Getting Your Saudi Professional License
Healthcare professionals obtain a license in Saudi Arabia by endorsement of their license from the United States or Canada. So while no test is required, you will have to present the following documents once you arrive in Saudi Arabia in order to become licensed by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties:
• Employment certificates. You need certificates confirming your employment (i.e., job title, employer, dates) for each place you have worked in your field for the past five years. So if, for example, you are an RN, and you have only two years of experience as an RN, then you must obtain employment certificates for those two years during which you worked as an RN. Or suppose you are an RRT with 10 years of experience. In this case, you need employment certificates for the most recent five years of experience as an RRT. Before you relocate to Saudi Arabia, contact HR at your current and/or former place(s) of work to request employment certificates. If you have been a traveler, you can have your travel company provide you with a letter listing your contracts, i.e., job title(s), employer(s), dates.
• Authenticated copy of your professional diploma/degree. Getting your educational documents authenticated is part of the visa process. An authentication certifies the signature, the seal, and/or the position of the official who has executed, issued, or certified a copy of a document. We will provide you with an authenticated copy of your professional diploma/degree shortly before you leave to relocate to Saudi Arabia, when we send you your return package with your passport and visa, ticket, etc.
• Copy of your original certificate to practice. This item refers to the original certificate that you received when you first received your license or credential to practice in your field in the USA or Canada (e.g., NBRC, NCLEX, CSRT, CRNE, etc.).
• Copy of your current, active professional pocket license. If applicable.
• Copy of your résumé. Bring a hard copy and keep an electronic spare (e.g., email a copy to yourself, keep a copy on a computer memory stick/jump drive).
• Copy of your igama (residency visa, aka residency permit, work permit) or passport. Which one of these you submit to the Commission depends on when your application is ready for submission. The hospital applies for your igama once you are onsite; it takes a few weeks to a few months to be processed. If you are applying before you have your igama, you will use a passport copy.
• Two recent passport-sized photos.
• Application form. The hospital will provide you with a copy of the form for you to complete.
• Fee. The fee varies widely by position and education. The range for non-Saudis (counting both "accreditation" and "registration" fees) is SR840 to SR2550, or approximately US$224 to US$680.
• Note. Some RNs may have to write a licensing exam. The exam is based on the US NCLEX exam, and is reportedly not difficult. The fee is US$100.
For non-Saudis, registration with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties lasts for three years. For re-registration, you require proof of completion of required CE credits, an identification letter from your sponsor in the Kingdom, and fee receipt. You also cannot have committed any misconduct or professional practice violations. The greater cost, the accreditation cost, is a one-time charge.
Note:
Information is subject to change. Contact your recruiter and/or employer.
