Emigrating to Saudi Arabia Visa, safety, costs, and climate in Saudi Arabia: a reality check
Emigrating to Saudi Arabia: The most important answers first
✓ Visa required: Short tourist stays are possible with an eVisa, but a suitable long-term residence status is required for longer stays.
✓ An economy with scale: Saudi Arabia remains economically strong and is expected to keep growing.
✓ A sensitive security situation: The overall situation is currently tense, although classic everyday crime remains limited.
✓ Healthcare system: Medical care is good in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Mecca, while private facilities remain especially relevant.
✓ An extremely hot and dry climate: Summer temperatures often rise well above 38°C, and humidity is also high along the coasts.
✓ Language skills: Arabic is the key language, while English is often very helpful in professional settings.
✓ What makes it stand out: Saudi Arabia has a unique mix of religious significance, desert landscapes, and cultural heritage.
✓ Moving with pets: A health certificate, vaccination documents, and a prior import permit all need to be arranged early.
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Facts about Saudi Arabia
Capital City
Riad
Population
35.3 million
Surface Area
2.150.000 km² or 1335948,06 m
Continent
Asia
Official Language
Arabic
Currency
Saudi Riyal (SAR)
What are the customs, visa, and entry requirements for Saudi Arabia?
For German citizens, entry is not visa-free. For short tourist stays, the eVisa is the most practical option, although a visa on arrival is also generally possible. For work stays or permanent residence, however, different categories are required. Travel documents must still be valid for at least six months at the time of entry or visa application. For long-term work visas, an HIV test is also required.
Documents required for entry:
- Passport: Yes
- Temporary passport: No
- National ID card: No
- Temporary national ID card: No
- Child passport: Yes
Tip for expats: Entry into Saudi Arabia may seem simpler than it really is for a genuine emigration plan. First get your visa pathway, employer, residence status, and documents properly aligned, then schedule the move. In classic expat models, residence usually runs through a work permit followed by an Iqama (residence permit).
Economy in Saudi Arabia: What opportunities are there for expats?
Saudi Arabia remains highly relevant economically, but no longer only as an oil location. The World Bank expects further growth in the years ahead as well. The drivers are both rising oil production and growing non-oil sectors such as services, leisure, tourism, and major investment projects. At the same time, the market remains highly regulated and formal for foreigners in many areas.
Key facts at a glance:
- Robust growth, with average GDP growth of 4–5% per year (1969–2025).
- Income distribution: Gini coefficient = 45.6 (0 = perfect equality; 100 = maximum inequality)
- Oil and energy remain key sectors
- Services continue to grow
- Tourism and the leisure economy are gaining importance
- Vision 2030 projects are driving investment
- Large infrastructure and construction projects remain relevant
- The market is full of opportunity, but also formal and relationship-driven
Tip for expats: From an economic perspective, Saudi Arabia is especially attractive for people with a clear role, a solid network, and a strong employer or investor setup. Anyone focusing only on scale or tax advantages can quickly underestimate the labor market, the rules, and day-to-day costs.
Safety in Saudi Arabia: What do expats need to know?
A travel warning is currently in place for Saudi Arabia because of the regional escalation. There is an elevated abstract threat level, including for civilian infrastructure, and flight connections to the region may be restricted at short notice. Independently of that, the threat of terrorist attacks remains high according to current travel advisories.
What expats should know:
- There is currently a travel warning for the entire country
- Transit travel is also affected
- Elevated abstract risk of attack, including for civilian infrastructure
- The border region with Yemen is especially sensitive
- The Eastern Province has an additional layer of tension, especially around Qatif
- Classic everyday crime is comparatively low, but fraud (for example phone scams) is a relevant issue
Tip for expats: In Saudi Arabia, security is currently not just a matter of crime, but above all of the regional situation, the legal framework, and location choice. Anyone moving to Riyadh or Jeddah should plan not only the job, but also emergency routes, travel plans, and communication routines professionally.
What is the healthcare system like in Saudi Arabia?
Medical care is good in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Mecca, but less reliable elsewhere. For expats, private facilities are the main option, as public institutions generally treat emergencies only. Employees in the private sector need employer-provided health insurance. Since November 2025, certain medications have also required additional electronic approvals for entry and exit.
At a glance:
- Good medical care in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Mecca
- Outside these centers, the quality varies by region
- For foreigners, private healthcare is especially relevant
- In the private sector, employers must provide health insurance
- Without strong insurance, costs can quickly become high
- Controlled medications must be approved in advance
Tip for expats: In Saudi Arabia, healthcare is not a side issue. Anyone who gets insurance, medication clearance, access to clinics, and an emergency strategy sorted out before the move will start out on much more stable footing.
Are you planning to move to Saudi Arabia?
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What is the climate like in Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia has a predominantly desert climate. In summer, it is very hot across the country, with daytime temperatures in many regions regularly well above 38°C. Humidity is low inland, but often high and uncomfortable along the coasts. Between November and February, heavy rainfall can locally cause flooding and traffic disruptions. In addition, sand and dust are a real factor in everyday life.
What the climate means for your daily life:
- Predominantly hot desert climate, in some places up to 55°C.
- Summers are extremely hot across the country
- Desert regions come with extreme heat
- Coastal areas are significantly more humid and oppressive
- Rain is rare, but can be intense locally
- Sand and fine dust noticeably shape everyday life
Tip for expats: In Saudi Arabia, climate is not a side issue. Anyone who does not realistically factor in the heat, air quality, car dependency, and heavily indoor-oriented lifestyle is underestimating one of the country’s most important location factors.
What shapes language, culture, and daily life in Saudi Arabia?
Arabic is the language of the country and shapes everyday life, administration, and the broader social environment. English is very helpful in international work contexts, but it does not fully replace Arabic in daily life. Culturally, Saudi Arabia is strongly shaped by rules and religion. Public order regulations, modest clothing, high sensitivity around religion and the state, and strict rules concerning alcohol, drugs, sexuality, and public behavior remain central factors in everyday life. According to travel advisories, social media is also monitored closely.
What really helps in everyday life:
- Arabic is the main language of everyday life
- English is very helpful in business
- Public rules of conduct are strict
- Clothing and public appearance should remain modest
- Religion strongly shapes public life
- Crossing political or religious lines can have serious consequences
Tip for expats: In Saudi Arabia, what matters is not only what is legally permitted, but also what is socially accepted. Anyone who respects the cultural codes will navigate everyday life much more effectively.
What makes Saudi Arabia special?
Saudi Arabia is not only an oil state, but also the birthplace of Islam, home to Mecca and Medina, and a country undergoing massive economic and social transformation. As a cultural counterpart to this modern development dynamic, At-Turaif in ad-Dir'iyah stands out as the first capital of the Saudi dynasty and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In detail:
- Home of Mecca and Medina
- Birthplace of Islam
- Vision 2030 is strongly shaping the transformation
- At-Turaif is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Najdi culture and the desert identity are central to the country’s character
- Modernization and tradition visibly exist side by side
Tip for expats: Saudi Arabia is especially relevant for people who are not looking for a “standard” expat destination, but for a country with a clear cultural logic of its own and strong transformation pressure. For some, that is the biggest advantage; for others, it is the biggest obstacle.
What should you bear in mind when moving to Saudi Arabia with animals?
A move with pets is a formal process and should be prepared early. As a rule, a prior import permit is required, along with health documentation and proof of origin. Even for pets traveling with passengers, the documents are decisive. Without complete documentation, delays or refusal of entry are possible.
What you should keep in mind:
- Check your pet’s vaccination status early and prepare the vaccination documents
- Prepare all veterinary documents completely in advance; a health certificate is mandatory
- Proof of origin must be available
- Train your pet to use the travel crate before the flight
- Coordinate entry requirements and airline regulations
- Minimize stress for your pet on moving day
- Actively support your pet’s adjustment to the new home
- Accompanied pets must also be registered in advance
Tip for expats: When relocating with pets to Saudi Arabia, speed is not the priority – formal accuracy is. Anyone who fails to line up the permit, health certificate, embassy certification, and travel date early will almost certainly create last-minute problems.
For whom is Saudi Arabia a suitable destination for emigration?
Saudi Arabia is especially well suited to skilled professionals, posted employees, entrepreneurs, and project-based profiles with a clear sponsor, employer, or investor pathway. The country is a good fit for people who can handle strict rules, extreme heat, highly formal processes, and clearly defined cultural norms.
Checklist before emigrating to Saudi Arabia:
✓ Check entry requirements and residence regulations for Saudi Arabia
✓ Secure health insurance and medical care coverage in Saudi Arabia
✓ Choose the right place to live in Saudi Arabia and arrange your initial accommodation
✓ Plan your emigration budget for Saudi Arabia, including a financial buffer
✓ Prepare your move to Saudi Arabia carefully, including household goods and documents
✓ Use English confidently and learn basic Arabic for everyday life
Conclusion: Emigrating to Saudi Arabia can be economically and professionally attractive, especially because of the market size, investment momentum, and international projects. At the same time, the country requires a very clear-eyed view of the visa pathway, the security situation, the legal framework, the climate, and everyday rules.
FAQs for emigrating to Saudi Arabia
What do I need to consider when emigrating to Saudi Arabia?
Anyone planning to emigrate to Saudi Arabia should clarify visa requirements, residence status, health insurance, place of residence, budget, and the legal framework early on. Tourist entry is not sufficient for work or permanent residence, and the current security situation is an additional relevant factor.
What visa and entry requirements apply to Saudi Arabia?
For German citizens, a visa is required to enter Saudi Arabia. For tourist stays, the eVisa is the standard route. For work stays or a long-term move, however, a different visa category is required.
Is Saudi Arabia a safe country to emigrate to?
Saudi Arabia should currently be assessed with particular caution from a security perspective. The German Federal Foreign Office currently has a travel warning in place, citing the regional escalation since late February 2026 and the possible impact on civilian infrastructure and air traffic.
What is the healthcare system like in Saudi Arabia?
Medical care in Saudi Arabia is good above all in major cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, and Mecca. For foreigners, however, private facilities are usually the relevant option, and strong health insurance is important because access and costs can quickly become an issue without solid coverage.
What language is spoken in Saudi Arabia?
The official language of Saudi Arabia is Arabic. English is often helpful in the international work environment, but in the broader social and administrative setting, Arabic remains the key language.
What is the climate like in Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia has a predominantly hot desert climate with extremely hot summers. Along the coasts, humidity is often high, while inland areas are drier. Strong rainfall and flooding can also occur locally.
Who is emigrating to Saudi Arabia a good fit for?
Saudi Arabia is especially well suited to skilled professionals, expats with an employer- or sponsor-based setup, project-driven profiles, and people with a clear professional framework. It is less suitable for people expecting a relaxed fresh start without a clear residence pathway, minimal everyday regulation, or maximum social liberalism.
Are you interested in moving to Saudi Arabia or another destination country?
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Sabrina Klier
Customer Service & Sales - AIR & SEA
