How much does residency visa cost in the GCC? 2026 fees

Not always, and we would rather say so. If your documents are valid and the transaction is available in an app, file it yourself. Paying a service fee makes sense when a submission has already been rejected without explanation, when several authorities are involved in sequence, or when a deadline fine would exceed the fee.

Comparing headline fees alone is misleading, because renewal cycles differ between states. A lower fee renewed annually can cost more over three years than a higher fee renewed every three. Compare the fee and the renewal cycle together, both of which are in the table on this page.

Because the government fee is only one line. Typing or service centre fees, urgent processing surcharges, delivery, medical tests, insurance and translation are charged separately, and providers bundle them differently. Ask for the government fee and the service fee split out before agreeing to anything.

They are indicative planning figures drawn from the issuing authorities and consistent public sources, and they are dated. Government fees change without much notice and free zone schedules are set independently. Always confirm the current amount with the issuing authority before you pay.

Cancelled and expired UAE residences carry a 30-day grace period before AED 50 per day applies under the unified fines schedule that took effect on 11 February 2026. Within that 30-day window you can renew through ICP Smart Services or GDRFA without penalty, provided the sponsor is still on file. Outside it, the daily fine accrues against the file and must be cleared before any new visa, exit permit, or driving-licence renewal will process. Highly skilled cancelled residents may qualify for an extended grace of up to 180 days based on occupational level.

A standard two-year private-sector residence costs around AED 1,170 for the entry permit, AED 350 for the medical, AED 370 for the Emirates ID, plus health-insurance premium and a typing-centre fee. Total out-of-pocket typically runs AED 3,000 to AED 5,000 inclusive of basic insurance. A Golden Visa file ranges AED 2,800 to AED 15,000 in government fees, depending on category, before legal or processing service charges. Family dependents add a similar amount each. The salary floor for the Golden Visa skilled-professional track dropped to AED 30,000 per month in 2026.

For a company-sponsored worker the Iqama itself is SAR 650 per year. The employer must additionally pay the SAR 9,600 annual work-permit levy (Maktab al-Amal) and GOSI contributions. Family dependents attract SAR 400 per month per dependent, payable upfront for the renewal year. Domestic workers are SAR 600 per year. Saudi Premium Residency under the category route was cut to SAR 4,000 in 2026, valid up to five years, covering special talent, investor, entrepreneur, and real-estate applicants.

The UAE allows in-country status adjustment for most employer-sponsored cases through ICP at a AED 750 conversion fee. Bahrain also permits limited in-country change via LMRA. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait do not: the applicant must exit on the tourist or visit visa, the sponsor files the entry permit, and the applicant re-enters on the work permit. Attempting to overstay a Saudi visit visa hoping for adjustment triggers a SAR 15,000 fine and a one-year ban, so the exit run is non-negotiable.

A UAE residence visa is the legal right to live in the country, sponsored by an employer, family member, free zone, property investment or a Golden or Green Visa route, fully electronic since November 2022. A standard two-year entry permit costs AED 1,170; a clean renewal clears in three to seven working days, while a new visa takes two to three weeks. The biggest blocker is letting the visa lapse past its 30-day grace period, after which a unified AED 50 per day fine starts accruing. Wathim's desk confirms the right authority and files the renewal end to end.

The Iqama is the Saudi residency permit turning a stamped work or family visa into an active resident record, issued by Jawazat and filed by the sponsor on Muqeem. First-time issuance costs SAR 650 a year for a private-sector worker, plus the work-permit levy and CCHI insurance, and a well-prepared sponsor can go from arrival to printed card in 30-60 days against a hard 90-day entry-visa ceiling. The biggest blocker is a delayed medical or a missed Qiwa signature. Wathim's desk coordinates the medical, Qiwa, and Muqeem steps so the 90-day window is never at risk.

The Residence Permit (RP) is the sponsored residency status behind every expatriate's right to live and work in Qatar, physically represented by the Qatar ID (QID) card. A standard issuance or one-year renewal costs QAR 500, and a clean case typically reaches QID-in-hand within one to two weeks of arrival. The single biggest blocker is the mandatory MOPH health insurance link: without an active, MOI-readable policy the renewal or issuance sits in 'Pending' indefinitely, with no on-screen explanation. Wathim's desk coordinates the medical, biometric and MOI filing steps end to end so sponsors and new arrivals don't have to chase three separate systems themselves.

In Bahrain, the residence permit for foreign workers is issued by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) under the Ministry of Labour, with the parallel CPR card from the iGA and family residence handled by the NPRA. Sponsors file through LMRA's Expat Management System; residents check and pay via bahrain.bh, settled through BenefitPay. The two-year work-permit component costs 390 BHD as of the April 2026 LMRA schedule, replacing the older 172 BHD figure. Clean cases close in 5 to 10 working days from sponsor submission to CPR card in hand, assuming the medical fitness passes on first attempt. Two pitfalls cost time: travelling out of Bahrain before completing the in-country medical (the permit is cancelled and the pre-approval letter becomes worthless on re-entry), and treating the pre-approval letter as a residence visa when only the CPR proves residence.

The Employment Residence Visa in Oman is the standard 2-year work-and-residence permit issued by the Royal Oman Police via ROP eServices, on the back of labour clearance from the Ministry of Labour (MoMP). The base fee runs 301 OMR for a clean renewal, with surcharges for restricted nationalities and certain sectors. Processing is typically 5–10 working days for a clean renewal once medical and labour clearance are in place; first-time issuance - from labour clearance request to a printed resident card - is more realistically 4–8 weeks end-to-end. Sanad-handled renewals can finish same-week if every fine is cleared and no biometrics are due. Common pitfalls are medical re-tests triggered by abnormal first results (which add 1–2 weeks), and labour clearance details not matching the worker's passport name or employer trade licence - the ROP system kicks the file back automatically when these do not reconcile.

Iqama (Residence Permit) in Kuwait is regulated under the Aliens Residence Law and the post-2025 reforms, with applications, renewals, and transfers handled through Sahel, the unified MOI Kuwait and PACI digital platform. The Article 18 annual residence fee is KD 20 effective 23 December 2025, paid via KNET on Sahel, with PACI Civil ID and Kuwait Mobile ID required for authentication. Sahel renewals are typically same-day when prerequisites are clean (work permit, MOH fee, fines all clear), with 3 to 7 days when medical fitness, PAM renewal, or fines contests are pending, and 1 to 4 weeks for sponsor transfers. The PACI Civil ID card arrives by courier in 3 to 10 working days from payment. Two common pitfalls: submitting the Sahel renewal before the employer has renewed the PAM work permit (Sahel returns to the home screen without explaining the error), and ignoring fines that silently block the renewal.