RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has recently launched a new electronic service that allows expatriates, who are either workers in establishments or under private sponsorship, to transfer sponsorship of their dependents to private sector establishments without the need to visit branches of the Ministry of Human Resources. As part of the electronic service, firms seeking the service of dependents of expatriates need to visit the ministry's portal and click the request icon to transfer a dependent service and then choose the required profession. Upon submitting the application, the status of the dependent will appear as "pending the approval of the guardian." Then the expatriate shall enter the National Access service in the Absher portal and select approve or refuse the option to transfer his dependent's sponsorship. If the guardian's transfer service is approved, the request will be forwarded to the Ministry of Interior for approval or for issuing any particulars. In the event of getting the approval of the Ministry of Interior, the establishment shall approach the concerned branches of the Passport Directorate within 14 days to complete the transfer of the service procedures. If the establishment had delayed in completing the procedures within a specific period of time, the service will be canceled. During the transfer procedures, it is necessary to pay the fees for transferring the service of the dependent through a bank in the name and ID number of the dependent. The dependent shall have completed 18 years of age for the transfer of sponsorship. Similarly, the dependent shall not belong to any nationalities of which the transfer of sponsorship services is banned. The conditions also include that the expatriate and his dependent shall have valid residency permits (iqama) and the expatriate should currently be working in the Kingdom.
