Key takeaways
Relocation to Saudi Arabia with children is more manageable than decade-old expat forum posts suggest – the Kingdom has changed significantly since 2016. Life in Riyadh and Jeddah revolves around compounds: gated communities with their own amenities, schools, and social infrastructure. The Iqama (residency permit) is the foundational document for everything – school enrollment, bank accounts, SIM cards. Schooling means private international schools or accredited online programs; public schools are Arabic-medium and not a standard option for non-Saudis. Healthcare is generally good in major cities. Cost of living depends heavily on housing type and lifestyle choices.
- Expats entering Saudi Arabia on a work visa must obtain an Iqama (residency permit) within 90 days of arrival – this document is required for most official processes, including school enrollment.
- International schools in Saudi Arabia serve expat children; public schooling is Arabic-medium and designed for Saudi citizens.
- Saudi women have been allowed to drive since 2018 and participate fully in the workforce – female expats face fewer restrictions than was historically the case.
- Healthcare in Saudi Arabia is available through private healthcare providers; most employers include private health insurance in the relocation package.
Contents
- 1 Visas and the Iqama – The First 90 Days
- 2 Expat Life in Saudi Arabia – Compounds and Beyond
- 3 Schooling in Saudi Arabia for Expat Children
- 4 Healthcare in Saudi Arabia
- 5 Daily Life in Riyadh and Jeddah with Kids
- 6 Schooling Continuity – The Piece Most Families Underplan
- 7 A Family’s Moving Experience – From Houston to Riyadh
- 8 Top Tips from Our Expert
We are a US-accredited private international online school that coexists with local schooling. Families are responsible for ensuring compliance with any local education requirements applicable to their situation.
Visas and the Iqama – The First 90 Days
Most expats enter Saudi Arabia on an employment visa sponsored by their employer. This is a single-entry or multiple-entry visa issued through the Saudi embassy or consulate in the home country before departure. The employer’s HR department typically manages this process.
Once in the kingdom, the work visa converts to an Iqama. It covers the employee and can be extended to cover family members (spouse and children) on a dependent visa. The process takes time. Most employers handle the paperwork, but families should expect the Iqama to take four to eight weeks after arrival. During that window, certain activities – opening a bank account, obtaining a SIM card, enrolling in some schools – may be restricted.
Obtain your Iqama as quickly as the process allows. Everything moves faster once it’s in hand.
The Iqama grants access to essential services including healthcare, driving licenses, mobile SIM registration, and school admission – without it, none of these are available to expat families.
— Jobbatical’s Saudi Arabia relocation guide
Expat Life in Saudi Arabia – Compounds and Beyond
The majority of expat families with children in Saudi Arabia live in expat compounds. Compounds are gated residential communities – essentially self-contained neighborhoods – with their own facilities. Swimming pools. Tennis courts. Sporting facilities. Restaurants and supermarkets in the larger ones. Some have on-compound schooling, particularly those associated with major oil and gas companies.
Life in expat compounds is relaxed in ways that the broader Saudi environment is not. Dress codes inside compound walls are informal. Mixed-gender social interaction follows Western norms. For families with young children, this makes the day-to-day significantly easier.
Housing inside compounds comes as villas or furnished apartments; monthly rent ranges from SAR 5,000 to SAR 20,000.
Schooling in Saudi Arabia for Expat Children
The Saudi education system runs three educational levels for Saudi nationals: primary, intermediate, and secondary. Public schooling is Arabic-medium, includes Islamic studies, and is not a standard option for expat children.
Expat children attend private international schools or, increasingly, accredited online programs. The main curriculum options available at international schools across Riyadh and Jeddah:
American curriculum – follows US Common Core standards, leads to a US high school diploma, includes Advanced Placement (AP) courses at secondary level. Recognized by US and many international universities.
British curriculum – IGCSE at secondary and A-Levels for university preparation. Recognized by UK universities and broadly internationally.
International Baccalaureate (IB) – offered at a smaller number of international schools in Saudi Arabia. Recognized globally, valued for independent thinking and breadth of study.
For families on compound assignments where the compound doesn’t have a secondary school, or for families arriving mid-year when international school places are full, accredited online schooling is a practical route. Legacy provides full and part-time K-12 American curriculum with WASC accreditation – spanning online elementary school, online middle school, and online high school. Enrollment takes 48 hours. No waiting list.
For pre-school age children, private nurseries and pre-schools operate in Riyadh and Jeddah catering to the expat community.
Healthcare in Saudi Arabia
The healthcare system in KSA has expanded significantly under Vision 2030’s health sector reform agenda. Major private hospital groups operate in both cities. Emergency services are available. Specialist care for complex conditions may still require medical evacuation – coverage is worth adding if the employer’s plan doesn’t include it.
Healthcare is one of the program’s core transformation pillars, with targets to increase private sector participation and expand hospital capacity across the kingdom.
Daily Life in Riyadh and Jeddah with Kids
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula, and the public environment reflects Islamic values and social norms. Modest dress is expected in public for both men and women – the degree of enforcement has relaxed under Vision 2030, but family-appropriate standards apply in malls, restaurants, and public areas. Inside compound walls, Western norms apply. Outside them, Arab culture shapes the public environment – modest dress, family-oriented spaces, and hospitality as a default.
Saudi women have been allowed to drive since 2018 – and female expats operate under the same freedom, driving, working, and moving independently across the kingdom. The experience for expat women in Riyadh and Jeddah is materially different from what it was before 2017.
Cinemas, restaurants, parks, and mixed-gender events now exist in both cities – considerably more than the stereotype suggests.
The weekend in Saudi Arabia falls on Friday and Saturday. The academic year at most international schools runs September to June, with a break during Ramadan.
Schooling Continuity – The Piece Most Families Underplan
For families whose employer can’t guarantee a compound school place, or whose child is mid-year and can’t wait for September enrollment, Legacy offers rolling enrollment. A child who arrives in Riyadh in February can start a full American curriculum program within a week. 19 AP courses are available for secondary learners. Virtual clubs and extracurricular activities are included.
The admissions team can answer questions about grade placement, curriculum continuity from a previous school, and documentation requirements.
A Family’s Moving Experience – From Houston to Riyadh
The Martinez family relocated from Houston to Riyadh in March 2024 when the father accepted a three-year engineering contract with a major energy company. Two children: Sofia, 11 (grade 5), and Carlos, 14 (grade 9). The compound school ran through grade 8 only. No secondary option on-site.
They enrolled Carlos in Legacy’s online high school program in March 2024 – grade 9, mid-year – while Sofia continued at the compound’s primary school. Carlos took AP Human Geography and AP English Language in grade 10, alongside his standard curriculum. By the end of the first year, his WASC-accredited transcript was in order, and the family hadn’t had to spend months on a waiting list for a secondary school placement in an unfamiliar city.
The compound school suited Sofia. The online option suited Carlos. Two children, two different solutions – both within the same accreditation framework.
Top Tips from Our Expert
Maya Robinson, College Prep Advisor at Legacy Online School
- Sort schooling before the housing. Parents spend weeks comparing compounds without knowing which ones have secondary schooling. Confirm the school situation first – it often determines which compound makes sense.
- If your child is in grade 9 or above and you’re arriving mid-year, a physical international school placement in Riyadh mid-year is unlikely. Online enrollment with a WASC-accredited school preserves the academic year and the transcript.
- Obtain your Iqama before trying to enroll in a physical school. Most schools in the kingdom require a valid Iqama or at minimum a visa stamp before accepting an enrollment application. This delays things if you haven’t planned for it.
- College guidance programs matter from grade 9, not grade 12. A student who arrives in Saudi Arabia in grade 9 and spends three years without structured college planning is in a difficult position when applications open in grade 12.
We are a US-accredited private international online school that coexists with local schooling. Families are responsible for ensuring compliance with any local education requirements applicable to their situation.
