Saudi Arabia: Here are the rules regarding exit of house workers

Status automatically reversed 6 months after exit visa expiry

Cairo: Saudi authorities have said that the status of a domestic worker is automatically revoked six months after the expiration of his/her exit visa validity.

The Saudi General Directorate of Passports explained that such a worker is automatically designated in the system as having departed the kingdom and did not return after the six-month limit.

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The department said communication can be made through the “Tawasul” service via the government e-platform "Absher" 30 days after the expiration of the visa. “Tawasul” enables beneficiaries to apply to complete their transactions without the need to show up at the passport department's offices.

Saudi labour authorities have recently sought to regulate its domestic labour market.

To this end, the Ministry of Human Resources launched the Musaned, a platform in charge of domestic labour affairs in the kingdom, to help customers learn about their rights, duties and related services including visa issuance, recruitment requests and contractual relation between the employer and the worker.

The ministry has said it is necessary to conduct contracting via the Musaned, being the official recruitment platform.

Last year, Saudi Arabia unveiled new rules for employing domestic workers, setting the worker’s minimum age at 21 years as part of efforts to preserve contractual rights. The regulations stress that the dues owed to the worker or his/her heirs are considered first-degree debts.

The contract should have a fixed duration, and if not, it will be considered renewable for one year from the date of the worker doing the job.

According to the rules, the house worker’s daily working hours are set at 10 hours and the employee is entitled to weekly paid successive 24-hour rest.

The employer is, meanwhile, prohibited from withholding the domestic worker’s passport, other personal documents or belongings.

Domestic workers in Saudi Arabia include housekeepers, drivers, housemaids, cleaners, cooks, guards, farmers, live-in nurses, tutors and nannies.