Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ
All praise is to Allah who blesses us with the completion of our work. And we seek His forgiveness from the evil of our souls and ask Him to grant us a good ending in this life. And that He does not make the concerns of this worldly life the principal of our concerns. Ameen.
As for what proceeds:
The Istiqdam appointment can be a cause of unnecessary anxiety and confusion due to differences found from different sources. Here is my experience:
Note: This article is written as per my experience two weeks ago — 1st July 2026. This is the initial draft, subject to revision.
Before booking
If you are not eligible for online Family Visa Application through Absher, you have to book an appointment at the Istiqdam Office of your respective city. For Riyadh, appointments have been months late for a good amount of time, so book early and do not delay.
It is said that the Istiqdam office should be in the same city where your company does business with the Chamber of Commerce. Otherwise, they may not accept your application. Allahu aalam.
Pay the family visa fee
First and foremost, pay the Family Visa Application fee: 2,000 riyals. This covers all family members — one fee for your wife and children.
This can be done through your bank app.
Example: Al Rajhi interface — Payments → Services → Government Payments → Labor Importation → Issue Visa.
There you can enter the details. Make sure the Sponsor ID entered is yours (your Iqama ID), not your Company ID. You are the kafeel for your family, not your company.
Required documents
Below is the list of documents required.
Absher appointment printout
Please do not forget this. Otherwise, they might let you avail your appointment and ask you to get a printout quickly.
Istiqdam form
- Get the company stamp and an authorised signature, most probably from your HR head.
- The form has to be filled in Arabic. You can fill it yourself or go to a place where they fill it for you for 30 riyals. They are well versed in this, and it will be less prone to mistakes.
- Even if you use their service, manually verify all the dates yourself. I found mistakes and had to ask the person to enter the correct data.
No Objection Letter from the company
This should mention the employee's salary. The letter, along with the Chamber of Commerce attestation, will be prepared by the company itself.
Salary certificate from the company
I believe a No Objection Letter with the salary mentioned suffices (as it did for my friend), but I took one from my company because my No Objection Letter did not mention the salary. I was relying on GOSI Salary Certificates, but later decided not to risk it and asked my HR to issue a salary certificate. They gave it to me in a very short time, in sha Allah.
Employment letter
People mentioned an appointment letter. My company said that the salary certificate itself would serve as an employment letter. Allahu aalam.
GOSI salary certificates
- English and Arabic versions.
- Download them all and take a printout.
Saudi Council of Engineers certificates
If you are an Engineer registered with the SCE, log in and download all five certificates available. The officer serving you will take the one he needs and give back the rest.
Resident ID (Iqama)
Take it from Absher and take a printout.
Passports
Bring your passport and your family members' passports. Take prints of the first and last pages.
Original degree
- Have it attested.
- I had an apostille done and faced no issue, Alhamdulillah.
Degree translation and copy
Translations cost 30 riyals for each document. Re-verify all the entered details, as mistakes can happen.
Original marriage certificate
They did not ask for this, but I kept it with me to avoid any last-minute issues, and many people advised me to keep the original. Allahu aalam. I had an apostille done on my marriage certificate.
Original birth certificates
Again, they did not ask for these, but I had them ready. I had an apostille done on the birth certificates, and it sufficed here as well, Alhamdulillah.
Birth certificate translation and copy
Note: I am mentioning apostille because I was personally confused about whether more stamps were required from MOFA or Saudi Culture. Alhamdulillah, an apostille sufficed for all three documents. Just give the documents to an agent, and they will do it for you. It can take a week or two, though.
Final Exit Visa copy
This is if they were previously residents in KSA on an Iqama. This was mentioned by some sources, so I had it ready (passport and visa stamping printouts), but they returned the document. Allahu aalam.
Company Commercial Registration certificate
Ask your company HR; they will share it in a very short time, in sha Allah.
Polio certificate for your children
It is not required at this stage. It will be required later, in sha Allah.
Arrange the documents
Arrange all your documents in the following manner. The officer accepted them in this way:
Additional papers are basically GOSI Salary Certificates, Saudi Council of Engineers Certificates, payment receipt, company CR certificate, and so on.
The yellow slip
Finally, in sha Allah, you will get your yellow slip in a few minutes. As mentioned above, make sure to check the names of all your family members, nationalities, and the stamping area. If you are from Hyderabad, it would be Mumbai.
May Allah make it easy for everyone trying to get the family visa for their wives and children. Ameen.
اللَّهُمَّ وَصَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ عَلَىٰ نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَىٰ آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ
O Allah, send Your prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family, his companions, and those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment.