Sponsoring Family in Saudi Arabia: Dependent Iqama Guide

Bringing your spouse, children, or parents to live with you in Saudi Arabia means becoming their sponsor and issuing each of them a family resident ID, commonly called a dependent iqama. The process is well-defined and mostly digital, but it carries real, recurring costs that you should budget for carefully. This guide from سعودي ليفنج walks you through how sponsorship works, the fees you will pay in 2026, and the practical steps to issue and renew a dependent iqama through the official Saudi government platforms.

How family sponsorship works

Dependent iqama issuance and renewal are managed by Jawazat (the Directorate General of Passports). If you are employed, your employer or sponsor performs the transactions through the مقيم system, while you can view and renew the resident IDs of your family members and domestic workers directly through the أبشر platform. You can check any iqama's status, expiry date, and personal details at any time on أبشر, or by contacting Jawazat on 992.

One requirement applies before any issuance or renewal: valid health insurance for each dependent must be active and correctly linked in the government systems. If insurance is missing or lapsed, the transaction will not go through, so always confirm coverage first.

The core costs in 2026

Sponsoring family members involves two main recurring charges each year:

• Dependent iqama issuance / annual renewal fee: 500 ريال سعودي processed through مقيم.
• Monthly dependent levy: 400 ريال سعودي per dependent per month — that is 4,800 ريال سعودي There is no age exemption; it applies equally to a spouse, children, parents, or any other sponsored family member.

This brings the typical combined annual cost to 5,300 ريال سعودي per dependent per year (500 iqama fee + 4,800 levy), excluding health insurance and any visa stamping. The dependent levy must be paid in advance for the full period you request, and it is a prerequisite for issuing or renewing each dependent iqama.

When a dependent first enters the Kingdom, some cases also involve an initial dependent visa / entry fee of around 2,000 ريال سعودي which is separate from the annual iqama and levy charges.

Other fees to keep in mind

• Your own worker iqama renewal: 650 ريال سعودي
• Absher processing service fee: introduced in January 2025, roughly 51.75 ريال سعودي per dependent iqama transaction (issuance, renewal, or replacement).
• Sponsorship transfer (changing your employer, relevant to the main iqama): about 2,000 ريال سعودي for the first transfer, 4,000 for the second, and 6,000 for the third and beyond.

Validity and choosing your duration

Both worker and dependent iqamas are valid for up to one year You can choose shorter periods — 3, 6, 9, or 12 months — with the fees and dependent levy calculated for the exact duration you select. Twelve months is the most common choice, but a shorter term can help if your plans are uncertain, since the levy is charged for every month of the requested validity and is paid upfront.

Step-by-step: issuing or renewing

• Confirm your own iqama is valid and your family members' health insurance is active and linked.
• Ensure the dependent levy is paid in advance for the chosen period.
• Have your employer or sponsor complete the issuance/renewal in مقيم, or use أبشر to renew the resident IDs of your family members yourself.
• Pay the 500 ريال سعودي annual iqama fee, the levy, and the Absher processing fee through the platform.
• Verify the new expiry date on أبشر once the transaction is complete.

Budgeting tips

The dependent levy is the largest ongoing cost of family life in the Kingdom, so plan for roughly 5,300 ريال سعودي before insurance. For a family of four dependents, that is a significant annual commitment that is best set aside in advance. Because fees and rules can be updated, always confirm the current amounts and requirements on the official government portals — أبشر and مقيم — before you start a transaction, and use 992 for any Jawazat query.

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