How to apply for jobs in Saudi Arabia: a step-by-step guide (2026)

Not legal advice. This guide explains, in general terms, how applying for a private-sector job in Saudi Arabia works, as of October 2026. Rules, platforms and services change. Before you resign, pay anything or travel, check the official sources linked in each section and at the end, and ask your prospective employer how your case is handled.

Short answer: find the role on the employer's own careers page or a job board such as LinkedIn or Bayt; Saudi job seekers also have Jadarat, the national employment platform. Before you tailor anything, check that the role is open to you, because some jobs are reserved for Saudis. Send a CV in the Gulf format. If your profession is licensed, such as engineering or health, start that process early. Then, before you accept: a non-Saudi needs a work permit, the law puts recruitment costs and iqama and work-permit fees on the employer, and HRSD asks that private-sector contracts be documented on Qiwa, where you can review yours in your own account.

This is the hub page: it walks through the whole process and links to our detailed guides for each step. It is written for expats applying from abroad or already in the Kingdom, and for Saudi job seekers.

Step 1: where jobs in Saudi Arabia are posted

Jadarat (jadarat.sa) is the unified national employment platform. It is run by the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) and was formally launched on 18 August 2024, with jobs in the public, private and semi-government sectors (Saudipedia, in Arabic; Arab News). It is built for Saudi nationals: Saudipedia describes it as a platform for employing the national workforce (Saudipedia, in Arabic), and HRDF's Jadarat page for individuals lists Saudi nationality as a condition (HRDF, may only open from inside Saudi Arabia). If you're Saudi, register there. If you're not, a role advertised only on Jadarat is a signal that it is aimed at Saudi candidates.

Job boards and careers pages. LinkedIn and Bayt both list jobs in Saudi Arabia (LinkedIn, Bayt). Where the same role is also on the employer's own careers page, we suggest applying there: you get the employer's own form, and you can check the posting is real.

Qiwa (qiwa.sa) is the platform through which the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) provides many of its electronic services (HRSD). You won't use it to find a job, but you will meet it later: it is where your employment contract is documented, and where a move between employers in the Kingdom runs (Steps 5 and 6).

Step 2: check the role is open to you

Saudi Arabia's localisation policy works at two levels: Nitaqat classifies each company by its Saudization rate (HRSD, Nitaqat Mutawar procedural guide, in Arabic), and profession decisions set minimum Saudi percentages for particular jobs (HRSD, engineering and procurement decisions). Some decisions reserve jobs for Saudis entirely. For example, HRSD announced that its decision localising 69 administrative support professions at 100%, among them receptionist, administrative assistant and recruitment specialist, entered into force on 4 October 2026 (HRSD, in Arabic).

If you're an expat, read the posting for localisation signals before you spend an evening on it: "Saudi nationals only", a job title covered by a decision, a posting only on Saudi national platforms, or "transferable iqama" in the requirements. Our guide Saudization requirements 2026: a guide for expat job seekers explains each signal and the current decisions. If the posting says nothing, ask the recruiter in one line whether the role is open to non-Saudi candidates.

If you're Saudi, the same signals work the other way: a role marked for Saudi nationals is aimed at you.

Step 3: send a CV in the Gulf format

As our CV-format guide explains, Gulf CVs often carry a personal-details block that a Western CV leaves out: nationality, iqama or visa status, notice period, and often a photo. It answers the recruiter's second question, can we hire this person?, before they have to ask.

• What to include and what to leave off: CV format for Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
• How applicant-tracking systems read it, and which tricks backfire: ATS CV for UAE and Saudi jobs.
• Arabic or English: Arabic CV or English CV?. The photo question, country by country: Photo on your CV.

Write each line from what is true for you, and claim only what you can back up in an interview.

Step 4: licences some professions need

Some professions need a licence or registration before you can practise in the Kingdom. Check what yours needs before you accept an offer.

• Engineers: under the Engineering Professions Practice Law, practising an engineering profession in the Kingdom requires Professional Accreditation from the Saudi Council of Engineers (may only open from inside Saudi Arabia).
• Health professions: Article 2 of the Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions forbids practising any health profession without a licence from the Ministry of Health, and lists registration with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties among the conditions (Ministry of Health).
• Other skilled professions: HRSD runs a "Professional Verification" service that checks expatriate workers' academic qualifications, experience and skills before they enter the Kingdom. On 8 July 2024, HRSD announced it had completed the first phase, covering 128 countries and focused on highly skilled professions, and said it planned to extend the service (HRSD, in Arabic; the English version shows its later translation date). Ask your prospective employer whether it applies to your profession.

Step 5: work permit, visa and iqama: what an applicant needs to know

Know who does what, so you can tell a real process from a fake one.

• A work permit is required. Under Article 33 of the Labour Law, non-Saudis may not work, and may not be allowed to work, without a work permit from the Ministry (HRSD, Employment of Non-Saudis).
• Employers request work visas. HRSD's Visa Issuance service is a Qiwa service for establishments, and its conditions include a valid commercial registration, compliance with wage protection and the required Nitaqat range (HRSD, Visa Issuance service).
• The employer pays these costs. Article 40 of the Labour Law says: "The employer shall bear the costs of recruiting the foreign worker, the residence and work permit fees and their renewals". The same article adds other costs, such as penalties for late renewal and exit and re-entry fees (HRSD, Employment of Non-Saudis). The residence permit is the iqama.
• The steps in your home country vary. Documents, medical checks and attestation depend on your country and profession. Ask the employer for the list, in writing, before you resign.
• Already in Saudi Arabia? A move to a new employer runs through Qiwa's Employee Transfer service, where the new employer submits the request (HRSD, Request for transfer of expatriate workers; Qiwa, may only open from inside Saudi Arabia). The conditions are in our Saudization guide.

Not legal advice. These rules change; check the official source linked in each point before you rely on it.

Step 6: the offer, the Qiwa contract and the notice period

Your contract should be documented on Qiwa. On 24 July 2024, HRSD urged all private-sector employees, Saudis and non-Saudis, to make sure their employment contracts are documented through Qiwa. The platform lets the employer upload the contract, and lets employees check its details and "either approve, reject, or request modifications" through their own account (HRSD; the Arabic original carries the 24 July date). Compare that contract with the offer you accepted, line by line, before you approve it.

What the Labour Law says about the contract (HRSD, Labor Relations):

• The contract must be written in two copies, one for each party (Article 51).
• If there is a probation period, it must be stated explicitly in the contract, with its length, and the total may not exceed 180 days in any case (Article 53).
• If you resign from an open-ended contract and are paid monthly, you give at least 30 days' written notice (Article 75).
• A fixed-term contract ends when its term ends (Article 55).
• When the contract ends, the employer must give you, on request and free of charge, a certificate of service (Article 64). Our guide to the experience certificate compares the Saudi, UAE and Egyptian rules.

Salary. Ask how the offer splits into basic salary and allowances, and answer the "expected salary" and "notice period" questions with real numbers. Our guide Expected salary and notice period: how to answer (UAE, KSA) covers both, including the Saudi notice rules in more detail.

Not legal advice. These rules change; check the official source linked above before you rely on it.

Step 7: spot a fake Saudi job offer

Article 40 gives you the simplest test. The law puts the costs of recruiting you, and your iqama and work-permit fees, on the employer. So if a "recruiter" asks you to pay for any of these to get the job, stop.

Fake offers also borrow real names. In March 2024, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism warned that fake websites were using its name and logo to advertise jobs in the tourism sector, sending messages that claimed to collect fees for medical examinations in order to obtain personal and banking data. The ministry said its official website and social media were the only authorised channels for its job openings (Arab News).

Before you send documents or money:

1. Find the job on the employer's own careers page, which you reach by typing its address yourself, not through a link the recruiter sent.
2. Check that the email comes from the company's own domain.
3. Ask when your contract will be documented on Qiwa, where you will see it in your own account.
4. Treat any request for a fee, your bank details or a verification code as a reason to stop.

Our UAE guide, Is your UAE job offer real?, lists more warning signs from UAE reports, and what to do if you have already paid.

Checklist: applying for a job in Saudi Arabia

1. Did you find the role on the employer's own careers page, or a job board you trust? Saudi job seekers: are you registered on Jadarat?
2. Is the role open to you? Check the posting for localisation signals, or ask the recruiter.
3. Is your CV in the Gulf format, with nationality, iqama or visa status and notice period at the top, and every line true?
4. Does your profession need accreditation, registration or professional verification? Have you started?
5. Expat: can the employer issue your visa, and has it given you the list of steps in your home country?
6. Has anyone asked you to pay for recruitment, the iqama or the work permit? If yes, stop.
7. Does the contract in your Qiwa account match the offer, including salary, probation and notice?

FAQ

How do I apply for jobs in Saudi Arabia from abroad? Apply on the employer's careers page or a job board such as LinkedIn or Bayt, with a Gulf-format CV that says you're outside the Kingdom and need an employment visa. Target roles that aren't reserved for Saudis. Once hired, the employer requests your visa and work permit, and bears the recruitment costs and the iqama and work-permit fees under Article 40 of the Labour Law.

Can foreigners apply for jobs on Jadarat? Jadarat is built for Saudi nationals: Saudipedia describes it as a platform for employing the national workforce, and HRDF's Jadarat page for individuals lists Saudi nationality as a condition. If you're not Saudi, apply through employers' careers pages and job boards instead.

Do I have to pay for a Saudi work visa? Article 40 of the Labour Law puts the costs of recruiting a foreign worker, and the iqama and work-permit fees and their renewals, on the employer. Anyone asking you to pay these to get a job is a warning sign.

What is Qiwa, and do I need an account? Qiwa is the platform through which HRSD provides many of its electronic services. HRSD asks that your employment contract be documented there, and you can check its details and approve, reject or request changes through your own account. Moves between employers inside the Kingdom also run through Qiwa.

How long is probation in Saudi Arabia? If there is one, it must be stated explicitly in the contract, with its length, and under Article 53 of the Labour Law the total may not exceed 180 days.

Which jobs are reserved for Saudis? We don't know of one official list of every reserved job. HRSD issues localisation decisions per profession, such as the 100% localisation of 69 administrative support professions from 4 October 2026. Check the decision that covers your profession, and see our Saudization guide.

Where Taqdim fits

For a Saudi job, it checks whether the job is worth applying to and tells you when the role isn't right, for example when it requires a nationality you don't hold. Then it prepares your CV and cover letter for that specific role and helps your browser fill in the application form; you review everything before anything is submitted. Fit results are guidance, not a promise. It doesn't verify employers, offers or visas: those checks are yours, with the official sources above. What it does and doesn't do.

Taqdim is in closed beta. Join the waitlist.

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This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; always check the official source.

Related: How to apply for jobs in the UAE · Saudization requirements 2026: a guide for expat job seekers · CV format for Saudi Arabia and the UAE · ATS CV for UAE and Saudi jobs: what matters, what's a myth · Expected salary and notice period: how to answer (UAE, KSA) · Should I apply for this job? The honest job-fit checklist.

Sources

• Saudipedia (Saudi Ministry of Media), the unified national employment platform Jadarat (in Arabic): saudipedia.com
• Arab News, "Saudi Arabia launches unified employment portal" (18 August 2024): arabnews.com
• Human Resources Development Fund, Jadarat for individuals: hrdf.org.sa (may only open from inside Saudi Arabia)
• Job listings for Saudi Arabia: LinkedIn · Bayt
• HRSD, Nitaqat Mutawar procedural guide, 2026 phase (in Arabic): hrsd.gov.sa
• HRSD, the engineering and procurement localisation decisions: hrsd.gov.sa
• HRSD, administrative support professions localised at 100% from 4 October 2026 (in Arabic): hrsd.gov.sa
• Saudipedia (Saudi Ministry of Media), Engineering Professions Practice Law: saudipedia.com
• Saudi Council of Engineers, Professional Accreditation: saudieng.sa (may only open from inside Saudi Arabia)
• Ministry of Health, Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions and its implementing regulations (Article 2): moh.gov.sa
• HRSD, completion of the first phase of the Professional Verification service (8 July 2024, in Arabic): hrsd.gov.sa; English version: hrsd.gov.sa
• HRSD, Employment of Non-Saudis (Labour Law, Articles 33 and 40): hrsd.gov.sa
• HRSD, Visa Issuance service (employer conditions): hrsd.gov.sa
• HRSD, Request for transfer of expatriate workers: hrsd.gov.sa
• Qiwa, employee transfer: qiwa.sa (may only open from inside Saudi Arabia)
• HRSD, more than 9 million contracts documented through Qiwa (24 July 2024): hrsd.gov.sa; Arabic original: hrsd.gov.sa
• HRSD, Labor Relations (Labour Law, Articles 51, 53, 55 and 75): hrsd.gov.sa
• Arab News, "Saudi tourism ministry issues warning over fake job websites" (21 March 2024): arabnews.com