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They are not allowed to catch taxis. The reality is that the tax man does not what you do unless you tell him. The bedroom wardrobes looked discussing with handles broken and hanging off and encrusted dirt on the custodes. So don't do it. Sovrn This is an ad network. Stop worrying about what she is doing and concentrate on your own life. Quite frankly, most of these guys are just looking for an excuse to take away women from less well-off countries and abuse them. Cloudflare This is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. However just remember at all times that this is Saudi Arabia and you cannot do half the things that you would do back u and the penalties are severe. Saudi arabia follows islam. I'm concerned about the long flight time so I'd like to try to arrange a layover so that she can rest a bit. As a westerner I have never been stopped or questioned with any si, nor have any of my friends—but it does happen, so beware I hasten to add that I dating in jeddah expats actually married.

Living and working in Saudi Arabia officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or KSA is like nowhere else in the world that I've experienced. They enforce their rules to the letter, and the punishments are severe. Punishments for foreigners may be even more severe than for locals; most Saudis in the kingdom would just get their wrists slapped. You also have to remember that your employment is linked to your behavior. If you were arrested for drinking or womanizing for instance, you would not only find yourself jailed and deported you would also lose your job and any accrued benefits you may have earned. So that one drink could cost you a huge amount of money if you were expecting a few months' tax-free bonus at the end of a couple of years' hard work there in Saudi. Saudi Arabia is also one of the most hypocritical societies that I have ever encountered. In a society that constantly preaches about not using alcohol and the sanctity of their women's virtue, the queue to leave the country at the end of the working week over the bridge between Khobar and Bahrain is at least 4 to 5 hours long. The queue is made up mainly of Saudis, and I don't think they are all going to Bahrain to visit the mosques. The fact that Bahrain has many bars and nightclubs where people can drink and chase women and not the sort of women you can take home to Mother, I hasten to add may have more to do with the length of those queues. But maybe I am wrong; perhaps if you visit the bars in Bahrain you can let me know. Even within the kingdom it is very easy to find just about anything you want, on or off the compounds where most expats live. Most Saudis that I know have a bottle of two of the strong stuff hidden away for when they have visitors. That being said, with high wages and generous benefits it is a hard place to ignore for employment—and many expats myself included would rather endure the restrictions placed on us to work there and make that extra tax-free cash. Just in case you are ever fortunate enough to visit or work in Saudi Arabia, I will summarize the main rules, regulations, and laws that you need to know. Please, whatever you do, follow these rules—especially in public places. Saudis take their traditions and their religion very seriously. They are not known for their leniency towards foreigners who break their laws, and their prisons are for punishment, not reform. Once you have your Iqama, you must keep it with you at all times. If you get stopped with no valid ID you will be treated like an illegal and taken off to jail. Most of the police officers do not speak or choose not to speak English and will not generally be helpful. If you are with a woman, she'd best be your wife—and you must either have an Iqama that proves this relationship, or you must carry your marriage certificate. Muslims pray 5 times per day. Here in Saudi Arabia everything stops and shuts down for prayer, which lasts 20-30 minutes each time. So if you are going out, check the prayer times before you leave or you will end up waiting. You will know when it is prayer time as every mosque will start its call for prayer. The first compound I stayed in had 4 mosques nearby, one just off each wall. The call for prayer begins at dawn—if you are a light sleeper this will be when you get up every day. When prayer is called every business will close. You will be asked to leave smaller shops, but large supermarkets will allow you to wander and fill your trolleys during prayer although I once witnessed a group of matawa, or religious police, drive everyone out of a Riyadh supermarket at prayer time, but that was only once. Even glossy magazines with scantily clad women will be classed under this category. Remember, this is a country that is concerned about the naked flesh on cereal boxes and other items in the supermarket and uses black marker pen to cover it up! I often get asked about whether your laptop and other devices will be searched when you come into the country. I have yet to meet or hear of anyone who has ever experienced this. Although a laptop search is not likely to happen to you, it is probably best to ensure that anything out of the ordinary is hidden away from the usual directories on your computer. I have, however, known several women who have had cell phones snatched and searched by religious police, or mutawa. Quite frankly, most of these guys are just looking for an excuse to take away women from less well-off countries and abuse them. If you are a woman, be very careful with what you have on your cell phone, especially if you are in an area known for predatory mutawa. You won't find any bacon sandwiches in Saudi Arabia. Not only do they not eat pork, all pork products are actually illegal. If you are caught with pork, the police will throw you in the slammer! If you know someone, however, who is able to open a tin can without leaving any evidence you can easily smuggle in bacon in a can disguised as fruit or something else. Not that I have ever done this too often! Forget banning alcohol, for me this is the biggest problem about living in Saudi Arabia. Unless you are married or a direct blood relative, you are not allowed to mix in private with someone of the opposite sex. This is generally extended to the public sphere, as well, so walking and talking to someone of the opposite sex is likely to get you into very hot water—perhaps even jailed or deported. Again, your origin will also affect how you are treated here. As a westerner I have never been stopped or questioned with any woman, nor have any of my friends—but it does happen, so beware I hasten to add that I am actually married. On the other hand, I have both seen and heard frequent reports of Filipinos and Indians, as well as others, being stopped and arrested. If you want some additional information about you can have a look at my article about this subject using this link. Segregation of the sexes is strictly upheld. Even within the family section there are often screens arranged so that one table cannot see another, so that everyone is isolated. When working in this country you will find that the sexes rarely mix in the workplace. The women are required to have their own areas within the workplace. When Saudi men meet they will often kiss each other on the cheek. Women will do this when they meet one another, as well. However, do not think that this gives you the right to kiss your wife in public! Affection between men and women is not tolerated in public. It is okay to walk hand in hand with your wife—but no kissing and cuddling, even if meeting at the airport for the first time in a year. Control yourself until you get somewhere private. If someone tells you to stop doing something, stop straight away and do not try to argue the right or wrong of it. It is best to remove yourself from the area as quickly as possible in these situations. You do not want the people telling you to stop deciding that further action is required. Do not swear or make obscene gestures. People are easily offended or choose to be offended just to give you trouble , and things can escalate out of control. If someone takes a dislike to you, remove yourself from the situation as quickly as possible. The general rule here is that a Saudi is always right. Otherwise the decision tends to follow a hierarchy of origins: a middle eastern gentleman will always be given preferential treatment over a westerner unless there is a possible diplomatic fallout , and the westerner will always win out over a Filipino or an Indian, and so on. There is a very definite pecking order here in Saudi Arabia. Do not give the finger when you are driving, no matter how bad the Saudi is driving. This is not your country, and you will be in the wrong. And never, ever blaspheme the name of God or the prophet! Women cannot drive in Saudi Arabia; therefore they must have a driver. However, a problem arises because a woman cannot be alone with a man who is not her direct blood relative or her husband. Some men will not allow their wives to have a driver for this reason. There is a very real danger that a woman can be accused of having an improper relationship with her driver if the police want to cause a problem. In order to get around this problem, I have seen boys as young as 10 or 11 driving their mothers around. Many people may think that she is a prostitute and will treat her as such. On one occasion in the past several years ago , she was grabbed and dragged into a car by a man who tried to hold something over her nose and mouth to knock her out. Luckily she carries a knife, and the man stopped and let her out when she started to stab his seats and threaten him. My wife is a Filipina, not western. I have not heard of western women being treated in this way, but I have heard several similar reports regarding Filipina and Indonesian women, which have ended horrifically in rape and beatings. Alcohol is not allowed at all—not even in mouthwash and perfumes—so be careful what you bring into the country. Making your own alcohol is not exactly hard; it is easily made when sugar is fermented by yeast ordinary baking yeast is sufficient. So sugar and yeast added to nonalcoholic beers or to fruit juices will quickly ferment to produce an alcoholic version. Fermentation normally takes 1-2 weeks, and it takes another 2-3 weeks for the cloudiness to clear. Or so I am told, as this is strictly illegal. Finding alcohol on the compound is very easy—some compounds have their own residents' bar. Non-homemade quality stuff is harder to come by but not impossible. If you are caught you are likely to get sent home unless you are very lucky and someone manages to smooth-talk the police for you. If you have Saudi friends let them transport the alcohol—they will only get their wrists slapped if they are caught. Most Saudis I know drink and have supplies of many types. Whatever you do, do not sell booze under any circumstances. If you are caught you will be so deep in excrement you will not see the light of day for a long time. The kissing scene where the hero steals a little peck from the heroine? I am not talking about a sex scene here; I am talking a peck on the cheek. Even when you read the newspapers, you might notice that there is just too much good news about how wonderful everything is in Saudi Arabia! If you are still considering working in Saudi Arabia, then my full will tell you everything you need to know. Saudi Arabia is not somewhere to visit or work in unless you have done your homework. There are just too many things that you could do wrong and too many ways to easily offend the Saudis. Always do your research, and understand what it is that you are letting yourself in for. Punishment in Saudi Arabia can be severe. Hello Tony, its okay if my Fiancee declare in Saudi Arabia that she is married but were not yet married in Philippines we already have son, the reason why she declared that because she is working in the hospital and a lot of guy is asking her to make friends especially Egyptians guys and Indian. They keep on asking my partner because they like the beauty of my Fiancee I'm a little bit worried to her. However I stick by my comments calling the society hypocritical. You only have to look at the queue going into Bahrain or the number of Saudis heading into Dubai every weekend to see how many are going to drink and chase girls.. Then look at the way people drive, or treat expats from third world countries. Yes there are many great people that I met there - but many that are less than great. I was just curious out of the job I am offered. Is it easier for a widow lady with two kids work and live alone in Saudi Arabia? Are there any chances of moving about the places like malls and Markets in cabs like uber and careem etc along with the kids of course? I am from Pakistan, and I need a good advise whether or not to take up this job as a dermatologist at a hospital which will also provide accommodation. What would you suggest owing to the social status I hold. I absolutely disagree with that term. I could'nt even continue reading this article for more possible misinformation. Recently, I made an effort and tried fixing things again with my husband. At first, he was too hard that it seems that he did not want to put everything back to normal but then few minutes after, we began being okay again. After all, this has been our routine every time we had an argument. My 6yr old son unintentionally made it a joke when he said that his father has a new wife in Saudi. Guess what my husband reaction was? He laughed so hard. Is this reverse psychology not to be too obvious? Or if guilty, he could have denied and explained? What do you think? I asked him who that girl was, he said that she's just a friend and they go out always as a group. Probably, they just have some pictures together since they usually sit beside each other and that would be during those days when we were not talking. Again, my jealousy started to arise again. I immediately asked him if it's a girl, if that's the same girl. He first laughed but became a bit irritated probably because of me being immature. He said that it's not easy there to just be with a girl especially that it's Ramadan today. Is it more strict there for unmarried couple to be together when Ramadan than those ordinary days? Should I start trusting my husband again and avoid thinking too much negativity? Hope to read your response once I open this page again. If this is a group and some of the people are married then often that will be OK. But being alone together if not married is a problem and they could be arrested if caught together. You are not however going to be able to report them from the Philippines. As to your actions, you are understandably angry and your choice of action is down to you; personally I would concentrate on building a better life and forget revenge. We usually fight and because of the distance, things always end up worse. He recently posted pictures with a woman who is also a Filipina. There was also this picture where they were a group of 3 men, 3 women, seems that they are all partners. I am planning to sue the girl. How do you think it is possible? My husband converted to Islam few years ago but he was a Christian when we got married here. My wife was usually able to go around in Saudi without a scarf, or if one was required worn very loosely. Sometimes they even told her to cover her face. Very very sad but true. My husband and I worked as Intensive Care Nurses and saw the very best, and the very worst of humanity in those countries. It is only now that I realise that I have been suffering from PTSD because of some of the things we saw and the stress we lived under and can only now talk about some of my experiences. Life is harsh in the KSA and the penalties even harsher, I'm glad I survived to tell the tale. I am more grateful for my freedom and safe society I live in as a result of my travels throughout the Middle East. Your accounts are frank and honest, nobody should ever work in the KSA without doing their homework first and I can vouch for the truth in your writing. He is taking a big risk and should be very careful with what he is doing there. You need to work with him to sort our your relationship. I know many that work there in Saudi end up with new relationships due to being alone in a strange country; some of these relationships become permanent destroying the families that they had back home while others are dissolved as soon as the participants return back to their countries of origin. Being arrested with a man that is not your husband in Saudi could see her jailed, lashed and likely deported with Prostitute stamped in her passport. There are many expat men and women there that have taken another partner while they are there. Most are there separated from friends and family for many years in an inhospitable country so it really is not surprising that so many will pair up for the time that they are there in Saudi Arabia. Stop worrying about what she is doing and concentrate on your own life. You cannot socialize with a man unless your are a direct blood relative or you are married. So you risk imprisonment if you are found alone with him. Your compound would also not allow him access as they will be stopping any men from coming in if your compound is for single women. In addition to this it will be very difficult for him to get a visa to enter the country. What you should be aware of however is that your wife's Saudi sponsor may expect her to stay in their accommodation for female staff. This could be a problem and I have had several emails over the years from couples who have been separated by their sponsors expecting them to live in specific quarters. I also have many emails from couples where one or the other has had to move with their sponsor or been transferee to another part of Saudi away from their spouses. You are very much under the control of your sponsor there in Saudi. That being said most sponsors are very good to married couples but just be aware of the potential for problems. Good luck and I hope that everything goes well for you both. We are legally married in the Philippines - have our Marriage Cert stamped by Saudi Royal Embassy at Phils, not yet translated though - planning to process translation here. Please advise what should we do make things work well. Thank you in advance. I would also advise carrying a scarf or something similar to cover her hair should the need arise although you should not need to. Good luck and safe trip. I know that I will not be able to leave the airport; that's not a problem. I just have a few questions: when you mean the shirt should cover the arms, are you saying it should be long-sleeved? Also, would a long skirt be better than slacks? I think a long skirt might be more conservative so that that might be a better choice, but I'm wondering about it. What do you recommend, does it matter? Should we bring a head covering just in case, or is it safe to travel without one? While you do not need to wear an abaya within the airport your daughter will still need to dress respectfully which will mean long skirt or trousers and a shirt that does not have a cleavage and should cover the arms. Hair covering should not be necessary on a lay over within the airport. In about 6 months, I'm slated to take a trip to India for my work, and I'm taking my 15 year old daughter will me because she loves to travel and it is her turn this year. I'm concerned about the long flight time so I'd like to try to arrange a layover so that she can rest a bit. The only option that appears right now is a 15 hour layover in Saudi Arabia, specifically, Jeddah this is not set in stone, but appears likely at this point. I have heard a lot about the rather unique rules that girls and women must conform with to be allowed to travel and be within the country. I am wondering what my expectations will be for my daughter during the layover. Will she have to dress a certain way or cover her hair? I spoke with a Muslim colleague of mine the other day, and she told me that my daughter should wear a basic headscarf just to be safe because Muslim men there will be expecting it. She also recommended that my daughter wear a long skirt to her ankles and a thick tee-shirt with long sleeves, because she does want to stand out. However, this colleague is not from Saudi Arabia and she admitted that she is not familiar with the rules of Saudi Arabia, only with what my daughter would be expected to wear in a Muslim culture. I can't imagine that they'd impose these rules on someone her age, especially when we will not be there very long, however I have read what you and others have written and I want to double-check first. Do you have any suggestions? My wife was attacked by a man on the street! Our friend was almost kidnapped by two guys that tried to drag her into a car. Many run away maids that we know had been raped and abused by their sponsors and other family members and so on! I have heard so many terrible stories and seen so many things with my own eyes. Too many men in Saudi treat women as objects not people; especially women from poor countries that are unable to complain! Saudi arabia follows islam. For womens its the safest place being of any religion. I believe some people in saudi they take advantage but its all upon us to take precausions in the same. He will be your sponsor as long as you are legally married not the company. Many companies will fund your visa as the souse of their employee especially as a senior employee. However if not he can fund and process the visa himself. As to finding work you can apply for any job that you like but you should be aware that you will be very much under the control of your employer and if they say you are moving to another city as part of your work or you will be housed in an all female compound then that is what will happen. I have emails from several married women who have been effectively separated from their husbands by the companies that they work for as well as being denied holidays etc. So think very carefully before taking any work if the aim is to be with your husband. I would like to ask something, I am filipina also and my husband is european, we are planning to move is saudi because he found job there as a Executive Chef in Restaurant, for now we don't know if they will give me Visa under his company, my question is, is it possible if I find job there as a Administration staff currently we are here in Abu Dhabi, UAE. For example if a woman in public, was cursed at, or flirted at, touched, or abused, the penalty for that is severe to the man who did it, might as well all people around you will beat you to death to such things, the majority is the guys who have self respect and respect people, the rule is respect yourself to respect and be respected, as to looking sexually to a woman everyone will start looking at you in a discriminated way and dislike you and see you corrupt, however the part where woman get advantage all depends on the husband himself. And getting to the dating part... Thanks for a wonderful and realistic write. With all its goodness, be it KSA or UAE, things have gone to drains. I feel ashamed of their moral degradation, of course they may be in minority, but you know when a black spot appears, no matter how small it may be, on a white cloth it strikes our senses. Similar is the case here. With strict adherence of some of the Islamic principles they fall short of meeting the Islamic expectations. I have many relatives and friends over there, their narrations are sad. I just wonder how they can oppress people with exploitative laws in particular the labour laws? I think in view of the huge natural resources and solid economy they should focus on scientific development of the nation and intellectual development of the individuals. As whole of the Arab countries they can't compete even with European country like Spain which is believed to be at the bottom of European industrialist nations. Else the persistence of present conditions will never help attain Allah's pleasure. I feel sorry for men like you LeanMan. Being Muslim we should always think with a fair mind with a 'strict no' to emotive feelings. May Allah bless you all with His abundant mercy. It is far easier to just put your head down and finish your contract and leave on good terms with all of your bonuses intact. You have less than a year to complete and you will probably find that if you were to take them to the labor court that it would take more than a year to solve the problems and you would still lose money. People have to realize that if they sign up for a contract in Saudi that they will almost certainly be unable to back out. If you did not want to return you should have stayed home during your vacation. Know I am having some family problem and want to go back on exit but my company is forcing to finish contract. But I stop doing working. My employer sending mails that he take disciplinary action according to saudi law. I want to know how to go on exit. I want know if i want to break the contract how much penalty I have to pay according to saudi law. My employer is asking some of 20 thousands for giving exit. He told me that he will take my driving licence which is on my expenses. Please give me the solution to come out from this problem. Most foreigners that go to Saudi Arabia fully accept the rules there and abide by them, of course there are those that will still seek out drink and women as that is their way - there are also many Saudis that do the same. You only have to see the bridge into Bahrain at the weekend to see how many Saudis are going across to chase girls and drink beer. Most foreigners come there for one reason only - money! Saudi Arabia pays good wages without any tax. Women's rights are the things that upset me the most there, I see women being treated in a vile way and there is no way for them to help themselves. I know women who have been raped and abused yet they are afraid to even inform the police as they know that it will not be the men that have abused them that will be punished but them! Saudi Arabia I am a Saudi woman who don't like Saudi Arabia!!! I convert to another religion, and kept this secret! Yes, I do complaint about Saudi too much, as woman here live is exactly like hell on earth, for men its much better, and in fact, I was planned to escape from this prison, but luckily, after convincing my father to study abroad, I am not their, don't even want to live their again, only may be few days to visit my family as we saudi, we don't choose this country, but all forigner did choose to come here!!! I see this always as weird as Saudi is my country, there is of course few things I like and proud about this country, like the fact that alcohol is forbiden, and adultery etc... The following hub will explain more; Note that on a business visa you may have problems with everything from opening and account or cashing a check to even getting a sim card for your phone as many will refuse without an Iqama. A commercial or business visa will not allow you to bring your family; you will need a work visa and then an Iqama if you want to bring them. Your wife would also not be able to work legally as you may only work for your sponsor and that means you. They have relaxed the rules for the international schools so she could work as a school teacher in one of those but that is it! If you want to find out more feel free to follow the links in the article above which will take you to a huge amount of info regarding Saudi. The reality is that the tax man does not what you do unless you tell him! As to where you live you will find that some areas such as Riyadh are far more strict than areas like Al-Khobar and Jeddah and the people also more friendly in the less strict areas. However just remember at all times that this is Saudi Arabia and you cannot do half the things that you would do back home and the penalties are severe! Not aware of location at present does this matter, also someone informed me that coming from the Northern Ireland uk to work in Saudi you must stay away for a certain length of time 100+ days? As I have a young family is their anyway of coming back every 5 - 6 weeks to see them without Mr Tax knowing. Can I set up a wages account there and have direct debits coming out? Basically, I didn't watch porn, I just search for pictures or gifs something like that. But now, I am really scared because I didn't know that pornography isn't allowed here in KSA. This issue regarding to the pornography thing really keeps bugging me. Anyway I'm only 16 and I am scared if someone will knock on my door and turns out it's a police. Please help me LeanMan : I arrived here in KSA with my mom last April 2014. I know we are new but I should've searched for the laws first. This is so hard. Most iqama information talks about spouse. If the position is verified by the Saudi Embassy as eligible for dependents, then can the female worker bring her spouse and children? My employer says yes, but my other half of the question is that do you get the work visa for them and bring them with you when you go, or do you have to go on your own and then bring them afterward on the Iqama? Thanks in advance for clarifications. Hence why they are segregated in public places. While most police and other people will turn a blind eye to a woman in the back of a car with a driver there are those that will at times seek to use the rules to their advantage. This is such an issue that there was a Saudi cleric that issued a decree a few years ago that women should breast feed their drivers to make them their sons and thus be allowed in the car with them! Search it on the internet, you will find it easy enough. As to providing a direct quote I neither speak Arabic nor am I an expert on the Koran. Shariah law is based directly on the Koran and the various interpretations of it. However feel free to test their laws and argue their validity but don't be surprised if you find yourself locked up, lashed and deported as a prostitute. When in their country follow their rules to the letter or you will find yourself in some serious problems, Saudi Arabia is not a place to go and argue about their culture or their religion, it will not be tolerated at all. I will be under contract with Hitachi coming from Japan. I will be staying at Jazan city which looks to be very close to Yemen border. I will basically have no security as I am there to help create a new infrastructure new city out in the desert 1 hour drive I hear. I feel a bit uneasy but work is work! Any advice to try to stay a low profile? Many people come into the country on visas that state positions other than those for which they have been hired, these rarely get changed in my experience but there is no need to get too hung up on this. If you don't travel on your Visa to Saudi Arabia then you are not going to be in any trouble; they will not come find you. You also should not have any problems getting another visa at a later date. LeanMan I have few queries with me and would appreciate if you could advise me.. I have a job offer for Saudi work location till date... Now I would appreciate if you could share your views about this company if you happen to know this name. And second area of concern is whether to rely on company's word that they take full responsibility of changing my visa category from lower category i. Lastly what happens if after having a valid visa I dont travel. Men are not to be trusted in Saudi Arabia if you are a woman, not at all! I would carry a weapon and ask that you have a driver assigned for you rather than using a taxi. A company such as Aramco should be able to find you a driver that can be trusted. Aramco is one of the better companies to work for and you should be ok with them there in Saudi. As a woman there do not go anywhere alone with any man! As to driving it is still a NO, even in the eastern provinces. Manal Al Sharif the woman that was jailed for driving and raised the issue to an international level was actually fired from Aramco over that incident and her continued support for women's rights to drive. So don't do it! Do you think I could bring one or two into the country in order to protect myself? I, as a Nordic looking very middle aged woman who is interviewing for a position for Saudi Aramco, would be working off compound. Luckily my frosty response got the message across. Someone said here that women are able to drive in the eastern areas where Saudi Aramco is. Perhaps I could lease a car and drive myself? Do the larger corporations offer any protection for their women workers? Does their name hold weight? Do you think I could bring one in luggage without incident? I always dress conservatively and already have an abaya ready to wear should I be offered, and accept the position. I do plan to accept the position, if offered. I want to ward off any trouble. We are married and have 1 child, my parents took me and my son from my husband because he is irresponsible. You will be able to find for less than 50k but it will likely be an apartment or similar. Compound accommodation can be very hard to find in Saudi, I called over 20 compounds in Jeddah a few years back and found only one vacancy coming up. This link will help; will help you with many of your other questions also. There are many different types of compounds and they often contain many different nationalities but not Saudis. The bigger ones with the better facilities are usually the most expensive but there are many smaller compounds that you will only find by driving around or asking when you get there. It is always worth asking your employer for any recommendations as they may have contacts within one of the compounds to help you find a place. I lived off compound for several years and had no real problems, however as a woman you may find that very restrictive as you will not be able to easily travel anywhere alone so you will on the main be stuck in your home. But it is much cheaper; I rented a 4 bed, very large apartment in a nice area for just 32k. Many apartment owners refused to rent to me saying that westerners were not allowed to live off compound, however I did but I only knew one other that did the same. Your dedication to helping others learn and transition to such a new environment, during what is usually a complicated period for any individual or family, is beyond commendable. My question is in regard to housing. I am an American moving to Riyadh with my Middle Eastern husband. It is his work opportunity and I believe because he is not a U. Citizen or because of the hiring company policy , they have provided a housing allowance but left it to us to find the housing. I have done preliminary research online regarding housing prices and based on our housing allowance, it would seem renting in a compound with most listing prices I have seen priced well above 100,000 SAR annually would present costs well above our housing allowance. Thank you ahead and if it is more appropriate to respond via email I will be happy to forward my email address. On compound you will be able to dress normally it is only when you go out that you will all have to cover up. As to how people find each other when they are all wearing the same; get your daughter to carry a distinctive bag or put a small design on her abaya. But I'm not having her wear an abaya, at least not yet; I don't want her to be a walking black mass among every other walking black mass. We dress conservatively enough where I don't think she'll have a problem. I'll have her wear a loose tee shirt or blouse with a high neckline and a skirt that reaches the ankles. We have a relatively conservative family so skirts and necklines won't be a problem for her. I need to be find her if she wanders off or God forbid something happens to her. She'll be in a black abaya like the locals and I so we can't do it by color or by pattern... Foreign women do get harassed on a regular basis so take care, if possible always remain with your husband and keep your kids with you. It is up to you if you want to dress her in the abaya, if you are in Riyadh I would say do so, if in Jeddah then not so much need. There is a lot of difference between different cities as to how the people behave. But try to keep skirts as long as possible even for children, they can be very strange there!! She definitely is not the required age but we absolutely do not want to stand out. What would be the minimum required skirt length? She normally wears ankle length our family doesn't do jeans, except for my husband and son but we live in a cool climate... Also, I have seen comments from other women who said that they cover their faces and their kids' faces completely to avoid being harassed. Is this something we should do, especially with a young daughter? 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