Custodianship Transfer Process

Export to PDF

Doc ID: custodianship-transfer-process Status: Draft Updated: 2026-04-21 Version: 1.0

1. Executive Summary

This process governs the transfer of custodianship (legal guardianship as reflected on the Iqama) for a graduate student. It moves through academic approval, document verification, and external government processing before a new Iqama is issued.

Trigger: A graduate student needs to change their custodian and submits a request via an academic petition.
Main actors: Student, Deanship of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies, Scholarship Office, University Passport Department, and Khobar Passport Department (external).
Key decisions: Academic approval by the Deanship, age-based document requirement (under 26), active enrollment verification by the Scholarship Office, and information completeness review by Khobar.
Outcome: The student collects a new Iqama reflecting the updated custodian, or the request is rejected at the Deanship or Scholarship Office stage.

2. Actors and Responsibilities

Actor	Responsibility
Student	Initiates the custodianship transfer request via academic petition, submits required documents to the Scholarship Office, signs the obligation letter, provides a No Objection Letter if under 26, pays the transfer fee (2,000 SAR), and collects the new Iqama.
Deanship of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies	Reviews the academic petition, approves or rejects the request, prints the petition, and obtains the Dean's signature.
Scholarship Office	Receives student paperwork, directs the student to complete required documents, reviews all documents, verifies active enrollment status, and forwards the approved request to the University Passport Department.
University Passport Department	Forwards the transfer request to Khobar Passport Department, provides additional information if returned for clarification, receives the new Iqama, and notifies the student for collection.
Khobar Passport Department (external)	Reviews the transfer request, may return it for additional information, approves the transfer, processes the custodianship change, issues the new Iqama, and sends it to the University.

3. Key Process Logic

Academic approval gate: The Deanship decides whether the custodianship transfer petition is academically justified. Rejection ends the process immediately.
Age-based requirement: Students under 26 must provide a No Objection Letter from the current custodian. Students 26 or older skip this requirement.
Active enrollment check: The Scholarship Office independently verifies the student is currently active. An inactive student's request is rejected at this stage, even if previously approved by the Deanship.
Khobar correction loop: If the Khobar Passport Department finds information incomplete, it returns the request to the University Passport Department for clarification and resubmission.
Fee payment: After Khobar approves the transfer, the student pays 2,000 SAR via government bank payments before the transfer is processed.

No timeout on external processing

After the request is forwarded to Khobar, the process waits indefinitely for a response. There is no modeled timeout, escalation path, or reminder if Khobar does not respond or if the student does not pay the fee after approval.

4. Process Map (BPMN)

BPMN Diagram Notice: This document export excludes the interactive BPMN diagram.
To view the full process map, please visit:
dsa-pdp.pages.dev → Custodianship Transfer Process

5. Process Walkthrough

Phase 1 — Academic Petition and Deanship Approval

Step	Responsible Role	Action	Outcome
1.0	Student	Submits a custodianship transfer request via an academic petition.	Petition is received by the Deanship.
2.0	Deanship	Reviews the petition and decides whether to approve.	Approved → proceed to 3.0. Rejected → request is formally rejected and the process ends.
3.0	Deanship	Prints the academic petition and obtains the Dean's signature.	Signed petition is ready for collection.
4.0	Student	Collects the approved and signed petition from the Deanship.	Student proceeds to the Scholarship Office.

Phase 2 — Document Submission and Scholarship Office Review

Step	Responsible Role	Action	Outcome
5.0	Student	Visits the Scholarship Office and hands over all required paperwork.	Documents received by the Scholarship Office.
6.0	Scholarship Office	Directs the student to fill out required documents.	Student completes required forms.
7.0	Student	Signs the obligation letter.	Obligation letter on file.
7.1	Student	If under 26: provides a No Objection Letter from the current custodian. If 26 or older: this step is skipped.	Age-based requirement satisfied.
8.0	Scholarship Office	Reviews all documents and verifies the student's active enrollment status.	Active → forward to Passport Department. Not active → request rejected, process ends.

Phase 3 — External Processing and Iqama Issuance

Step	Responsible Role	Action	Outcome
9.0	Scholarship Office	Forwards the approved request to the University Passport Department.	Request handed off internally.
10.0	University Passport Department	Sends the transfer request to the Khobar Passport Department.	Process waits for Khobar's response.
10.1	Khobar Passport Department	Reviews the request. If information is incomplete, returns it for clarification; the University Passport Department provides the required information and resubmits.	Correction loop repeats until Khobar is satisfied. Approved → proceed to 11.0.
11.0	Student	Pays the custodianship transfer fee of 2,000 SAR via government bank payments.	Payment confirmation sent to Khobar.
12.0	Khobar Passport Department	Processes the custodianship transfer, issues a new Iqama, and sends it to the University.	New Iqama received by the University Passport Department.
13.0	University Passport Department	Notifies the student that the new Iqama is ready for collection.	Student is informed.
14.0	Student	Visits the University Passport Department and collects the new Iqama.	Process complete — new Iqama reflects the updated custodian.

6. Inputs, Outputs, and Records

Inputs

Copy of the approved academic petition.
Letter from the Ministry of Interior confirming no violation record.
Copy of the current Iqama.
Copy of the clearance letter of the custodian (required only if the student is under 26).
No Objection Letter from the current custodian (required only if the student is under 26).

Outputs

New Iqama reflecting the updated custodian.
Formal rejection notice (if the request is rejected at the Deanship or Scholarship Office stage).

Records

Signed academic petition (Dean's signature).
Signed obligation letter.
Fee payment confirmation (2,000 SAR via government bank payments).

↑ Back to top