Article 30 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 30 من نظام العمل · الباب الثاني: تنظيم عمليات التوظيف
Article 30 requires a license from the Ministry to practice the activity of hiring Saudis, recruiting workers or outsourcing, refers the controls to the Regulations, and assigns the Ministry to propose the fees.
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- لا يجوز لأي شخص طبيعي أو اعتباري أن يمارس نشاط توظيف السعوديين أو نشاط استقدام العمال أو نشاط الإسناد ما لم يكن مرخصاً له بذلك من الوزارة.
وتحدد اللائحة ضوابط ممارسة كل من هذه الأنشطة، وشروط منح الترخيص لكل منها وتجديده، والتزامات المرخص له، وقواعد عدم تجديد الترخيص أو إلغائه، والآثار المترتبة على ذلك، وغير ذلك مما يكون ضروريًّا من الشروط والضوابط لضمان حسن سير العمل بها.
2- تقترح الوزارة قيمة رسوم ممارسة الأنشطة المشار إليها في الفقرة (1) من هذه المادة، وأوجه صرفها، تمهيداً لاستكمال الإجراءات النظامية في هذا الشأن.
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 30 explained in plain English
Article 30 of the Labor Law regulates who may act as an intermediary in the hiring market. The basic rule is that no person, whether an individual or a company, may practice any of the following three activities without a license from the Ministry:
- The activity of hiring Saudis: that is, mediating in placing citizens in work with employers.
- The activity of recruiting workers: that is, bringing in labor from outside the Kingdom on behalf of employers.
- The activity of outsourcing: which is included among the activities subject to licensing under the text now in force.
The Law itself does not detail the conditions for these activities, but refers to the Regulations to specify: the controls for practicing each activity, the conditions for granting and renewing the license, the obligations of the licensee, the rules for non-renewal or cancellation of the license and the consequences of that, and any other conditions needed to ensure the proper conduct of the work. Anyone who wishes to practice one of these activities therefore needs to refer to the Regulations for the practical details.
Paragraph (2) provides that the Ministry proposes the amount of the fees for practicing these activities and the ways they are to be spent, in preparation for completing the statutory procedures; that is, the Ministry does not impose the fees itself, but proposes them so that they are approved through the statutory channels.
The picture is completed by Article 31, which explains that Saudi workers whose hiring the offices or companies contributed to, and workers they recruited on behalf of employers, are considered workers of the employer itself and are tied to it by a direct contractual relationship; the licensed office is an intermediary, not an employer. Article 30 thus protects both workers and employers from dealing with unlicensed parties.
This article was amended by Royal Decree No. M/44 dated 8/2/1446 AH, with the amendment effective from 20/8/1446 AH. Anyone who faces a problem with a hiring or recruitment body is advised to consult a lawyer specialized in labor cases.
Practical example
Khalid, the owner of a contracting company in Dammam, decided to entrust the recruitment of 20 workers to an office that offered him its services at low prices. Before contracting, Khalid asked the office to prove that it held a license from the Ministry to practice the recruitment activity, because Article 30 does not permit practicing this activity without a license. It turned out that the office was unlicensed, so Khalid dropped the dealing and turned to a licensed recruitment company. When the workers arrived, under Article 31 they were workers of Khalid's company directly and not of the recruitment company.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
How we write and review contentA question about Article 30 of Labor Law?
Describe what happened and specialist lawyers answer. You can write in English.
- Completely free
- Lawyers from the directory answer
- Your name stays hidden
Labour & Employment Law lawyers: ask a specialist about your case
Describe your situation briefly and we'll suggest a lawyer who specialises in this law
Labour & Employment Law lawyers
Lawyers who handle this kind of case
شركة امتداد النظام للمحاماة والاستشارات المهنية
- Labour & Employment Law
- Criminal Law
Dr. Ali Al-Rubaie Law Office and Ittihad Al-Asr Legal Company
Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 30 of the Saudi Labor Law
Can an unlicensed person or office mediate in hiring Saudis or recruiting labor?
No. Article 30 provides that no natural or legal person may practice the activity of hiring Saudis, recruiting workers or outsourcing unless licensed by the Ministry.
Who sets the conditions for obtaining and renewing a hiring or recruitment license?
The Regulations set the controls for practicing each activity, the conditions for granting and renewing the license, the obligations of the licensee, and the rules for non-renewal or cancellation and its consequences.
What are the fees for practicing the recruitment or hiring activity?
The article does not set the amount of the fees, but provides that the Ministry proposes their amount and the ways they are spent, in preparation for completing the statutory procedures in this regard.
If a licensed office hires me, am I a worker of the office or of the employer?
Under Article 31, workers whose hiring the offices or companies contributed to, or whom they recruited on behalf of employers, are considered workers of the employer, with whom they have a direct contractual relationship.
Amendment history
Royal Decree No. M/44 — 8/2/1446 AH
In effect from 20/8/1446 AH
Official amendment text (Arabic)
- صدر المرسوم الملكي رقم (م/44) وتاريخ 1446/2/8هـ، وذلك بالموافقة على تعديلات بعض مواد نظام العمل (ويعمل بها من تاريخ 1446/8/20هـ)
وعدلت هذه المادة لتكون بالنص الآتي:
"1- لا يجوز لأي شخص طبيعي أو اعتباري أن يمارس نشاط توظيف السعوديين أو نشاط استقدام العمال أو نشاط الإسناد ما لم يكن مرخصاً له بذلك من الوزارة.
وتحدد اللائحة ضوابط ممارسة كل من هذه الأنشطة، وشروط منح الترخيص لكل منها وتجديده، والتزامات المرخص له، وقواعد عدم تجديد الترخيص أو إلغائه، والآثار المترتبة على ذلك، وغير ذلك مما يكون ضروريًّا من الشروط والضوابط لضمان حسن سير العمل بها.
2- تقترح الوزارة قيمة رسوم ممارسة الأنشطة المشار إليها في الفقرة (1) من هذه المادة، وأوجه صرفها، تمهيداً لاستكمال الإجراءات النظامية في هذا الشأن".
Original text before the amendments (Arabic)
لا يجوز لأي شخص طبيعي أو اعتباري أن يمارس نشاط توظيف السعوديين أو نشاط استقدام العمال ما لم يكن مرخصًا له بذلك من الوزارة.
وتحدد اللائحة مهمات كل من هذين النشاطين، وشروط منح الترخيص لكل منهما وتجديده، والواجبات والمحظورات، وقواعد عدم تجديد الترخيص أو إلغائه، والآثار المترتبة على ذلك، وغير ذلك مما يكون ضروريًّا من الشروط والضوابط لضمان حسن سير العمل بها.
More articles on Recruitment and Employing Non-Saudis
- Article 11Amended (1436 AH)
Article 11 requires anyone entrusted with the employer's original work, or part of it, to give his own workers all the rights and benefits that the original employer gives his workers.
إذا عهد صاحب العمل لأي شخص طبيعي أو معنوي القيام بعمل من أعماله الأصلية، أو جزء منها؛ وجب على الأخير أن يعطي عماله جميع الحقوق والمزايا التي يعطيها صاحب العمل ا
- Article 11 bisAmended (1436 AH)
The article gives the Minister the power to take measures that ensure better labor market performance and regulate the movement of labor, without prejudice to the provisions of the law and related laws.
مع عدم الإخلال بأحكام هذا النظام والأنظمة ذات العلاقة؛ للوزير أن يتخذ الإجراءات التي من شأنها أن تكفل تحسين أداء سوق العمل، وتنظيم حركة انتقال الأيدي العاملة
- Article 21
Article 21 requires the Minister to coordinate with the relevant bodies whenever needed in order to implement the provisions of the Labor Law.
على الوزير- في سبيل تنفيذ أحكام هذا النظام- التنسيق مع الجهات ذات العلاقة كلما اقتضى الأمر ذلك.
- Article 22Amended by M/44
Article 22 requires the Ministry to provide free employment channels that connect workers and employers, collect labor market data, register job seekers and guide them toward suitable training.
توفر الوزارة قنوات للتوظيف دون مقابل، تقوم بما يأتي: 1 - مساعدة العمال في الحصول على الأعمال المناسبة، ومساعدة أصحاب الأعمال في إيجاد العمال المناسبين. 2 - جمع
- Article 23Amended by M/44
Article 23 gives every citizen of working age who is able and willing to work the right to ask for their name to be registered with the employment channels, providing basic personal details.
لكل مواطن في سن العمل قادر على العمل وراغب فيه أن يطلب قيد اسمه في قنوات التوظيف، مع بيان تاريخ مولده ومؤهلاته وأعماله السابقة ورغباته وعنوانه.
- Article 24Amended by M/44
Article 24 refers to the Regulations the rules of operation, procedures, forms of records and notices, and occupational classification tables of the employment channels, as the basis for organizing hiring operations.
تحدد اللائحة قواعد سير العمل وإجراءاته في قنوات التوظيف، ونماذج السجلات والإشعارات والأوراق المستخدمة في أعمالها، وكذلك جداول تصنيف المهن وفقًا للتصنيف المهني ا
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.