Fine of 2000 SAR for Employers holding Passports in Saudi

Good news for Expatriates Living in Saudi Arabia is that Ministry of Labor and Social Development declared that if the Employers hold the passports of their employees or workers without any written consent then there will be a fine of 2000 Saud Riyals for every passport held.

Though Saudi Arabia being one of a rich country, most of the Expatriates and workers living there face issues like these where their Kafeel / Sponsor / Employer will keep their passports and harass them.

Fines for Sponsors or Employers from 2017 are mentioned below:

– 2000 SAR for any Document or Passport held by employer
– If workers don’t get their Employment agreement copy, fine of 5000 SAR needs to be paid by Employer
– Fine of 15000 SAR for forcing employees to work on things other than mentioned in their Work Agreement
– Fine of 25000 SAR for Safety violations and health Hazards
– Fine of 50000 SAR for selling VISAs to foreigners and Expatriates
– Fine of 25000 SAR for forging identity of their employee as a Saudi

This law will help expatriates and workers and give them a bit of freedom and relaxation.

“The employer then has a month to rectify his status. The fine will double if the employer did not rectify the status in time,” said Abalkhail.