Article 115 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 115 من نظام العمل · الباب السادس: شروط العمل وظروفه
Article 115 gives a worker enrolled in an educational institution leave to take examinations, with or without pay depending on the employer's approval, under set conditions and procedures.
Official text after amendments (Arabic)
Compiled from the original text and every officially published amendment; the amendments are shown in full below for comparison.
1 - للعامل - إذا وافق صاحب العمل على انتسابه إلى مؤسسة تعليمية أو قَبِل استمراره فيها – الحق في إجازة بأجر كامل لتأدية الامتحان عن سنة غير معادة تحدد مدتها بعد أيام الامتحان الفعلية. أما إذا كان الامتحان عن سنة معادة فيكون للعامل الحق في إجازة دون أجر بعدد أيام الامتحان الفعلية. ويحرم العامل من أجر الإجازة إذا ثبت أنه لم يؤدِّ الامتحان، مع عدم الإخلال بحق صاحب العمل في مساءلته تأديبيًّا.
2 - إذا لم يحصل العامل على موافقة صاحب العمل على انتسابه إلى مؤسسة تعليمية، فله أن يحصل على إجازة لتأدية الامتحان بعدد أيام الامتحان الفعلية تحتسب من إجازته السنوية في حال توافرها، وعند تعذر ذلك فللعامل أن يحصل على إجازة دون أجر بعدد أيام الامتحان الفعلية.
3 - على العامل أن يتقدم بطلب الإجازة قبل موعدها بخمسة عشر يوماً على الأقل.
4 - لصاحب العمل أن يطلب من العامل تقديم الوثائق المؤيدة لطلب الإجازة، وكذلك ما يدل على أدائه الامتحان
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 115 explained in plain English
Article 115 of the Labor Law regulates the right of a worker who studies at an educational institution to obtain leave to take examinations, and it distinguishes between two basic cases according to the employer's position on the worker's studies.
Case one: the employer approved the enrollment or accepted the worker's continuing to study
- If the examination is for a school year that is not a repeat, the worker is entitled to leave with full pay whose length is set by the actual number of examination days.
- If the examination is for a repeated year, the leave is without pay for the actual number of examination days.
- If it is established that the worker did not take the examination, they are deprived of pay for the leave, and the employer retains the right to hold them to disciplinary account.
Case two: the worker enrolled without the employer's approval
- The worker is entitled to leave for the actual number of examination days, deducted from their annual leave if they have a balance of it.
- If that is not possible, they receive leave without pay for the actual number of examination days.
Procedures required of both parties
- The worker must submit the leave request at least 15 days before its date.
- The employer may ask for documents supporting the request (such as proof of enrollment and the examination schedule), as well as proof that the worker actually took the examination.
This article falls within the special leaves in Part Six, alongside Hajj leave in Article 114, which is granted once during the period of service on its conditions, and unpaid leave in Article 116, which is based on agreement between the parties and during which the contract is considered suspended for any period beyond 20 days unless otherwise agreed. The essential difference is that examination leave is a right set by the law once its conditions are met, and does not depend on the employer's approval except as to whether it is with or without pay.
This article was amended by Royal Decree No. M/46 dated 5/6/1436 AH, and the text shown above is the one in force. If a dispute arises over the employer's approval of the studies or over a deduction of pay, it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specializes in labor cases.
Practical example
Ahmed works as an accountant at a company in Riyadh and enrolled in a bachelor's program with written approval from his manager. In a new semester he had not repeated before, he had 4 actual examination days, and he submitted the leave request 20 days ahead with the examination schedule attached. The company approved and gave him 4 days of leave with full pay, then asked him after he returned for proof that he attended the examinations. By contrast, his colleague Saad enrolled at an institute without informing the company or obtaining its approval, and requested 3 days for his examinations; they were deducted from his annual leave balance because he had a sufficient balance, and had he had none he would have received them without pay.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 115 of the Saudi Labor Law
Is examination leave paid under the Saudi Labor Law?
It is with full pay if the employer approved the worker's enrollment or accepted their continuing to study and the examination is for a year that is not repeated. If the year is repeated, the leave is without pay, and if the employer did not approve at all, it is deducted from annual leave or is without pay.
How long is a worker's examination leave under Article 115?
The article does not set a fixed number of days; in all cases it ties the length of the leave to the actual number of examination days.
When must a worker submit the examination leave request?
The request must be submitted at least 15 days before the date of the leave, and the employer may ask for documents supporting the request and later proof that the examination was taken.
What happens if the worker takes examination leave but does not take the examination?
The worker is deprived of pay for the leave if it is established that they did not take the examination, and the employer retains its right to hold them to disciplinary account.
Amendment history
Royal Decree No. M/46 — 5/6/1436 AH
Official amendment text (Arabic)
تم تعديل هذه المادة بموجب المرسوم الملكي رقم ( م/ 46) وتاريخ 5 / 6 / 1436 هـ ؛ لتكون بالنص الآتي:
"1 - للعامل - إذا وافق صاحب العمل على انتسابه إلى مؤسسة تعليمية أو قَبِل استمراره فيها – الحق في إجازة بأجر كامل لتأدية الامتحان عن سنة غير معادة تحدد مدتها بعد أيام الامتحان الفعلية. أما إذا كان الامتحان عن سنة معادة فيكون للعامل الحق في إجازة دون أجر بعدد أيام الامتحان الفعلية. ويحرم العامل من أجر الإجازة إذا ثبت أنه لم يؤدِّ الامتحان، مع عدم الإخلال بحق صاحب العمل في مساءلته تأديبيًّا.
2 - إذا لم يحصل العامل على موافقة صاحب العمل على انتسابه إلى مؤسسة تعليمية، فله أن يحصل على إجازة لتأدية الامتحان بعدد أيام الامتحان الفعلية تحتسب من إجازته السنوية في حال توافرها، وعند تعذر ذلك فللعامل أن يحصل على إجازة دون أجر بعدد أيام الامتحان الفعلية.
3 - على العامل أن يتقدم بطلب الإجازة قبل موعدها بخمسة عشر يوماً على الأقل.
4 - لصاحب العمل أن يطلب من العامل تقديم الوثائق المؤيدة لطلب الإجازة، وكذلك ما يدل على أدائه الامتحان".
Original text before the amendments (Arabic)
للعامل المنتسب إلى مؤسسة تعليمية الحق في إجازة بأجر كامل لتأدية الامتحان عن سنة غير معادة تحدد مدتها بعدد أيام الامتحان الفعلية، أما إذا كان الامتحان عن سنة معادة فيكون للعامل الحق في إجازة دون أجر لأداء الامتحان، ولصاحب العمل أن يطلب من العامل تقديم الوثائق المؤيدة لطلب الإجازة، وكذلك ما يدل على أدائه الامتحان، وعلى العامل أن يتقدم بطلب الإجازة قبل موعدها بخمسة عشر يومًا على الأقل، ويحرم العامل من أجر هذه الإجازة إذا ثبت أنه لم يؤد الامتحان، مع عدم الإخلال بالمساءلة التأديبية.
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تسري على عقد التأهيل والتدريب الأحكام الواردة في هذا النظام، الخاصة بالإجازات السنوية والعطلات الرسمية، والحد الأقصى لساعات العمل، وفترات الراحة اليومية والراحة
- Article 82
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لا يجوز لصاحب العمل إنهاء خدمة العامل بسبب المرض، قبل استنفاذه المدد المحددة للإجازة المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام، وللعامل الحق في أن يطلب وصل إجازته السنوية بال
- Article 109
Article 109 gives a worker paid annual leave, paid in advance, of at least 21 days, rising to 30 days after 5 continuous years, and bars waiving it or replacing it with money during service.
1- يستحق العامل عن كل عام إجازة سنوية لا تقل مدتها عن واحد وعشرين يومًا، تُزاد إلى مدة لا تقل عن ثلاثين يومًا إذا أمضى العامل في خدمة صاحب العمل خمس سنوات متصلة
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1- للعامل بموافقة صاحب العمل أن يؤجل إجازته السنوية أو أيامًا منها إلى السنة التالية. 2 - لصاحب العمل حق تأجيل إجازة العامل بعد نهاية سنة استحقاقها إذا اقتضت ظر
- Article 111
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للعامل الحق في الحصول على أجرة عن أيام الإجازة المستحقة إذا ترك العمل قبل استعماله لها، وذلك بالنسبة إلى المدة التي لم يحصل على إجازته عنها، كما يستحق أجرة الإج
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Article 112 gives every worker the right to leave with full pay on the holidays and occasions set by the Implementing Regulations of the Labor Law.
لكل عامل الحق في إجازة بأجر كامل في الأعياد والمناسبات التي تحددها اللائحة.
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.