Compare consultants · Direct contact · Zero fees
VisaWala.pk

Saudi Arabia · Work visa

Saudi Arabia Work Visa from Pakistan

A Saudi work visa starts with a Saudi employer that has approval to recruit for a specific profession. In Pakistan you then complete a GCC-approved medical, a skills verification test if your trade needs one, visa processing and Protector of Emigrants registration. After you arrive, your employer arranges your residence permit (Iqama) and records your contract.

Last reviewed 8 October 2026

At a glance

Sponsor
A Saudi employer with a visa for your profession
Medical
Pre-departure check at a GCC-approved centre, booked through Wafid
Skills check
Required for many trades under Saudi professional verification
After arrival
Iqama, medical insurance and a contract recorded on Qiwa
Changing jobs
Possible in set conditions under the Labour Reform Initiative

Who this is for

  • Skilled and semi-skilled workers, such as drivers, electricians, welders and technicians, with a genuine offer from a Saudi employer.
  • Professionals such as engineers and accountants, whose qualifications will be verified.
  • Doctors, nurses and other health workers, who also need registration with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.
  • Workers recruited through a BEOE-licensed Overseas Employment Promoter or who found a job directly.

When another route fits better

  • Performing Umrah or Hajj: use the Umrah or Hajj visa; you cannot work on either.
  • Visiting relatives: the family and friends visit visa fits, and it does not allow work.
  • Housemaids and drivers for Saudi households: a separate domestic worker process runs through Musaned.

Documents to prepare

Everyone

  • Passport with enough validity and blank pages
  • Visa details from your employer, including the visa number and profession
  • Signed employment contract
  • GCC medical fitness report from a Wafid-assigned centre
  • Skills verification certificate, if your trade needs one
  • Photos to the required specification

For professional jobs

  • Degree certificates attested by HEC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Experience letters
  • Professional registration where the job is regulated

For Protector registration

  • Copy of your CNIC
  • State Life insurance certificate and welfare fund receipts
  • Foreign Service Agreement countersigned by the Protector, if recruited through a promoter

Step by step

  1. 1

    Employer secures the visa

    The Saudi employer gets approval to recruit for a profession through the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) systems.

  2. 2

    Check the profession and offer

    Make sure the profession on the visa matches your real skills and the job you were offered. A mismatch causes problems at the skills test and after arrival.

  3. 3

    Medical and skills test

    Book your GCC medical through Wafid. If your trade is covered, take the skills verification test at an approved centre in Pakistan.

  4. 4

    Visa processing

    Your employer or licensed recruiter submits the visa application through Saudi Arabia's official visa systems, with biometrics where required.

  5. 5

    Register with the Protector of Emigrants

    Register, pay the fees, attend the briefing and get the Protector sticker in your passport before you travel.

  6. 6

    Arrive and get your Iqama

    Your employer arranges your residence permit (Iqama) and medical insurance, and records your contract on the Qiwa platform.

Costs to plan for

  • Recruitment, work permit and Iqama costs, which Saudi labour law places on the employer.
  • The GCC medical examination booked through Wafid.
  • The skills verification test, if your trade needs it.
  • Protector registration, welfare fund and State Life insurance in Pakistan.
  • Degree attestation and translations for professional jobs.

Why applications get refused

  • Being found medically unfit at the GCC medical.
  • Not passing the skills verification test for the profession on the visa.
  • Qualifications that cannot be verified, or a profession on the visa that does not match your skills.
  • Passport or personal details that do not match across the visa and other documents.
  • Earlier immigration problems in Saudi Arabia, such as an absconding report or an entry ban.

Tips before you apply

  • Never buy a 'free visa' or 'azad visa'. Working for someone other than your sponsor is illegal in Saudi Arabia and can lead to arrest, deportation and a ban.
  • Use a BEOE-licensed Overseas Employment Promoter, check its licence on the BEOE list and get a receipt for every payment.
  • After arrival, check that your contract on Qiwa matches what you signed in Pakistan.
  • Under the Labour Reform Initiative, private-sector workers can request exit and re-entry and final exit visas through official platforms, subject to set conditions.

Questions people ask

Saudi Arabia's professional verification programme checks that workers in many trades can do the job they are recruited for. Pakistan was among the first countries covered. Ask your employer or recruiter whether your profession needs it.

Pakistani workers often call the GCC pre-departure medical 'GAMCA'. Appointments are booked through Wafid, the Gulf Health Council's system, which assigns an approved centre in your city.

Under the Labour Reform Initiative, private-sector workers can move to a new employer when their contract ends without the current employer's consent, and in some cases during it. Check the current conditions with HRSD.

No. Visit, Umrah and Hajj visas do not allow work. You need a work visa sponsored by your employer before you travel.

Official sources

Fees, fund requirements and processing times change. Check the current figures on the official site before you apply.

Last reviewed 8 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice. VisaWala is not affiliated with any embassy or government, and only the issuing authority decides a visa application.