Family Visit Visa for Saudi Arabia: Requirements & Steps

If you live and work in Saudi Arabia, one of the most rewarding parts of settling in is bringing your loved ones over for a visit. The family visit visa lets Saudi citizens and eligible resident iqama holders invite close relatives — a spouse, children, parents, or siblings — for a temporary stay. The process is almost entirely online, but it moves smoothly only when your paperwork and eligibility are in order. This Saudi Living guide walks you through who qualifies, what documents you need, and exactly how the application works from both sides.

Who Can Sponsor and Who Can Visit

The family visit visa is designed for immediate family members only. As the host inside the Kingdom, you can invite:

• Your spouse
• Your children
• Your parents
• Your siblings

You will need documented, attested proof of the relationship for each person you invite — a marriage certificate for a spouse and birth certificates for children, parents, and siblings. Requests for more distant relatives generally fall outside this visa category.

Eligibility for the Host in Saudi Arabia

Before you start, confirm that you meet the core conditions as the sponsor:

• A valid iqama with at least three months of validity remaining. It should be a work iqama — dependent or student iqamas usually don't qualify.
• Employment in the private or public sector, with your company in good standing. A Chamber of Commerce attestation of your employer letter is often required.
• A clean record with no outstanding legal or traffic violations.
• An active أبشر account, and typically an active نفاذ account for secure authentication.

Saudi citizen sponsors follow a similar path using their national ID and passport details rather than an iqama.

The Official Channels You'll Use

Everything runs through official Saudi government platforms, so avoid any unofficial intermediary that promises shortcuts:

• MOFA visa platform (إنجاز): where you submit the family visit visa request and generate the invitation.
• أبشر (Individuals): used for identity verification and pulling some of your linked data.
• نفاذ: the national single sign-on used to authenticate several online steps.
• SADAD: the electronic payment channel for visa and insurance fees.
• On the visitor's side: the Saudi embassy, consulate, or an authorized visa service centre in their country, using your MOFA reference number.

Documents the Host Needs to Prepare

• A copy of your valid iqama (or passport copy for citizens, plus your Saudi ID).
• An attested marriage certificate for a spouse, and attested birth certificates proving the relationship for children, parents, and siblings.
• An employer letter stating your salary and profession, attested by the Chamber of Commerce where required.
• Your registered national address and contact details.
• Recent passport-size photos of the visitors.

Documents the Visitor Needs

• An original passport valid for at least six months with at least two blank pages.
• Two recent passport-size photographs on a white background.
• The completed visa application form referencing your MOFA family visit invitation number.
• Copies of the sponsor's iqama or Saudi ID.
• Attested proof of relationship (marriage or birth certificates).
• Health insurance confirmation linked to the visa request.
• For minors under 18 travelling alone or with one parent: a notarized consent letter from both parents or from the absent parent.

Step-by-Step: Applying as the Host

• Log in to the MOFA visa portal (إنجاز), authenticating through نفاذ where prompted.
• Select the Family Visit Visa option (Visit – Family).
• Enter each visitor's full name exactly as it appears in their passport, along with passport number, nationality, date of birth, relationship, and the requested duration of stay.
• Upload the supporting documents and attested certificates.
• Pay the applicable visa and insurance fees through SADAD.
• Once approved, share the invitation and MOFA reference number with your relative so they can complete their side.

The visitor then submits the application through the Saudi embassy, consulate, or an authorized visa centre in their home country to have the visa stamped.

Practical Tips Before You Apply

• Get your relationship documents attested well in advance — this is the most common cause of delays.
• Double-check that names match the passport spelling exactly to avoid rejection.
• Keep your iqama validity comfortably above the three-month minimum.

Fees, processing times, and the exact list of accepted documents can change, so always confirm the current requirements on the official MOFA visa platform and أبشر before submitting.

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