Your first week in Saudi Arabia: a new employee checklist

Start with the right checklist

Your first week is easier when you separate what you can do yourself from what needs your employer, a government service or a bank. You do not need to finish every task on your first day. You do need to know who is handling each task and what is waiting for something else.

This guide is for someone arriving to start an employer-arranged job. It is not a guide to taking a job on a tourist visa. Visit Saudi's eVisa terms say the tourist eVisa is not a work visa and paid employment is not permitted during the visit. [S5]

There is no single first-week timeline that fits every worker. Your entry status, employer process, accommodation and bank requirements matter. Use this checklist to get written answers rather than copying another person's dates.

1. Get a clear handover from HR

Ask who is responsible for your onboarding and residence-permit process. Save the official contact details and ask which documents or appointments are still needed from you. Request the next step and an expected update date in writing. An estimate is useful; it is not a guarantee.

Confirm where you are staying, how long that arrangement lasts, and how you will get to work. If housing or transport was part of the offer, check what that means: your own room or a shared room, meals or no meals, a company pickup or an allowance. These are questions to confirm, not benefits this guide assumes every employer provides.

2. Keep your identity details together

Keep secure copies of your passport, entry document, offer letter and employment contract. When your residence details become available, compare the name and identifying details across your documents. Do not post full documents or identity numbers in a public group to ask for help.

If a name or number looks wrong, identify which record contains the error and ask the responsible employer, issuer or service provider how it should be corrected. Do not change an application to an invented spelling just to get past a form. Keep a note of the issue and any support reference.

3. Confirm your address, not just a map pin

Saudi Post's National Address uses a building number, street, secondary number, district, postal code and city. SPL also describes a short address consisting of four letters and four numbers. [S4]

Ask your accommodation contact for the correct details. If you are in temporary housing, check the registration or update process for your situation instead of entering a future apartment you have not moved into. Accurate details are more useful than a guessed address that gets an application through.

4. Prepare for banking without assuming immediate approval

For the ordinary resident route, SAMA's rule says a bank may open an account for an expatriate holding an Iqama after obtaining a copy, and should obtain the address in Saudi Arabia and in the home country. [S1] Prepare both addresses and check the chosen bank's current requirements.

If your Iqama is pending, do not assume every bank will open a standard account from a passport alone. SAMA has a specific employer-supported route for certain expatriates with a temporary 90-day work visa, with conditions including an employer request, an in-person meeting and compliance approval. [S1] Ask HR and the bank whether that route fits you. It is not a general shortcut for all visitors.

5. Read your employment contract before accepting it

MHRSD's contract-management service lets an employee approve, reject or request an amendment through Qiwa Afrad. The ministry says the contract is certified and approved when both parties agree. [S3]

Compare the employer, job title, duration, working hours and financial terms against your written offer. Ask about differences before accepting. A message saying "we will fix it later" is not the same thing as a corrected contract.

6. Plan the gap before your first salary

Ask payroll when your first payment is expected, whether a payroll cutoff affects it and what account details they need. List the spending you must cover before that payment: accommodation not covered by the employer, food, transport, connectivity and confirmed one-off expenses.

Do not use someone else's monthly cost as your budget. A person with company housing and a pickup has a different starting point from someone renting privately. Leave unknown amounts blank until you have a quote or written answer.

Your first-week finish line

Aim to have a named onboarding contact, a list of pending documents, accurate accommodation details, a banking plan, a reviewed contract and a first-salary budget. If something is blocked, record the next step and who owns it.

Do I have to complete everything in seven days? No. This is a planning checklist, not a statutory deadline.

Can I follow an Iqama guide for domestic workers if I work for a company? Do not assume the workflows are identical. Confirm your employer-specific route with HR.

Official references: S1, S3, S4 and S5 in the sources section. Checked 11 October 2026. General information, not individualized immigration or legal advice.