— Before You Fly

Before you fly to Saudi Arabia

Four things to do before you board: check the offer with the destination's own authority, know your rights, carry the right papers, and get the practical details in writing.

Check your offer Destination guide

Step 1 · Check the offer

Who to check with in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD), through the Qiwa platform

Employment contracts are approved or rejected by the worker on Qiwa, so a contract you never saw on Qiwa is a warning sign. Labour violations can be reported there or by phone.

Toll-free helpline 19911 (English, Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali)

Official site ↗

Last checked 29 September 2026. Links go to official sites we do not control; treat each site as the authority, not this page.

Your Rights, From Official Sources

What the government and the ILO publish, in plain words. Laws change: your contract and the official page always win over this summary.

Recruitment fees and your documents

The employer bears the recruitment fees and the residence permit and work permit fees of the worker (Labour Law, article 40). An employer who charges them to the worker is fined SAR 10,000.
ILO factsheet: Saudi Arabia, regulatory framework governing migrant workers (updated December 2023)
Employers are prohibited from confiscating a migrant worker's passport, which carries a SAR 5,000 fine.
ILO factsheet: Saudi Arabia, regulatory framework governing migrant workers (updated December 2023)

Contract and pay

A written employment contract in Arabic is the official version in a dispute. Saudi law sets no minimum wage.
ILO factsheet: Saudi Arabia, regulatory framework governing migrant workers (updated December 2023)
Under the Wage Protection System, employers must pay private-sector wages monthly through banks or other authorised financial channels, which creates a record of payments.
ILO: Wage Protection System in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia ratified the ILO Protection of Wages Convention, 1949 (No. 95) on 7 December 2020.
ILO: Wage Protection System in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Hours, rest and leave

The working day is eight hours and the week 48 hours. In Ramadan Muslim workers work six hours a day or 36 hours a week. Workers get a 30-minute break for every five hours worked.
ILO factsheet: Saudi Arabia, regulatory framework governing migrant workers (updated December 2023)
The weekly day off is Friday, and overtime is paid at 150 per cent of the basic hourly wage. All hours worked on holidays count as overtime.
ILO factsheet: Saudi Arabia, regulatory framework governing migrant workers (updated December 2023)
Annual leave is 21 days in the first five years and 30 days after that. Sick leave is 30 days at full pay, 60 days at three-quarters pay and 30 days unpaid each year.
ILO factsheet: Saudi Arabia, regulatory framework governing migrant workers (updated December 2023)

Health, safety and housing

Outdoor work is prohibited between 12 noon and 3 p.m. in summer, usually 15 June to 15 September. Violations can be reported on the unified number 19911.
ILO factsheet: Saudi Arabia, regulatory framework governing migrant workers (updated December 2023)
Employers must provide and pay for private health insurance for expatriate employees and their dependents, and residency permits cannot be issued without it.
ILO factsheet: Saudi Arabia, regulatory framework governing migrant workers (updated December 2023)

If something goes wrong

The Saudi labour helpline 19911 is toll-free and available in English, Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam and Bengali.
Embassy of India, Riyadh: labour grievance redressal mechanism

Recent changes

Workers covered by the Labor Law can change employer after one year of service without the first employer's permission, if a new job offer exists and the notice period is respected. Domestic workers are not covered by this reform.
ILO: Sponsorship reform and internal labour market mobility in the Arab States

Compare all six Gulf countries side by side →

Checked against the linked pages on 2026-09-30. This is general information, not legal advice.

Step 2 · Carry

What goes in your hand luggage.

Papers, originals

Your passport, with your visa or entry documents ready
Your medical and any clearance certificates your destination required
Your flight details and the address you are going to

Papers, copies

The employment contract exactly as you signed it, printed and on your phone
Education and trade certificates, kept apart from your main folder
A photo of your passport photo page saved where your family can also reach it

People and health

Phone numbers for your specialist, your employer contact and your family, written down
Any prescription medicine in its original packaging, with the prescription
A small amount of cash for the first day, not a large sum

Keep your own passport with you. If anyone asks to hold it, do not hand it over before you have checked the rights above and talked to your specialist.

Step 3 · Get it in writing

Ask these before you board, and keep the answers.

Details such as pickup, housing and how pay reaches you differ by employer and city. We do not guess them for you; ask, and get the answer in a message or document you can show later.

Who meets me at the airport? A name, a phone number that works from abroad, and where they will be standing.
Where will I sleep on the first night, and after? The address, who pays for it, and whether it matches what the contract says.
Who is my contact on the first day? A named supervisor or HR contact, not just a company name.
How and when is my salary paid? Into which bank account, on which date, and in which currency. Paid to you directly, not to someone else.
Who pays for the flight, the visa and the medical? It should match your contract. If something is charged to you that the contract does not mention, ask why before you pay.
What happens if the job is not the one in my contract? Know who to call first, and keep the authority above and your specialist's details to hand.

Step 4 · When you land

Your first days.

Tell your family you have arrived, and send them the address you are staying at.
Check what you were given against your contract: job, pay, hours, housing. If they differ, tell your specialist the same day.
Keep every document you are given, and take a photo of each one.
If something is wrong, contact your specialist first, then the authority in Step 1.

Local practicalities such as phone plans, banking and transport are not covered here because we do not publish anything we have not verified. Your specialist and employer can tell you what applies to your city.

Go Deeper

Routes into Saudi Arabia

Full pre-departure checklist · Sending money home · When your contract ends · For your family