Booboosoul

Hi I am currently in negotiations for coming out to work in Saudi through an agent for Saudi Aramco, although the process is dragging on.

I have had very little help getting certs attested, as it seems different from other countries such as Qatar, anyway I have afew questions if anyone can help.

Is attesting done through the embassy in the uK?

I will be based at the Saudi Aramco Office, but have to find my own accommodation, any suggestions where to look?

How hard is it i to get a flat share or house share in a compound?

I have a UK and International licence, is it had to get a KSA licence?

I would be very grateful for any answers

D

nottmbantam

HI and Welcome,

Firstly, you may need a Notary Public to verify the qualifications / documents. Once this is done, send the documents to the FCO - now based in Milton Keynes. This is now only a postal service, usually a two day turnaround.

At this stage, the document is 'legalised' and you can then submit to the Saudi Embassy for them to attest.

If you have the job offer and visa approval, you may want to use a Visa Agency. They can take care of the visa medical and visa to be issued into your passport.After all of this , you're now able to travel to KSA.

Once in KSA, you will have to go through a secondary process, another medical in order to have your Iqama ( Residency Permit ) issued. This will be your main source of ID and you will require this for a heap of stuff eg mobile phone, bank account and also Driving Licence.

The Driving Licence pretty much depends on where you're from. If you have a UK Licence, I'd suspect you'll be issued with a KSA licence easily. Worst case scenario is that you'll have to take a test. From what I've heard, this is pretty simple - drive around a purpose built test road for a couple of hundred feet.

Not sure on house share in compounds - some compounds allow it, some don't. I'm surprised that SA are not providing accommodation for you. Will you be a sub contractor or direct employee? They are notoriously slow in recruiting.

Good luck.

Booboosoul

Thank for the reply, just want to make sure I have gathered enough information before heading out there, as I have done the same before with jobs, arriving and left to fend for yourself.

nottmbantam

Good luck, Dhahran/ Khobar/ Dammam is quite a convenient location - ease of access to Bahrain via the Causeway, on the coast and isn't as bad as Riyadh. Downsides will be humidity - can be quite high.

scot47

The process of getting documents legalised is unknown to many notaries in the UK. Have a look at the article on Wikipedia which explains it - and includes a reproduction of an apostille.