Saudi Arabia Launches Service to Transfer Expat Workers from Companies to Individuals
Saudi Arabia has introduced a new online service allowing eligible expatriate workers to be transferred from private companies to individual employers.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has introduced a new electronic service that allows individuals to apply to transfer an expatriate worker’s services from a private sector establishment to an individual, according to a report by Okaz.
The new service is available through the ministry’s electronic platform and is intended to regulate the transfer of eligible expatriate workers from companies to individuals for employment in domestic occupations.
According to Okaz, the worker must hold a valid work permit for the transfer request to be accepted.
The ministry also said the worker must not belong to higher-level professions, including educational, technical, healthcare, or specialist occupations. Jobs that are fully Saudized are also excluded from the service.
In addition, the occupation requested after the transfer must be one of the approved domestic worker professions.
To complete the application, the previous employer must provide an electronically certified waiver authenticated by the Chamber of Commerce. The new employer must also submit proof of financial ability, either through a salary certificate or a bank certificate.
Applicants are also required to upload a copy of the worker’s Iqama showing the worker’s fingerprint and signature, along with details of the requested domestic occupation and the new employer’s identity information.
The ministry said supporting documents can be uploaded in PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, DOCX, and XLSX formats, with each file limited to a maximum size of 3 MB.
According to Okaz, the launch of the service comes alongside the implementation of the Wage Protection Program for domestic workers, which requires wages to be paid through approved channels. The measure aims to improve transparency and safeguard the rights of both employers and workers.
The report also noted that an annual fee of SAR 9,600 applies for each additional domestic worker above the permitted limit of four workers for Saudi citizens and two workers for residents. Humanitarian cases, including people with disabilities and those with chronic or serious illnesses, are exempt from the limit.
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