On this page, you will find:
To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Saudi Arabia LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For Saudi Arabia country of origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our Saudi Arabia COI page.
Refugee protection
Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Saudi Arabia.
The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which Saudi Arabia is signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is neither a State Party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, nor to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
In the absence of an international or national legal framework for refugee protection in Saudi Arabia, the UNCHR operates in the country under a Memorandum of Understanding from 1993. This Memorandum of Understanding was amended in 2010.
Legal aid organisations
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Legal Information Website – Legal information available in English, Spanish, Creole, Arabic, Pashto, Farsi (Dari).
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) provides free legal help to some refugees and displaced people. IRAP cannot grant refugee status or visas or speed up cases. IRAP cannot provide financial help, find or pay for housing, or find jobs. They do not make any decisions concerning resettlement and they are completely independent of UNHCR and national governments. Any information sent to IRAP is highly confidential, and all services are free of charge. IRAP provides free legal services to refugees seeking refugee protection and resettlement.
IRAP can help some people in processes like:
- Afghan and Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa applications. IRAP helps with some kinds of Chief of Mission appeals.
- Family reunification for refugees with relatives in the United States and in some European countries. IRAP helps with some stages and some kinds of family reunification processes.
- UNHCR processes. IRAP represents some refugees in certain UNHCR processes in certain countries.
- U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) applications. IRAP helps with some kinds of Requests for Review (RFRs) of USRAP denials.
- Some other processes, like refugees in the U.S. applying for a refugee travel document.
Anyone can request legal help through their chatbot on Facebook by clicking here or on Telegram by clicking here.
This webform is for Afghan SIV applicants who want to file or have received denials from the Chief of Mission (COM) and who do not currently have an application or appeal pending review at COM to request legal help.
IRAP Jordan accepts requests for assistance through this form. The form is only available when IRAP Jordan is accepting new requests for assistance. If the form is not available, please check back to that link regularly.
IRAP is not able to assist everyone who contacts them, and emailing them or getting in touch does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Organisations providing other support to refugees
Website
Address: P.O. Box 3508, Al Khobar 31952, Saudi Arabia
Tel: +966 (0) 50 58 20 658
Contact: Ibrahim Almugaiteeb, Director
Email: hrfssaudiarabia@gmail.com
The Human Rights First Society (HRFS) is an NGO dedicated to protecting and defending human rights in Saudi Arabia. HRFS monitors human rights abuses and advocates for the victims. It stands for applying the rule of law, freedoms of expression and association, and abolishing all discrimination in Saudi society on the basis of gender or religious belief. The organisation does not have expertise in refugee law, but is willing to advocate for refugees’ rights and is prepared to respond to requests for information.
Saudi Arabia LGBTQI+ Resources
Find organisations working for refugee LGBTQI+ rights in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia COI
Find Saudi Arabia Country of Origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents.
We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and/or individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.
Last updated May 2023