Zainab Alwosaibi, Legal Specialist
Information checklist · For employees before signing

What does a Qiwa-documented employment contract contain?

An employment contract follows the unified model for its type. In essence it contains both parties' details, the agreed wage including benefits and allowances, the type and place of work, the start date, the term if the contract is fixed-term, and each party's rights and obligations. The employee then approves it from their Qiwa account, and it becomes documented.

References: Labor Law Articles 51 and 52 as amended by Royal Decree M/44, in force since 19 February 2025 · Executive Regulation Articles 18 and 19 and the permanent contract model in its Annex 5 · General information on published rules, not an opinion on any contract

Download the checklist (PDF)

What the texts say

Article 51 of the Labor Law requires the contract to be written and documented:

"The employment contract must be written in two copies, each party keeping one copy, and it must be documented in accordance with the relevant statutory provisions and as the Regulation specifies."

From Article 51 of the Saudi Labor Law as amended by Royal Decree M/44. Unofficial working translation for awareness only; the official text is the Arabic published by the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers.

Article 52 sets what the unified model for each type of contract contains:

"The Ministry sets a unified model for each type of employment contract, containing essentially: the employer's name and location, the worker's name and nationality, what is needed to establish the worker's identity, the worker's address of residence, the agreed wage including benefits and allowances, the type and place of work, the date of joining, the term of the contract if it is fixed-term, and each party's basic rights and obligations."

From paragraph 1 of Article 52 of the Saudi Labor Law as amended by Royal Decree M/44. Unofficial working translation.

The Executive Regulation of the Labor Law adopts the unified contract models in its Annex 5, and its Article 18 says the employer "must document employees' contracts electronically through the platform approved by the Ministry", which is Qiwa. The Ministry describes the service this way: the establishment creates the contract, the employee approves it, rejects it or asks for a change from their account, and once both parties agree the contract counts as documented.

I have gathered below the clauses of the permanent employment contract model (fixed-term or open-ended) as the Ministry published it in that annex, with the articles linked to each clause, so an employee knows what the contract contains before approving it. The platform may present them differently, and the part-time, temporary and seasonal models have their own clauses.

Who it applies to

The checklist covers private-sector employment contracts under the Labor Law, for Saudi and non-Saudi employees. It does not cover civil servants or military personnel, or the groups excluded by Article 7, such as domestic workers. For government and public-institution workers, Article 51 says the appointment decision or order takes the place of the contract.

The checklist

The documented contract, clause by clause

Clause numbers are those of the permanent contract model, and each item is tied to its text. The checklist is general information on published rules and does not judge any contract or dispute.

Clauses 1 to 3

Contract and party details

  • The contract type by term (fixed-term or open-ended), the date it is concluded, the start date, and the end date if it is fixed-term.
  • The establishment's details: its name and Ministry number, its national address, and who signs on its behalf.
  • The worker's details: name, nationality, ID type and number, passport number for a non-Saudi, national address, mobile number and email (Article 52).
Clause 4

Occupation and place of work

  • The job title, the work domain, the city of the workplace, and the type of work (Article 52).
  • The worker may not be moved without written consent to a place that requires a change of residence. In a temporary necessity, and for no more than 30 days a year, the employer may assign work in another place and bears the travel and accommodation costs (Article 58).
  • The worker may not be assigned work substantially different from the agreed work without written consent, except in necessity and for no more than 30 days a year (Article 60).
Clause 5

Contract term

  • The model offers three forms: an open-ended contract (this option does not appear for a non-Saudi worker), a fixed-term contract ending on a set date, or a fixed-term contract that renews automatically unless either party notifies the other through the platform, a set number of days before the end, that it does not wish to renew.
  • A non-Saudi's contract is written and fixed-term; if it states no term, the term is one year from the date the worker actually starts (Article 37).
  • Article 55 explains when a fixed-term contract counts as renewed and when it becomes open-ended.
  • The type decides later rules: the Article 75 notice period covers open-ended contracts, Article 77 compensation is worked out differently for each type, and resignation as Article 2 defines it concerns fixed-term contracts, together with the Article 85 award shares.
Clause 6

Probation, if any

  • It must be stated expressly with a clearly set duration, and the total may not exceed 180 days in any case (Article 53).
  • It starts on the first day of work. Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, National Day, Founding Day and sick leave do not count towards it (the model, clause 6, and Executive Regulation Article 19).
  • Either party may end the contract during probation through the platform; neither is owed compensation, and the worker is not owed an end-of-service award for it (Articles 53 and 54).
  • A worker may not be put on probation more than once with the same employer, except in the cases Article 54 lists. More on the probation page.
Clauses 7 and 8

Working hours and annual leave

  • The number of working days a week, the daily or weekly working hours, and the number of weekly rest days.
  • Actual working hours may not exceed eight a day on the daily standard or 48 a week on the weekly standard, reduced in Ramadan for Muslims to six a day or 36 a week (Article 98).
  • The number of annual leave days, paid in advance: at least 21 days, and at least 30 days after five continuous years with the employer (Article 109).
  • The model entitles the worker to pay for leave days not taken when the service ends, and limits postponing leave after its year to 90 days unless the worker agrees in writing, never beyond the end of the following year.
Clauses 9 and 10

Wage and benefits

  • The model breaks the wage into: basic wage, housing allowance, transport allowance, total other cash allowances, total wage, the GOSI contribution deduction and its rate, and net wage, with the due date.
  • Commissions and benefits in kind appear if the parties choose them, with their rate or description and due date.
  • The net wage is paid through the payment method approved by the Ministry, to the bank account in clause 10.
  • The wage in the Law is the actual wage, meaning the basic wage plus the other increases due, and rights such as the end-of-service award are built on it (Articles 2 and 84).
  • The model says the contract is an executive instrument for the employer's obligation to pay the net wage (clause 13). The conditions are in the unified contract and executive instrument guide.
Clauses 11 and 12

Each party's obligations

  • The employer: pay the wage and document the payment on the approved wage platform, assign overtime in writing or electronically and pay the total hourly wage plus 50% of the basic hourly wage, provide health care, and register the worker with GOSI.
  • Also: grant leave, return certificates and documents, settle entitlements within one week of the contract's end, or two weeks if the worker ended it (Article 88), and pay the end-of-service award except in the cases the model excludes.
  • For a non-Saudi: recruitment, residence and work permit fees and their renewal, and the return ticket after the relationship ends, with the exceptions the model states.
  • The worker: do the work to professional standards and follow the employer's instructions unless they breach the contract, the Law or public morals, take care of tools, behave well, and take medical examinations on request.
Clauses 13 and 14

General provisions

  • The Labor Law, its Regulation and the approved work regulation apply to anything the contract does not cover, and the contract replaces earlier verbal and written agreements between the parties.
  • A dispute goes first to amicable settlement, then to the labor courts, except the net wage clause, which is enforced before the Enforcement Court.
  • Notices between the parties go through the platform's services, and both parties acknowledge that they know and accept all the contract's terms.
  • Additional terms are void if they conflict with the contract, the Law or the approved work regulation, and any condition contrary to the Law is void unless it is more beneficial to the worker (Article 8).
  • Arabic is the contract's language; if another language is used alongside it and the texts differ, the Arabic prevails (Article 9). The model uses the Gregorian calendar.
On Qiwa

From contract request to documented contract

Four stages, as the Ministry's contract management service page and the contract documentation procedural guide describe them.

Contract request

The establishment creates the contract on Qiwa and sends it, and the employee receives a message from the platform.

Reading the clauses

The employee opens the contract details and clauses from their Qiwa Individuals account.

Approve, reject or ask for a change

If the employee does not respond within 10 days of the request, the contract status becomes "cancelled", and the establishment can amend it and send it again.

Documented contract

Once both parties agree, the contract counts as documented and approved by the Ministry, and its data passes to GOSI automatically. Any later change needs both parties' consent through the platform.

The platform's interface and service names may change; the reference is always Qiwa and the Ministry's official pages.

A hypothetical example

The following example is hypothetical and for illustration only. An employee receives on Qiwa a request for a one-year fixed-term contract with a 90-day probation and a total wage of SAR 8,000 split into basic wage, housing and transport allowances. Against the checklist: the probation is stated, its length is set and it does not exceed 180 days (Article 53); the term is stated because the contract is fixed-term (Article 52); and the wage components are itemised as in the model. If the employee wants a clause changed before approving, the platform lets them ask for a change.

Common misconceptions

  • "An undocumented contract is worthless." Article 51 says the contract exists even if it is not written, and the worker alone may prove it and its rights by any means. Documentation is the establishment's obligation.
  • "Probation can run as long as both parties agree." The total may not exceed 180 days in any case (Article 53).
  • "The English text governs if both parties signed it." If a foreign language is used alongside Arabic, the Arabic text alone is authoritative (Article 9).
  • "A contract can give less than 21 days of annual leave." Article 109 sets a minimum, and Article 8 makes void any condition contrary to the Law.
  • "What was agreed verbally before the contract still stands alongside it." The model says the contract replaces earlier verbal and written agreements between the parties (clause 13).

Limits of this checklist

The checklist rests only on the texts cited and on the permanent contract model as the Ministry published it. Other laws or decisions for a specific activity may add requirements, and the other contract models have their own clauses. It is general information on published rules and contains no opinion on any contract or dispute.

Related articles and guides

Official sources

The Arabic text published in these sources is the reference.

General awareness, not legal advice. This is general information on what the published rules say about an employment contract, and it does not address any specific contract or dispute. For a specific case, please contact a licensed lawyer through the Najiz lawyers directory.
FAQ

General questions before approving a contract

Can I ask for a change to the contract before approving it on Qiwa?

Yes. The Ministry's contract management service page says the employee can approve the contract, reject it or ask for a change from their Qiwa Individuals account, and once both parties agree the contract counts as documented.

What is the longest probation allowed?

The total may not exceed 180 days in any case, and the probation must be stated expressly in the contract with a clearly set duration (Article 53).

If the Arabic and English texts differ, which one applies?

The Arabic text alone is authoritative (Article 9), and the unified contract model says the same.

What happens if the employee does not respond to the contract request?

According to the contract documentation procedural guide, the employee has 10 days to accept or reject. With no response, the contract status becomes "cancelled", and the establishment can amend it and send it again.

Does the contract type change anything when it ends?

Yes. The Article 75 notice period covers open-ended contracts, compensation for termination for an illegitimate reason under Article 77 is worked out differently for each type, and resignation as Article 2 defines it since the 2025 amendments concerns fixed-term contracts, together with the Article 85 award shares.

Related guides and tools

Keep going

Qiwa contract documentation

What documentation means, why Saudization rates count documented contracts, and the steps in brief.

Read the guide

Unified contract and executive instrument

When the wage clause of a documented contract can be enforced through Najiz, and the 30 and 90 day periods.

Read the guide

Probation

A 180-day maximum, what does not count towards it, and what ending the contract during it means.

Read the explainer