Inside Saudi Arabia

The Premium Residency Episode: All 7 Routes

There are seven routes to Saudi Premium Residency. Most people only know about one or two of them, and almost everyone thinks Vesna got hers because of Instagram. This week, Carly and Vesna walk through all seven, what each costs, what each unlocks, and what they wish they'd understood before they started navigating it themselves. Vesna holds Premium Residency as a secondary, sponsored by her husband, and she's open about what that actually means in practice: full benefits for him, partial for her, and a learning curve for the whole family. Carly doesn't have it. Together they break down limited-duration, unlimited-duration, special talent, gifted, investor, entrepreneur, and real-estate routes, with the actual SAR figures and the catch on each one. A few things to know up front: this isn't legal advice, the Premium Residency website is the only source you should trust to apply, and the math fact-check halfway through is worth staying for. Part two, on starting a business once you have residency, is coming. Listen wherever you get podcasts: https://linktr.ee/insidesaudi Inside Saudi is the English-language podcast about daily life in Saudi Arabia today, co-hosted by two moms in Riyadh. Follow Inside Saudi: Instagram: @insidesaudiarabia TikTok: @insidesaudiarabia Carly: @caroverman (Instagram) @carlyoverman (TikTok) Vesna: @vesnapetrovicx   Chapters: 00:00 Cold open 00:53 Welcome + why this episode 03:00 Seven routes, overview 07:20 Route 1: Limited duration (100,000 SAR/year) 08:45 Route 2: Unlimited duration (800,000 SAR) 10:39 Route 3: Special talent residency 13:13 Route 4: Gifted residency (culture & sports) 16:10 Route 5: Investor residency (7M SAR + 10 jobs) 16:45 Route 6: Entrepreneur residency (two tiers) 21:02 Route 7: Real estate residency (4M SAR unmortgaged) 22:04 Process, timeline, background checks 24:58 Myths people get wrong 27:31 The big summary

He Said No To Saudi Three Times. Then He Stayed 5 Years | Cedric Dahmoun

Cedric Dahmoun said no to Saudi three times before he came. He stayed five years. He's a Belgian-Algerian content creator with 600,000 followers, most of whom found him through TikToks showing what life in Saudi actually looks like. He came during COVID from Dubai, with no Arabic, no plan, and a feeling that he'd run out of versions of himself to try in Europe. In this episode he tells us about the night a stranger followed him through the dark in the south of Saudi and what happened next. He talks about leaving his phone on the coffee table for five years and what that says about the city he chose. He explains what he calls "the imam of TikTok," and why he doesn't argue with them. And he tells us about his next thing: walking from Riyadh to Mecca by camel, one month, the old way, because he wants to feel how the pilgrimage used to be done. Carly and Vesna hosted from the studio in Riyadh. Cedric was in Saudi dress and a Shure mic. Episode 28. Listen wherever you get podcasts. With Carly Overman and Vesna Petrovic.   00:00 Cold open 00:58 Welcome from Carly and Vesna 03:43 Meeting Cedric 05:30 The road to Riyadh 06:25 No three times 07:15 Dubai vs Riyadh 09:42 Going full-time on social 12:14 Converting to Islam 13:42 First viral video 15:07 Taif and the baboons 18:23 By camel to Mecca 22:31 Giving back to Saudi 23:11 His father, and stopping alcohol 25:14 Why he feels safe 27:01 The compound trap 28:38 3am stranger in Fayfa 33:12 Real Islam 34:06 The imam of TikTok 35:21 The phone on the table 38:24 Building 600K 42:50 Handling negativity 45:13 The spy comments 46:16 Media authority call 48:24 Authenticity and respect 53:58 Advice for new creators 01:01:55 Best platforms 01:03:14 Why he deletes his camera roll 01:04:40 Goodbye and Jeddah invite 01:07:21 The Vesna and Alex story 01:08:27 Conflict in Saudi vs Belgium 01:13:20 Serbian content question 01:16:36 Closing

From Pro Tennis to Saudi: Alex Tashbaeva on Building a Life She Never Planned

Alex Tashbaeva stopped going to school at twelve. She'd already been on a tennis court eight hours a day since she was five, and her Uzbek-Soviet parents had decided she was going to be a champion. By sixteen she'd left home; by nineteen she was the only girl on a ten-person coaching team flying to Riyadh to build out the Saudi national tennis programme. She said yes on a phone call. She knew nothing about the country. This week we talk to Alex about what those first years actually looked like — coaching the under-14 boys' national team, building the women's programme alone over the summers when her colleagues went home to Europe, and how the Jeddah Yacht Club years pulled her sideways into hospitality and events. She tells us why she resisted calling herself a content creator long after her TikToks were working, and what she sees in Saudi now that she didn't five years ago. She and Cedric are in Riyadh now and heading back to Jeddah. There's a marketing agency, a YouTube studio, and plans we get into. Listen wherever you get podcasts: pod.link/insidesaudi   00:00:00 Cold open 00:01:00 Welcome and intro 00:02:40 Two fires: living with Cedric 00:05:07 Moving to Saudi: the path through the US and Spain 00:05:57 Tennis from age five and an Uzbek-Soviet upbringing 00:08:16 Leaving home at sixteen 00:10:38 The phone call: only girl on a ten-person team to Riyadh 00:11:13 Arriving in Saudi with no expectations 00:12:42 Coaching the national under-14 boys 00:14:26 The pivot to hospitality at Jeddah Yacht Club 00:17:53 Meeting Cedric 00:18:09 Why she refused to call herself a content creator 00:20:11 Building the women's programme alone 00:24:00 Medina, six months ago 00:26:25 Jeddah vs Riyadh: pace, traffic, and where you actually live 00:31:36 What they're building next 00:34:30 Tips for starting on social in Saudi 00:44:00 Reading the comments and adjusting the content 00:50:51 What's next

From Goldman Sachs & KPMG to Saudi’s Biggest Modest Swim Partnership

How do you transition from the intense world of derivatives trading at Goldman Sachs and private client tax at KPMG to launching a global luxury swimwear brand? In this episode of Inside Saudi, we sit down with Katleya Nielsen and Ayesha Mahomed, the visionary founders of Lanuuk. They pull back the curtain on the "maternal shift" that led them to leave their 10-year corporate careers to solve a massive gap in the market: fashionable, high-quality modest swimwear. From packing orders on their living room floors to a landmark partnership with Aquarabia—Saudi Arabia's first and largest water theme park—Katleya and Ayesha share how they built a global empire with zero paid marketing. We dive into supply chain secrets, the reality of being "control-freak" founders, and how they are redefining luxury for the modern woman in Riyadh. What you’ll learn: * How to pivot from high-finance/accounting into a creative industry. * The strategy behind building a global brand through organic growth and zero ad spend. * Sourcing sustainable fabrics in Turkey and managing craftsmanship in the Philippines. * Identifying the massive retail gap for high-end modest swimwear in Saudi Arabia. * Behind the scenes of the Aquarabia x Lanuuk partnership.   Chapters: 00:00 Intro: The Goldman Sachs & KPMG Pivot 01:25 Meet the Founders: Katleya and Ayesha 03:30 The 10-Year Corporate Grind 05:40 The "Maternal Shift": Why We Left 08:45 The Problem: Why Modest Swimwear Didn't Exist 12:15 Manufacturing Secrets: The Philippines & Turkey 17:40 Scoping Riyadh: The Saudi Retail Gap 21:10 The Viral Blow-Up: $0 Ad Spend 32:20 "Control Freaks": Managing a Global Brand 41:10 Aquarabia: Saudi’s Biggest Modest Swim Partnership 47:00 Vogue & Organic PR

Saudi Content Creator Explains Taboos, Slang & Life in Saudi Arabia

What is life in the Kingdom actually like when you step outside the "compound bubble"? In this episode of Inside Saudi, we sit down with viral creator Senan, a "Westernized Saudi" who has mastered the art of explaining his culture to the world. We start with a quick story about how an internet misunderstanding actually brought us together, but the real conversation begins when we dive into the local experience. Senan reveals the "unprofessional" slang your tour guide will never teach you and explains why delivery drivers really need that WhatsApp pin (from his own experience as a former driver!). We also explore the reality of Saudi safety—from leaving your car running while you grab coffee to the peace of mind of raising kids in Riyadh. We tackle the big cultural questions: the truth about gender mixing, why asking for a mother's name is taboo, and the hilarious debate over Western vs. Saudi bathrooms. In this episode, we discuss: • The "Chicken Nugget" Identity: What it means to be a Westernized Saudi • Delivery Driver Confessions: Why the app location is never enough 📍 • Local Slang 101: Beautiful phrases for age and hospitality • The Safety Factor: Why expats feel so secure in the Kingdom 🛡️ • TikTok vs. Instagram: Creating for two completely different audiences • Thobe Etiquette: How to wear the traditional dress the right way • The "Just Do It" System: Senan’s secret to viral content success Follow Senan: https://www.instagram.com/senan_ar/ [https://www.instagram.com/senan_ar/] https://www.tiktok.com/@senan_arfaj [https://www.tiktok.com/@senan_arfaj] Follow Inside Saudi: https://www.tiktok.com/@insidesaudiarabia [https://www.tiktok.com/@insidesaudiarabia] https://www.instagram.com/insidesaudiarabia [https://www.instagram.com/insidesaudiarabia] Chapters: 0:00 – Moving past our internet misunderstanding 1:20 – Being a “Westernized Saudi” (The Chicken Nugget nickname) 4:10 – Learning the hard way: Complaining online 5:55 – Answering delivery calls while snorkeling in the Red Sea 7:38 – Why Saudi delivery drivers ALWAYS call you for a pin 12:00 – TikTok vs. Instagram: Creating for two different worlds 13:12 – Saudi Slang 101: The beautiful meaning of "May God give you more years" 17:18 – The struggle of being a vegetarian in the land of Kabsa 20:56 – The Ultimate Shawarma Guide: Mama Noura & local favorites 27:15 – Genuine creators vs. "Views chasing" in Saudi culture 33:10 – Why Saudis love escaping to London for the weather 43:40 – The "Unprofessional" slang your tour guide won't teach you 47:15 – Navigating the Gender Mixing question: Taboos & change 56:10 – Thobe Etiquette: How to get it tailored correctly 1:04:05 – The Reality of Safety: Handbags, cars, and raising kids 1:08:10 – Breaking the "Compound Bubble": Why you need to live local 1:10:55 – The Great Bidet Debate: Why the West is missing out 1:16:15 – Why talking about toilets is actually a taboo 1:22:10 – The "Just Do It" Viral Content System