Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has launched a new electronic service allowing the transfer of foreign workers from private-sector establishments to individual employers, subject to specific eligibility requirements.
The new service is aimed at bringing greater regulation and transparency to the recruitment of expatriate workers for domestic professions while simplifying the transfer process through a formal digital system.
Under the new rules, the foreign worker must have a valid work permit and must not be employed in a high-level profession, including educational, technical, healthcare, or specialist positions.
Workers in professions that have already been fully Saudised are also excluded from the transfer facility. Meanwhile, the position requested by the new employer must be classified as a domestic profession.
Applicants will need to provide several documents electronically. These include a certified waiver from the worker’s existing employer, authenticated by the relevant chamber of commerce.
Applicants must also demonstrate their financial ability to employ the worker by submitting either a salary certificate or bank statement.
A copy of the worker’s residency permit, containing the expatriate’s fingerprint and signature, will also be required.
The application must further include information about the intended domestic occupation, as well as the new employer’s name and national identification number.
Supporting documents can be uploaded in PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, DOCX, or XLSX formats, with each file restricted to a maximum size of 3 MB.
The launch comes alongside the mandatory implementation of the Wage Protection Program for domestic workers. The program requires salaries to be paid through approved channels, helping improve wage transparency and strengthen compliance within Saudi Arabia’s domestic labour market.
The move is part of Saudi Arabia’s broader efforts to formalize employment arrangements and enhance protections for both workers and employers.
The ministry has also confirmed an annual fee of SR9,600 for every additional domestic worker beyond the permitted limit.
Saudi citizens can employ up to four domestic workers, while residents can employ up to two before the additional annual fee applies.
However, exemptions will be available in certain humanitarian circumstances, including cases involving people with disabilities and individuals suffering from chronic or serious illnesses.
The new digital service is expected to make eligible foreign worker transfers more structured while ensuring that employment arrangements comply with Saudi Arabia’s labour regulations.
