Moving from Germany to Saudi Arabia for an Academic Job — A Complete Guide for Families

March 15, 2026 · Academic Life & Relocation · 13 min read

From job offer acceptance to landing in the Kingdom: the exact process, the real costs (~€600–900 out of pocket), and the mistakes to avoid — written by someone who completed it in 2025 with a family.

I made my first Mosadaqa application three months after receiving the job offer. I should have started it the day after signing. That single delay rippled through the entire timeline and pushed our departure back by six weeks. If this guide saves you that mistake alone, it was worth writing.

Writing this was literally the first thing on my to-do list the day I landed. I kept telling myself: the moment I get through this, I am writing it down so no one else has to piece it together alone. This guide is specifically for people in the same narrow gap I was in: a Pakistani degree, a German degree, German nationality, moving from a German university into Saudi academia. YouTube has nothing for you. German expat forums have nothing for you. Industry guides are useless because academia has its own rules. This is what I wish had existed.

This is the complete process I went through to relocate with my family from Germany to Saudi Arabia for a faculty position: every document, every portal, every office, and every cost, with links and practical advice throughout.

Who This Guide Is For

I moved from a German university to a faculty position at the University of Tabuk in 2025, with a Pakistani educational background and German nationality. This guide covers the exact process I followed. If your situation is close to that — Pakistani degrees, German residency, moving into KSA academia with a family — you are in the right place. If you are a German national without a Pakistani background, most of this still applies. If you are coming from Pakistan directly, some steps will differ.

Saudi Arabia is investing seriously in its universities under Vision 2030. The compensation packages are real, the research infrastructure is growing, and the demand for international faculty in engineering, materials science, and applied sciences is genuine. You have an offer. You do not need convincing. You need the paperwork sequence. That starts in the next section.

1 Accept the Offer and Notify Your Employer in Germany

Once you sign or accept a job offer from a Saudi university, your first step in Germany is to formally notify your current employer. Academic employment contracts typically carry notice periods (Kündigungsfristen) of three to six months, sometimes longer for civil service (Beamte) positions.

2 Understand the Visa Process — Start with Tasheer

All Saudi work visa applications from Germany are processed through Tasheer, the official Saudi Visa Application Center operated by VFS Global. There are two Tasheer centers in Germany:

• Berlin: Tasheer Berlin — for applicants whose invitation letter is addressed to Berlin
• Frankfurt: Tasheer Frankfurt — for applicants whose invitation letter is addressed to Frankfurt

Before anything else, visit or call Tasheer. The requirements for a work visa involve a large number of documents, and visiting the Tasheer office in person at least once — before submitting your application — is strongly recommended to get the most current and accurate checklist. The staff at Tasheer Berlin are professional and genuinely helpful.

Your Saudi university will provide you with two critical numbers for the appointment booking:

• Visa Number (رقم التأشيرة)
• Border Number (رقم الحدود)

These are generated once the university submits your work permit application through the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources. You cannot book a Tasheer appointment without these numbers.

3 Mosadaqa — Certificate Verification

This is where most people first encounter real friction, and it should be your first task after deciding to proceed with the move.

Mosadaqa is the Saudi Ministry of Education’s official electronic certificate verification service. It verifies that your educational degrees are authentic by contacting your issuing university directly.

The process:

1. Apply online at mosadaqa.sa
2. Upload your documents: passport copy, degree certificate, academic transcripts, consent form, and proof of payment
3. Mosadaqa contacts your German university directly via a secured channel
4. Your university confirms the validity of the degree
5. You receive a verified certificate decision

4 QVP — Qualification Verification Program

This is a newer and separate requirement from Mosadaqa that many guides fail to mention. As of late 2024, Saudi Arabia has expanded the Qualification Verification Program (QVP) to apply to all industries — including academia — and Germany is explicitly on the list of affected countries.

The QVP is administered by the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and requires applicants to obtain a Professional Accreditation Certificate before entering Saudi Arabia on a work visa.

I learned this the hard way. I arrived at Tasheer with my Mosadaqa certificate complete, all my other documents in order, ready to submit. The officer turned me away: QVP was not done. I went home, waited two more weeks for QVP to process, and came back. We were lucky it only took two weeks. It can easily take six. Those were six weeks I could not get back and they pushed everything downstream. Do not treat QVP as an afterthought. Start it the same day you start Mosadaqa.

5 Medical Certificate

A medical fitness certificate is required as part of the Saudi work visa application. This is not a simple doctor’s note — it follows a defined two-step process in Germany.

5a. The HausArzt Examination

Make an appointment with your HausArzt (general practitioner) and your spouse’s HausArzt for a medical examination. The exam typically covers general health status, infectious diseases (especially tuberculosis), blood tests, and basic physical fitness.

Budget for surprises here. In our case, one test came back inconclusive and our HausArzt referred us to a specialist. The specialist ran further tests, all paid out of pocket. In the end, the specialist could not issue a clean negative result but wrote a detailed letter stating the findings were "not clinically problematic." We brought that letter, along with all the supporting reports, to Tasheer. The officer accepted the full package without question.

The lesson: do not panic if your results are not a textbook clean pass. Bring everything, every report, every specialist letter, every supporting document. A well-documented file is more credible than a single stamp with a gap in the story behind it. What you want to avoid is discovering a problem at Tasheer and having to redo the entire medical sequence from scratch, because each step depends on the one before it.

5b. Gesundheitsamt Approval

After your HausArzt completes the examination, the certificate must be formally approved and stamped by the Gesundheitsamt (Public Health Office / local health authority) of your German state. Search for “[your state] Gesundheitsamt Atteste für Auslandsvisum,” call ahead to confirm they handle Saudi work visa medicals, and ask which documentation format from the doctor they accept. They are often unfamiliar with the Saudi-specific format — bring your HausArzt’s letter and any specialist reports together.

6 Police Clearance Certificate with Apostille

You will need a German police clearance certificate (Führungszeugnis) with a Hague Apostille for yourself and potentially your spouse.

6a. Obtaining the Führungszeugnis

Apply for a Führungszeugnis zur Vorlage bei einer Behörde (for official/authority use):

• Online via fuehrungszeugnis.bund.de (official Federal Office of Justice portal) or at your local Bürgerbüro
• Cost: €13 · Processing time: 1–2 weeks

6b. The Hague Apostille

Germany is a member of the Hague Convention, so your police clearance can be apostilled. The competent authority depends on the document type:

In practice, for most academics in one German state, a single OLG handles all your apostille requests. Send everything to them together to save time and postage.

7 Notarized Copies + Hague Apostille for PhD and Medical Certificates

Two specific documents require notarized copies followed by a Hague Apostille:

1. Your PhD certificate (Promotionsurkunde)
2. Your medical certificate (from Gesundheitsamt)

Step 1 — Notary Public (Notar): Visit a local Notar with the original documents. Cost: €20–50 per document.

Step 2 — Send to High Court for Apostille: Mail the certified copies to the Oberlandesgericht of your state. Submit via registered post with a cover letter, prepaid return envelope, and payment. Processing: 1–2 weeks.

If your research group no longer exists: My institute had closed by the time I needed documentation. My professor had retired. There was no one left to sign anything on behalf of the group. The solution: go directly to the university’s faculty or graduate school administrative office. Your employment contract is with the university, not with your research group. In my case, the contract was with Leibniz University Hannover. Start there. Email everyone. Someone will hold your hand through it.

8 Experience Letter from German University

Your current employer needs to issue an official experience letter on university letterhead confirming your name, position, dates of employment, academic title, and a signature from HR or your department head.

This is used for both the QVP and the general visa application package. Request this early — university HR departments often take 2–4 weeks.

9 Job Contract / Invitation Letter

This is a potential stumbling block. The Saudi visa system technically expects an employment contract certified by MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, KSA) and the Ministry of Education. However, many Saudi universities issue only an initial job offer letter or invitation letter containing the Visa Number and Border Number.

10 Your Full Document Checklist

Before booking your Tasheer appointment, ensure you have everything. Items marked (×family) are required per person, not just the primary applicant.

Bring originals and photocopies of everything. For family members, prepare a separate folder per person.

11 The Tasheer Appointment

Before you book: visit in person first. Tasheer has no public email address. The phone line is answered rarely. The only reliable way to get current, accurate information is to walk in and talk to the officer. Do this early, before your documents are even complete. The officer will remember you when you come back to submit. That relationship matters more than you expect when something goes wrong at the desk.

I ended up getting the officer’s personal email address only because I had a problem at the final submission and needed to send a missing document. That should have happened at the beginning. Go early. Introduce yourself. Ask your questions in person.

Once your documents are ready, book your appointment at tasheer.sa using your Visa Number and Border Number. On the day, arrive early, bring everything organized in a folder, and be prepared for the officer to inspect originals.

After submitting, the visa can arrive remarkably quickly — sometimes within 24 hours via email. You will receive a PDF visa that is either affixed to your passport upon first entry or issued as an e-visa entry authorization.

12 After Getting the Visa — Your Checklist in Germany

Once your visa arrives, you have a 3-month window to travel to Saudi Arabia. Use this time to systematically wind down your life in Germany.

Abmeldung (Deregistration)

You are legally required to deregister your address when leaving Germany. This can be done in person at your local Einwohnermeldeamt or by post. Complete within two weeks of leaving (but ideally 2–4 weeks before departure). Keep the Abmeldebescheinigung — you will need it to cancel many contracts.

Canceling Contracts

• Apartment/rental: 3 months notice typically; negotiate with landlord if you find a replacement tenant
• Internet/DSL: Extraordinary termination (außerordentliche Kündigung) due to moving abroad is possible with proof
• Health insurance (GKV): Cancel upon proof of leaving Germany
• Phone/mobile: Same extraordinary termination right applies when relocating abroad
• GEZ/ARD broadcasting fee: Cancel via rundfunkbeitrag.de
• German pension (DRV): Inform them of your address change; you may reclaim contributions under certain conditions
• Bank accounts: Check if your bank allows non-resident accounts; set up a Saudi account (e.g., Al-Rajhi Bank) before canceling

Important Documents to Carry Physically

• Passports (all family members)
• Birth certificates of children
• Marriage certificate (with Apostille if possible — useful for Iqama process)
• All visa-related documents
• Academic degrees
• Driving license (International Driving Permit recommended)
• Medical records / vaccination books for children

13 Arriving in Saudi Arabia

Upon arrival, your work visa will be stamped in your passport. Your employer’s HR department will guide you through:

1. Medical examination (KSA): A separate Saudi medical exam at an approved clinic for your Iqama
2. Iqama issuance: Your university’s PRO processes this through the Absher portal; typically a few weeks
3. Family Iqama: Dependents’ Iqamas are linked to yours
4. Bank account: Open an account at Al Rajhi Bank or SNB — you will need your Iqama for full access
5. National Address: Register through the Saudi Post / Wasel system

Timeline at a Glance

Cost Overview (Approximate)

All costs are paid out of pocket. Many Saudi universities do not reimburse these pre-employment expenses, so budget accordingly.

Key Resources at a Glance

What the Arrival Actually Feels Like

People asked me how Saudi Arabia is. My honest answer: overall, very good. When I see a photo of Germany now — a grey street, a rainy afternoon — my first thought is: thank God I am not there.

That is not to say it is without adjustment. Germany trains you to expect precision: next month planned, next year mapped. Saudi Arabia moves differently. Things change quickly, last-minute, informally. Coming from Germany, that friction is real. After a year, I find it keeps me sharp. I do things now rather than waiting for the perfect scheduled window.

Do not trust the generalization that Saudi Arabia is just "hot." The country is enormous and the weather varies dramatically by city. Tabuk, in the northwest, has clear and predictable skies for most of the year. Mornings and evenings are genuinely pleasant. The infrastructure is built around the heat: the temperature outside rarely forces itself into your daily life the way German winter does. I moved partly for the sun, and the sun delivered.

The culture has a Pakistani-familiar quality: informal, relational, hospitality-first. If you grew up between Pakistan and Germany, you will find one of those two worlds feels closer here. That comfort matters more than you expect when you are settling a family.

One piece of advice that applies regardless of city: seek out someone already working at your specific university in your specific city. Riyadh is not Jeddah. Jeddah is not Tabuk. Social life, commute, climate, and even how the university's HR operates differ city by city. This guide covers the German bureaucracy. Once you land, you will want someone who has already walked the corridors of your building.

Final Thoughts

The process is painful. Not because any single step is impossible, but because the German bureaucracy and the Saudi bureaucracy have no idea how different they are, and no one thought to write a translation guide. You are now holding one.

Many steps run in parallel. None of them wait for you to finish thinking about them. Start Mosadaqa and QVP the same day. Visit Tasheer before your documents are ready. Everything else has a queue, and you want to be at the front of each one.

Take this as a blueprint. If a step in your situation differs from what I described, send me a message. I update this guide as I hear from readers working through the same process. The next person who finds this should have an easier time than both of us did.

Have questions or want to share your own experience? Drop me a message — every story helps the next person going through this.

Already landed in Saudi Arabia? Read the next guide: Your First Two Weeks in Saudi Arabia as a Faculty Member — SIM transfer, medical, Iqama, bank account, driving licence, and family registration, all in order.

Still deciding whether to leave Europe? Read: The Hidden Cost of Life in Europe — What Ambitious Immigrants Learn After the Honeymoon Ends for an honest look at what the comparison involves.