Saudi Life Guide is an independent website that explains how everyday life works in Saudi Arabia for expats and residents: iqama and visas, jobs and labour law, banking and money transfers, SIM cards and digital services, travel, and religious seasons such as Ramadan and Hajj. We write in plain English, link to the official source for the rules and fees we mention, and update our guides when the rules change.
Who runs Saudi Life Guide
My name is Arslan Ahmad. I am a software engineer, and I have lived and worked in Riyadh with my family since 2019. I started Saudi Life Guide in December 2025 because I kept finding expat information online that was out of date, copied from somewhere else, or missing the practical detail you need when you are standing at a counter or looking at an Absher screen.
I have been through many of the processes we write about: renewing an iqama, using Absher and Jawazat services, bringing my family on a family visa, and working under Saudi labour rules as an employee. That experience shapes which questions we answer and how we explain them. Experience alone is not enough, though, so every guide is checked against official sources before it is published.
Our team
- Arslan Ahmad, founder and editor. Writes and reviews guides on iqama, visas, jobs, banking and digital services, and approves articles before they go live. See his profile and articles.
- Um Rayan, co-founder and editor. She has lived in Saudi Arabia since 2019 and covers family, religion and daily life. See her articles.
- Web Desk. Short news updates prepared by the Saudi Life Guide desk from official announcements and checked by Arslan Ahmad before publishing.
How we work
- We start from the official source: government platforms such as Absher, Qiwa, Muqeem, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, the MOFA visa platform, SAMA and ZATCA, and official announcements from the Saudi Press Agency.
- Where possible we take our own screenshots of the official page or service, so you can see exactly what to look for.
- We keep official figures separate from what readers commonly report.
- Every guide shows when it was last updated, and we review our most-read guides regularly.
- If we get something wrong, we fix it. Read our Editorial Policy and Corrections Policy.
Articles are researched and drafted with AI assistance, checked against official sources, and reviewed by Arslan Ahmad before publishing.
Our tools
Alongside the guides we build free tools for residents: calculators for iqama fees, zakat, overtime, end of service and the cost of living, a CV maker, and live gold rate, exchange rate, prayer time and Hijri date pages. The live rates and prayer times come from metalrates.cloud, a data service we also run. See all tools and calculators.
What Saudi Life Guide is not
We are not a government website and are not connected to any Saudi authority. We do not process applications, sell visas or act as an agent, and we cannot handle individual cases. Our guides are general information, not legal or professional advice. Always confirm important decisions on the official platform. See our Disclaimer.
How the site is funded
Saudi Life Guide is free to read and is run independently by its founders. We plan to show ads from Google AdSense, and may in future include clearly labelled sponsored content. Advertisers will have no say over our guides. See our Advertising Policy.
Who Saudi Life Guide is for
Our guides are written for expats and residents who need practical answers about everyday life in Saudi Arabia, for people planning a move to the Kingdom, for workers trying to understand residency and employment procedures, and for families bringing dependents. Many services that once needed paperwork or an office visit can now be done on Absher, Qiwa and other government platforms, but people still need to know where to find a service, which option to choose, which documents are required and what a status means. That is the gap our guides are written to fill.
Our mission
To help people manage life in Saudi Arabia with clear, practical and reliable information, and to point them to the right official service. If a guide saves you time or helps you understand a process, Saudi Life Guide is doing what it was created to do.
Get in touch
Questions, corrections or topic ideas are welcome at contact@saudilifeguide.com or through our Contact page. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.