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Saudi Arabia/Questions Answered by Expert Dee O'Brien
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Sponsoring my Wife | 12/27/2010 |
| Q: Am hasanali from India. In another 2 months,I will be moving to Dammam for Job.After goin ther,wat r ... A: The absolute requirements for getting an employer to sponsor a relative to live here will depend on ... | |
| Sponsoring my Wife | 12/27/2010 |
| Q: Am hasanali from India. In another 2 months,I will be moving to Dammam for Job.After goin ther,wat r ... A: ... and ahlan ( arabic for welcome ! ). The issue of an expat sponsoring a relative is a bit of a ... | |
| Visa Issues | 12/23/2010 |
| Q: Good morning Dee I worked in Saudi for 13 years but did not leave on final exit. I had a valid ... A: Difficult one... officially if you declare the original residence status and they check how you left ... | |
| abaya | 9/6/2010 |
| Q: I am sure this question has been asked before, but I have heard 2 conflicting stories about what I ... A: I will start by saying that there is no absolute yes or no answer to the issue of wearing an abaya ... | |
| Vist My Husband in Saudi Arabia | 8/14/2010 |
| Q: My husband is working for Raytheon as a contractor in Saudi Arabia. He has a private apt in a ... A: It should be possible for you to get a visit visa to come and spend some time with your husband - ... | |
| Westerner areas in Saudi | 8/6/2010 |
| Q: my company is sending me on a project to Jeddah for a couple of months. I will be living in a hotel ... A: I should start my answer by reitarating that I haven't lived in Jeddah and as such I don't know the ... | |
| Potential English teacher in Riyadh | 8/2/2010 |
| Q: Do you know much about young western women working in the preparatory year English program at KSU? ... A: Glad you found my reply of some help... even if you don't feel any closer to a decision!! It is a ... | |
| Potential English teacher in Riyadh | 7/25/2010 |
| Q: Do you know much about young western women working in the preparatory year English program at KSU? ... A: Not quite sure what's going on with the website at the moment - I spent quite some time answering ... | |
| Tabouk | 6/22/2010 |
| Q: I am currently living in Abu Dhabi, UAE. My company offered me a job at some military base close to ... A: I'm afraid I've been out on hols since late June and so haven't had a chance to answer your question ... | |
| Women in Jeddah | 7/6/2009 |
| Q: Will be visiting Jeddah soon with the intention of moving there to live short term with my partner ... A: Hey Samantha, you're very welcome - I would love to have been able to ask questions of someone ... | |
| tourist visa for Non-Muslim | 7/4/2009 |
| Q: I have recently moved from UK to Jeddah as I got job here. One of my friend, a Chinese Non-Muslim ... A: .. Unfortunately I believe it's very unlikely that she will be successful in getting a visit visa... ... | |
| Women in Jeddah | 7/2/2009 |
| Q: Will be visiting Jeddah soon with the intention of moving there to live short term with my partner ... A: Sorry I've not been in touch but I didn't receive the message to my inbox - have just seen it when I ... | |
| Traveling to Saudi Arabia, couple of questions | 6/28/2009 |
| Q: I'll be traveling to Saudi in a few months with my one year old son and my FIL. My husband won't be ... A: Good to hear from you and thanks for the question. Glad to hear you'll be coming into Kingdom soon ... | |
| customs issues | 6/19/2009 |
| Q: I read with interest your reply regarding customs restrictions. I too am moving to Saudi and have ... A: The list of items is long and can seem intimidating and overly restrictive. But to be honest I ... | |
| work and travel for expat wifes + cost of living | 4/25/2009 |
| Q: I am writing from Sweden. My husband has started discussions with recruiters for a job in KSA. ... A: Glad you found my answer of some help.. Dammam is a town on the eastern coast ( Arabian Gulf coast ) ... | |
| work and travel for expat wifes + cost of living | 4/24/2009 |
| Q: I am writing from Sweden. My husband has started discussions with recruiters for a job in KSA. ... A: .. and believe me, I know exactly how you feel with all these questions and feeling like there's ... | |
| Saudi customs | 4/22/2009 |
| Q: Dee, We will be moving to Saudi Arabia soon. I have read that they do not allow animal carvings, ... A: Well, you have got me thinking with your question.... I'm not sure I ever realised animal carvings ... | |
| Hair Colour!!! | 3/15/2009 |
| Q: I am a blonde western woman joining my husband in Jeddah in May and I have dyed blonde hair. Am I ... A: LOL!!! I seem to remember almost exactly the same question running through my own thoughts before I ... | |
| Riyadh - what shoes & male colleague | 3/8/2009 |
| Q: I'm going on a business trip next week to Riyadh - only for a few days, on invitation by the ... A: Good to get your question and I'll do my best to answer it for you... Great that they'll provide the ... | |
| Working in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia | 3/2/2009 |
| Q: I have seen similar questions from others, but I am considering a position in Yanbu, are there ways ... A: Sorry about taking so long to get back to you.... but I have been thinking about and asking around ... | |
| About Living culture and family life in and around Ras Tunara, saudi arabia | 2/25/2009 |
| Q: I will be moving to Ras Tunara in March'2009. I am married and has a 3 yr old daughter ready for ... A: ... sorry for that! Ras Tanura ( RT ) is a large town north of Dammam / Al Khobar in Eastern ... | |
| Visa for Step daughter | 2/22/2009 |
| Q: I married a divorcee woman who has a daughter of 5 years. I have recently come to KSA for employment ... A: ... and I have to ay I'm not sure - but I can try to find out for you... Can you let me know first ... | |
| women arriving in saudi | 2/18/2009 |
| Q: I am starting work in Saudi soon and my wife will join me a short time later. When my wife arrives ... A: .. delighted to hear you'll be coming into Kingdom shortly, congrats on the new job! As far as your ... | |
| KSA Umrah Travelling | 2/13/2009 |
| Q: I want to travel for umrah with my wife.But she has passport and CNIC and passport with his father ... A: I hope I can give you some help... I'm not actually sure what a CNIC is but as regards your wifes ... | |
| Tabuk & dress code at interview | 2/1/2009 |
| Q: Two questions here for you I like to get answered: 1) As a man, I have been offered a job on a large ... A: I'm really sorry about this - I've already done a full answer to your question - but somehow lost it ... | |
| Saudi Arabia women fashion | 1/16/2009 |
| Q: I´m a student from an portuguse university and i´m studying women´s Saudi Arabia fashion style. I ... A: I think! Yes, Saudi women use handbags, just the same as most women in the world do.... and the size ... | |
| About Al Jubail | 1/8/2009 |
| Q: I would like to have some info about Al Jubail.I am supposed to be there in the first week of fab ... A: despite only visiting Jubail two or three times before... I live about an hour and 15mins drive from ... | |
| working in health-care | 1/1/2009 |
| Q: I am soon going to qualify as a physiotherapist in the UK,and have some close family moving to Saudi ... A: Thans for the question and congratulations on your up-coming graduation! It's a bit difficult to ... | |
| Your recommendation | 12/15/2008 |
| Q: My name is Aram,I am from Armenia. It is a small county in Caucasus neighboring Georgia,Turkey,Iran. ... A: I'll try to answer as best I can but bear in mind that I have always lived in company supplied ... | |
| Saudi Arabia Women Dress Code | 12/11/2008 |
| Q: What kind of clothing do women have to wear, and is western-style clothing acceptable for men? Are ... A: .. and apologies for the delay in replying... In previous answers I have gone through alot of the ... | |
| Dress Code | 12/9/2008 |
| Q: Hi ]i will be visiting Taif in Saudie Aravie Can you tell me what Dress Code I should be wearing ... A: Sorry I've taken so long to answer you but I've been struggling with a flu that's wiped me out... ... | |
| Visiting Jeddah - a woman | 12/5/2008 |
| Q: I am living and working as a teacher in Riyadh and have booked a flight and hotel for a 5 day Eid ... A: Absolutely not a problem to both travel around the country on your own and stay in a hotel on your ... | |
| Life in Saudi | 11/4/2008 |
| Q: I am a New Zealander about to start work in Ryiadh as a Nanny in a VIP family, I have no real idea ... A: .. and I'll do what I can to give you a wide ranging answer... Let me start by saying that your ... | |
| University teacher in Riyadh - Dress Code? | 10/5/2008 |
| Q: Is it acceptable for women teachers to wear smart, conservative black trousers to work in a girls ... A: Having just spoken to one of my work colleagues here I'm told that in Riyadh alone, even in female ... | |
| University teacher in Riyadh - Dress Code? | 10/3/2008 |
| Q: Is it acceptable for women teachers to wear smart, conservative black trousers to work in a girls ... A: Women in Saudi are free to wear whatever clothing they want - but while in any public areas where ... | |
| WOMEN'S DRESS CODE | 9/7/2008 |
| Q: My husband & I are planning on a 18 day Red Sea Cruise.During One of our excursions, we are to ... A: While I haven't ever been to Duba or Nuwelba, I have been to Tabuk and thus feel I can help with ... | |
| Riyadh | 8/19/2008 |
| Q: I am an English teacher going to work at the university in Riyadh, the university is providing ... A: .. Another blonde - me too!! So I have first hand experience to answer this one. I don't ever cover ... | |
| Abayas | 7/30/2008 |
| Q: my husband is considering a job offer in Al Khobar. Can you tell me if you are allowed to wear ... A: .. Firstly there aren't actually any real rules as such about abaya colours - but there are ... | |
| Husband has a job opportunity in KSA and I wonder about travelling in and out of country | 7/18/2008 |
| Q: I understand to get into the country, I would need a Saudi Visa. I also understand that I would ... A: .. I'll start by saying it's alot easier to travel in and out of Kingdom now than it used be, not ... | |
| Goverment officials | 6/18/2008 |
| Q: Who is minister of interor of Saudi Arabia A: The current Interior Minister here in Saudi is Prince Naif ( or Nayef ) Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. He's ... | |
| Step Kids Residence Visa | 5/3/2008 |
| Q: I wonder if you could advise me. I am married to a divorced woman who has a daughter (my step ... A: I'm not actually sure of the legal implications of your situation as I've not had personal dealings ... | |
| Female tourist want to know what the dress requirements are | 2/26/2008 |
| Q: I am a tourist about to travel to Riyadh and wouldlike to know what i need to wear in Saudi Arabia? A: We don't tend to get alot of tourists in Saudi so it's nice to hear there are some! I believe the ... | |
Dee O'Brien
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions in general about life in Saudi Arabia, people, customs, expat lifestyle and travel both in Kingdom and within parts of the Middle East - Bahrain, UA. I CANNOT answer specific questions about individual employers in Kingdom.
Experience
Currently living & working in Kingdom - since 1996, firstly in Riyadh and now in Eastern Province
Education/Credentials
RN
BA(hons) Law & Managagement
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