Live and Invest in Saudi Arabia Without a Sponsor
Compare all seven Saudi Premium Residency products to find the one that fits you and your family. Then our London office arranges your UK apostilles, and we form any Saudi company your route needs.
Saudi Premium Residency Services
Premium Residency lets you live in Saudi Arabia on a status that belongs to you, not to an employer or a local sponsor. It is run by the Premium Residency Center (PRC) through its portal, pr.gov.sa, and is often called the Saudi golden visa. GOV.UK’s guidance for British nationals living in Saudi Arabia says you may be able to get permanent residency by applying for it.
With it you can live in the Kingdom, own property, run a business and bring your family, without tying your residence to one employer. Saudi Arabia issued 8,074 Premium Residency permits in 2024, according to the National Transformation Program (reported by Gulf News, April 2025). Of those, 5,578 went to skilled professionals on the Special Talent route.
But Premium Residency is not one product: there are seven.
Five are tied to what you bring: Special Talent, Gifted, Investor, Entrepreneur and Real Estate Owner. Two are open to anyone who meets the general conditions: Limited Duration, paid each year, and Unlimited Duration, which is permanent. Each has its own fee, conditions and evidence, and the gap between them is wide. Choosing the wrong product is how applicants overpay, or are refused.
Gatestone Group confirms the right product, prepares your UK documents with FCDO apostilles in London, and then files and tracks your application. From Level 18 of Al Faisaliah Tower in Olaya, our Riyadh office handles the follow-up with the PRC locally.
- Review of all seven Premium Residency products
- Limited Duration and Unlimited Duration compared
- Real Estate Owner route, for completed or off-plan homes
- Investor and Entrepreneur routes, with the Saudi company planned alongside
- Special Talent and Gifted routes
- Eligibility check: age, passports, health reports and police certificates
- Family members on your residency: spouse, children under 25 and parents
- FCDO apostilles for UK documents, arranged in London
- ACRO police certificates and document preparation
- Online application on pr.gov.sa, filed as your agent
- Official fees and conditions, set out in pounds
- Proof of funds and property, investment or salary evidence
- Renewals and the move to permanent status
- Ongoing conditions: health insurance, minimum stays and Qiwa work permits
The Seven Premium Residency Products at a Glance
Use this table to see which products your circumstances could support. It condenses the questions we ask at first meetings, refined with over 1,000 clients: what you earn, what you would invest or buy, and who comes with you.
| PRODUCT | WHO IT SUITS | MAIN CONDITIONS | OFFICIAL FEE | HOW LONG IT LASTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Talent (Exceptional Competence) | Senior professionals, clinicians, researchers and executives with a Saudi job offer. | A contract with an employer accredited by the PRC in a priority field. Gross monthly salary of at least £2,830 (SAR 14,000) for researchers, £7,070 (SAR 35,000) for health and science professionals, or £16,200 (SAR 80,000) for executives. A degree, three years’ experience, a points test and an employer recommendation. | About £810, once. | Five years, renewable once. Permanent status possible after 30 months’ residence within five years. No minimum stay. |
| Gifted | People with a recognised award or nomination in culture, sport or another listed field. | A recommendation from the Ministry of Culture or the Ministry of Sport, and minimum financial solvency. | About £810, once. | Five years, renewable once. Permanent status possible after 30 months’ residence within five years, with a further ministry recommendation. |
| Investor | Investors building a Saudi company. | A Ministry of Investment (MISA) licence with at least £1,414,700 (SAR 7 million) as your share, commercial registration, proof the capital is paid in, and 10 employees registered with GOSI when you apply. The investment and the 10 employees must be maintained for the first two years. | About £810, once. | Permanent from the start, provided you maintain the investment and jobs for the first two years. |
| Entrepreneur | Founders. | Category 1: A MISA entrepreneurial licence, funding of at least £80,800 (SAR 400,000) from a PRC-accredited investor, and a stake of at least 20%. Category 2: Funding of at least £3,031,500 (SAR 15 million) from a PRC-accredited investor, a stake of at least 10%, and 10 jobs in year one plus 10 more in year two. | About £810, once. | Category 1: Five years, renewable once, with permanent status possible after 30 months’ residence within five years. Category 2: Permanent from the start, provided you maintain the investment and jobs for the first two years. |
| Real Estate Owner | Property buyers. | A completed residential home (not land) worth at least £808,400 (SAR 4 million), owned outright or held by usufruct, and never mortgaged. Alternatively, one off-plan home of that value from a REGA-accredited developer, with at least £202,100 (SAR 1 million) or 10% paid, whichever is higher, no mortgage finance, and ownership transferring within five years. | About £810, once. | As long as you keep the property. At least 10 days in Saudi Arabia in the first year and 5 days in each later year. |
| Limited Duration | Individuals and families with no qualifying job, investment or property. | Age 21 or over, proof of financial solvency, a health report, and a clean criminal record for you and your family. | About £20,200 a year. | One to five years, renewable. Not refunded if it ends early. |
| Unlimited Duration | People planning to stay for good. | Same requirements as Limited Duration. | About £161,700, once. | Permanent. |
Every product shares the same basics. You must be 21 or over, and every passport on the file must be valid for at least 180 days. Each health report must be no more than six months old when you apply.
Your spouse, children under 25 and parents who do not work in Saudi Arabia can join at no extra product fee (see the FAQ). You can hold one product at a time, and switching means a new application.
Special Talent is well used in healthcare. In October 2024 Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health announced that 2,645 healthcare professionals had received Special Talent residency (Premium Residency Center). They came from 56 countries. Between them, they represent 152 priority specialisms.
One profession shows how the table works: a consultant radiologist on London’s Harley Street, offered a post by a Saudi hospital group the PRC has accredited. A gross salary of at least £7,070 a month meets the threshold for health professionals, so Special Talent fits, at a one-off product fee of about £810. The medical degree is notarised and e-Apostilled in London, and registration with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties runs alongside the residency file.
Our Saudi Premium Residency Process
Your job, investment or property plans, and who would come with you
Your go-ahead on the recommended product
Original certificates, signatures and bank statements
The product fee and your choice of Saudi health insurance
Your plans for Saudi Arabia come first: a job, a company, a home, or the right to live there with your family. Each points to different products, so we test them against all seven and against an Iqama.
An Iqama can be enough. With a Saudi job offer, the employer normally arranges and pays for a [link: standard employer-sponsored Iqama] (new contextual link to /uk/iqama-residence-permit-in-saudi-arabia/). Premium Residency earns its fee when you want a status that is yours. Families save too: Premium Residency holders are exempt from the dependant fee, the monthly charge of about £80 for each dependant that ordinary residence-permit holders pay.
Aberdeen's energy sector supplies a familiar profile: an executive offered a senior role by a Saudi company. Starting on the employer's Iqama is the sensible first move.
Once probation is complete, and with the employer's recommendation, Special Talent at executive level becomes possible on a gross salary of at least £16,200 a month. If the role pays less or the employer is not accredited, the Iqama may stay the right answer. Limited Duration is the alternative if the family wants status independent of the job.
Once the product is settled, we confirm in writing its conditions, the evidence it needs and every official fee in pounds (see Pricing below). The aim is the product you qualify for, not the most expensive one on the list.
Investor files rest on company evidence. You need a MISA licence with at least £1,414,700 as your share, commercial registration, proof the capital is paid in, and 10 GOSI-registered employees when you apply. Both the investment and the headcount must then be kept for the first two years.
The route is in active use: in November 2024 the Minister of Investment announced that 1,238 international investors had obtained Premium Residency through the Investor route (Premium Residency Center).
Your UK papers come together at our London base, 45 Albemarle Street, where Hafsa Hussain, Managing Director UK (PRINCE2), and her team order, check and send them for apostille.
In a Premium Residency file, the FCDO apostille is the last UK stamp a certificate needs. Embassy legalisation has not been needed since 7 December 2022, the date the Apostille Convention began to apply between the UK and Saudi Arabia. Police certificates and birth and marriage certificates cannot be e-Apostilled, so each takes a £45 paper apostille. A degree certificate that a UK notary or solicitor has certified can usually go through the £35 e-Apostille instead.
Because ACRO is not posting certificates to Saudi addresses at present, have yours sent to an address in the UK, or straight to the FCDO for its apostille. The PRC accepts documents in Arabic or English, so your UK certificates need no translation for the application itself.
“In a family file I watch the health reports closely: the PRC accepts none more than six months old on the day you apply,” – says Hafsa Hussain.
Her team books each family member’s report so that every one is still valid when the file goes in.
| PRC CONDITION | WHAT A UK APPLICANT SENDS | TIME TO ALLOW IN THE UK | STAMP NEEDED |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passports valid for at least 180 days, for everyone on the file | Current passports, renewed first if any would fall short | Renew before anything else is ordered | None |
| A clean criminal record for you and your family | An ACRO police certificate (£70) for each adult, and for older children if the PRC asks, sent to a UK address or straight to the FCDO | Up to 20 working days, plus post | Paper apostille, £45 |
| Proof of family relationship | Certified copies of the marriage certificate and each child’s birth certificate from the register office | Order alongside the ACRO checks | Paper apostille, £45 each |
| Health report no more than six months old, for everyone on the file | A report from a centre accredited by Saudi Arabia or by a Saudi mission | Book it so it is still valid on the application date | Format confirmed with the PRC |
| Financial solvency | Recent UK bank statements and, for sale proceeds, the completion statement and solicitor’s letter | Use statements dated close to the application | Notarised, then apostilled, if the PRC asks for certified copies |
| Product evidence | Special Talent: degree certified by a UK notary or solicitor, contract and employer letter. Investor or Entrepreneur: MISA and company papers. Real Estate Owner: title deed and valuation | e-Apostille: up to 2 working days | Degree: e-Apostille, £35, where eligible. Saudi-issued papers need no UK apostille |
Our Riyadh team files your application on pr.gov.sa as your appointed agent, holding the formal authority the PRC asks an agent to have. The processing fee is paid on submission, and the team follows the file with the PRC until a decision is made. Our London team keeps you updated in UK hours.
The PRC publishes no standard processing time. The product decides much of the wait, because two products need a recommendation from another body. For Gifted it comes from the Ministry of Culture or the Ministry of Sport; for Special Talent, from your accredited employer.
After approval you have 30 days to pay the product fee and arrange Saudi health insurance for yourself and every family member. Miss that window and the application is cancelled.
The Riyadh team then handles the in-Kingdom systems. For you and your family, that means Absher (the Interior Ministry's online services) and Jawazat (the passports directorate). Where your Saudi company sponsors foreign staff, it also means Muqeem, the employers' residency platform. Qiwa, the labour platform, applies if you take a job, and MISA where a company is involved.
Afterwards we track renewals and your health insurance, since letting it lapse is grounds for cancellation. On Special Talent, Gifted and Entrepreneur Category 1, we also track the 30 months' residence within five years needed for permanent status.
Travel notice, as of 14 October 2026. You can start your Premium Residency file from the UK without travelling, because the application is made online and the UK document work is done here. Any trip is a separate decision, so we quote the current advice of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in its own words.
The FCDO “advises against all travel to within 10km of the border with Yemen”. It also advises against “all but essential travel to Aseer province, Riyadh province, Najran province, Jizan province and the cities of Taif, Jeddah and Dammam”. Its list for all but essential travel includes “all airports within Saudi Arabia except for Medina International Airport”.
Following a serious incident at King Khalid International Airport on 10 October 2026, the FCDO advises British nationals “to stay away from King Khalid International Airport until it is secure”. It also reports “a heightened threat against airports, military bases, ports and energy infrastructure across Saudi Arabia”.
The FCDO warns that travel against its advice could invalidate your travel insurance. Read its Saudi Arabia page on the day you plan any trip, and we will tell you which in-person steps can wait.
Secure Saudi Residency With Clarity
Planning to base yourself in Saudi Arabia? Speak to our team and get clear guidance on the right category, eligibility, documents, and next steps.
- PRICING
What Premium Residency Costs, Converted to Sterling
There are seven Premium Residency products, with product fees from about £810, plus the £130 processing fee (Premium Residency Center, checked 14 October 2026). At the top of the range, Unlimited Duration costs a one-off £161,700. Every priced row below is an official fee in pounds. Saudi fees are converted, with the original currency in the smaller reference column, and UK fees are shown as set.
A) Official Premium Residency and UK document fees
| What you pay for | Fee status | Pounds (approx.) | Original currency Reference only | When and to whom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application processing fee, every product | Official, Saudi | £130 | USD 170 (about SAR 637.50) | On submitting the online application, to the PRC |
| Special Talent, Gifted, Investor, Entrepreneur or Real Estate Owner | Official, Saudi | £810 | SAR 4,000 | Once, within 30 days of approval, to the PRC |
| Limited Duration | Official, Saudi | £20,200 a year | SAR 100,000 a year (1 to 5 years) | Within 30 days of approval, then on renewal; not refunded if it ends early |
| Unlimited Duration (permanent) | Official, Saudi | £161,700 | SAR 800,000 | Once, within 30 days of approval |
| Product fee for each family member | Official, Saudi | £0 | SAR 0 | Not applicable |
| Expat levy and dependant fee (monthly charges on ordinary residence-permit holders) | Official, Saudi | Exempt | Exempt | Not paid: Premium Residency holders and their family members are exempt |
| Qiwa work permit, if the holder takes a job | Official, Saudi (as reported) | £20 | SAR 100 | Before starting work, via Qiwa (since June 2026) |
| ACRO police certificate, each adult | Official, UK | £70 | UK fee, set in pounds | To ACRO; up to 20 working days, plus post; cannot be posted to Saudi Arabia |
| FCDO apostille, paper, each document (needed for ACRO certificates and birth and marriage certificates) | Official, UK | £45, plus return postage (£6 to a UK address) | UK fee, set in pounds | To the FCDO; up to 25 working days, plus post |
| FCDO e-Apostille, each eligible document (for example a notarised degree certificate) | Official, UK | £35 | UK fee, set in pounds | To the FCDO; up to 2 working days |
| Medical report, Saudi health insurance, notary or solicitor certification, property valuation | Third party, mandatory where they apply | Not shown: priced case by case | Not applicable | Health insurance for every family member is mandatory within 30 days of approval |
| Professional or adviser fees | Market | Not shown (see the note below) | Not applicable | Not applicable |
These figures leave out Gatestone Group’s professional fee. We confirm it in a fixed written quote, with every official fee and every third-party cost we know of set out line by line, before you commit.
Most Premium Residency advisers do not publish their fees, so we do not show a market average. Whoever you use, ask for a written quote that keeps official fees and professional fees separate.
B) Eligibility thresholds
Worked Example 1: Special Talent (Healthcare) Applicant Applying from the UK
Excludes Gatestone Group’s professional fee
| Cost line | Pounds | Original currency (reference) |
|---|---|---|
| Application processing fee | £130 | USD 170 |
| Special Talent product fee | £810 | SAR 4,000 |
| ACRO police certificate | £70 | UK fee |
| Paper apostille on the ACRO certificate | £45 | UK fee |
| e-Apostille on a notarised degree certificate | £35 | UK fee |
| FCDO return postage to a UK address | £6 | UK fee |
| Qiwa work permit before starting the job (as reported) | £20 | SAR 100 |
| Official fees total | £1,116 | USD 170 + SAR 4,100 + £156 UK fees |
Left out of this total: notary certification of the degree, the medical report and Saudi health insurance (mandatory). Also left out: degree accreditation, professional registration (for example with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties) and Gatestone Group’s professional fee.
Worked example 2 follows a family of four from Belfast: two parents and two children under 18, with savings and income but no Saudi job, investment or property. Limited Duration suits them, and the table below sets out their official first-year costs.
They expect to stay about three years. Paying several years at once costs the same per year, and nothing is refunded if the residency ends early. So they plan to renew one year at a time.
Worked Example 2: Family of Four on Limited Duration – First Year
Applicant, spouse and two children under 18. Excludes Gatestone Group’s professional fee.
| Cost line | Pounds | Original currency (reference) |
|---|---|---|
| Application processing fee (one application for the family) | £130 | USD 170 |
| Limited Duration, year one | £20,200 | SAR 100,000 |
| Product fees for spouse and children | £0 | SAR 0 |
| ACRO police certificates, two adults (2 x £70) | £140 | UK fee |
| Paper apostilles on two ACRO certificates (2 x £45) | £90 | UK fee |
| Paper apostille on the marriage certificate | £45 | UK fee |
| Paper apostilles on two birth certificates (2 x £45) | £90 | UK fee |
| FCDO return postage to a UK address | £6 | UK fee |
| Official fees total, year one | £20,701 | USD 170 + SAR 100,000 + £371 UK fees |
Each later year costs £20,200. Left out of this total: four medical reports, Saudi health insurance for all four (mandatory), proof of financial solvency, any certified copies, and Gatestone Group’s professional fee. Whether the children need their own police certificates depends on their ages and on what the PRC asks for, and we confirm this for each file. Totals add the rounded figures shown, so they can differ by a few pounds from an exact conversion.
- Why Choose Us
Why Choose Gatestone Group for Saudi Premium Residency?
Demand is high: the PRC’s platform received 40,163 applications between January 2024 and July 2025 (Saudi Gazette, reported by Gulf News, August 2025). Where an application falters, it tends to be at the same points: the product choice, evidence the PRC cannot verify, and UK documents without the right apostille.
For UK applicants, the delay usually sits on the UK side: a police certificate ordered late, or a certificate sent for an e-Apostille when it needed paper.
Right Product, First Time
Your circumstances decide the product, and we start with the least expensive one that fits. If a qualifying salary, investment or home opens a product at about £810, that usually beats £20,200 a year for Limited Duration.
UK Document Preparation Support
Your UK documents need FCDO apostilles, and we choose paper or e-Apostille for each one, then check the full set in London before anything is filed.
Compliance-Focused Approach
We prepare each file against the PRC's conditions as they stand on the day it is filed, because the PRC states that all of them are subject to change.
Support Beyond Approval
For Investor and Entrepreneur applicants, the Saudi company is part of the residency file, and its MISA licence must be in place before you apply.
Build Your Saudi Base Around the Right Product
Premium Residency makes Saudi Arabia somewhere you can live, own a home and invest from.
That depends on three things: the right product, apostilled UK documents and evidence the PRC can check.
The property route works differently for a couple from Edinburgh’s New Town who have sold their flat. They want a home in the Kingdom, with no job or business attached. Real Estate Owner fits if they buy a completed home worth at least £808,400, residential and never mortgaged. The PRC’s FAQ also asks for a valuation by a valuer accredited by Taqeem, the Saudi Authority for Accredited Valuers.
One partner applies and the other joins as a spouse, with no second product fee. We also check that the home is one a non-Saudi buyer can hold under the current ownership rules. The residency lasts while they keep it, with at least 10 days in Saudi Arabia in the first year and 5 in each later year. If they sell, they have 90 days to buy a qualifying replacement, and we plan any stays around the FCDO’s advice at the time.
“I ask every family how long they honestly expect to stay, because one Unlimited Duration fee costs about the same as eight years of Limited Duration,” says Rehan Abid. Premium Residency does not lead to Saudi citizenship, so plan it as long-term residence rather than a second passport.
Every document and fee is confirmed in writing before we file. After approval, our Riyadh team tracks what keeps your residency valid: health insurance, renewals and any minimum stay.
- Testimonials
What Clients Say About Us
UK investors and professionals choose Gatestone Group because they want clear advice, organised documentation support, and a smoother residency experience in Saudi Arabia.
- FAQs
What UK Applicants Ask About Saudi Premium Residency
Can my family be included?
Yes: your spouse, children under 25 and parents who do not work in Saudi Arabia can all join your residency, and the PRC states no limit on family size. Children with special needs and unmarried daughters over 25 can also be linked to it, and no family member pays a product fee or the dependant fee. Each still needs a valid passport, a recent health report and Saudi health insurance within 30 days of your approval, and each adult needs a clean police certificate. For children, it depends on age and on what the PRC asks for.
Can I work in Saudi Arabia on Premium Residency?
Yes, and you can run your own business without a sponsor. Your spouse and children may also work in the private sector. Since June 2026, holders who take a job need a work permit through Qiwa, about £20 as reported. On Special Talent, if a job ends you have two months to join another qualifying employer, and gaps between jobs may total no more than six months over five years.
Do I lose UK tax residence if I move?
Not automatically. The Statutory Residence Test decides it from your UK days, any full-time work abroad and the ties you keep here, such as a home or family. Have a UK tax adviser look at your case before you go, and our [link: Tax Services] team can give them the Saudi details they need.
Premium Residency or an Iqama: which do I need?
If an employer is sponsoring you and you are moving alone, an Iqama is often enough. Choose Premium Residency for status that does not depend on one employer, or to invest at Investor or Entrepreneur level or buy a home worth £808,400 or more. Premium Residency holders are also exempt from the monthly dependant fee for each family member. We weigh both in the first step of our process, and our [link: Saudi Iqama] page covers the employer route.
Is there a standard processing time?
No: the PRC publishes no standard review time, and timing differs by product. Two products rely on a recommendation: Gifted on one from a ministry, and Special Talent on one from your accredited employer. Allow several weeks for the UK side, since the ACRO certificate and its paper apostille run one after the other (see the timeline under our process). After approval you have 30 days to pay and arrange insurance.
Can I apply from the UK?
Yes. You can start the application online from the UK, and your documents, including the health report, are prepared here. Our Riyadh office in Al Faisaliah Tower follows the file with the PRC, so the follow-up does not need you in Saudi Arabia. Any trip should wait until you have checked the FCDO’s current advice.