2018, the fee was charged at the rate of 200 Rials per month, while in the third year it was increased by 100 Rials to 300 Rials per month.
In the fourth year of the fee law i.e. the year 2020, the monthly fee was charged at the rate of 400 Rials, which is still ongoing.
According to the law, foreign workers residing in the country with their families can renew their iqama only after paying the fees imposed on their families including spouses and children. If not done, the worker’s iqama cannot be renewed.
It should be noted that the said fee is not waived in any case, it is necessary to pay it, however, since last year, the government has also provided the facility of renewal of foreign workers’ residences quarterly instead of annually.
The purpose of this is to give concession to people that they can renew Iqama for three months after paying three months fee according to their ability.
