What the article says
Article 53 sets three rules for probation: it must be stated expressly in the employment contract, its length must be clearly defined, and its total length may not exceed 180 days in any case. It leaves the related details to the Regulation, including which leave is not counted in the period, and gives both parties the right to end the contract during it.
"If the worker is subject to probation, this must be stated expressly in the employment contract and its duration clearly specified, provided that the total duration does not in any case exceed one hundred and eighty (180) days. The Regulation sets out the related provisions, including those on the leave that is not counted in the duration. Each party has the right to terminate the contract during this period."
Article 53, 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.
What changed in 2025?
- Length: the previous text capped probation at ninety days and let the worker and the employer extend it by written agreement, up to 180 days. The current text sets a single cap on the total: 180 days in any case.
- Leave: the previous text expressly left Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha leave and sick leave out of the count. The current text leaves the list of leave not counted to the Regulation.
- Right to terminate: the previous text allowed the contract to give the right to terminate to one party only. The current text gives the right to each party and no longer contains that exception.
What the Executive Regulation adds (Article 19)
Article 53 leaves the details to the Regulation, and Article 19 of the Executive Regulation of the Labor Law sets them out:
- Stated in the contract: the agreed probation length must be stated expressly in the employment contract and may not exceed 180 days.
- Splitting the period: probation may be split into several periods, provided they are continuous and this is stated clearly when the contract is concluded.
- Not counted in the period: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha leave, National Day leave, Founding Day leave and sick leave.
"Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha leave, National Day leave, Founding Day leave and sick leave are not counted in the probation period."
Executive Regulation of the Labor Law, Article 19, paragraph 2. Unofficial working translation for awareness only; the official text is the Arabic published by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.
Article 54: one probation with the same employer
A worker may not be placed on probation more than once with the same employer. As an exception, the parties may agree in writing to a second probation, provided it is in another occupation or other work, or at least six months have passed since the worker's previous relationship with the employer ended.
"If the contract is terminated during the probation period, neither party is entitled to compensation, nor is the worker entitled to an end-of-service award for it."
Article 54, Saudi Labor Law, not 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.
Neither article says whether a second probation allowed by the Article 54 exception shares the same 180-day total. That is a question of interpretation, not of text.
Who it applies to
The Labor Law applies to every employment contract under which a person works for an employer, under the employer's management or supervision, for a wage (Article 5). That covers private-sector employees, men and women, Saudi and non-Saudi.
It does not cover the groups excluded by Article 7, among them domestic workers and those in a similar position, agricultural workers and private shepherds, and players and coaches of sports clubs and federations; some of these groups have special regulations. This explainer does not cover civil servants or military personnel, who have their own systems.
A hypothetical example with round numbers
- A contract states a 90-day probation: a clearly defined length, within the Article 53 cap.
- A contract states a 180-day probation: that is the maximum total length.
- A contract states a 200-day probation: the length goes beyond the Article 53 cap, and Article 8 makes void any condition that contravenes the Law.
- A contract does not mention probation at all: the text requires probation to be stated expressly in the contract, with its length defined, for the worker to be subject to it.
- The contract is ended on day 60 of probation: neither party is entitled to compensation, and the worker is not entitled to an end-of-service award for that period (Article 54).
Hypothetical examples for illustration only; they do not describe any individual case.
Common misconceptions
- "Probation is 90 days and can be extended by another 90." Before 19 February 2025 the text capped probation at 90 days, extendable by written agreement to a maximum of 180. The current text caps the total: 180 days in any case.
- "Only the employer can end the contract during probation." Article 53 gives the right to each party.
- "Every new contract comes with probation by default." Probation must be stated expressly in the contract with a clearly defined length.
- "Probation can restart each time the contract is renewed." Article 54 allows only one probation with the same employer, except by written agreement in one of the two exceptions it names.
- "A worker whose contract ends during probation gets an award." No end-of-service award is due for that period, and neither party is owed compensation (Article 54).
Related articles
- Article 54: no repeated probation with the same employer, and the effect of ending the contract during it.
- Article 80: one of the cases in which the employer may terminate without award, notice or compensation is a worker "appointed on probation" (paragraph 6).
- Article 51: the contract is written in two copies and documented. The practical steps are in the Qiwa contract documentation guide.
- Article 75: the notice period when an open-ended contract is ended.
- Articles 84 to 88: the end-of-service award and how it is calculated.
Official source
The full text of the Labor Law and its amendments is published on the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers portal. The Arabic text published there is the official reference. Article 19 of the Executive Regulation is published in Arabic on the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development website. Both texts checked on 28 September 2026.