Transfer of Sponsorship in Saudi Arabia: Qiwa Rules and Steps

How does transfer of sponsorship in Saudi Arabia work for expat workers today?

Transfer of sponsorship in Saudi Arabia is now a job transfer (naql khadamat) on Qiwa, run under the Labor Reform Initiative of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD), in force since 14 March 2021 under the Saudi Labor Law. A professional expat worker can move to a new employer without the current employer’s consent when the contract ends, or during the contract after serving the notice period. In listed violation cases, such as three months of unpaid wages or an expired iqama or work permit, the usual conditions do not apply. Domestic workers follow separate rules on Musaned.

This guide covers the three routes, the Qiwa steps for both sides, who pays the fees, how long it takes, why requests get rejected and what to do when the transfer is blocked by a dispute. The rules below were checked against official HRSD and Musaned pages in November 2026.

You can book a consultation on WhatsApp with the team at Al-Safwa Law Firm for Advocacy and Legal Consultations to review your documents and explain your legal options clearly.

What does “sponsorship transfer” mean now?

A Saudi sponsorship transfer, officially called transfer of services or job mobility, moves an expat worker’s work permit and iqama record from the current employer to a new one. For professional workers it runs on Qiwa: the new employer sends a job offer, the worker accepts it, the current employer is notified, and the transfer completes after any notice period.

People still search for “kafala transfer” or “iqama transfer”, but the legal question has changed. It is no longer only “will my kafeel agree?”. It is: what type of worker are you, is your contract documented on Qiwa, has it ended, and does a violation case apply to you? The answer decides which platform you start on.

Route 1: transfer when your contract ends

HRSD’s Labor Reform Initiative announcement states that an expat worker may move to a new employer once the binding contract expires, and that no employer consent is needed. The current employer is notified electronically. Each route for transfer of sponsorship in Saudi Arabia has its own conditions, so identify your route first.

Before you accept an offer, open your contract in Qiwa and check the end date. A transfer request made before that date is treated as a transfer during the contract, with the notice and eligibility rules below.

Route 2: transfer during the contract, with notice

HRSD’s user guide to the Labor Reform Initiative services (14 March 2021) sets these conditions for the worker:

• You are a professional worker covered by the Labor Law. Domestic workers are excluded.
• You have completed 12 months with your current employer since your first entry to the Kingdom. Before that, a transfer needs the current employer’s approval.
• You are on the job, with no absence-from-work report against you.
• You have no other open transfer request.
• You serve the notice period in your documented contract.

The same guide explains how the notice works. It starts when you accept the job offer and the current employer is notified. If less time is left on the contract than the notice period, the shorter period applies. The current employer can shorten the notice on Qiwa by moving the contract end date forward. For how notice works when a contract is ended, see our guide to Article 75 of the Saudi Labor Law.

A fixed-term contract is a commitment by both sides. If you leave one early, ask whether compensation is due under your contract and Article 77 before you accept the new offer.

Conditions the new employer must meet

A transfer can fail because of the new employer, not the worker. The 2021 HRSD guide lists these conditions for the receiving establishment:

• Valid work permits across the establishments under its unified number
• A Nitaqat (Saudization) band of medium green or higher
• At least 80% compliance with the Wage Protection System over the last 3 months
• 100% of its employees’ contracts documented
• At least 80% compliance in the self-assessment program
• Approved internal work regulations

Qiwa checks the current thresholds when the request is created, so the live check on the platform is what counts.

Route 3: transfer without employer consent in violation cases

The 2021 HRSD guide lists cases where the usual conditions (12 months, notice, approval) do not apply. HRSD’s 2020 Labor Reform Initiative launch guidebook listed further cases. Qiwa applies the list in force on the day you apply.

Unpaid wages: build your proof first

Unpaid wages are one of the most common reasons expats look into a transfer, but the claim needs proof. Keep your payslips, bank statements showing the missing transfers, any written demand you sent, and a screenshot of your Qiwa contract status. If your claim is disputed, the same file supports a friendly settlement case.

What changed recently

HRSD’s Qiwa service card “Transfer of services from another employer (Freedom of movement)” shows a release date of 8 September 2026. It describes the same flow: job offer, worker acceptance, notice to the current employer, then a system check and a new work permit. The Labor Law amendments in force since 19 February 2025 kept the rule that the new employer pays the transfer fee.

Domestic workers: separate rules on Musaned

Qiwa job mobility does not cover domestic workers. Their transfers run on Musaned and are completed on Absher.

In a normal transfer between two individual employers, the current employer submits the request on Musaned with the contract term and salary. The worker reviews and accepts it on the Musaned laborer platform, and the new employer accepts, pays and finishes the legal steps on Absher. The worker needs an iqama valid for at least 15 days and an Absher account. The new employer must have no traffic violations, government restrictions or other pending transfer request. Musaned allows up to 4 individual-to-individual transfers within two years from the first transfer.

HRSD’s rules for domestic workers allow the Ministry to transfer a domestic worker to another employer without the current employer’s consent in these cases:

• The employer does not collect the worker from the recruitment office or shelter within 15 days of being told the worker has arrived.
• Three wages are delayed, consecutive or not, for a reason not caused by the worker.
• The employer does not issue or renew the iqama within 30 days after the due date.
• The employer rents out the worker’s services to others.
• The worker is given dangerous work that threatens health or safety.
• The employer or a family member mistreats the worker.
• The worker has a claim against the employer and the employer drags it out, provided the worker did not add to the delay.
• The employer or a representative misses two notified sessions before the domestic labor dispute committees.
• The competent authority recommends it during a case, to prevent harm to the worker.
• The employer is absent (travel, prison or another reason) and cannot pay the wages.
• The worker’s services were transferred to another employer without the worker’s knowledge.
• The employer ends the contract during probation.

The same rules give a worker with an absence report 60 days to act. A worker who has spent two years since first entry can transfer to a new employer or request final exit in that window. After it, the worker is treated as violating the residency rules.

Transfer of sponsorship in Saudi Arabia on Qiwa: the steps

The HRSD service card and the 2021 user guide describe this flow. Both sides need a Qiwa account.

1. New employer (online, Qiwa business account): opens the employee transfer service, chooses transfer of an employee from another employer, enters the worker’s iqama number and expiry date, creates the job offer and submits it.
2. Worker (online, Qiwa individuals account): receives a text message, opens the job mobility service, reviews the offer and accepts or rejects it. A rejection closes the request.
3. Current employer (online, Qiwa): is notified once the worker accepts. The notice period starts, and the employer may shorten it.
4. System: checks the conditions for the worker and the new employer. After approval, the records are updated and the new work permit is issued.

Menu names on Qiwa change from time to time. If a label differs, look for “Employee Transfer” in the business account and “Job Mobility” in the individuals account on Qiwa.

Sponsorship transfer fees in Saudi Arabia: who pays

Article 40(3) of the Labor Law, unchanged by the amendments (see HRSD’s guide to the Labor Law amendments), makes the employer pay the fees for transferring the services of a worker who wishes to move to it. Many websites quote fixed amounts, but the HRSD service pages do not list one. Qiwa or Absher shows the amount payable when the request is processed.

Fees below are as stated by HRSD and Musaned up to November 2026 and may change. Check the official source before you rely on them.

HRSD’s Employer Compliance Guide treats charging a worker fees that the employer must bear as a violation. If anyone asks you, as the worker, to pay for your own transfer, keep the message and get advice before you pay.

How long does an iqama transfer take?

The times below are the usual ranges shown on official pages. They are not a promise, and the platforms can take longer.

Delays usually come from the worker not responding to the offer, an open absence report, a new employer that fails the Nitaqat or wage protection checks, or a dispute that has not been closed.

Common reasons a transfer request is rejected

• Absence-from-work report: a worker with an open absence report cannot use job mobility. Deal with the report first.
• Less than 12 months on first entry: the request needs the current employer’s approval unless a violation case applies.
• New employer not eligible: a low Nitaqat band, weak wage protection compliance or undocumented contracts stop the request.
• Another open request: only one transfer request can be open for the worker.
• Offer not accepted in time: the worker ignores or rejects the offer on Qiwa, so the request closes.
• Wrong platform: a domestic worker’s case is started on Qiwa, or a professional worker’s case on Musaned.

Exit and re-entry or final exit instead of a transfer

Under the same initiative, a professional worker with a valid documented contract can request an exit and re-entry visa on Absher during the contract, and a final exit visa after or during it. The employer is notified. The 2021 HRSD guide warns that a worker who leaves on final exit while the documented contract is still running, or does not return to finish it, is barred from coming back to work in the Kingdom. If you are thinking of resigning first, read our guide to resignation under the Saudi Labor Law.

Disputes, absence reports and penalties

There is no single penalty for “escaping the kafeel”. The result depends on the facts and the worker’s status in the government systems. Some points are clear in HRSD’s Employer Compliance Guide: Many disputes can be avoided by checking the conditions for a transfer of sponsorship in Saudi Arabia before you apply.

• An employer may not keep a worker’s passport or iqama, even with the worker’s consent. It is a fineable violation.
• An employer may not make the worker pay the fees the law places on the employer.
• An absence report blocks job mobility until it is resolved, so a report you believe is false should be challenged quickly with evidence: messages, payslips, attendance records, your contract and your Qiwa records.

Wage claims and disputes over a report start with HRSD’s free friendly settlement service (Wedy). The case is referred to the Labor Court if no settlement is reached within 21 working days. Labor claims must be brought within 12 months of the end of the employment relationship. Our guide to the labour court in Saudi Arabia explains the steps after referral.

How a lawyer can help with a transfer

• Check your contract and whether it is documented on Qiwa.
• Confirm the right platform: Qiwa, Musaned or Absher.
• Check your eligibility, the new employer’s eligibility and your documents before you apply.
• Organise the evidence when there is a wage dispute or an absence report.
• Decide whether you need a settlement case, a court claim or only a follow-up on the platform.

For a complaint before the settlement office, our Labor Office lawyer team can prepare the file with you.

Frequently Asked Questions about sponsorship transfer

Transfer of sponsorship in Saudi Arabia comes down to three questions: has your contract ended, have you served your notice, or does a violation case apply? Start on the right platform, keep your evidence in one file, and check the live conditions on Qiwa or Musaned before you resign or accept an offer.

If the transfer is blocked by a dispute or a report, our team can review your contract and records with you.

To get a legal consultation from our team, contact us via the WhatsApp button at the bottom of the screen.

Read also:

• Employment contract lawyer

Sources:

• Transfer of services from another employer (Freedom of movement), HRSD service card (released 8 September 2026, checked November 2026)
• Transferring Expatriate Worker Service, HRSD (checked November 2026)
• User guide to the Labor Reform Initiative services (job mobility, exit and re-entry, final exit), HRSD, 14 March 2021 (Arabic)
• HRSD launches labor reforms for private sector workers, HRSD news, 4 November 2020
• Labor Reform Initiative (LRI) Services Guidebook, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, 2020 (cases of employer absence, commercial concealment and missed sessions)
• Guide to the amendments of the Labor Law (Royal Decree No. M/51), HRSD, 6 August 2024 (Article 40, Arabic)
• Employer Compliance Guide, HRSD (passport retention and fees borne by the employer)
• Rules for improving the contractual relationship of domestic workers, HRSD (Arabic)
• Transfer worker services from individual to individual, Musaned (checked November 2026)
• Friendly Settlement for Labor Disputes (Wedy), HRSD (checked November 2026)
• Qiwa platform and Absher platform

Legal Consultant Mostafa Diab

A legal advisor holding a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the prestigious Cairo University. He possesses extensive experience spanning over 25 years in criminal, civil, and family law, during which he has achieved notable accomplishments that have solidified his reputation as a valuable asset to any legal team