Work Permits

Article (33)

A non-Saudi may not engage in or be allowed to engage in any work except after obtaining a work permit from the Ministry, in the form prepared by it, for this purpose.

The conditions for granting the permit are as follows:

1. The worker has lawfully entered the country and is authorized to work.

2. The worker possesses the professional or academic qualifications which the country needs and which are not possessed by citizens or the available number of such citizens is insufficient to meet the needs, or that he belongs to the class of ordinary workers that the country needs.

3. The worker has a contract with an employer and is under the employer's responsibility.

The word (work) in this Article means any industrial, commercial, agricultural, financial, or other work, and any service including domestic service.

Article (34)

No permit or license required by any other agency for engaging in a work or profession shall substitute for said work permit.

Article (38)

An employer may not employ a worker in a profession other than the one specified in his/her work permit. A worker is prohibited from engaging in a profession other than his/hers before taking the legal measures necessary to change his/her profession.