Check Saudi Border Number by Passport (2026)

By Cherie — Business Consultant, Noble Core · Updated June 2026

The border number (Raqam Al-Hodood) is the first identifier the Saudi General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) issues to a traveller on entry, and it links your passport to more than 5 government services before your Iqama is printed. This 2026 guide walks through every official route to find it, where it appears on your documents, the indicative fees of the transactions it precedes, and how to fix a lookup that fails.

What is a Saudi border number?

A Saudi border number is a unique 10-digit identifier assigned to every person who enters the Kingdom on a visa. It is printed on the entry visa sticker and recorded in the systems of the Ministry of Interior the moment your passport is scanned at the airport or land port. Think of it as a temporary national identifier that ties your passport to your visa, your Iqama application and almost every later transaction.

The number is often confused with the visa number or the Iqama (residency) number, but they are different records. The border number is created on arrival; the Iqama number is created later, once your residency permit is issued. For many services — sponsorship transfer, dependent visas, exit/re-entry processing and final exit — government portals ask for the border number specifically, which is why being able to check it quickly by passport matters.

A useful way to picture the three identifiers is as a chain. The visa number is issued first, when a Saudi mission abroad or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approves your travel document. The border number is generated next, at the exact moment you cross into the Kingdom and your passport is read at immigration. The Iqama number comes last, after the General Directorate of Passports prints your residency card. Each step depends on the one before it, so an error early in the chain — a mistyped passport detail or an unactivated visa — can quietly block everything downstream. Checking the border number by passport is the simplest way to confirm the chain is intact.

If your Saudi business sponsors employees or you are an investor relocating staff, knowing exactly where this number lives is part of staying compliant from day one of company formation in Saudi Arabia. It is also the field that most often holds up an employee’s first weeks in the Kingdom, so building a habit of verifying it early saves real time.

Who needs to check a border number by passport?

A wide range of people and entities use the border number lookup. The most common cases are:

• New arrivals on a work visa who need the number to begin the Iqama issuance process.
• Employers and PRO/Mandoob staff processing residency, sponsorship transfer or dependent applications through Muqeem.
• Dependents and family members on visit or family visas, where the sponsor’s border number is requested.
• Business owners and HR teams reconciling employee records between Qiwa, Muqeem and the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI).
• Travellers verifying visa or entry details before an exit/re-entry application.

For companies bringing in foreign talent under a MISA investment licence, the border number is the practical starting point for every employee file. Getting the licence and the labour file aligned is exactly the kind of step we manage during MISA licence setup in Saudi Arabia.

It is worth noting how the use case changes by role. An individual arrival typically needs the number once — to kick off their own Iqama. An HR manager, by contrast, may check dozens of border numbers a week as new hires land and existing staff renew. For that reason, larger employers almost always work through Muqeem rather than asking each employee to log in to Absher, because the establishment portal lets them pull, store and act on the number in the same place they manage contracts. Understanding which audience you fall into tells you which portal to open first.

Where does the border number appear on your passport and visa?

The border number is not stamped inside the passport itself; it lives on the Saudi entry visa and in the linked government databases. You will typically find it in three places:

1. On the printed entry visa sticker placed in your passport, usually labelled “Border No.” or “رقم الحدود”, as a 10-digit number.
2. On the entry stamp data recorded when the passport is scanned at the port of entry.
3. In the Absher and Muqeem portals, listed alongside your passport number, visa number and Iqama details.

If your visa sticker is faint, damaged or you simply cannot locate the field, the fastest reliable route is the online lookup using your passport number and nationality, which the next sections explain step by step.

How to check a border number by passport on Absher (individuals)

Absher (absher.sa) is the Ministry of Interior’s individual e-services platform. If you already have an Absher account linked to your passport, follow these steps:

1. Go to absher.sa and log in to Absher Individuals with your username and password, then complete the OTP sent to your registered mobile.
2. From the main dashboard, open My Services, then the Passports or Visa Inquiry section.
3. Select Query Visa or Resident Information; the screen displays your visa number, passport number and the 10-digit Border Number.

Absher is best for individuals who already hold an account. New arrivals who have not yet activated Absher usually rely on their employer’s Muqeem account or the public visa-inquiry service described below.

A few practical notes make the Absher route smoother. The platform is fully bilingual, so you can switch the interface between Arabic and English from the top menu if the labels are unfamiliar. The exact wording of the menus can shift slightly between updates — what one release calls “Query Visa” another may call “Visa Inquiry” — but the field you are looking for is always the 10-digit border number shown with your passport and visa data. If you manage family members under your sponsorship, Absher also lets you view the border numbers of your dependents from the same account, which is handy when arranging exit and re-entry permits for the whole family at once.

How to check a border number by passport on Muqeem (establishments)

Muqeem (muqeem.sa) is the platform most employers use to manage expatriate records. It is the standard tool for HR teams and PROs to check a border number by passport:

1. Log in to muqeem.sa with your establishment account credentials.
2. Open Services, then choose Visa Inquiry or Resident Services.
3. Enter the employee’s passport number and select the nationality, then submit.
4. The result screen lists the visa type, visa number, Iqama number (if issued) and the 10-digit Border Number.

Muqeem is the recommended route for businesses because it ties directly into residency issuance, sponsorship transfer and exit/re-entry processing — all of which require the border number. It also keeps records consistent with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) and Qiwa.

Tips for employers using Muqeem at scale

If you onboard staff in batches, a few habits keep the process clean. First, capture the border number the moment a new employee arrives, before you begin the Iqama application, and store it in your HR record alongside the passport scan. Second, assign Muqeem access only to authorised users and keep that list current, because a departed PRO whose account is still active is a common source of stalled transactions. Third, reconcile Muqeem against Qiwa and GOSI on a regular cadence — a name or passport mismatch between systems is far easier to fix when caught early than when it surfaces during a residency renewal. These small disciplines turn the border number from a one-off lookup into a reliable anchor for the whole employee file.

Checking through the visa platform (Enjaz / MOFA)

Before entry, the border number is generated against the issued visa, which can be tracked through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa platform and Enjaz (the e-visa service used by Saudi missions abroad):

1. Visit the MOFA visa service at mofa.gov.sa or the Enjaz portal at enjazit.com.sa.
2. Choose Visa Inquiry or Application Status.
3. Enter the visa application number or passport number and the verification captcha.
4. The status page shows the visa details; once the visa is issued and used at entry, the corresponding border number is recorded in Absher and Muqeem.

This route is most useful for confirming that a visa has been issued and is valid; the final, confirmed border number is then visible inside Absher or Muqeem after arrival.

Documents and information you need

The border-number lookup is built around your passport, so the data requirements are light. Prepare the following before you start:

• Passport number — exactly as printed, with no spaces.
• Nationality — selected from the portal dropdown.
• Registered mobile number — for the Absher OTP, if using the individual route.
• Establishment account access — username and password for Muqeem, if using the employer route.
• Visa application number — for Enjaz/MOFA pre-entry status checks (optional).

You do not need to upload documents or pay a fee for a standard inquiry. The lookup itself is a free information service; charges only arise for downstream transactions such as Iqama issuance or sponsorship transfer.

One detail that catches people out is accuracy of input. Saudi portals match your passport number exactly against the record created at entry, so a single transposed digit or a confused letter — an “O” entered where the passport prints a zero, for example — returns an empty result rather than a helpful error. It is worth copying the number straight from the machine-readable zone at the bottom of the passport photo page, where the characters are unambiguous. If you are checking on behalf of someone else, confirm both the passport number and the nationality with them directly rather than from memory.

Fees and timelines (indicative)

Checking the border number is free, but it usually sits at the start of paid government processes. The table below gives indicative figures in Saudi Riyals for the inquiry and the transactions it commonly precedes. Treat all fees as indicative and confirm the current figures on the official portal, because government tariffs are updated periodically.

Service	Portal / Authority	Indicative fee (SAR)	Typical timeline
Border-number inquiry by passport	Absher / Muqeem	Free	Under 2 minutes
Visa status check	MOFA / Enjaz	Free	Instant
Iqama issuance (govt fee, excl. levies)	Jawazat via Absher/Muqeem	~650 / year	1–3 working days
Iqama renewal (govt fee, excl. levies)	Jawazat via Absher/Muqeem	~650 / year	1–3 working days
Sponsorship transfer (per request)	Qiwa / MHRSD	~2,000 (tiered)	1–5 working days
GOSI registration (Saudi employee, total contribution)	GOSI	~21.5% of wage	Same day

The Iqama government fee is commonly around SAR 650 per year, but the total cost an employer pays also includes the expat dependent fee and labour levies, which vary by company size and Saudization band. Always reconfirm on Absher or Muqeem before budgeting.

For investors planning a fuller budget, it helps to see where the border-number lookup sits within first-year setup costs. Commercial registration under the new unified system runs at an indicative SAR 1,200–2,000, while annual Chamber of Commerce membership is typically around SAR 2,000–3,000. Significantly, MISA investment-licence issuance and renewal fees — historically about SAR 12,000 and SAR 62,000 respectively — were suspended in 2026, which materially reduces the cost of establishing a foreign-owned entity and bringing its staff into the Kingdom. None of these figures should be treated as final; tariffs are reviewed periodically, so confirm the current numbers on the relevant official portal or with an advisor before you commit budget.

Common errors and how to fix them

Most failed lookups come down to a small number of fixable issues:

• “No record found” — the passport number was mistyped, or the visa has not yet been used at entry, so no border number exists yet. Re-check the passport number digit by digit and confirm the entry date.
• Wrong nationality selected — the dropdown nationality must match the passport. A mismatch returns an empty result.
• Old vs new passport — if the traveller renewed their passport after entry, the border number is linked to the passport used on arrival, not the new one.
• OTP not received — the mobile number in Absher is outdated. Update contact details in Absher or ask the employer to run the check through Muqeem.
• Establishment account locked — Muqeem access depends on a valid commercial registration and authorised user; an expired CR can suspend services.

What if the number still won’t appear?

If the record genuinely cannot be found, the safest step is to verify the entry was completed and the visa was activated at the port. Employers can raise the issue through Muqeem support, and individuals can use Absher’s help channels. For business owners, a blocked employee record is often a symptom of a wider compliance gap — an expired CR, an unpaid government bill, or a Qiwa/GOSI mismatch — that is worth resolving holistically.

How the border number connects to your wider Saudi compliance

For a business, the border number is the thread that runs through the entire employee lifecycle in the Kingdom. It feeds the Iqama issued by the General Directorate of Passports, the labour contract registered on Qiwa under the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), and the social-insurance record at GOSI. When these systems agree, residency renewals and visa requests flow smoothly; when they disagree, transactions stall.

Saudi Arabia’s digital-government drive under Vision 2030 has made these portals genuinely fast and self-service. Recent reforms also matter for investors: the new Commercial Register Law, effective 3 April 2026, introduces a unified national commercial register with no fixed expiry (replaced by an annual confirmation), a five-year grace period and support for English trade names. MISA investment-licence issuance and renewal fees — previously around SAR 12,000 and SAR 62,000 — were suspended in 2026, lowering the cost of bringing foreign-owned businesses and their staff into the country. These are positive, fact-based changes that make staffing a Saudi entity simpler than before.

How Noble Core helps

Checking a border number is the easy part. Keeping every linked record — Iqama, Qiwa contract, GOSI registration, ZATCA (VAT at 15% and Fatoora e-invoicing) and the commercial register — accurate and aligned is where most businesses lose time. Noble Core manages that end to end for foreign investors and SMEs setting up in the Kingdom.

Our team handles the full path from licensing to staffing:

• MISA investment licence and commercial registration with the Saudi Business Center.
• Employee mobilisation: visas, border-number tracking, Iqama issuance and renewals via Muqeem.
• Qiwa labour files, Saudization planning and GOSI registration.
• ZATCA VAT registration and e-invoicing readiness.

Our managed Saudi setup packages start from SAR 36,999, giving you a single team for licensing, residency and ongoing compliance. Whether you are forming a new entity through company formation in Saudi Arabia or structuring 100% foreign ownership under a MISA licence, we keep your border numbers, Iqamas and labour records working together.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Confusing the border number with the Iqama number — they are separate identifiers issued at different stages; entering one where the portal asks for the other returns an error.
• Typing the passport number with spaces or the wrong letter case — enter it exactly as printed.
• Using a renewed passport for a pre-renewal entry — the border number stays linked to the passport used at arrival.
• Letting the establishment’s commercial registration lapse — an expired CR can suspend Muqeem access and block every linked transaction.
• Treating an indicative fee as final — always reconfirm Iqama, sponsorship-transfer and levy amounts on the official portal before budgeting.
• Ignoring a “no record found” result — it usually signals an incomplete entry or an unactivated visa that needs fixing before residency can proceed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check a border number by passport?

You can check a border number by passport in under 2 minutes. Log in to Muqeem (muqeem.sa) if you are an employer, or Absher (absher.sa) if you are an individual, then open the visa-inquiry or resident-data screen. Enter the passport number and nationality, and the 10-digit border number appears next to your visa and Iqama details, free of charge.

Where is the border number on a Saudi visa?

The 10-digit border number is printed on the Saudi entry visa sticker placed in your passport, usually labelled Border No. or Raqam Al-Hodood. It is also recorded in the Absher and Muqeem portals alongside your passport number, visa number and Iqama. The number is not stamped inside the passport pages themselves but is linked to your record at entry.

Is the border number the same as the Iqama number?

No. The border number is the first identifier issued by the General Directorate of Passports when you enter Saudi Arabia, before residency. The Iqama number is created later, once your residency permit is printed. They are separate records, so when a government portal asks for the border number, do not enter the Iqama number, or the lookup will fail.

How can I check a border number without an Absher account?

If you do not have an Absher account, the most common route is to ask your employer to check the border number by passport through their Muqeem establishment account. You can also confirm visa status on the MOFA platform (mofa.gov.sa) or Enjaz (enjazit.com.sa) using the visa application or passport number; the confirmed border number then appears in Absher or Muqeem after arrival.

Is there a fee to check my border number by passport?

No, checking a border number by passport is a free information service on both Absher and Muqeem, and it usually takes under 2 minutes. Fees only apply to the transactions that follow, such as Iqama issuance (an indicative government fee of about SAR 650 per year, excluding levies) or sponsorship transfer. Always confirm current figures on the official portal.

Why does the portal say no record found for my passport?

A no-record-found result usually means the passport number was mistyped, the wrong nationality was selected, or the visa has not yet been used at entry, so no border number exists yet. Re-check the passport number digit by digit, confirm the entry date, and ensure the nationality matches the passport. If it persists, the entry may not have been completed.

Can I still check a border number after renewing my passport?

Yes, but the border number stays linked to the passport you used when you entered Saudi Arabia, not the renewed one. If you renewed your passport after arrival, run the lookup using the old passport number, or ask your employer to update the passport details on Muqeem so the records reconcile correctly before any residency transaction.

Why do businesses need the border number for employees?

Employers use the border number to begin Iqama issuance, register labour contracts on Qiwa under MHRSD, set up GOSI social-insurance records, and process exit and re-entry visas through Muqeem. It is the thread that links a worker’s passport, visa and residency. Keeping it aligned with Qiwa and GOSI keeps renewals and visa requests flowing without delays.