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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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 Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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For the driving licence you will have to take the test which means doing a course first. If you have a UK or US or other accepted licence they will issue a Saudi one, without requiring any driving test. They will require a test for your eyesight.
What actually happens after arrival varies from employer to employer. Important step is to get your IQAMA which is your KSA ID card. Without that you are an 'unperson' who cannot open a bank account or move around within the country.
The conventional spelling for the capital of the country is 'Riyadh'.
Last edited by scot47 on Thu Jul 19, 2007 5:48 am; edited 1 time in total |
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canadashirleyblue
Joined: 06 May 2007
Posts: 162
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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If I remember correctly all it took was a blood test a couple of weeks after I got there and they got my igama (work permit) for me.
You are aware that they will take your passport when you get your igama and you will need them to apply for an exit visa for you if you wish to leave for any reason?
You should have medical insurance from your employer. I had a plastic card. There are certain hospitals/clinics that will accept it and not others. You get to choose inside those limits. Or pay elsewhere. You should get some info telling you what is covered. I found medical facilities in Saudi to be excellent - far, far, far superior to Kuwait (absolutely no comparison).
I think Saudis are a whole lot nicer than Kuwaitis but that is my personal opinion based entirely on the individual people I met.
Your wife is unlikely to be out with your daughter alone. She will not be able to drive in Saudi. The DQ is really nice but it is way out and you will have to drive her or she will need to have a driver for most things. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 8:17 am Post subject: |
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| Is there much in the way of a sporting social life, tennis, football, running/jogging etc? What about ex-pat life in general - Is it difficult to find a social lfe? |
There are plenty of sporting facilities in Riyadh. Unless you make contacts at one of the big compounds and use the facilities there, you will find that all gyms are gender segregated.
Regarding making a social life - it all depends on you. If you do not wish to socialise exclusively with the same people with whom you work, you will have to make an effort to find friends. There are plenty of fellow expats out there, and there are quite a few 'things' going on in embassies and compounds, etc - but if you want to have a lively social life, you will need to be proactive. This may sound obvious but you would be surprised how many people get all resentful and neglected when they find that strangers don't come knocking on their doors to invite them to the latest embassy bash.
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| Is Ryadh / DQ expensive? |
Once again, that largely depends on you. Since your rent and transport will presumably be paid for, that mainly leaves day to day expenses, grocery shopping etc. If you need "Western" items (which is code for the overpriced, additives laden US packaged crud available at TAM-imis) you will find it pretty expensive. On the other hand, if you eat a lot of fruit and veg and can resist the glitzy shopping centres, Riyadh is a pretty cheap place to live, probably cheaper than most other cities in the Gulf.
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| I hope it will be a little better in DQ? |
The DQ is one of the safest and most relaxing places in Riyadh for women. Women routinely walk around the DQ, often alone, often at night, and rarely come to any trouble. That said, your wife should not make the mistake which too many expat women make - that of assuming the DQ is one big compound and she is therefore at liberty to dress in as skimpy a manner as possible. It is not and she is not. |
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fishjock
Joined: 15 Sep 2005
Posts: 39
Location: 9th and Hennepin, Cochadebajo de los Gatos
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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In the DQ there are often parties at the various western embassy compounds with thumping loud music and pissed up foreigners stumbling out and getting behind the wheels of their SUVs.
Don't get lulled into thinking that just because the DQ is in a fenced off part of Riyadh that foreigners can do as they please. I have recently found out that meandering home in the DQ from a friends flat back to my own place after a few homebrews too many can lead to a night in the cells and eventual deportation. Thankfully none of the lashes that might have been meted out to 'lower order' imported labour were administered.
Boozing ( if that's on your normal social agenda ) is possible - just be careful and dicreet. |
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