Muqeem Portal in Saudi Arabia (2026): Services & Guide

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

This guide explains exactly what Muqeem is in 2026, how to register an establishment account, the services and indicative fees, and how Muqeem connects to Absher and Jawazat — so your company stays compliant from day one.

What is the Muqeem portal?

Muqeem (بوابة مقيم) is an electronic platform operated under the Saudi Ministry of Interior and the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat). It was developed by Elm Company in cooperation with Jawazat to let Saudi, GCC, and foreign-owned establishments handle passport and residency transactions for their resident (expat) employees online — without queuing at a government office.

In short, Muqeem is the employer’s window into the residency system. If your company in Saudi Arabia employs any non-Saudi staff, Muqeem is where you keep their Iqamas valid, issue their travel visas, add their dependents, and track the validity of every document. It is one of the core platforms a foreign-owned company needs after completing company formation in Saudi Arabia.

You can access the platform at muqeem.sa. Note that Muqeem is an establishment service — it is used by companies for their employees, not by individuals managing their own personal affairs (individuals use Absher for that). The platform is offered on an annual subscription basis, and once active it consolidates dozens of passport and residency transactions that previously required physical visits, paperwork, and queuing into a few clicks.

The Kingdom has invested heavily in digital government under Vision 2030, and Muqeem is one of the clearest examples of that shift in the residency space. By moving Jawazat transactions online, it has cut the administrative burden on employers dramatically — what once took days of office visits can now be completed in minutes, with the status of every Iqama and visa visible in real time. For a growing company hiring across multiple departments, that visibility is the difference between staying ahead of expiries and scrambling to fix a lapsed document.

Who uses Muqeem and why it matters

Muqeem is built for the people who run residency compliance inside a business:

• HR and PRO (Government Relations) teams — the day-to-day users who issue and renew Iqamas and visas.
• Establishment owners and authorised managers — who hold the master account linked to the company’s Commercial Registration.
• PRO service providers and setup consultants — who manage residency files on behalf of client companies.

It matters because residency compliance in the Kingdom is strict and time-bound. An expired Iqama, a missed Iqama-issuance deadline, or an employee who travels without a valid exit/re-entry visa can all trigger penalties. Muqeem centralises these tasks so a company can act before deadlines pass, which is why it sits alongside Qiwa, GOSI, and ZATCA as a must-have platform for any employer.

Consider a typical scenario: a software company hires a senior engineer from abroad. The engineer enters Saudi Arabia on a work visa, and from that moment a 90-day clock starts ticking for the employer to issue the Iqama. A few months later the engineer needs to travel home for a family event, so HR issues an exit/re-entry visa through Muqeem. When the engineer’s spouse and child arrive, the company adds them as dependents. A year on, the Iqamas come up for renewal. Every one of these steps runs through Muqeem — and every one carries a deadline. That is why owning the platform, rather than reacting to it, is essential for any employer in the Kingdom.

For larger establishments, Muqeem also supports multiple user roles, so the owner or authorised manager can delegate day-to-day issuance to HR staff while retaining oversight. This makes it practical for companies with dozens or hundreds of expat employees to keep their residency files in order without bottlenecking everything through a single person.

How to register an establishment on Muqeem

Registration is done by the company’s authorised manager, and it depends on the establishment already existing on the government’s digital ID system. The typical prerequisites are:

• A valid Commercial Registration (CR) for the establishment — Muqeem is for companies, not sole-proprietor freelancers.
• An active Absher account for the authorised manager (Absher is the national single sign-on — more on this below).
• A valid ZATCA (Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority) certificate for the establishment.
• Chamber of Commerce membership and any required form legalisation.
• A mobile number registered in Absher (to receive verification codes), an active company email, and a payment card or bank account for the annual subscription.

The registration steps

1. The authorised manager logs in to Muqeem using their Absher credentials.
2. The company’s establishment data is verified against its CR and tax records.
3. An activation request is submitted, generating an invoice for the subscription.
4. Once paid, the account is activated and the manager can add HR/PRO users and begin issuing services.

Because the steps touch the CR, ZATCA, Chamber, and Absher, many new companies register Muqeem at the same time as Qiwa and GOSI as part of their post-licence setup. Always confirm the current activation requirements directly on muqeem.sa.

What to prepare before you start

To make activation smooth, gather your documents in advance. You will typically need the establishment’s CR number, the unified national number (the new Commercial Register ID that begins with “7” under the unified register), the ZATCA tax certificate, and proof of an active Chamber of Commerce membership. The authorised manager should confirm their Absher Business account is live and that their registered mobile number is current — because every login and sensitive action is confirmed by an Absher verification code. Having a corporate payment method ready means you can clear the activation invoice immediately rather than waiting a day or two for finance approval.

It is worth noting that Muqeem is operated through Elm, the government’s digital services partner, so some companies access it via an approved service provider rather than registering entirely on their own. Either route ends at the same place: an active establishment account that lets you issue residency and travel services for your staff.

Muqeem services and indicative fees (2026)

Muqeem covers the full lifecycle of a foreign employee’s residency. The table below summarises the main services and indicative 2026 fees in Saudi riyals. Government fees can change, so treat these as guidance and confirm the live figure on the portal before you transact.

Service	What it does	Indicative fee (SAR)
Iqama issuance	First residency permit after the employee arrives on a work visa	650 / year (residency fee)
Iqama renewal	Renews an existing residency permit	650 / year (residency fee)
Single exit / re-entry visa	One trip out of and back into the Kingdom	200 (base)
Multiple exit / re-entry visa	Multiple trips within the validity window	from 500
Exit / re-entry extension	Extends an active travel visa, including from outside the Kingdom	Varies
Final exit visa	Permanent departure at end of employment	Service-based
Add a dependent	Issues residency for a family member	from 400 / year per dependent
Annual subscription	Establishment access to all Muqeem services	Invoiced on activation

Figures are indicative for 2026 and exclude separate government dues such as the dependent levy or work-permit fees. Confirm current amounts on the official Muqeem and Jawazat portals.

The core service categories

• Iqama services — issuance, renewal, and printing the Iqama. After an employee enters Saudi Arabia on a work visa, the employer must complete Iqama issuance within 90 days, including biometrics and a medical clearance.
• Exit and re-entry visas — single, multiple, extension, and cancellation, issued electronically and usually processed within 24–72 hours.
• Final exit visa — for an employee leaving the Kingdom permanently.
• Sponsorship transfer — viewing and supporting the movement of an employee’s sponsorship between establishments (now largely handled through Qiwa, with Muqeem reflecting the residency record).
• Passport and visa services — reporting passport details, updating data, and checking visa validity.
• Dependents — issuing and managing residency for employees’ family members.

A closer look at the Iqama lifecycle

The Iqama is the heart of an expat employee’s legal status, and Muqeem manages it end to end. Issuance comes first: after the employee arrives, the employer completes biometrics, uploads the required documents (passport, work visa, medical clearance, and the labour contract reference), and the residency fee is paid. The Iqama is then printed and becomes the employee’s official ID card in the Kingdom. Renewal follows the same logic — it is paid on Muqeem and should be done before expiry, because a lapsed Iqama can cascade into blocked visas and fines. When employment ends, a final exit visa cancels the Iqama and clears the employee to leave permanently. Throughout, Muqeem keeps a live record of validity so HR can renew on time.

Exit and re-entry visas in detail

Expat employees cannot simply leave and return to Saudi Arabia on their Iqama alone; they need an exit/re-entry visa for each trip (or a multiple visa covering several trips within a validity window). A single visa, issued electronically through Muqeem, is the common choice for a one-off trip, while frequent travellers benefit from a multiple visa. The platform also lets employers extend a visa — even when the employee is already outside the Kingdom — which is invaluable if travel plans change unexpectedly. Because these visas are time-bound and can be “used up,” checking the status on Muqeem before departure is a standard pre-travel step for any well-run HR team.

How Muqeem links to Absher and Jawazat

Muqeem does not work in isolation — it sits inside the Ministry of Interior’s digital ecosystem alongside Absher and the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat).

Absher — the gateway

Absher (absher.sa) is the national single sign-on for Ministry of Interior services. The authorised manager who runs an establishment’s Muqeem account must have an active Absher Business account, because Muqeem authenticates through Absher and sends verification codes to the Absher-registered mobile number. In practice, Absher is the identity layer and Muqeem is the establishment workspace built on top of it.

Jawazat — the authority behind it

Jawazat (the General Directorate of Passports) is the government body that actually governs residency, Iqamas, and exit/re-entry visas. Muqeem is the digital channel that submits these transactions to Jawazat. So when you issue an Iqama or an exit visa on Muqeem, you are filing a Jawazat transaction electronically rather than visiting a passport office. This is also why Muqeem data mirrors what appears in Absher and on the employee’s Iqama.

For employers, the practical takeaway: keep the Absher account active, keep the manager’s details current, and treat Muqeem as the operational front-end to Jawazat’s residency rules. If the authorised manager leaves the company or their Absher details change, update the Muqeem account promptly — an inactive or out-of-date manager account is one of the most common reasons employers suddenly find themselves locked out of issuing services right when they need them.

This tight integration also explains why data is consistent across the system. An Iqama issued or renewed on Muqeem immediately reflects in Jawazat’s records and in the employee’s Absher profile, so there is a single source of truth rather than three competing ones. For founders coming from markets with fragmented government systems, this joined-up design is one of the more pleasant surprises of operating in the Kingdom.

How to check visa and Iqama validity on Muqeem

One of the most-used Muqeem features is checking the validity of an Iqama or an exit/re-entry visa before an employee travels. A common change to note for 2026: where the validity check was once open without logging in, the portal now generally requires you to sign in or create an account before accessing the visa-validity service.

1. Log in to muqeem.sa (or the dedicated validity gateway) using your Absher-linked credentials.
2. Open the visa or Iqama validity service.
3. Enter the Iqama number / border number and the required details.
4. Review the status, validity dates, and any remaining days before expiry.

Checking validity a few days before any planned travel is the simplest way to avoid an employee being stopped at the airport for an expired or already-used exit visa.

Employees can also see much of this information themselves through their personal Absher account, which mirrors the residency data. But for the employer, Muqeem is the authoritative workspace: it shows every employee’s status in one place and is where corrective action — a renewal, a new visa, or an extension — actually gets done. Keeping a simple internal calendar of upcoming Iqama and visa expiries, cross-checked against Muqeem, is a low-effort habit that prevents the vast majority of compliance problems.

Muqeem, Qiwa and the wider compliance stack

Foreign-owned companies in Saudi Arabia juggle several platforms, and it helps to know which does what:

• Muqeem — residency and passport affairs: Iqamas, exit/re-entry and final exit visas, dependents.
• Qiwa — labour: work permits, contracts, Saudization (Nitaqat), and sponsorship transfers.
• GOSI — social insurance registration and contributions.
• Absher — the Ministry of Interior identity and single sign-on.
• ZATCA — Zakat, tax, VAT, and e-invoicing.

Hiring a foreign employee typically touches several of these in sequence: a work permit and contract on Qiwa, then Iqama issuance on Muqeem, with GOSI and ZATCA running in the background. Getting the right platforms registered early is part of a clean setup — see our guide to the MISA licence in Saudi Arabia for how investor licensing fits in before you reach the employment stage.

One point that often confuses new employers is the overlap between Qiwa and Muqeem on sponsorship transfers. The labour side of a transfer — the agreement to move an employee from one establishment to another — is handled through Qiwa, while the residency record it produces is reflected in Muqeem. Understanding this division of labour saves a lot of back-and-forth: think of Qiwa as the employment relationship and Muqeem as the residency and travel layer that sits on top of it. ZATCA and GOSI, meanwhile, keep your tax and social-insurance obligations in order, and Absher ties the whole identity layer together.

For a foreign founder, the sequencing usually runs: secure the MISA investment licence, complete the Commercial Registration, register with the Chamber of Commerce and ZATCA, then activate the labour and residency platforms (Qiwa, GOSI, Muqeem) so you can legally hire and bring in staff. Skipping ahead — for instance, trying to issue an Iqama before the establishment is fully registered on Absher and ZATCA — is a common cause of delays.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Missing the 90-day Iqama deadline — issue the Iqama within 90 days of the employee’s arrival to avoid penalties.
• Letting an Iqama lapse — renew before expiry; an expired Iqama can block visas and trigger fines.
• Travelling on an expired or used exit/re-entry visa — always check validity on Muqeem before the employee departs.
• Not having an active Absher account for the manager — without it, you cannot log in to or operate Muqeem.
• Letting the establishment’s ZATCA certificate or Chamber membership lapse — these can interrupt Muqeem activation and service access.
• Using unofficial “Muqeem” look-alike sites — only use muqeem.sa and absher.sa; ignore copycat domains.
• Forgetting dependents’ renewals — family Iqamas expire too and must be renewed separately.

How Noble Core helps

Setting up and running residency compliance is exactly the kind of administrative work that slows founders down. Noble Core registers your establishment on Muqeem, Qiwa, GOSI, and Absher Business as part of your Saudi setup, and our PRO team manages Iqama issuance, renewals, exit/re-entry visas, and dependents on an ongoing basis — so your team stays compliant while you focus on the business. From MISA licence and Commercial Registration through to a fully operational HR and residency stack, you deal with one team end-to-end.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Muqeem portal in Saudi Arabia?

Muqeem is the Ministry of Interior’s online platform, run with the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) and Elm, that lets establishments manage their foreign employees’ residency. Companies use it to issue and renew Iqamas, process exit and re-entry visas, add dependents, and check visa validity — more than 20 electronic services under one annual subscription at muqeem.sa.

How do I register my company on Muqeem?

The authorised manager logs in to muqeem.sa with their Absher account, the system verifies the establishment against its Commercial Registration and ZATCA records, and an activation request generates a subscription invoice. You also need Chamber of Commerce membership, a mobile number registered in Absher, a company email, and a payment method. Confirm current requirements on the official portal.

How is Muqeem different from Absher?

Absher is the national single sign-on for Ministry of Interior services and the identity layer individuals use for personal transactions. Muqeem is the establishment workspace built on top of Absher that companies use to manage employees’ residency. The manager must have an active Absher account to log in to and operate Muqeem on the company’s behalf.

How much does an exit and re-entry visa cost on Muqeem?

A single exit/re-entry visa starts at around SAR 200 as a base fee, and a multiple exit/re-entry visa starts at around SAR 500, with processing usually completed within 24 to 72 hours. Fees can change and additional government dues may apply, so confirm the current amount on muqeem.sa before issuing the visa.

How long do I have to issue an Iqama after an employee arrives?

Employers must complete Iqama issuance through Muqeem within 90 days of the employee entering Saudi Arabia on their work visa. This includes biometrics at an approved centre and a medical clearance. Missing the deadline can trigger penalties, so start the process as soon as the employee arrives in the Kingdom.

Can I check Iqama or visa validity on Muqeem?

Yes. Muqeem provides a visa and Iqama validity service. As of 2026 you generally need to sign in or create an account first, then enter the Iqama or border number to see the status and remaining days. Checking validity before any travel is the simplest way to avoid an employee being stopped for an expired exit visa.

How does Muqeem connect to Jawazat?

Jawazat — the General Directorate of Passports — is the authority that governs Iqamas and exit/re-entry visas. Muqeem is the digital channel that files these transactions to Jawazat electronically, so issuing an Iqama or exit visa on Muqeem is effectively filing a Jawazat transaction online instead of visiting a passport office.

Does my company need Muqeem if I have Qiwa and GOSI?

Yes — they cover different things. Qiwa handles labour matters like work permits, contracts, and Saudization; GOSI covers social insurance. Muqeem handles residency and passport affairs: Iqamas, exit and re-entry visas, final exit visas, and dependents. Most employers register all of them as part of post-licence setup so the full employee lifecycle is covered.