Work Permit Fix Deadline Extended to End of 2026

Employers in Saudi Arabia now have until 31 December 2026 to regularise expired or missing work permits for their foreign workers, after the previous deadline of 30 June 2026 was pushed back by six months. The extension gives establishments extra time to correct their records before automatic enforcement resumes.

The grace period covers two groups: workers whose work permits have been expired for more than 12 months, and workers who were not issued a work permit within six months of joining an establishment. For these cases, automatic removal from قوى records is postponed until after the new deadline.

To comply, employers should log into قوى, review their establishment employee lists, and identify anyone with an expired or missing permit. They must then issue or renew the required work permits before the deadline and update each worker's employment status, so that staff are not dropped from company records when automatic procedures restart.

Fees and renewal windows

The base work permit issuing or renewal fee is 100 ريال سعودي paid electronically through Sadad. Establishments with more non-Saudi than Saudi workers may also owe a monthly expatriate levy on top of the base fee; the exact total is calculated and displayed in قوى before payment.

قوى allows a work permit to be renewed up to 180 days before it expires. If an iqama has fewer than 180 days remaining, employers are advised to renew both the iqama and the work permit together to stay compliant. Individuals can check their iqama and residency status through أبشر, but the permit correction itself is handled by the employer via قوى.

When automatic enforcement is active, قوى removes employees whose permits have been expired for more than three months. Employers who do not act can be escalated through the HRSD service line 19911 and labour offices. Acting early helps businesses avoid financial penalties and keeps workers' records intact.

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