Iqama Transfer Fee Rules in Saudi Arabia

Today, we are back with an important update regarding the Iqama transfer fee rules announced in June 2022. The Iqama transfer process is one of the most challenging processes an immigrant must face. According to the Saudi authority’s rules Nakal Kafala (Kafeel transfer) can be done but if Iqama is expired you will need a new one. In most cases when people apply for Nakal Kafala through the Qiwa platform, they realize that their Iqama expired a long time ago. New Kafeel would not accept your Nakal Kafala because he had to pay the Iqama renewal fee. On June 16, 2022, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced a new rule, effective for transfers from June 9, 2022, stating that in the case of Nakal Kafala the old Kafeel is responsible for the outstanding work permit fee, expatriate (financial compensation) fee, and fines for the delay in renewing the worker’s documents and Iqama. We will discuss this update briefly.

Nakal Kafal without Huroob, click here.

Previous Kafeel Will Pay Iqama Renewal Fee:

As per the recent information, if an immigrant Iqama is expired and he’s doing Nakal Kafala, the Iqama renewal payment will be shown in the Qiwa system of old Kafeel. Yes, their system has been updated with this feature and everything is going online. If the old Kafeel doesn’t pay the fee shown in Qiwa, he may face restrictions on his establishment’s services in the Qiwa system until the dues are cleared.

For your information, the fee for Nakal Kafala is increased with every نقل كفاله.

The fee for the Transfer of Sponsorship are the following:

• The fee for 1st transfer is SR 2,000.
• The fee for 2nd transfer is SR 4,000.
• The fee for 3rd transfer onwards is SR 6,000.

Nakal Kafala System Before the Update

If we talk about the old system before the Iqama transfer fee and new rules for 2023. Nakal Kafala was very easy for the previous Kafeel as he doesn’t need to pay any of the Iqama or documents renewal fees. The new Kafeel had to pay all those expenses. This was a big concern for the new Kafeel but now this issue has been resolved. Saudi Government is taking many necessary steps to benefit their economies such as Saudi Vision 2030, reforming the Kafeel system through the Labor Reform Initiative (effective March 2021), online contracts, and launching the Qiwa website. They have tried their best to favor the foreign workers in the process of Nakal Kafala without Kafeel’s permission. We have already provided a brief article on this topic, if you want to read it please visit this link: https://infoomni.com

Conclusion

We hope this article was helpful for your understanding. Keep in mind that since June 2022 your old Kafeel is responsible for any expired Iqamas and documents needed to be renewed. Don’t forget to check the other useful articles on our website.