How To Transfer Domestic Workers Iqama In Saudi Arabia

Ahmad Muhammad

4 months ago

Saudi Arabia is a country that is currently providing living and work opportunities to almost 3.7 million people as domestic workers ( according to ILO ). With such a huge population coming for a livelihood in the kingdom, the country has very well-defined and firm labor laws including change and transfer of services.

This article is a detailed guide on the standard legal procedure for sponsorship-related queries regarding domestic workers. The process of iqama transfer for domestic workers,including change of profession.

Categories Of Domestic Workers In Saudi Arabia

It is important to know if your job falls in the category of domestic worker or not. According to MHRSD, there are thirteen categories of domestic workers in Saudi Arabia :

Personal driver
Private tutor
Housekeeper
Personal care worker
House manager
Home tailor
Coffee maker
Travel assistant
Home Farmer
Private speech and hearing specialist
Personal assistant
Support worker
House Guard

Eligibility Conditions For Transferring Domestic Workers Sponsorship :

Through the Absher platform, domestic workers can accept or respond to the transfer request sent to them. The jawazat has specified the conditions to carry out the procedure :

The current employer is ready for the transfer
There are no traffic violation charges or reports against the new employer or the worker
The new employer must not be wanted by any security agency.
The domestic worker must not reported as ‘ Huroob’ or runaway in the system
The resident worker must have an Iqama validity of fifteen days upon the end of the existing work contract
The maximum number of transfers for a domestic worker is 4
A male employer ( married) or a female employer ( divorced or widow ) can sponsor up to 4 domestic workers.
Payment of transfer fee.

Transfer Procedure: Through Absher

The new employer will send a transfer request to the employee.
The worker will accept the request through Absher.
The request will be forwarded to the old employer, and the old employer will accept the request.
Once the request is accepted, the new employer will pay the fee.
After the process is completed, the new employer can visit the jawazat and get the new iqama printed.

Request Acceptance Through Absher :

To accept the transfer request through Absher a worker needs to :

Login to Absher account: https://www.absher.sa
Under the ‘ My Services’ category click on ‘ Services’
Select ‘Passports’
Choose ‘ Sponsorship Transfer Acceptance’
On the next page, click on ‘ View Transfer Requests’
The request must be approved within seven days to avoid auto-rejection.

Transfer Of Domestic Worker To Business Category :

In 2020, MHRSD introduced new rules according to which services of domestic workers can be transferred to companies and establishments through e-transfer services – Qiwa. However, there are certain rules and conditions defined for this such as :

Domestic workers whose period of residence in the kingdom has not exceeded for more than a year. If the iqama of the worker is renewed after one year, the transfer request will not be accepted.
The employee has to change their profession, as mentioned in the new contract.

Note: Qiwa is the only authorized platform by the Saudi government through which the transfer is allowed

Through Qiwa :

The new employer will create a request in Qiwa to transfer the services of the worker to their establishment.
The worker will log in to their Qiwa account
Click on the ‘ Home Worker Transfer’
Here they will receive the request sent by the new employer
The worker will accept the request
Upon receiving the request, Qiwa will send a message to the current employer of the worker to confirm whether he is willing to transfer the services of the worker to the new company.
If the current employer confirms the transfer, then the rest of the procedure will take place accordingly.

Note: Services of domestic workers under 25 years can not be transferred to a third party.

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Minimum Salary And Bank Balance Requirements For Employers:

Saudi Ministry Of Labor introduced some rules in 2015, regarding the minimum salary and bank balance amount for hiring domestic staff :

For one domestic worker: The employer must have a minimum salary of 5000 SR per month with a bank balance of 35000 SR.
For two domestic workers: The employer must have a salary of 18000 SR with a bank balance of 120000 SR.
For third and fourth domestic workers: The employer must have a salary of 3000 SR per month and a bank balance of 250000 SR.

There is no salary requirement for five workers but the employer must have a bank balance of 500000 SR.

What Is The Minimum Age Of A Domestic Worker In Saudi Arabia?

The minimum age requirement for a domestic worker in KSA is 21 years.

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