Muqeem Portal Explained for Expats & Employers

If you employ expatriate staff in Saudi Arabia, the Muqeem portal is one of the most important digital tools you will use. It is the employer-facing electronic gateway to the General Directorate of Passports, letting registered establishments manage residency and passport transactions for their foreign workers without visiting a government office. In this guide, سعودي ليفنج explains what Muqeem does, how the workflow runs, the main fees involved in 2026, and how it fits alongside Absher, Qiwa, and Nafath.

What Muqeem Is — and Who Uses It

Muqeem is designed for registered companies and their authorized users, not for individual expatriates. Through the portal, an employer can view employee records, issue and renew Iqamas, manage exit and re-entry visas, handle final-exit procedures, update employee information, verify visa validity, and pull reports.

Individual expatriates, by contrast, typically use Absher Individuals to check their own Iqama, visa, travel, and dependent details. So think of it this way: the employer acts through Muqeem, and the employee monitors their status through Absher.

Getting Access as an Employer

Employer access is not automatic. Before you can log in and perform transactions, you generally need:

• A registered establishment on the relevant government systems.
• An authorized account linked to that establishment.
• Valid login credentials for the assigned user.
• Identity verification when requested, such as an OTP or Nafath confirmation.

Because access is tied to the establishment, only authorized personnel should hold credentials. Keep user permissions tight to protect employee data.

The Standard Transaction Workflow

Most Muqeem services follow the same logical path. Once you understand it, every transaction feels familiar:

• Log in to Muqeem with your authorized account.
• Select the employee from your establishment records.
• Choose the required passport service (renewal, exit/re-entry, and so on).
• Verify eligibility and confirm the employee's data is correct.
• Pay the applicable government bill through your employer banking channel.
• Submit the request and save the electronic confirmation.

Government payments are usually generated as electronic bills and settled through Saudi banking channels, commonly via the relevant SADAD biller.

Key Fees to Budget For in 2026

Muqeem itself does not set every cost, and totals can vary depending on work-permit levies, insurance, dependents, fines, and extensions. As a planning baseline, keep these figures in mind:

• Iqama issuance or renewal: SAR 650, excluding work-permit levies, insurance, dependent fees, and other applicable charges.
• Dependent levy: SAR 400 equivalent to SAR 4,800
• Single exit/re-entry visa: SAR 200 for the basic period, with possible extra charges for additional months.
• Multiple exit/re-entry visa: starting from SAR 500, depending on the validity period chosen.
• Final-exit visa: no standard universal Muqeem fee, but all employment, work-permit, and government conditions must be cleared first.

Reports and employee-record inquiries generally carry no separate transaction charge beyond your establishment's portal subscription or contract. Always confirm the exact total shown at checkout, since additional levies and fines can change the final amount.

Conditions for Iqama Renewal

Renewing an Iqama through Muqeem is not just about paying a fee. The system checks that certain conditions are satisfied first, including:

• Valid health insurance for the employee.
• Payment of required work-permit and dependent levies.
• No blocking violations, fines, or restrictions on the record.

If a transaction is refused, the cause is almost always one of these unmet conditions. Resolve the underlying issue, then retry.

How Muqeem Differs From Absher, Qiwa, and Nafath

These platforms are complementary, not interchangeable:

• Muqeem handles employer-side residency and passport services.
• Absher serves individuals for personal Iqama, visa, travel, and dependent information.
• Qiwa covers employment contracts, work permits, and labor services — Muqeem does not replace it.
• Nafath is an identity-verification layer; it does not replace Muqeem or Absher.

The portal's core function and employer-access model remain in effect in 2026, with no verified change replacing Muqeem with another platform. For the latest fees and requirements, always confirm details on the relevant official Saudi government portal before submitting a transaction.

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