nonthaburi

Ahhh. Saudi supermarkets AKA Brewer's heaven. 😁

HiHo

I prefer Danube for convenience, having Barley malt extract and molasses on the same shelf makes life so much easier. But back to the subject, Neom is a new town which is being built from scratch in the wilderness a very limited amount of infrastructure is already in place and it is very remote and far between. There is an airport on the coast and another at the other end of the Line at Al Ula both have limited number of flights to Jeddah and Riyadh. You will most likely find yourself living on a camp or in a hotel, accommodation is limited. Air crew refuse to overnight because the quality of accommodation is so poor. Their are no hospitals to speak of and the local shops are stocked to meet the needs of the local market although this will obviously change over time if it has not already. (My information is pre-covid)

Saff_Parker

Hi there. Bit of a relief to hear there's at least a small supermarket on site! How often do you manage to get away to head to Dubai or Bahrain?

My husband's just been offered a job there but we have two toddlers so we are mulling it over. Neom HR is assuring us that 2 bedroom cabins will be available by September on Base Camp (when they want my husband there) but someone on the ground has told me otherwise and has also mentioned that myself and my kids might have a hard time getting our iqama or that it takes much longer than expected. Of course HR is telling us wonderful things and that everything will be ready once we arrive in September but I would love to know what another current resident/employee thinks about it being ready for families? We're seasoned expats of the Gulf and have been to KSA several times but have never lived somewhere so remote with little ones so I'd really appreciate any thoughts you have on this. Thank you.

Saff_Parker

Hi Chris - have you already moved over? How has it been so far?

nonthaburi

Have you considered what you'll do about schooling in the future because there will be zero options there. I would suggest your husband goes solo for the first 6 months to check it out

Saff_Parker

Both kids are not yet school age but when it gets to that point I'd probably need to take them to Dubai or stay in Jeddah or Riyadh. Apparently a nursery is opening in Neom later this year which I would make use of. I think a school is set to open too. Maybe by the time the kids reach that age there will be better options but at the moment I'm aware of the reality of needing to move around. We're considering husband going out there first. May be necessary anyway considering the length of time it'll take for him to get an iqama and have us over as sponsored family members. Please correct me if my understanding of the KSA visa/iqama system is not right. I'm told he'd enter on a business or visitor visa and need to wait for an iqama to be issued before spouse/kids can join.

Trailing_Hubby

We came out in September and have been to Dubai twice, the Maldives and Bahrain, with a bonus week in Dubai when the border was closed at New Year :-) Obviously travel rules are changing all the time, but it’s been relatively easy given what’s been going on. I’ve heard direct flights from Tabuk to Dubai should be resuming soon, which would be great.

There are more and more children here every week. No idea about family cabins, but there are certainly toddlers here. Some people have been getting their Iqama quickly whereas others have taken longer. It seems to be fairly random, but that’s usual I think. Obviously the nursery should be open soon too. We don’t have kids so can’t really offer any first-hand advice other than that there are kids here.

As for the supermarket, don’t forget the mess hall - I’ve not cooked since we arrived in camp!

Other than the school that is opening? Odd comment to post.

Saff_Parker

Thanks for the reply. When you say some people have been getting their Iqama quickly, how quickly is that? Most importantly, what's the food like? Lol

nonthaburi

I didn't know there was a school opening and my comment wasn't directed at you. I had my kids in the school system in Saudi for 6 years until they left in 2018. The main reason being the options were very limited in provincial KSA where I was at the time and still am, and by provincial I mean a city of 1 millionish.

So there may be a school opening soon, what kind of school it is, who it's going to be catering for, and whether it's any good or not is another matter entirely. In the future Neon may be a great place to bring up your children, but for the next 5-10 years at least I would suggest this is highly unlikely. No teacher worth their salt is going to want to live in the back of beyond when higher pay, better social life, and better living conditions are on offer elsewhere.

YMMV however.

nonthaburi

If he's entering in a business or visitor visa then you won't be able to join him period. He will need to enter on an employment visa from which an iqama is then based. How quickly you get your iqama depends on how efficient the HR department is. It shouldn't take any more than a week.

Generally speaking business visas and visitor visas are for short term workers only. The holder has very little recourse if there's a problem and you cannot change to an employment visa incountry. Although not unusual for companies to get people in the country on a business visa, it's not ideal if you want to be together long-term. Often it's an easy way for the company to see what someone is like before they start the employment visa process. It's win win for the company. Less hassle for them and no issues if it doesn't work out. Buyer beware.

Johnnyboy11

My experience:
There is no longer a Business Visa option
The Visit Visa is the easiest to get, but has the words "Not Allowed to Work" written on it, needs renewing every 90 days, and can't lead to an Iqama
The Work Visa is harder to get, as it needs your degree certificate approved by the Saudi Embassy in London (Requiring a letter from the issuing University), needs renewing every 90 days, but can be converted to the Iqama in a few days from arrival
Avoid employers that won't commit to getting you an Iqama in a reasonable period (a few weeks from arrival), it will likely end badly.

Trailing_Hubby

It’s a school specifically for the children of NEOM employees and part of the camp. I’m sure there are issues with the provincial Saudi school system, but it’s not relevant here and doesn’t help the poster. They may choose to school in Riyadh or Dubai, but there should be an option on site.

It’s decent enough. They make an effort to change it up and you’ll always find something. The trick is not to eat too many desserts!!

nonthaburi

I admire your optimism.

Saff_Parker

Very useful info, thank you.

Saff_Parker

Interesting. I spoke to a Neom employee recently who told me they are on a business visa. Maybe there's some confusion in the visa names. But this employee said that their visa needs renewing every 90 days.