Premium Residency Programme
Saudi Arabia's long-term residency scheme for wealthy foreign nationals, sold without automatic work rights since Qiwa's June 2026 permit requirement.
Last refreshed: 2 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Does Saudi Arabia's golden visa still let holders work without a permit?
Timeline for Premium Residency Programme
Saudi golden visa loses its work right
Nomads & CommunitiesDoes Saudi Arabia's Premium Residency Programme allow holders to work?
How much does a Qiwa work permit cost for PRP holders?
Is there a grace period for Saudi golden-visa holders to get a work permit?
Background
The Premium Residency Programme (PRP) is Saudi Arabia's golden-Visa equivalent, a long-term residency scheme sold to wealthy foreign nationals. From June 2026, holders must obtain a separate work permit through the Qiwa digital labour platform before taking any job, at a base fee of SAR 100 plus employer-size subscription fees, with no stated grace period.
Permits cannot be amended once issued, so an employer that files the wrong category has no correction route. Saudi Arabia runs no dedicated digital-nomad Visa, and tourist eVisa holders stay formally barred from working, so there is no remote-work PATH around the new permit requirement.
The change keeps Saudi labour-market control, including Saudisation quotas administered through Qiwa, intact even as the kingdom sells long-term residence. It runs the opposite way to Europe's nomad visas, which grant residence on income and assume the right to work; Saudi Arabia now decouples the two entirely.
Can digital nomads work remotely in Saudi Arabia on a tourist visa?
