What is Employment Contract in Saudi Arabia (KSA)?

An Employment Contract in Kingdom of Sauid Arabia means that employer and an employee comes to an agreement by signing a letter (contract) which states the duration of work, Basic Salary, Job Title also the details of your position and reporting structure.

Employment Contract in Saudi Arabia must contain all the details of termination conditions and notice period details and the liabilities in case the contract is terminated by an empployer or employee before the period of completion.

Employent contract is a formalised document with an Official Ministry version with Attestation and Notary. This document will be in Arabic language and need to be read properly.

Your contract might include the phrase ‘employment subject to obtaining the necessary permits’. This is unlikely to present problems, but make sure that you’re able to obtain the required visas, etc. before committing yourself to the move abroad.

Mostly all Expatriate contracts will be of for two years only, but it’s becoming common for contracts to be open-ended. Employers have found that they can be held to a defined period if the employee proves unsatisfactory, and most contracts now have a termination notice period of between one and three months, or payment in lieu of notice.

You might, therefore, find that your contract gives you the job title you would expect, but the actual official version on your work visa mentions something quite different. This might happen because of full job quotas or any other reasons. You’re sometimes required to attend the Ministry on the completion of your contract to ensure that you have no complaints and to cancel your work visa.