Last updated: July 2026
This Editorial Policy explains how KSA Guides researches, writes, verifies, and maintains the content published on this Site. We publish it openly because we believe readers deserve to know how the information they are relying on was produced, particularly when that information touches on residency status, fees, legal processes, and other decisions that matter.
1. Our Editorial Mission
KSA Guides exists to give expats, new arrivals, and residents in Saudi Arabia accurate, current, and genuinely useful information about the practical realities of living in the Kingdom. We measure our success not by traffic alone, but by whether a reader who follows our guide gets the outcome they were looking for, whether that is renewing an Iqama without a wasted trip, finding the correct telecom code on the first try, or understanding a government fee before they are surprised by it.
2. Editorial Independence
KSA Guides is editorially independent. Our content is not written, approved, or influenced by any government authority, telecom operator, bank, or other organization named in our articles. We are not affiliated with the Saudi government, the Ministry of Interior, the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST), STC, Zain, Mobily, Friendi, or any other entity our guides reference.
Where KSA Guides has a commercial relationship, such as affiliate partnerships or sponsored content, this is governed by the disclosure standards in Section 8 of this policy. No commercial relationship is permitted to alter the factual accuracy of our content.
3. How We Choose What to Cover
Our content decisions are driven primarily by the real questions expats and residents are searching for, informed by:
- Direct reader questions and suggestions submitted through our Contact page
- Search behavior and query data showing what people are actively trying to find answers to
- Gaps we identify in existing coverage, where available information is outdated, incomplete, or factually incorrect
- Regulatory or service changes in Saudi Arabia that create a genuine need for updated guidance, such as a new government portal, a renamed authority, or a change in fees
4. Our Research and Verification Process
Every article published on KSA Guides follows a structured research process before it goes live.
4.1 Source Hierarchy
We prioritize sources in the following order when verifying a factual claim:
- Official government and operator sources. Where available, we verify claims directly against official portals, such as absher.sa, cst.gov.sa, mutasil.cst.gov.sa, or a telecom operator’s own website and published SMS or USSD service list.
- Independent verification across multiple sources. Where an official source is not directly available or does not cover a specific detail, we look for agreement across multiple independent, reputable sources before treating a claim as reliable.
- Direct testing, where feasible. For details such as USSD codes or app navigation steps, we aim to verify the described process reflects what a user would actually encounter.
If a detail cannot be confirmed through this process, we either omit it from the article or clearly note that it is unconfirmed. We do not present a guess or an unverified claim as settled fact.
4.2 Currency of Information
Saudi Arabia’s digital government infrastructure and telecom sector change frequently. Fees are revised, portals are renamed or merged, and USSD codes are added, changed, or retired. Because of this, every published article displays a “Last verified” date, reflecting the date our editorial team last confirmed the facts stated in the article against current sources.
We prioritize review of high-traffic and time-sensitive articles, particularly those involving fees, legal deadlines, and government procedures, since these carry the highest risk of harm if information becomes outdated.
4.3 Correcting the Record
When we identify or are notified of an error, we correct it. Corrections fall into two categories:
Minor updates, such as a changed fee, a renamed portal, or an updated USSD code, are corrected directly in the existing article, and the “Last verified” date is updated to reflect the change.
Substantive corrections, such as a factual claim that was materially wrong at the time of publication, are corrected in the article, and where appropriate, we note within the article that a correction has been made.
We do not silently rewrite articles to obscure a past error. Readers who submit corrections that lead to a substantive change are welcome to follow up with us to confirm the update was made.
5. Content Involving Government Services and Regulated Topics
Much of our content touches on residency, visas, taxation, and other categories that carry real legal and financial consequences for readers, sometimes referred to as Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) content. For this category of content, we apply additional standards:
- We name the specific official authority responsible for a process (such as CST, Absher, or ZATCA) rather than describing it in vague terms
- We include a “Last verified” date and, where relevant, a note that fees or rules are subject to change
- We avoid making predictions or guarantees about individual case outcomes, such as visa approval likelihood, and direct readers to the appropriate authority or a licensed professional for case-specific guidance
- We do not provide content that could reasonably be mistaken for legal, financial, immigration, or medical advice tailored to an individual’s circumstances
Our full position on the limits of our content is set out in our Disclaimer.
6. Author and Reviewer Standards
Articles on KSA Guides are produced and reviewed by our editorial team. Where an article reflects operational experience, such as how long a process typically takes in practice, this is based on direct observation, testing, or verified reader reports, and is presented as such rather than blended indistinguishably with official regulatory facts.
Author and reviewer information, where displayed on an article, reflects the individual or team responsible for that content’s research and accuracy at the time of publication.
7. Use of AI Tools in Content Production
KSA Guides uses a combination of human research, editorial review, and AI-assisted tools in producing content. Where AI tools are used, they are used to support drafting, structuring, and research efficiency, not as a replacement for the verification process described in Section 4. All published content is reviewed against our source hierarchy before publication, regardless of what tools were used in drafting it. We do not publish AI-generated content that has not been fact-checked against reliable sources.
8. Advertising, Affiliate Links, and Sponsored Content
KSA Guides may generate revenue through advertising, affiliate partnerships, or sponsored content. We disclose these relationships clearly and hold them to the following standards:
Advertising. Where display advertising appears on the Site, it is served by third-party advertising networks and is visually distinguishable from editorial content. Advertisers have no influence over our editorial content or coverage decisions. For more on how Anthropic’s Claude relates to this workflow, see the note in Section 10; this does not apply to human advertising partners, who follow the standards in this section independently.
Affiliate links. Where an article contains an affiliate link, meaning we may earn a commission if a reader makes a purchase or takes an action through that link, this is disclosed within the relevant article. Affiliate relationships never determine which products, services, or providers we recommend; our recommendations reflect our independent editorial assessment first, and affiliate availability second.
Sponsored content. If we publish content commissioned or paid for by a third party, it is clearly labeled as sponsored, partnered, or promoted content, distinguishing it from our independently researched editorial guides. Sponsored content is still required to be factually accurate and is reviewed by our editorial team before publication.
We do not accept payment in exchange for positive coverage, and we do not allow commercial partners to review or approve editorial content before publication, except for sponsored content that is clearly labeled as such.
9. Corrections and Reader Feedback
We rely in part on our readers to help us maintain accuracy. If you believe an article contains outdated, incorrect, or misleading information, please report it through our Contact page using the corrections email address listed there. Every correction report is reviewed by our editorial team, and confirmed errors are corrected promptly, with priority given to corrections involving fees, deadlines, or legal processes.
10. A Note on Content Production Tools
In producing our content, our editorial team may use a range of research and writing tools, including AI language models, to support drafting and structuring efficiency. The use of such tools does not change our commitment to the verification standards described in Section 4. Every fact published on KSA Guides, regardless of what tools assisted in drafting it, is expected to be traceable to a verifiable source before publication.
11. Questions About This Policy
If you have questions about how a specific article was researched, or about our editorial standards generally, contact us at ksaguides@gmail.com