How Saudi Expats Guide collects, uses, stores and protects your information.
Last Updated: 1 March 2026 | Applies to: saudiexpatguide.com
Your privacy matters to us. Saudi Expats Guide ("we", "us", "our") is a privately operated, independent information website run from India. This Privacy Policy explains clearly and honestly what data we collect from visitors to saudiexpatguide.com, why we collect it, how we use it, how long we keep it, who we share it with, and what rights you have over your own data — whether you are based in Saudi Arabia, the European Union, India or anywhere else.
Website: saudiexpatguide.com
Operated by: Saudi Expats Guide — a privately operated,
independent information website
Operated from: India
Nature of site: Free expat information and guidance resource,
with optional paid consultation services
Not affiliated with: The Government of Saudi Arabia, HRSD,
Ministry of Interior, MISA or any Saudi government entity
For the purposes of applicable data protection law, Saudi Expats Guide is the data controller in respect of personal data collected through this website.
You only provide personal data to us when you actively choose to contact us or request a consultation. We do not require registration to read the website. Data you may provide includes:
We do not ask for, and you should never send us, copies of your passport, Iqama, salary slips or other identity documents. If you send such documents voluntarily, we will delete them promptly after the consultation unless you have specifically requested otherwise.
When you visit our website, certain technical data is collected automatically by our hosting provider (Cloudflare Pages) and, with your consent, by Google Analytics:
This automatic data is collected in aggregate form and is used to understand how our content is performing — for example, which guides are most useful to readers. We cannot identify individual visitors from this data.
| Purpose | Data Used | Legal Basis (GDPR) |
|---|---|---|
| Respond to contact form enquiries | Name, email, message content | Legitimate interest / pre-contractual steps |
| Deliver paid consultation sessions | Name, email, WhatsApp, enquiry details | Performance of a contract |
| Improve website content and structure | Anonymised analytics data | Legitimate interest |
| Analyse traffic patterns (Google Analytics) | Anonymised usage data, cookies | Consent (via cookie banner) |
| Security — prevent abuse or spam | IP address, form data | Legitimate interest |
| Comply with legal obligations | Any data required by law | Legal obligation |
We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you. We do not sell your personal data to any third party. We do not use your data to send unsolicited marketing emails unless you have explicitly opted in.
We use cookies — small text files stored on your device — to make our website function properly and, with your consent, to analyse how it is used. We operate a cookie consent system: on your first visit, a banner asks for your consent before any non-essential cookies are set.
| Category | Purpose | Consent Required? | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly Necessary | Essential for the website to function — cookie consent preferences, security | No — always active | cookie_consent, session cookies |
| Analytics | Understand how visitors use the site — pages visited, time on site, traffic source | Yes — consent required | Google Analytics (_ga, _gid) |
| Functional | Remember your preferences (e.g. calculator inputs, tool states) | Yes — consent required | Local preference cookies |
| Marketing / Advertising | Currently not in use — we do not run behavioural advertising at this time | N/A — not used | — |
You can withdraw or change your cookie consent at any time using the Cookie Settings link in the footer of every page. For full details on every cookie we set, please read our Cookie Policy.
With your consent, we use Google Analytics 4 (provided by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA) to understand how visitors interact with our website. Google Analytics collects anonymised data including pages viewed, session duration, device type and traffic source.
We have configured Google Analytics with IP anonymisation enabled, meaning your full IP address is never stored by Google Analytics. Data collected is processed by Google in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy (policies.google.com/privacy).
You may opt out of Google Analytics tracking at any time by:
Google Analytics data is transferred to and processed in the United States. This transfer is covered by Google's EU Standard Contractual Clauses and their participation in applicable data transfer frameworks. See Section 8 for more on international transfers.
When you book a paid consultation, you submit personal data through our contact form (name, email, WhatsApp number, nature of your enquiry). This data is used solely for the purpose of:
Consultation data is not shared with any third party. It is not used for marketing, profiling or any purpose beyond the consultation itself. It is stored securely and deleted after 12 months unless you request earlier deletion.
Sensitive information: Do not share with us, during a consultation or otherwise, more personal information than is necessary for the question you need answered. We do not need, and you should not send us, full Iqama numbers, passport scans, bank account details or salary slips unless strictly necessary and agreed in advance.
We use a small number of trusted third-party services to operate this website. Each has their own privacy policy and data handling practices:
| Service | Purpose | Data Shared | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare Pages | Website hosting and CDN delivery | IP address, request logs (standard server logs) | cloudflare.com/privacypolicy |
| Google Analytics 4 | Website traffic analysis (consent-gated) | Anonymised usage data, device type, location (country/city) | policies.google.com/privacy |
| WhatsApp (Meta) | Consultation delivery channel | Phone number, conversation content — governed by WhatsApp T&Cs | whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy |
| Email provider | Receiving and responding to contact form submissions | Name, email, message content | Provider-specific (Gmail / business email) |
We do not currently use any advertising networks, affiliate tracking systems, social media pixels, or behavioural targeting systems. If this changes in the future, this policy will be updated before any such system is activated.
We do not sell, rent, trade or share your personal data with any third party for their own marketing or commercial purposes under any circumstances.
Saudi Expats Guide is operated from India. Our primary users are based in Saudi Arabia. Some of our third-party processors (including Google) process data in the United States. This means your data may be transferred across international borders.
For users based in the European Union or EEA: any transfer of your personal data outside the EEA is made on the basis of appropriate safeguards — specifically, Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) adopted by the European Commission, or equivalent recognised transfer mechanisms. Google LLC participates in such frameworks for its Analytics services.
For users based in Saudi Arabia: your data is processed in India and, in the case of analytics, in the United States. We take reasonable steps to ensure your data is handled securely and only for the purposes described in this policy, in line with the principles of Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL). See Section 14 for more.
| Data Type | Retention Period | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Contact form enquiries | 6 months from last contact | To allow follow-up; deleted thereafter unless ongoing |
| Consultation records | 12 months from session date | In case of follow-up questions or disputes |
| Google Analytics data | 14 months (Google default, anonymised) | Traffic trend analysis; anonymised at source |
| Cookie consent preferences | 12 months | To remember your consent without re-asking on every visit |
| Server/access logs (Cloudflare) | Per Cloudflare's retention policy | Security and performance — governed by Cloudflare |
When the retention period expires, data is deleted or anonymised so that it can no longer be linked to you as an individual. You may request earlier deletion of your data at any time — see Section 11.
We take reasonable and proportionate technical and organisational measures to protect the personal data we hold:
However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. In the event of a data breach that is likely to affect your rights, we will notify affected users as required by applicable law.
Depending on where you are based, you have a number of rights over your personal data. We respect and will honour these rights regardless of your jurisdiction:
Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. We will respond within 30 days.
Ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold.
Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten"), subject to legal retention obligations.
Object to our processing of your data where we rely on legitimate interests as the legal basis.
Ask us to pause processing of your data while a correction or objection is being considered.
Withdraw cookie consent at any time via Cookie Settings in the footer. Withdrawal does not affect past lawful processing.
Request a copy of data you provided to us in a structured, machine-readable format (where technically feasible).
Lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority if you believe we have handled your data unlawfully.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us via our Contact Page. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request. We will not charge a fee for reasonable requests.
Saudi Expats Guide is an information resource intended for adults — specifically working professionals and their families living or planning to live in Saudi Arabia. Our website is not directed at children under the age of 18.
We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18 years of age. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that a child under your care has submitted personal information to us, please contact us immediately at our Contact Page and we will delete that information promptly.
Our website contains links to external websites — including Saudi government portals (hrsd.gov.sa, absher.sa, qiwa.sa, muqeem.sa), recruitment platforms and other resources. These external sites have their own privacy policies, which we do not control and are not responsible for.
Clicking an external link and leaving our website means your data will be governed by that external site's own privacy policy from that point onwards. We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any external site before submitting personal information.
Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) came into effect in September 2024. The PDPL establishes rights for Saudi residents in respect of their personal data and obligations for entities that process such data — including foreign-operated websites serving Saudi users.
In accordance with the spirit and requirements of the Saudi PDPL, Saudi Expats Guide commits to the following in respect of users based in Saudi Arabia:
If you are a Saudi resident and wish to exercise your rights under the PDPL — including the right to access, correct or delete your personal data — please contact us via the Contact Page.
This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 (DPDPA) where applicable to our operations as an Indian-operated data controller.
Where you are a resident of the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to your data and supplements this policy with the rights described in Section 11.
Where you are a resident of Saudi Arabia, the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) applies and is addressed in Section 14.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the services we use, or applicable law. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
For significant changes — particularly those that expand how we collect or use your data — we will make reasonable efforts to notify regular users. Your continued use of the website after any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
We encourage you to review this page periodically. Previous versions of this policy are available on request.
For any privacy-related question, data access request, deletion request or complaint regarding how we handle your personal data, please contact us via our:
Contact Page — saudiexpatguide.com/contact.html
Please include "Privacy Request" in the subject line or at the start of your message so we can prioritise your enquiry. We aim to respond to all privacy-related requests within 30 days. For complex requests we may take up to an additional 60 days — in which case we will notify you of the extension within the initial 30-day period.
If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy request, you have the right to escalate your complaint to the relevant supervisory authority in your country of residence.