You have just landed in Saudi Arabia. Your passport carries an entry stamp and a handwritten number, your employer is processing your papers, and every form you meet asks for an Iqama number you do not have yet.
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That handwritten number is your border number, and for new arrivals it is the key to almost everything. With an iqama number check with border number, you can confirm whether your Iqama has been issued, see the Iqama number itself once it exists, and check your work permit and employment record — all before the physical card reaches you.
Border Number vs Iqama Number: The Difference at a Glance
| Feature | Border Number | Iqama Number |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic name | Raqm Al Hudood (رقم الحدود) | Raqm Al Iqama (رقم الإقامة) |
| When you get it | At entry, when your arrival is recorded | After your residency is approved and issued |
| Format | 10 digits | 10 digits |
| Where it lives | Passport entry stamp, visa page, employer arrival records | Printed on your Iqama card and shown in Absher |
| What it identifies | Your entry record with Jawazat | Your residency as a foreign resident |
| Used for | Iqama issuance, early checks before residency exists | Banking, SIM registration, Absher, Qiwa, renewals, exit re-entry visas, daily ID |
| Does it change? | A new one is assigned if you leave and re-enter on a new visa | Normally stays the same for your residency |
One point causes endless confusion: the border number is not your visa number and not your passport number. Typing the visa number into a border number field is one of the most common reasons a check fails.
What Is a Border Number?
A border number is the identification number Saudi authorities assign to you when you enter the Kingdom through an airport, seaport, or land crossing. Jawazat, the General Directorate of Passports, creates your entry record under this number.
Until your Iqama exists, government systems know you by this number. Your employer uses it to start your work permit in Qiwa and your residency in Muqeem. Medical providers, insurers, and early government checks also reference it. Once Jawazat issues your Iqama, the Iqama number becomes your main ID, linked back to that same entry record.
Where to Find Your Border Number
Try these four places in order.
1. Your passport entry stamp
Open the passport page stamped when you entered Saudi Arabia. The border number is often handwritten near the entry stamp, close to the Arabic words for border number. It is 10 digits long. Photograph the page and zoom in — one misread digit breaks every later check.
2. Your visa page or visa documents
Some workers find the number recorded alongside their visa details or entry documents. Not every visa shows it, so if no 10-digit number is clearly labelled, move on instead of guessing.
3. Absher Query Border Number, if you do not know it at all
If nothing in your passport is readable, retrieve the number from Absher’s public Query Border Number service. You do not need an Absher account or a login for this.
- Open absher.sa and choose Individuals. Do not log in.
- Find the instant or public services area, open the Visitors tab, and choose Query Border Number, then Start Service.
- Choose your category. Most new workers select Non-GCC Citizens. GCC citizens and pilgrims have their own options.
- For Non-GCC citizens, enter your visa number — the number printed on your visa, not your passport number.
- Enter the visa issue date, choosing the Hijri or Gregorian calendar correctly.
- Type the image verification code and press Inquire.
Your border number appears on screen when your entry record is found. If it does not, wait until your entry has been recorded, recheck the visa number and the calendar, and try again.
4. Your employer or the Muqeem record
Your sponsor’s HR officer can see your arrival record in Muqeem, the employer-side portal. Individuals do not use Muqeem themselves, but you can ask HR for your border number from that record or its printout — often the fastest fix when the passport handwriting is unclear.
What You Need Before the Iqama Check
Keep these ready before you open any enquiry page:
- Your 10-digit border number, copied carefully from the passport or Absher
- Your date of birth, in the calendar the form asks for
- Your passport, in case a form asks for the passport number and nationality instead
- A phone that can receive SMS, in case a verification code is sent
How to Check Your Iqama Number with a Border Number on HRSD
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, still widely called MOL or the Ministry of Labor, runs two different enquiries that guides often merge into one confusing set of steps. They do different jobs, so use the right one.
Method 1: HRSD individual basic information — to reveal the Iqama number
Use this route when your question is: has my Iqama been issued, and what is my Iqama number?
- Open the HRSD individual services portal on hrsd.gov.sa and choose the individual user basic information service.
- Tick the consent or acknowledgement box and press the green button to continue.
- Enter your border number in the number field.
- Enter your date of birth. If you do not know your Hijri date of birth, select the Gregorian calendar and enter the date from your passport.
- Type the captcha verification code exactly as shown and click Next.
- If the service asks for a one-time password, enter the code sent to the registered mobile number.
If your Iqama has been issued, the result displays your personal details including your Iqama number. Write it down exactly and keep a private copy. This is the number you will use for the Saudi Iqama for foreign workers services that open up once residency is active.
If no Iqama number appears, it has most likely not been issued yet. A result showing your entry data but no separate Iqama number means the application is still moving — confirm the pending step with your employer rather than repeating the search all day.
Method 2: HRSD expatriate employee enquiry — to check work permit and employment details
Use this route when your question is about your job record: who is my employer on file, what is my employment status, and what is my company’s status?
- Open the HRSD expatriate employee enquiry, the service older guides call the MOL expatriate inquiry.
- Choose one search method only: border number, Iqama number, or passport number.
- If you choose the passport option, you must also select your nationality. The form will not search without it.
- Enter the number with no spaces.
- Type the verification code from the image and press Search.
The result shows your employment record, including your employer name, your work status, and your company’s Nitaqat colour. If your status shows as absent from work, often called huroob, treat it as urgent and speak to your employer immediately.
Notice what this enquiry does not ask for: no date of birth and no one-time password. If a page asks for your date of birth and a Next button, you are on Method 1. Following the fields on the page in front of you prevents most failed attempts.
If your Iqama is issued but the card has not reached you, you may also be able to check a new Iqama by passport number using the same family of official enquiries.
Converting a Border Number to an Iqama Number: What Actually Happens
Many people search for how to convert a border number to an Iqama number, expecting a conversion button. No such self-service exists, and any website or agent offering instant conversion for a fee should be avoided. Here is what actually happens:
- Your employer applies for your work permit through Qiwa using your border number and entry record.
- You complete the required medical examination and fingerprint biometrics.
- Your employer completes the residency issuance steps in Muqeem and pays the required fees.
- Jawazat issues the Iqama and generates your Iqama number, linked to your border record.
- From that moment, the HRSD check above shows the Iqama number, and your Absher registration, digital ID, and card delivery follow.
So the border number does not change into the Iqama number. A new number is issued beside it, and your records connect the two. Qiwa guidance reported for employers says the work permit should be issued within 90 days of arrival, so if weeks pass with no movement, ask which step is pending — medical, biometrics, fees, or submission.
After issuance, update the records opened with your border number or passport: your SIM registration, health insurance record, bank onboarding, and any professional membership started before the Iqama arrived.
Why the Check Shows Nothing: Troubleshooting
Work through these causes in order — most failures are typing or calendar errors, not lost records.
1. The Iqama has not been issued yet
The enquiry can only display an Iqama number that exists. If your employer has not finished the medical, biometrics, work permit, and submission steps, there is nothing to show yet.
Fix: ask HR for the pending step and a follow-up date, then recheck after that step is completed.
2. Wrong number in the field
Border, visa, and passport numbers sit close together in your documents and look similar at a glance.
Fix: reopen your passport photo, count the 10 digits, and compare digit by digit. Remove spaces, and never trust a number copied from a chat message without checking it against the document.
3. Wrong date of birth, or the wrong calendar
This is the most common failure on the HRSD basic information check. Entering a Gregorian date while the form expects Hijri, or the reverse, returns no match even when the border number is perfect. The same mistake breaks the Absher query, where the visa issue date calendar matters.
Fix: retry with the other calendar, using the date of birth exactly as it appears in your passport.
4. Your entry record has not updated yet
Very recent arrivals sometimes search within hours of landing, before the entry record reaches every service.
Fix: wait 24 to 48 hours and try again. If Absher still finds nothing, ask your employer to confirm the entry record or contact Jawazat.
5. Captcha or session problems
Fix: start a fresh session on the official domain, enter the current image code carefully, and submit once. Avoid opening several copies of the same form at once.
6. A genuine record mismatch
Rarely, a name spelling or date mismatch was recorded at entry or by the employer’s submission.
Fix: stop guessing. Give your employer the exact details you entered and ask them to check the record in Muqeem or Qiwa, where corrections are handled.
One safety note for every method above: enter your numbers only on official Saudi domains such as hrsd.gov.sa and absher.sa. The real checks are free. Never send document photos, passwords, or one-time codes to a stranger or a lookalike site promising a faster result.
After You Get Your Iqama Number
Finding the number is the start, not the finish:
- Save it privately, labelled clearly, so you never confuse it with the border or visa number again.
- Check the name and date of birth shown with it against your passport, and report any mismatch to your employer immediately.
- Complete your Absher registration once eligible, so your digital resident ID and expiry dates are visible to you directly.
- Learn to check your Iqama expiry without Absher so a renewal deadline never depends on one app or one login.
- Give this number — never the border number — when a bank, telecom shop, or government office asks for your resident ID.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I check my Iqama number using only my border number?
A: Not completely alone. On the HRSD basic information service you also enter your date of birth and a captcha code, and a one-time password may be sent to the registered mobile. On the separate employee enquiry, the border number plus the image code is enough to see your employment record.
Q: Where exactly is the border number in my passport?
A: On the page stamped at your latest entry. The 10-digit number is usually handwritten near the entry stamp, beside the Arabic words for border number. If it is missing or unreadable, retrieve it through Absher’s Query Border Number service with your visa number and visa issue date, or ask HR.
Q: Is the border number the same as the Iqama number?
A: No. The border number identifies your entry record, used before residency exists. The Iqama number is your resident ID, issued afterwards. Both are 10 digits, which is why they are confused, but they belong in different fields.
Q: How long does it take for the Iqama number to appear online?
A: There is no official fixed timeline. It appears once your employer finishes the work permit, medical, biometrics, and residency submission and Jawazat issues the Iqama — days after those steps for some workers, a few weeks for others. If nothing appears, ask which step is still pending.
Q: Can I find my Iqama number with the border number on Absher?
A: Absher’s public service works the other way around: Query Border Number finds your border number from your visa details. The Iqama lookup with a border number is done on HRSD. Once your Iqama is issued and your Absher account is active, the number also appears inside Absher.
Q: The enquiry finds my record but shows no Iqama number. What does that mean?
A: Usually your record exists but the Iqama itself has not been issued yet, or the enquiry you used shows employment details rather than the number. Try the HRSD basic information method, then confirm issuance with your employer, who can see the status in Muqeem and Qiwa.
Q: Can I open a bank account or register a SIM with only a border number?
A: Some early steps can reference your border number or passport before the Iqama exists, including arrival SIM registration and insurance or medical records. Full banking and most government services normally wait for the Iqama number, so treat this period as temporary.