Saudi Premium Residency (Premium Iqama)
Live, work, invest, and own property in Saudi Arabia, on your own sponsorship, not an employer’s. Often called the “Saudi Golden Visa”, Premium Residency is built for investors, executives, and exceptional talent. PROMISE finds the right category for you and handles the application end to end.
Residency in your own right, not an employer’s
Premium Residency lets you hold your residency in your own name, without an employer sponsor and without being counted under a company’s Saudization. It suits people who want a durable stake in the Kingdom: investors and business owners, senior executives relocating with or ahead of their company, entrepreneurs, and exceptional professionals and talent. It’s also a natural fit for a company’s founders or top executives, and it pairs with our company-formation and RHQ services when you’re establishing a presence at the same time.
Five routes, one for your situation
Premium Residency isn’t one product, it’s a family of categories, each built for a different profile.
Special Talent
For exceptional professionals, senior executives, researchers, and specialists in fields such as science and healthcare.
Gifted
For distinguished talent in sport, culture, and the arts.
Investor
For investors backing the Saudi economy, with a route towards long-term, even permanent, residency.
Entrepreneur
For founders launching and growing start-ups in the Kingdom.
Real Estate Owner
For individuals who own qualifying property in Saudi Arabia.
Categories are offered as a Permanent (one-time) route or an Annual Renewable route, depending on the category and your situation (some permanent options are subject to conditions). Investment amounts, property thresholds, and fees are indicative and confirmed at the time of application. We identify the category and route that make sense for your plans.
What Premium Residency gives you
Independence
Live and stay in the Kingdom on your own sponsorship, with no employer and no tie to Saudization.
Family included
Residency can extend to your family members, included in the application from the start.
Work and invest freely
Run a business, take up work, and own real estate in your own name.
Fewer expatriate levies
Exemption from certain fees imposed on expatriates and their dependants.
Freedom to travel
Enter and exit Saudi Arabia without a separate visa.
The exact rights depend on the category and route you hold, we set out precisely what your option includes before you apply.
Premium Residency is not a work Iqama
They share the word “Iqama”, but they’re completely different, and this is the distinction that matters most.
Employee Iqama
Sponsored by an employer and tied to a specific job and company. If the job ends, so does the residency. This is the work-visa track. See our Work Visas, Permits & Iqama page .
Premium Residency (Premium Iqama)
Self-sponsored and independent of any employer. The holder can live, work, invest, and own property in their own right, and bring their family, without being tied to a job or a company’s Saudization. Also searched as the “Saudi Golden Visa”.
Premium Residency and employment, handled together
Some Premium Residency categories can only be accessed with the backing of a company registered with the Premium Residency Center, and not every company qualifies. PROMISE is a whitelisted company with the Saudi Premium Residency Center, which lets us do something most providers can’t: for an eligible individual, we can secure Premium Residency and employ them through our Employer of Record service . Premium Residency is always subject to the Center’s eligibility criteria and approval, we assess your case honestly before proceeding, and never promise an outcome we can’t stand behind.
From the right category to approval
Eligibility & category fit
We assess your profile against the categories and recommend the route with the best fit and the strongest case.
Documentation
We prepare and organise the required documentation, attestations, and translations.
Application & submission
We submit and manage your application with the Premium Residency Center, including your family members.
Issuance & renewals
We see the residency through to issuance and, for renewable categories, keep it current.
Answers before you commit
Is Premium Residency the same as a work Iqama?
No. A work Iqama is sponsored by an employer and tied to a job; Premium Residency is self-sponsored and independent of any employer, letting you live, work, invest, and own property in your own right.
Do I need a Saudi employer or sponsor?
No. That’s the point of Premium Residency, you hold it in your own name, without an employer sponsor and without being counted under a company’s Saudization.
Can my family be included?
Yes. Premium Residency can extend to your family members. We include them in the application from the start.
Is it permanent?
It depends on the category. Some routes are permanent (subject to conditions); others are granted for a renewable period. We’ll explain which applies to your situation and what it takes to maintain it.
Which category is right for me?
That’s the first thing we assess, matching your profile (investor, executive, entrepreneur, talent, or property owner) to the category with the strongest, cleanest case. You don’t need to work it out alone.
Make Saudi Arabia your home base, on your own terms.
Request a consultation and we’ll find your Premium Residency category and handle the application.
Request a Consultation