Saudi Arabia grants expat workers 60 days to avoid being classified as absconders

Dubai: Expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia will now have 60 days to adjust their status before being classified as absconders, under new rules introduced by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The changes, implemented through the ministry’s Qiwa platform, reshape how employers can report foreign workers as absent, part of a broader effort to formalise and digitise labour relations in the Kingdom.

Under the revised system, an employer may file an absconding report only if the worker’s residency permit, or Iqama, is valid for at least 60 days and the employee no longer has an active contract. Once a worker’s status is changed to “disconnected from work,” Qiwa gives them 60 days to either transfer to another employer, leave the country, or sign a new contract with their current company.

If no action is taken within that period, the platform will automatically mark the worker as “absent from work” and remove their name from the company’s records, triggering notifications to both the Human Resources and Interior ministries.

The system also now terminates contracts automatically once the notice period ends, regardless of whether the separation was initiated by the employer or the employee.

Qiwa — a digital portal designed to streamline labour-related services — also provides free employment certificates. Current employees can download a salary certificate reflecting their status, while former employees can request a service certificate documenting previous roles. These official documents, the ministry says, are intended to strengthen résumés and improve job prospects in the Saudi labour market.