Article 164 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 164 من نظام العمل · الباب العاشر: تشغيل الأحداث
Article 164 sets juveniles' working hours at six a day and four in Ramadan, regulates their rest breaks, and prohibits employing them on leave days and for overtime.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا يجوز تشغيل الأحداث تشغيلًا فعليًّا أكثر من ست ساعات في اليوم الواحد لسائر شهور السنة، عدا شهر رمضان، فيجب ألا تزيد ساعات العمل الفعلية فيه على أربع ساعات.
وتنظم ساعات العمل بحيث لا يعمل الحدث أكثر من أربع ساعات متصلة دون فترة أو أكثر للراحة والطعام والصلاة، لا تقل في المرة الواحدة عن نصف ساعة، وبحيث لا يبقى في مكان العمل أكثر من سبع ساعات.
ولا يجوز تشغيل الأحداث في أيام الراحة الأسبوعية أو في أيام الأعياد والعطلات الرسمية والإجازة السنوية. ولا تسري عليهم الاستثناءات التي نصت عليها المادة السادسة بعد المائة من هذا النظام.
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 164 explained in plain English
Article 164 sets strict limits on juveniles' working hours to protect their health and development. It binds the employer and protects the juvenile worker.
The daily maximum for actual working hours:
- 6 hours in a single day during all months of the year.
- Only 4 hours in the month of Ramadan.
Regulating rest periods: a juvenile may not work more than 4 consecutive hours without one or more periods for rest, food and prayer, each period being not less than half an hour. A juvenile also may not remain at the workplace more than 7 hours a day, meaning working hours plus rest periods must not exceed 7 hours.
The prohibition on rest days and leaves: a juvenile may not be employed on weekly rest days, on feast days and official holidays, or during annual leave.
The exceptions do not apply to juveniles: Article 106 allows the employer in certain cases (such as annual inventory work, preventing a dangerous accident, dealing with unusual pressure of work, or seasons) not to be bound by the normal limits on working hours, rest periods and weekly rest, up to a maximum of 10 hours a day or 60 hours a week. This latitude does not apply to juveniles at all, so they may not be assigned overtime or employed on rest days on the pretext of work pressure or a season.
This protection is completed by Article 163, which prohibits employing juveniles at night for not less than 12 consecutive hours, and by Article 165, which requires the employer, before employing a juvenile, to obtain specified documents, including a certificate of medical fitness and the guardian's consent.
If a juvenile is asked to work beyond these limits, he or his guardian can consult a labor lawyer to learn the appropriate steps.
Practical example
A retail company in Riyadh employs a juvenile named Fahd to arrange goods. As the sales season approached, the manager asked all employees, including Fahd, to work 8 hours a day for two weeks, in addition to coming in on Friday, the weekly rest day.
For adult workers the manager may rely on Article 106, which temporarily allows this in discount-sale seasons, but Article 164 prevents applying that exception to Fahd: his actual working hours may not exceed 6 hours a day, he must get a rest period of not less than half an hour after at most every 4 consecutive hours of work, he may not remain in the shop more than 7 hours, and he may not be employed on Friday or on feast days. If the season falls in Ramadan, his maximum drops to 4 actual hours a day.
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 164 of the Saudi Labor Law
How many hours may a juvenile be employed a day under the Saudi Labor Law?
A juvenile may not be actually employed more than 6 hours in a single day in all other months of the year, and in the month of Ramadan actual working hours must not exceed 4 hours.
What rest periods must a juvenile get during work?
A juvenile may not work more than 4 consecutive hours without one or more periods for rest, food and prayer, each period being not less than half an hour, and he may not remain at the workplace more than 7 hours a day.
Can a juvenile be assigned overtime or employed on the weekly rest day?
No. Article 164 prohibits employing juveniles on weekly rest days, feast days, official holidays and annual leave, and expressly provides that the exceptions of Article 106, which allow longer working hours in certain cases, do not apply to them.
Do the working hour limits apply to a juvenile even in busy seasons?
Yes. The cases Article 106 allows, such as annual inventory, seasons or unusual pressure of work, do not apply to juveniles, and their limit remains 6 actual hours a day and 4 hours in Ramadan.
Articles this article refers to
More articles on Employment of Juveniles
- Article 131 bisAmended (1442 AH)
Article 131 bis authorizes the Minister to specify by decision the dangerous or harmful occupations and work, and the categories barred from them or employed only on special conditions, consistent with international conventions.
يحدد الوزير – بقرار منه – المهن والأعمال التي تعد خطرة أو ضارة أو من شأنها أن تعرض العامل لأخطار أو أضرار غير عادية، والفئات التي يحظر -–دائماً أو مؤقتاً _ تشغي
- Article 161
Article 161 prohibits employing juveniles in hazardous work, harmful industries and any occupation that may threaten their health, safety or morals, with the Minister specifying such work by decision.
لا يجوز تشغيل الأحداث في الأعمال الخطرة أو الصناعات الضارة، أو في المهن والأعمال التي يحتمل أن تعرض صحتهم أو سلامتهم أو أخلاقهم للخطر، بسبب طبيعتها أو الظروف ال
- Article 162
Article 162 prohibits employing anyone under 15 or letting them enter workplaces, while allowing the Minister to permit light work for those aged 13 to 15 under set conditions.
1- لا يجوز تشغيل أي شخص لم يتم الخامسة عشرة من عمره ولا يسمح له بدخول أماكن العمل، وللوزير أن يرفع هذه السن في بعض الصناعات أو المناطق أو بالنسبة لبعض فئات الأح
- Article 163
Article 163 prohibits employing juveniles during a night period of at least 12 consecutive hours, except in cases the Minister specifies by decision.
يحظر تشغيل الأحداث أثناء فترة من الليل لا تقل عن اثنتي عشرة ساعة متتالية إلا في الحالات التي يحددها الوزير بقرار منه.
- Article 165
Before employing any juvenile, the employer must obtain proof of his identity or birth, a certified medical fitness certificate and his guardian's consent, and keep them in his file.
على صاحب العمل قبل تشغيل الحدث أن يستوفي منه المستندات الآتية: 1 - بطاقة الهوية الوطنية أو شهادة رسمية بميلاده. 2 - شهادة باللياقة الصحية للعمل المطلوب صادرة من
- Article 166
The article requires the employer to notify the competent labor office of each juvenile it employs within the first week of employing him, and to keep a special register of juvenile workers at the workplace.
على صاحب العمل أن يبلغ مكتب العمل المختص عن كل حدث يشغله خلال الأسبوع الأول من تشغيله، وأن يحتفظ في مكان العمل بسجل خاص للعمال الأحداث يبين فيه اسم الحدث وعمره
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.