Saudi Legalisation: How do I legalise my documents for Saudi Arabia?

If you're planning on moving to Saudi Arabia, you'll need to know about the Saudi legalisation process. You won't be able to move over without it. Find out the most efficient way to legalise your documents for use in Saudi in this blog.

Saudi Arabia is one of the most popular destinations for expats. With tax-free earnings, it’s pretty easy to see why! If you’re looking to move to Saudi or you’ve already got a job lined up there, you need to know that you won’t be able to do anything without going through the Saudi legalisation process first.

Before you start a new job in Saudi (or any foreign country, for that matter) your employer will probably want to see some of your documents. At the very least they’ll want to check your qualifications, but depending on what the job is, you might need to provide more. Teachers, for example, will probably need to provide some sort of background check.

But before you can present your documents you’ll need to legalise them. Otherwise, your employer (or whoever you’re presenting them to) has no way of knowing if they’re legitimate or not. Documents need to be legalised or else you won’t be able to present them, and if you can’t present them you won’t be able to move to Saudi Arabia!

Don’t worry, though – we can help you with it. Let’s go through the Saudi legalisation process.

An image of a picturesque mosque in Damman for Saudi legalisation blog

What’s the Saudi legalisation process?

Every document that you’re presenting in Saudi Arabia will need something called an Apostille. That’s a small certificate attached to the back of your document issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirming that they’ve checked it out and it’s legitimate.

For some documents, that’s the only thing you’ll need. If it is, then don’t waste any time – click the button below and we can Apostille your document for you now! Might as well get it done sooner rather than later.

Other documents have extra steps. Education certificates, for example, will need to be submitted to the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau (SACB) before they’re Apostilled. That can take some time (probably about 2 to 4 weeks!) so that’s something you’ll need to plan for.

Company documents (things like business contracts or bank statements) will need to be verified by an FCDO-registered solicitor before they’re Apostilled. Then, once they’ve gotten the Apostille, they’ll need to go to the British or Arabian Chamber of Commerce. It can all get a bit complicated – it’s a bit of a maze trying to find out what you need to do with your specific documents.

An image of a mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia

So how do I legalise my documents for use in Saudi Arabia?

The first thing you’ll need to do is work out exactly which documents you need. Just ask your employer or whoever’s requesting your documents for a list of everything they need from you.

Once you know what documents you need for your Saudi legalisation, you’ve got to legalise them. You’ve got two choices:

  1. You try to legalise your documents yourself. You spend an hour or so googling, trying to piece together exactly what you need to. You plan out the process, trying to work out your timings, ringing and emailing different departments, worrying that you’ve missed something out and your documents are going to be rejected. Finally, with some trepidation, you send your documents off and hope for the best.
  2. You get Vital Consular to legalise your documents for you. You pop your documents to us in the post and put your feet up while we deal with the rest. You don’t have to worry about a thing, because we’ve been legalising documents for use in Saudi since 2006 and we’ve got a 100% Acceptance Guarantee. We take your documents through all the proper channels and send them back to you ready for use.

It’s not a tough decision, is it? Worry, uncertainty and stress or peace of mind, confidence and ease. If you need your documents legalising for use in Saudi Arabia, don’t make the wrong choice. Get us to legalise to do it for you now.

While you’re here, why not keep up to date with all the latest comings and goings by following us on social media?

Declan Ramsden
Declan Ramsden

Declan is a Content Creator at Vital Consular. He studied English Literature for 4 years before joining the company. Outside of work, he enjoys listening to retro music and reading classic novels – particularly Charles Dickens!

Articles: 37

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *