Saudi Arabia lifts 3-year exit re-entry ban on expats

Jawazat has lifted the 3-year ban on expats who left Saudi Arabia on an exit and reentry visa and failed to return before its expiry starting from Jan 16, 2023.

Jawazat enforced the 3-year ban based on a decision of the Council of Ministers not to allow the return of workers who did not come back on time because;

• Such acts of these workers incur employer’s financial losses in terms of the fees for the renewal of their iqama, work permits and return tickets.
• It also means that the expat wanted to terminate the contract without informing the employer in a proper way.

What was 3-year ban?

As per Decision No. 825 issued in the year 1395 (the equivalent of Gregorian 1975), expatriates who “violate” their contract would be fined SR 10,000 and banned for 3 years from re-entering Saudi Arabia.

• Starting Date: The ban period will start after 2 months of the expiry of exit reentry visa. Source: Jawazat
• Reason: The purpose of imposing the ban is to prevent workers from switching jobs using these visas.
• The ban is not applicable if the same employer issues the visa to the same employee.