Saudi Arabia
Premium Residency — Special Talent & tiered categories
Also known as: Saudi Green Card, Premium Residency
- Threshold
- Tiered
- Model
- Tiered eligibility
- Leads to
- PR / renewable
- Path to PR
- Immediate
- Job offer
- No
- Language test
- No
- Processing
- Varies
Path to permanent residency
- Grants PR directly: Yes
- Years to permanent residency: Immediate
The permanent category grants residency for life; other categories are renewable (1-year or 5-year). Several 2024 talent categories lead to permanent residency directly.
Visas & streams
- Special Talent Residency
- Gifted / Distinguished Residency
- Investor Residency
- Entrepreneur Residency
- Permanent / renewable Premium Residency
Eligibility requirements
- Special Talent: employment contract with a whitelisted employer in a priority specialisation, salary ≥ SAR 14,000/month, bachelor's degree or higher
- Other categories: qualifying investment, real-estate ownership, entrepreneurship, or exceptional talent / giftedness
Disqualifiers
- Not meeting any category's thresholds
- Security or character grounds
Recent changes
- 2024
Five new Premium Residency categories introduced (Special Talent, Gifted, Investor, Entrepreneur, Real-estate Owner) under Vision 2030.
Notes
Not a points test — eligibility is threshold/tiered. Included here as the Gulf's merit/talent-based long-term-residency route; the Special Talent category is the closest to a skilled-migration pathway. The permanent tier grants residency without a sponsor.
EasyPassport is a document-organization tool focused on citizenship by descent. This page is reference research, not legal or immigration advice. Points tables, thresholds, and salary floors change frequently — always verify with the official program authority before acting.