SETTING UP AN OFFICE AND HIRING STAFF

Transcription

1 inspire. empower. connect Saudi Arabia SETTING UP AN OFFICE AND HIRING STAFF

2 KEY SUPPLIERS Setting up an Office HOW TO FIND OFFICE SPACE, OFFICE FURNITURE, AND SHORT- TERM BUSINESS CENTERS How to Find Office Space After a period of skyrocketing rent prices in Saudi Arabia, property and rent prices have seen a correction in the wake of the financial crisis and demand for office spaces have fallen after Therefore, new supply is currently outstripping demand in Saudi Arabia and so tenants are enjoying a period of falling rents. Large tenants are better placed in negotiating down the rent from landlords. Local letting agencies are small in numbers but office spaces are advertised online by larger letting agencies that are part of the international agencies. A list of real estate agents with office space in Saudi Arabia is shown below: Serviced Offices Office Broker Match Office Search Office Space Arabia/All_Regions/Riyadh Arabia_Riyadh_Office+Space+To+Rent_1. htm officehotels/saudi_arabia/riyadh-137

3 Short-Term Rentals Regus Service includes virtual offices and meeting rooms to fulfill requirements of start-up entrepreneurs in a cost-effective manner. SERVCORP Offers serviced and virtual offices in Saudi Arabia. NDG Australian company offers a directory of serviced offices. serviced-virtual-offices/ saudiarabia/index.html serviced-offices/saudiarabia/riyadh.html Business Centers There are a few companies in Saudi Arabia that specialize in providing short-term serviced apartments. SADA Business Centers ( offers a range of professional business support services which include the provision of fully furnished offices and meeting rooms for short periods (month, year or hour). In addition, there are a number of hotels that have short-term business centers. Four Seasons Hotel, Riyadh Offers meeting rooms, conference centers and private offices that are equipped with laptop and desktop computers, printers, scanners, high-speed and Internet access etc. Radisson Blu Hotel, Yanbu Provides a business center as well as meeting rooms for its corporate guests offering secretarial services in addition to free high-speed and/or wireless Internet access. The Marriott Riyadh, Madinah and Jeddah The Marriott family offers business solutions such as professional event planning at business centers, and are supplied with cutting-edge technology and support with high-speed Internet as well as videoconferencing services. riyadh/business_services hotel-yanbu/services Tel: meetings/meetingplanning.mi

4 KEY SUPPLIERS Workforce HOW TO FIND WORKFORCE AND TEMPORARY STAFF When hiring employees, it is important to bear in mind that Saudi Arabia is strongly encouraging the employment of locals and the Ministries are able to restrict the number of work visas issued or renewed to a company in order to comply with a quota of local intake. Recruitment consultants or agents play a major role in the placement of workers in Saudi Arabia. Private recruitment consultants and headhunters in western countries (and particularly in London and New York) deal with most managerial jobs in Saudi Arabia, while agencies in South and South-East Asia supply the manual laborers employed in Saudi Arabia s numerous construction projects. Agencies specialise in particular areas of work, e.g. medical and nursing staff, computer personnel, accountants, construction managers, executive and office staff, engineering and the technical trades. The employer pays agency and consultancy fees, with no charge to the staff employed. Fees are usually a percentage of the annual salary, ranging from 10 to 20 percent for most jobs but lower for those with high salaries. Saudi Arabia has no equivalent of the nationally organized job centers found in western countries, and so most employment takes place through personal contacts or through recruitment agencies. Below are the two best known recruitment agencies that specialize in the hiring of employees in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Intelligent Solutions Saudi Development and Training Company The following database matches jobseekers and companies wishing to hire employees in the MENA region: Bayt.com Monster ArabRec Oil Career SAUDIARABIA_recruitment.asp

5 KEY SUPPLIERS Visas and Permits HOW TO OBTAIN NECESSARY LABOR VISAS AND PERMITS Apart from the GCC states, nationals of all countries need a visa to enter Saudi Arabia. The procedure for obtaining an employment visa to enter Saudi Arabia is as follows: 1. A company offering you a job has to apply for your visa from the Ministry of Interior in Jeddah. On approval of this application, a visa number is sent to the Saudi Embassy or Consulate in the applicant s home country. 2. The applicant undergoes a medical examination, including an HIV-Aids test (the result of which must be negative for your visa to be approved), and to submit a visa application to the Embassy or Consulate in your home country or country of current residence. 3. Along with a Visa application form, which can be obtained from the embassy, the following documents are required: Passport Passport-sized photograph Medical report certified by a specialist visa medical clinic and submitted along with two photographs Certified and notarized copy of a university degree or diploma (the consulate will provide notary services for a fee) Copy of a signed contract of employment, in Arabic Letter from a Saudi Arabian sponsor, in Arabic, which has been certified by the Saudi Chamber of Commerce, and which shows the block visa number and date of issue Release letter if the applicant has previously worked in Saudi Arabia Police clearance report Visa fee It is important to remember that visa requirements can change so the local embassy should always be the first point of contact when getting visa applications. For detailed information about a work visa, family visit visa, or short visit business visa please follow below:

6 Import and Export Permits The requirements for permits vary in accordance with the products. For a detailed description about the information and documents needed for each product, please follow the link below: However, all must provide the following commercial legal documents: Power of attorney Agency agreements Sole distributorship Trade marks registration Certificates of free sale Bid or tender documents Registration of partnerships, corporations, or joint ventures

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