First Week in Saudi Arabia for New Workers

The stamp placed in your passport upon Saudi Arabia entry is to show your entry to Saudi Arabia. It does not verify your contract of employment, your health insurance coverage or your employer’s completion of the work permit and residence application for your job.

This should give you 7 clear confirmations during the first week in Saudi Arabia. You must have a clear idea of who will take care of you, where you will live, what contract you are on, how your process with the Iqama is going, whether you have health benefits and where to get help if there is a problem.

This guide is offered mainly for the benefit of Pakistani workers, who join private sector establishments in Saudi Arabia. Domestic workers, such as house drivers, domestic helpers and similar (professional) occupations, are strictly regulated under a separate system and the Musaned system. They should adhere to their approved contract and to official guidance for domestic workers, not thinking that all of the Qiwa procedures included in this article are for their use.

This 7 day period is not an all Government period of organization, but simply a period of time which is practical to use. Medical exams, fingerprints, work permits, insurance and issuance of Iqama may be ordered and issued in order and on schedule provided by the employer, occupation, and/or individual case.

Confirmation One

You have reached the correct employer and accommodation

Never leave the airport with a person due to their name and/or signage.

Before entering the vehicle, verify:

The receiver’s full name
The employer or company represented
The destination address
The employer contact who arranged the pickup
The vehicle details where possible

Call the employer on the phone number you checked prior to your trip. If the one at the airport tells you the name of an employer has changed or their work location has changed, it should not be a simple change.Once you’ve arrived at the place where you will stay, inform a trusted family member in Pakistan of the address and location. Write the name of the accommodation manager and arrange to go to work.

Examine the room in a peaceful manner. Ensure access to drinking water, electricity, washing facilities, secure area for belongings and safe way to exit the building in an emergency. These are not contractual accommodation checks, but are practical checks.

Keep control of your documents

Your employer may require your passport for a legitimate government procedure, but you should be aware of the reason, who has it and when you’ll get it back.According to the guidance of the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, an employer is not allowed to confiscate a non-Saudi worker’s passport, residence card or medical insurance card.

Make copies of your passport, visa, entry stamp and contract (with security) before giving up your originals. Don’t sign a blank form where you are admitting that you gave the documents up for whatever reason without knowing what it was for.

Confirmation Two

The company receiving you matches your approved job

During the first working contact, ask HR or the responsible manager to confirm:

Company’s legal name
Workplace location
Department
Job title
Reporting manager
Joining date
Normal duty schedule
Accommodation and transport arrangements
Person handling your residence process

Ensure that these details are the same as those on your work visa, Pakistani employment contract (if applicable) and the offer you accepted.If there is a small difference in the wording within the internal departments, there may be a good reason for it. If you are changing employers, sponsors, occupations, salary, or city, you must have the written explanation from that other employer, sponsor, occupation, salary or city before you agree to the change.

Don’t start doing jobs informally with another company as they will change your official papers later. Saudi labour law mandates that a non citizen can only work if they are granted the legal conditions to do so, while Qiwa offers formal services to contracts, work permits, occupation management and employee transfers.

What an entry visa does not prove

A Saudi employment visa supports entry for the approved purpose. It does not by itself prove that:

The final contract matches the offer
The employer has completed your work permit
Your Iqama has been issued
Health insurance has become active
Every employment benefit has been registered correctly

The counter intuitive lesson is that upon successfully arriving, it’s not the end of the verification process. It’s the place where a number of the Saudi employment records start to link in your identity.

Confirmation Three

Your Qiwa contract contains the agreed terms

Qiwa is the Saudi Arabia digital labour services platform. It offers an array of services such as employment contracts, work permits, employee transfers, as well as occupation management and other employment records.

Once a contract request appears in your Qiwa individual account, you will compare and contrast the contract request with the offer and contract you had accepted prior to your departure.

Check:

Employer’s legal name
Employee identity
Job title
Work location
Contract duration
Starting date
Probation period
Working-time details
Basic salary
Allowances
Housing
Transport
Annual leave
Additional clauses

Currently, Qiwa offers guidance to its workers to accept, reject or request the modification of an employment contract that has been offered. It says that if the employee failed to respond to a pending request within ten days the request will be automatically cancelled.Don’t sign the contract just because HR tells you that the wrong information will be fixed in the future. Use the existing contract process to ask for the correction, and provide documentation of the request.

When both parties agree that an electronically documented contract is approved. Saudi MHRSD equates the purpose of the system of Qiwa contract documentation as one that would enhance transparency and safeguard the rights and obligations of employers and workers.

Basic salary is not the same as total compensation

A contract can distinguish between base pay and housing, transportation and other allowances.

Confirm which amounts are:

Fixed monthly salary
Separate allowances
Employer-provided benefits
Conditional payments
Overtime or performance-related payments

It is not possible to compare just the total amount of a message with the basic salary in the official contract. Create a copy of the final approved contract.

Confirmation Four

The employer has started the work permit and Iqama process

An Iqama is the Saudi resident identity that is issued to a foreign resident who meets the eligibility criteria. It is not the same to the employment entry visa that is required in order to make a trip to Saudi Arabia.The work permit is linked to legal work. Saudi MHRSD defines ‘work permit’ as an employer service and says that one of the requirements for issuing or renewing regular residency for an expatriate worker is for the employer to provide a work permit.In the official Absher Business Guidance, it is indicated that the owner of the establishment issues the worker’s Iqama. Requirements listed are the presence of the worker within Saudi Arabia, passport, medical examination registration, fingerprints and photographs, health insurance and work permit for the suitable jobs.

These are the following steps which is how a worker may not get his or her physical Iqama after arrival. The employer should be able to explain what has been initiated and what is yet to be completed, however.

Ask HR:

Has my Saudi arrival been recorded correctly?
When is my medical examination scheduled?
Are fingerprints or biometric steps required in my case?
Has my work-permit process started?
Has health insurance been arranged?
Who is responsible for Iqama issuance?
How will I receive evidence of progress?

Avoid paying an unofficial middle man to hurry up.

Who pays the official employment-related costs

The recruitment of a foreign worker, issuance and renewal of the Iqama, the work permit and penalties for delays in the issuance of the work permit caused by the employer are all on the employer. It also imposes certain profession change, exit and re-entry costs on the employer under certain conditions outlined in the law.For this reason, a worker should raise doubts about any demand on his or her part to pay the employers work-permit or Iqama fee. Request the lawful basis and a valid payment schedule prior to paying an amount.These are Saudi employers’ expenses, and do not apply to normal personal expenses e.g., food and voluntary purchases/costs specifically delegated to you by lawful contract.

Confirmation Five

Your medical and health insurance arrangements are clear

As part of the issuance of the Iqama, a medical examination might be required. In Absher’s official guidance to employers, it states that the medical examination and successful completion of a medical examination at an accredited centre is among the requirements to issue a worker’s residence.

Attend only the centre identified through the employer’s legitimate process. Keep:

Appointment information
Clinic name
Payment record if supplied
Examination reference
Any document the clinic gives you

Do not alter a medical report or pay someone who promises a guaranteed result.

Confirm your insurance status

Saudi Arabia’s Council of Health Insurance has said that the private sector employers will have to offer cooperative health insurance for Saudi and non-Saudi employees who are covered under the health insurance system. The employer shall obtain coverage from a qualified insurance company and give the Worker a copy of the policy and its coverage.According to the Council’s current FAQ, if the insurance connection is made within 10 working days of entering Saudi Arabia, then the coverage starts from entry point and goes until the insurance policy is terminated.

Ask the employer for:

Insurer’s name
Policy or membership information
Coverage start status
Approved healthcare network
Method for checking eligibility
Procedure for receiving treatment
Emergency instructions

Don’t assume you have a medical exam, it does not necessarily also indicate that you have current health insurance coverage. They are not the same steps of the on boarding process.In times of an emergency, Saudi Arabia’s official national website has the numbers 997 for road ambulance and 937 for the Ministry of Health.

Confirmation Six

You know how salary will be paid

Don’t wait till the end of the month to find out how wages are processed.

During your first week, confirm:

Salary period
Contractual payment date
Required bank or salary-card process
Payroll contact person
Basic salary recorded by payroll
Allowances included in regular payment
Permitted deductions
Method for receiving a payslip or payment evidence

Saudi labor rules stipulate that the workers who are paid on a monthly basis must be paid monthly. The establishments subject to the rules are required to pay the employees into their accounts with Saudi banks that have been accredited.The Wage Protection System is a system that tracks wage payments, and reviews the timing and amount of wages compared to employment data. It is applied to the private sector, to Saudi and expatriate workers.The employer might require your Iqama and other paperwork to be handed over prior to completing the bank or salary-card process. Request a sequence, but do not give the sequence to someone else to use on an account, card or confidential code assigned to you.

Keep records of:

Contracted salary
Bank or salary-card application
First payment
Any deduction
Any cash payment
Payroll messages

A cash payment without a receipt can be difficult to prove later. Ask for written confirmation whenever payment is made outside the normal payroll route.

Confirmation Seven

You know the safe route for reporting a problem

First week issue does not necessarily imply that the job is bogus. There may be delays and issues in administration and communication. The employer should however give a particular explanation and a corrective plan.

Record problems in writing when:

Nobody can identify the person handling your Iqama.
The employer differs from the approved contract.
You are told to perform a completely different occupation.
HR pressures you to approve incorrect Qiwa terms.
Your passport is retained without explanation.
You are asked to pay employer-responsibility fees.
You are moved to an undisclosed location.
You are threatened for requesting your documents.
You are denied necessary medical assistance.
The recruiter in Pakistan and Saudi employer give conflicting instructions.

Start with a documented internal request

Send a calm message to HR or the employer describing:

The issue
The document or term involved
What you expected
The correction you are requesting
A reasonable request for a written response

Take screenshots & save documents. Avoid changing or stealing company information or data that is not related to the job.

Use the official labour channel when necessary

For some employment disputes relating to Saudi Labour Law, the first step will be to go through MHRSD’s Friendly Settlement for Labour Disputes. The official service is in the languages of Arabic, English and Urdu and the ministry’s contact number is 19911. There is a separate procedure for domestic-workers’ disputes.

For an immediate safety emergency, the Saudi national portal lists:

911 as the unified emergency number
999 for police
997 for ambulance
998 for Civil Defence
112 for an emergency call without a SIM card

Remember the present addresses of the Embassy of Pakistan, Riyadh and the Consulate General, Jeddah. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan has updated the contact numbers of Saudi missions in Pakistan in its March 1st edition of regional advisory, but it is advised to check latest numbers before utilizing the saved one.

Your first-week evidence file

By the end of the week, try to possess or securely record the following evidence:

Confirmation	Evidence to retain
Arrival	Accommodation address and verified employer contact
Employment	Employer, workplace and reporting-manager details
Contract	Copy or status of the Qiwa contract
Residence	Name of the person managing work permit and Iqama procedures
Health	Medical appointment and insurance information
Salary	Payroll process and bank or salary-card instructions
Safety	MHRSD, emergency and Pakistan mission contacts

It may take up to 7 days to have a completed Iqama, a bank account and all digital services. The aim is to determine if each process is going through a proper channel.

There’s a big difference between being silent and an update.

If an important record is missing, ask the person who is responsible for the job, what document is missing and when you should contact the person to get the next update.

Practical First Week Checklist

After landing

Meet only the verified employer representative.
Confirm the destination before leaving the airport.
Send your location to a trusted family member.
Keep copies of the entry stamp and travel documents.
Store passport and valuables securely.

At the accommodation

Record the complete address.
Confirm emergency exits and basic facilities.
Save the accommodation manager’s details.
Confirm transport to the workplace.
Do not surrender all original documents without a clear reason.

With the employer

Confirm company name and work location.
Identify your manager and HR contact.
Compare the assigned occupation with the approved job.
Request the onboarding schedule.
Ask who is processing the work permit and Iqama.

Contract and legal status

Review the Qiwa contract when available.
Check basic salary and allowances separately.
Reject or request correction of material mismatches.
Save the approved contract.
Ask for updates on the medical, biometric and residence process.

Health and salary

Attend only the authorized medical centre.
Obtain health insurance details.
Ask how healthcare eligibility is checked.
Confirm the salary date and payroll method.
Never share banking passwords or verification codes.

Safety preparation

Save 911, 999, 997 and 19911.
Save Pakistan Embassy and Consulate details.
Keep a written record of serious discrepancies.
Do not pay unofficial fees.
Contact an appropriate authority when there is an immediate safety or legal risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I receive my Iqama during the first week?

Not necessarily. Iqama issuance depends on several connected steps, including the medical examination, fingerprints, insurance, passport validity and the work permit where required. Ask the employer for evidence that the process has started rather than relying on an unverified promise.

Can I start working before receiving the physical Iqama?

The employer should confirm your lawful onboarding status and work authorization. Do not assume that entry on a work visa alone answers every work-permit question. Ask HR how your employment and work-permit records have been processed.

What should I do if the Qiwa contract has a lower salary?

Do not approve it without understanding the difference. Compare the basic salary, allowances and total compensation with the signed offer. Use Qiwa’s modification or rejection option for a material discrepancy and save evidence of your request.

Can my Saudi employer keep my passport?

MHRSD guidance states that an employer may not withhold a non-Saudi employee’s passport, residence card or medical insurance card. The document may be needed temporarily for a defined administrative step, but indefinite retention should be questioned and documented.

Who pays for my Iqama and work permit?

Saudi labor law places recruitment, residence-permit and work-permit fees and their renewals on the employer, together with employer-caused delay penalties.

What if the employer provides no health insurance?

Ask the employer to arrange and explain the policy. The Council of Health Insurance states that private-sector employers must insure covered Saudi and non-Saudi employees. Its guidance also provides an official complaint route when the employer refuses.

Does this guide apply to domestic workers?

Not completely. Domestic workers and similar occupations have a separate regulatory framework and use Musaned-related procedures. Follow the domestic-worker contract and official domestic-worker guidance for your specific case.

Disclaimer

This guide is created based on the official information as of July 23, 2026. The process of employment, residence, insurance and digital services in Saudi Arabia can be modified and vary among the job, employer and the category of the worker. Verify your case with the following: MHRD, Qiwa, Absher, Saudi official and your employer (you need to confirm with your verified employer).

Your First Seven Days in Saudi Arabia After Arriving for Work