Saudi Arabia
Making Hijrah to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is governed on the basis of Islamic law and is home to the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah. There is no personal income tax, halal food is universal, and government services run through highly digitised platforms. Residency and sponsorship are the pieces that need real planning.
Is Saudi Arabia a good place for Muslim families to make hijrah?
For a family whose priority is living at the centre of the Muslim world, few places compare. The Kingdom is governed on the basis of Islamic law, the two holy mosques are in Makkah and Madinah, the adhan is public, and halal food is universal. Islamic schooling is extensive. Around 15.7 million of the country's 35.3 million residents in 2024 were non-Saudi, so a family arriving from the West joins an enormous established expatriate population.
How does residency work in Saudi Arabia?
Saudi residency has historically run on sponsorship, and the systems around it are now highly digitised through single-window platforms such as Absher, Qiwa, Muqeem, Musaned and Saudi Properties, each with published service times. The flip side is that enforcement is automated too: Qiwa removes workers with expired permits without a human in the loop. Getting the sponsorship structure and permit sequence right from the start is what keeps the process smooth, and it is a core part of the plan.
What about tax in Saudi Arabia?
This is one of Saudi Arabia's strongest draws. There is no personal income tax, and foreign-sourced income is not taxed. For a remote earner or a professional relocating with a Western income, that is a materially different financial picture from Egypt or Morocco. The Saudi riyal holds a long-standing peg to the US dollar maintained by the central bank, with no parallel market, so the currency is stable and predictable.
What are schools and daily life like?
Islamic schooling is extensive, and international curricula are available including British, American, IB, and the Saudi national curriculum. The climate is hot desert, with extreme summer heat inland in Riyadh and humid heat on the Red Sea coast at Jeddah. Women drive. Private health insurance products cover inpatient and outpatient care with annual limits, and quality private networks are well established in the cities.
What should I know before I commit?
A dependent on an ordinary family card may not work without permission from the competent authorities, though Premium Residency family members and student-visa family members may work. Foreign property ownership is allowed but restricted in certain zones. Policy in the Kingdom changes quickly by Royal Decree and takes effect fast, so current, accurate guidance matters more here than almost anywhere, which is what the plan and our consultants provide.
Frequently asked questions
Is there income tax in Saudi Arabia?
No. Saudi Arabia has no personal income tax and does not tax foreign-sourced income, which is one of the main financial reasons families and remote earners choose it.
Do I need a sponsor to live in Saudi Arabia?
Residency has historically run on a sponsorship model managed through digitised platforms. Getting the sponsorship and permit structure right from the outset is essential, and newer residency categories change the picture, which is part of what planning sorts out.
Can my spouse work in Saudi Arabia?
Not on an ordinary dependent card without permission from the competent authorities. However, family members under Premium Residency or a student visa may work.
Is Saudi Arabia safe for families?
Advisories emphasise regional and border security rather than violent street crime, with an avoid-all-travel warning for the area within 30 km of the Yemen border. The cities where families settle are secure.
Build your Saudi Arabia hijrah plan, step by step
Saudi Arabia rewards those who understand its systems. The Hijrah Plan walks you through your residency and sponsorship path, your documents, and your first weeks on the ground, built around your family's situation.
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