Saudi Arabia has introduced a major new electronic service that allows individuals to request the transfer of foreign workers from private-sector companies for domestic employment, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced.
The newly launched digital facility is designed to regulate the transfer of expatriate workers from private-sector establishments to individuals for domestic professions, under a set of conditions and regulations.
To qualify, a foreign worker must hold a valid work permit and must not be employed in high-level professions such as education, healthcare, technical or specialist roles. Workers in fully Saudised professions are also ineligible, while the requested position must fall under the domestic professions category.
Applicants are required to submit an electronically certified waiver from the worker’s current employer, authenticated by the Chamber of Commerce. They must also provide proof of financial capability through a salary certificate or bank statement.
Additionally, applicants must upload a copy of the worker’s residency permit bearing the expatriate’s fingerprint and signature, along with details of the intended domestic profession and the new employer’s name and national identification number.
The ministry said all supporting documents must be submitted electronically in PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, DOCX or XLSX formats, with each file limited to a maximum size of 3MB.
The launch of the new service coincides with the mandatory implementation of the Wage Protection Program for domestic workers, which aims to ensure salaries are paid through approved channels, protect the rights of employers and workers, and improve transparency and compliance in the labour market.
The ministry further announced that an annual fee of SR9,600 will apply for each additional domestic worker exceeding the permitted limit of four for Saudi citizens and two for residents. However, exemptions will be granted in humanitarian cases, including for people with disabilities and those suffering from chronic or serious illnesses.
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