Dependent Iqama Guide: Sponsoring Family in Saudi Arabia

Bringing your family to live with you in Saudi Arabia is one of the most important steps for any expat resident. If you hold a valid work iqama, you can sponsor your spouse, children, and in some cases your parents, so they can live in the Kingdom legally under your residency. This Saudi Living guide walks you through who you can sponsor, the online channels you'll use, the fees and dependent levy for 2026, and the practical steps to issue and renew a dependent iqama.

Who you can sponsor

As an expatriate resident with a valid work iqama, you can generally sponsor:

• Your spouse
• Your children
• In some cases, your parents

A key condition is that your own iqama must have enough validity remaining — usually 90 days or more — before you can add or renew a dependent. Importantly, a dependent's iqama can never be valid for longer than your own iqama, so keep your residency current first.

The official channels you'll use

Family sponsorship in Saudi Arabia is handled almost entirely online, through a small set of government platforms:

• أبشر (Absher): Your main hub — apply for services, print payment invoices, pay government fees through SADAD, issue and renew dependent iqamas, extend family visit visas, and update dependents' details.
• مقيم (Muqeem): Used for printing and re-printing iqama cards and some residency services for dependents after issuance.
• Jawazat (General Directorate of Passports): For biometrics (fingerprints), finalizing residency issuance, and certain in-person services.
• قوى (Qiwa): Links dependents to the sponsor's employment and residency profile in some establishments.
• توكلنا (Tawakkalna) and نفاذ (Nafath): Used for secure identity verification and login to many residency e-services.

Fees and the dependent levy in 2026

There are two separate charges to plan for when sponsoring a dependent:

• Iqama card fee: SAR 500 This is paid via Absher/SADAD under your account.
• Dependent levy: SAR 400 which comes to SAR 4,800

The levy applies to each sponsored dependent — spouse, children, and any other dependents — under standard expat residency. It must be paid in advance for the full period you request, through SADAD/Absher. So for a one-year dependent iqama, budget roughly SAR 500 (card) plus SAR 4,800 (levy) before any additional service costs.

Grace period and exemptions

There are important situations where the levy does not apply:

• 90-day grace period: Newly arrived dependents generally get a 90-day grace period with no dependent levy after they are registered in the system. The levy starts from day 91 onward.
• Premium Residency: Dependents of Premium Residency holders are exempt from the dependent levy altogether.

Because rules and amounts can be updated, always confirm the current figures and any exemptions on Absher before you pay.

How to issue or renew a dependent iqama

The typical flow through Absher looks like this:

• Log in to Absher using your credentials, verified through Nafath where required.
• Go to the dependents or residency services section and select the family member.
• Generate the payment invoice for the iqama card fee and the levy for the period you want.
• Pay the total via SADAD through your bank app or online banking.
• Complete any required biometrics through Jawazat for new dependents.
• Issue or renew the iqama, then print the card via Absher or Muqeem.

Practical tips before you start

• Check your own iqama validity first — you need 90+ days remaining.
• Pay the levy only for the period you actually need, since it's charged in advance.
• Keep passports, marriage and birth certificates ready in case attestation is requested.
• Set reminders well before expiry to avoid gaps in your family's residency.

Sponsoring family in Saudi Arabia is straightforward once you understand the two-fee structure and the online steps. Plan your budget around the annual card fee and the levy, use the 90-day grace period wisely, and always confirm the latest amounts on the official Absher portal before making a payment.

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