When Does Your Child Get a Separate Passport & Iqama in Saudi Arabia? The Age-18 and Age-25 Rules

📌 The Short Answer

Saudi Jawazat has a clear, official rule on when a dependent (a child or sponsored family member) moves off the parent’s residency file:

• Age 18 — the dependent is separated onto their own record. This is when they get their own passport-linked file and stop renewing under the parent’s iqama.
• Age 25 (male dependents) — transfer of sponsorship (kafala / naql khidmat) becomes mandatory. A male dependent can no longer remain under the father’s sponsorship and must move to their own employer’s sponsorship.

This was confirmed directly by Jawazat’s customer-service account (@CareAljawazat) on X:

“التعليمات تشترط الفصل عند بلوغ سن الـ 18 عام ونقل الخدمات عند بلوغ سن الـ 25 عام” “The regulations require separation at the age of 18, and transfer of services at the age of 25.”

It applies to all expat families living in the Kingdom — Indian, Pakistani, Egyptian, Filipino, and every other nationality — not to one community in particular.

🔑 What “Separation at 18” Actually Means

A lot of residents wrongly assume a child automatically stays on the parent’s iqama until they finish university or get a job. That is not how it works.

Once a dependent turns 18, Jawazat expects them to be on a separate file. In practice this matters for:

1. Iqama renewal — the dependent no longer renews as a “dependent” under the parent. Their status has to be sorted independently.
2. Passport — many families use this moment to issue the child their own individual passport if they haven’t already (for Indian nationals, that’s done through the Embassy of India / Consulate General in Jeddah).
3. Studying vs working — a separated dependent who is still studying can often remain on a study-based dependent status; one who starts working must move to an employment iqama under their employer.

⚠️ Common mistake: Parents keep renewing the child’s dependent iqama past 18 without separating the file. This can cause renewal errors on Absher (“dependent above allowed age”) and force a visit to Jawazat to fix it.

🧑‍💼 The Age-25 Rule (Male Dependents)

For male dependents, the rule goes one step further. At age 25, transferring sponsorship away from the father is mandatory — the dependent cannot continue under the parent’s kafala.

• If the son has a job, the employer initiates Naql Khidmat (transfer of services) to move him onto the company’s sponsorship.
• If he has no employer, he must either find one or regularize his status another legal way — lingering past 25 as a dependent is not permitted.

Female dependents are not subject to the same mandatory-transfer-at-25 rule; they typically remain dependents (under father or husband) per standard family-residency rules.

📱 How to Do the Separation on Absher

Jawazat provides the “Separate Dependent” (فصل تابع) service through Absher, and for many cases it can be done without visiting a Jawazat office.

Steps (Absher Individuals):

1. Log in to Absher Individuals → Services → Passports.
2. Choose Separate Dependent (فصل تابع).
3. Select the dependent who has reached the eligible age.
4. Submit and wait for the request to be processed.
5. If the request fails electronically, use Tawasul (also on Absher) to submit it to Jawazat directly — this avoids a physical office visit.

For the age-25 sponsorship transfer, the employer handles it through Absher Business / Muqeem (Naql Khidmat). The employee does not initiate this themselves.

💡 Once Separated: Setting Up Independent Finances

The moment a child is on their own file, families often use it as the point to set up the young adult’s own bank account and money line — for salary, savings, and sending money home.

If you’re helping a newly-independent family member open a bank account in the Kingdom, SNB Neo (Saudi National Bank’s digital account) is worth a look — it’s app-based, quick to open, and built for exactly this stage of life.

👉 Open SNB Neo here: snb-neo.onelink.me/vJWt/4l9iurx9

✅ Quick Checklist

• Child turning 18 → separate the dependent file via Absher (no office visit needed in most cases).
• Issue the child’s individual passport if not already done (through your embassy).
• Child turning 25 (male) → employer must transfer sponsorship (Naql Khidmat); staying under the father is not allowed.
• If Absher throws an error → use Tawasul to submit to Jawazat.
• Set up the young adult’s own bank account (e.g. SNB Neo) once independent.

🔗 Related Reads

• Iqama Renewal New Law 2026 — fees, tiers & quarterly payments
• Jawazat Tawasul on Absher — fix passport & iqama issues online
• How to Get a Newborn Baby Passport in Saudi Arabia

Rule source: Jawazat customer service (@CareAljawazat), confirmed by Saudi press (Ajel, Okaz). Always verify your specific case on Absher or with Jawazat, as individual circumstances (study status, employment) can affect timing.