# Student iqama in Saudi Arabia: how it is issued, when to renew, and what to file before you travel or graduate

> **The short answer**: A student iqama in Saudi Arabia is a residence permit sponsored by your university. You get it after arrival with your admission letter and a medical test, renew it each year with proof of enrolment, request an exit and re-entry visa before any trip, and leave on a final exit visa after a clearance form.

**Key takeaways**

- Your university is your sponsor; every iqama request runs through its office.
- Najran University asks for the admission letter, a campus medical test and six photos for the first iqama.
- At KAUST the iqama is issued about 7 to 10 days after arrival.
- Renewal needs proof of enrolment, so a late registration means a late renewal.

![Student iqama in Saudi Arabia](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/student-iqama/student-iqama-cover-en.webp)

The visa got you through the airport. It will not cover four years of study. That job falls to the iqama, and the sponsor on it is your university: KAUST states plainly that non-Saudi students must hold a university-sponsored iqama[^2].

## Iqama for international students in Saudi Arabia: how is it issued?

Through your university, and each one runs it a little differently. Two published examples show the range.

Najran University wants, for a first iqama, the admission letter, your original passport plus two copies, a medical examination at the University Medical Center, two copies each of your certificate, transcript, birth certificate, home-country medical report, home-country police clearance and academic recommendations, and six personal photographs[^1].

KAUST, on the Red Sea coast at Thuwal, does the iqama medical test during orientation week. Once it is done you file the request in the GA portal, Government Affairs issues the iqama in roughly 7 to 10 days from arrival, and you collect it from the Government Affairs Service Center after an email says it is ready[^2]. Already living in the Kingdom on another iqama? You transfer sponsorship to KAUST, and if your current sponsor refuses, you have to exit the Kingdom first[^2].

| Procedure | What Najran University asks for | When |
|---|---|---|
| First issuance | Admission letter, passport plus 2 copies, campus medical exam, 2 copies of certificates, transcript, birth certificate, home medical report, police clearance and recommendations, 6 photos | Right after arrival |
| Renewal | Proof of enrolment, copy of current iqama, 1 photo | Every year, before expiry |
| Exit and re-entry visa | Request form with travel ticket, proof of enrolment, copy of iqama, 1 photo | Before any trip abroad |
| Final exit visa | University clearance form, copy of iqama, 1 photo | When you finish |

![Outline of the guide (Student iqama in Saudi Arabia)](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/student-iqama/student-iqama-inline-1-en.webp)


## How do you renew a student iqama each year?

Najran University asks for three things: proof of enrolment, a copy of the current iqama and one photo[^1]. The hard one is proof of enrolment. Universities only issue it to students registered for the term, so a registration held up by an unpaid fee or academic probation drags the renewal down with it.

Set a phone reminder a month before expiry. An expired iqama also blocks the exit and re-entry request, which asks for a copy of a valid one[^1].

## Do GCC students need an iqama?

Not at Najran University. Its page says students from Gulf Cooperation Council countries on external scholarships are treated as Saudi students, so they need neither an iqama nor an entry visa, and they get one round-trip ticket per academic year on a ticket request form, proof of enrolment and a passport copy[^1]. Check with your own university before you rely on it.

> **tiswa's take**: Tiswa's take: tie your renewal to course registration, not to the expiry date. Register on the first day the system opens and ask for proof of enrolment that same week; the renewal paper is then ready weeks before you need it.

![Comparison card of the guide table](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/student-iqama/student-iqama-inline-2-en.webp)


## Exit and re-entry or final exit: when do you need each?

Exit and re-entry comes before every trip during your studies. A booked ticket is not enough. Najran University takes the request form with the ticket, proof of enrolment, an iqama copy and a photo[^1].

Final exit closes the file: a university clearance form, an iqama copy and a photo[^1]. Jouf University in Sakaka sets the deadline for external scholarship students, who must leave within three months of graduation; its responsibility ends once the student has the exit visa and ticket and the residency is cancelled[^3]. Start the clearance before the graduation ceremony, because the library, housing and your department all have to sign.

## Can international students work in Saudi Arabia on a student iqama?

Not without permission, and the risk is real. Jouf University says it may end the scholarship of a student found working illegally and send the student home[^3]. If a paid internship or campus job comes up, ask the international students office first, in writing.

## Mistakes that cost weeks

- Flying home for the break on a ticket alone, with no exit and re-entry visa.
- Arriving without the home-country medical report and police clearance.
- Registering late, so proof of enrolment and the renewal both slip.
- Changing programme or student number without telling the international students office.

> **Tip**: Ask whether documents from your home country must be attested or translated. Najran University asks for two copies of each and says nothing about attestation, and universities answer this differently.

Email to the international students office:

```
Write a short email to the international students office at [university].
I am admitted to [programme] and arrive in [month]. Could you send the document list for a first iqama, the date and place of the medical test, whether home-country documents need attestation or translation, how long issuance usually takes, and what I need for an exit and re-entry visa if I travel during the break?
My name is [name] and my student number is [number].
```

The iqama follows the visa and rests on the same admission, so if the visa is still pending start with [the Saudi student visa guide](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/saudi-student-visa/). For a stipend account see [opening a student bank account](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/student-bank-account/), and for the first weeks read [international student life in Saudi Arabia](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/international-student-life-saudi/).

Iqama in hand? Your university email unlocks student discounts on software, devices and subscriptions in the [tiswa app](https://tiswa.app/en/deals/). [Join tiswa](https://tiswa.app/en/join/)

## Questions

### How do international students in Saudi Arabia get an iqama?

Through the university that admitted you, which acts as sponsor. Najran University takes your admission letter, passport, certificates and six photos plus a campus medical test; KAUST has you file in its GA portal after the medical.

### How long does a student iqama take?

KAUST says about 7 to 10 days after arrival. Other universities do not publish a fixed time, so ask the international students office.

### What do I need to renew a student iqama?

At Najran University: proof of enrolment, a copy of the current iqama and one personal photo.

### Can international students work in Saudi Arabia?

Not without permission. Jouf University says it may end the scholarship of a student found working illegally and send the student home.

### When must I leave after graduation?

Jouf University requires external scholarship students to leave within three months of graduating. The final exit visa needs a clearance form, an iqama copy and a photo.


## Sources

[^1]: Najran University, Deanship of Student Affairs: procedures for scholarship students, https://portal.nu.edu.sa/en/web/students-affairs/procedures-and-systems-for-scholarship-students
[^2]: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, graduate onboarding, https://admissions.kaust.edu.sa/onboarding
[^3]: Jouf University, international students guide, https://ju.edu.sa/en/international-students-guide