Saudi Arabia permits job transfer for absent employees after 12 months

Saudi Arabia's Qiwa platform has confirmed that employees whose status has changed to absent may transfer to another employer after spending more than 12 months in the Kingdom. The rule applies where the absence status resulted from a ministry report of absence, a work interruption report or termination of the contractual relationship. The new employer must settle any outstanding work permit fees owed by the employee.

Transfer eligibility and employer obligations#

The transfer provision is administered through the Qiwa platform, operated by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. An employee marked absent becomes eligible for transfer once the 12 month threshold is met. The incoming employer is required to clear any unpaid work permit fees as a condition of the transfer. The platform does not accept or validate paper documents, and all transactions are processed electronically through the Nafath authentication system.

Government employee clearance requirements#

Contracts cannot be created through Qiwa for government employees until clearance procedures are completed and registration with the government entity is closed through the Masar platform. An employee may be excluded from an establishment if their status in Absher or Muqeem is listed as left and did not return or final exit. Group managers can authorise other users through the User Management service, granting access to organisational services according to assigned permissions.

Dispute resolution and red zone restrictions#

Disputes between parties to a contractual relationship fall outside Qiwa's jurisdiction and must be addressed through the amicable settlement service at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development or by referral to the labour court. To issue a work permit, an organisation's entity must not have remained in the red zone for eight consecutive weeks. Newly established companies are exempt from this restriction. The platform confirmed these provisions in a statement published on 30 September 2026.

Compliance thresholds and effective dates#

The 12 month threshold for transfer eligibility is calculated from the employee's time spent in the Kingdom. The requirement for the new employer to settle outstanding permit fees applies at the point of transfer. Red zone status is measured over eight consecutive weeks, and the restriction on work permit issuance applies to entities that have remained in that status for the full period. The clearance requirement for government employees through Masar must be completed before a contract can be created on Qiwa.