Final Exit Visa in Saudi Arabia: The Employer's Checklist
When an expatriate leaves for good: the legal ground, the exit file check, settlement within one or two weeks, Qiwa, the final exit visa, dependants, GOSI and insurance — in order.
When an expatriate employee leaves Saudi Arabia for good, the employer has to close the relationship in two places at once: under the Labour Law, which decides what is owed and by when, and on the platforms — Qiwa for the contract, Absher Business or Muqeem for the final exit visa, GOSI for social insurance — plus the insurer for medical cover. The steps are simple one at a time. The difficulty is the order.
In short: establish how and when the contract ends; check the exit file early, because a final exit visa needs at least 30 days left on the iqama and no unpaid traffic violations; pay the final wage and dues within one week of the contract ending, or two weeks if the employee ended it (Article 88); close the contract on Qiwa; issue the final exit visa on Absher Business or Muqeem (free, and valid for at most 60 days); then notify GOSI by the fifteenth of the following month, remove the leaver from the medical policy and give the service certificate.
This page is for HR and GR teams, and covers an employee leaving the Kingdom. An employee moving to another Saudi employer is transferred instead, at the new employer's request on Qiwa. It needs no final exit visa, but the settlement, GOSI and insurance steps still need checking.
The checklist at a glance
The order is practical, not prescribed; only some steps carry a legal deadline.
| # | Step | Where it happens | The rule that drives it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Establish the legal ground and the end date | The contract; written notice | Labour Law Articles 74, 75, 77, 79 bis, 80 |
| 2 | Check the exit file | Before the request on Absher Business or Muqeem | Iqama valid for at least 30 days; traffic violations paid; no vehicle registered to the employee; passport validity as the platform requires (90 or 60 days; see section 2) |
| 3 | Calculate the final settlement | Payroll | Articles 54, 76, 84, 85, 87, 111 |
| 4 | Pay it | The employee's bank account | One week from the end of the contract, two weeks if the employee ended it (Article 88) |
| 5 | Close the contract | Qiwa | The contract was documented there |
| 6 | Issue the final exit visa | Absher Business or Muqeem | Free; valid for at most 60 days; cancellable within 60 days of issue |
| 7 | Deal with dependants | Absher or Muqeem, by whoever sponsors them | Family members on the employee's passport travel with them |
| 8 | Ticket home, service certificate, documents | The employer | Articles 40 and 64 |
| 9 | Exclude the leaver from GOSI | GOSI Online | Within the first fifteen days of the month after leaving |
| 10 | Remove the leaver from the medical policy | The insurer | After the insurer receives proof the employee has left the Kingdom |
1. Establish how the contract is ending
Notice, compensation, the size of the end-of-service award and the settlement deadline all depend on the legal ground. Article 74 lists the grounds, among them written agreement, the end of a fixed term, notice under Article 75, resignation, retirement age, force majeure and closure.
A fixed-term contract. A non-Saudi's contract must be written and fixed-term (Article 37). It ends when the term ends (Article 74), but if the work simply continues, the Labour Law treats it as renewed rather than ended (Articles 37 and 55). Article 75's notice periods are written for indefinite contracts, so here the date is what matters, together with anything the contract says about notice of non-renewal.
An indefinite contract. Article 75, in its current text, sets the notice where the wage is paid monthly: at least 30 days in writing if the employee ends the contract, at least 60 days if the employer does; 30 days either way where the wage is not monthly. Notice not given is paid as wages for the period (Article 76). An employer may release the employee from work during notice, but service counts until the notice ends and the wage is still due (Article 78).
A resignation. Under Article 79 bis a resignation is accepted once 30 days pass without a reply. The employer may defer acceptance by up to 60 days where the work requires it, with written reasons given before the 30 days run out. The employee may withdraw within seven days unless it has been accepted, and the contract stays in force meanwhile.
Without a legitimate reason. Unless the contract fixes the compensation, Article 77 gives the other party fifteen days' wage per year of service under an indefinite contract, or the wage for the remaining term of a fixed-term one, and never less than two months' wage.
Dismissal without award. Article 80 lists the only cases in which an employer may end the contract without award, notice or compensation — among them assault, forgery to obtain the job, unexcused absence beyond the limits it sets, and probation — after letting the employee state their objections. Probation may not exceed 180 days, and either party may end the contract within it (Article 53).
Write the ground and the end date down first. Every later step is calculated from them.
2. Check the exit file early
The conditions that block a final exit can be checked weeks ahead. Absher Business's guide for issuing a final exit visa lists them:
- The employer, the worker and any family member whose visa is being issued must not be recorded as dead, absconded ("runaway") or with an Istiqdam violation.
- All traffic violations logged against the worker must be paid.
- The worker must not have a vehicle registered in their name.
- There must be no valid visa already issued for the worker, and no violation for failing to cancel an earlier unused visa.
- The worker must be inside the Kingdom when the visa is issued.
- The worker's passport must have enough validity left: the guide's English text says 90 days, its Arabic text 60, so check what the platform applies when you submit.
- Fingerprints must be on record for the person whose visa is being issued (males and females aged 15 and over in the guide's Arabic text; its English text says 16).
The General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) confirmed an iqama condition in January 2025: the resident's ID must be valid for at least 30 days when the final exit visa is requested; below that, the iqama has to be renewed first. Article 40 of the Labour Law puts iqama fees and renewals on the employer, so an iqama close to expiry turns a free transaction into a paid one.
3. Calculate the final settlement
The settlement is more than the end-of-service award. Build it line by line:
| Element | Rule |
|---|---|
| Wage to the last day | The wage for the days actually worked up to the end date |
| Notice pay | The wage for any notice not given (Article 76) |
| Accrued annual leave | The wage for leave days earned and not taken, including a proportion for part of a year (Article 111) |
| End-of-service award | Half a month's wage for each of the first five years and a month's wage for each later year, on the last wage, with part years pro rata (Article 84) |
| Compensation | Only where the contract was ended without a legitimate reason (Article 77) |
| Deductions | The employer may deduct any debt owed to it because of the work (Article 88) |
Resignation reduces the award. Under Article 85, an employee who resigns receives one third of the award after at least two consecutive years of service and not more than five, two thirds once service exceeds five consecutive years but has not reached ten, and the full award at ten years or more. Article 87 restores the full award where the employee leaves because of force majeure, and for a female employee who ends the contract within six months of her marriage contract or three months of giving birth. Article 54 adds that where the contract ends during probation, neither party is owed compensation and no end-of-service award is due.
The end of service calculator applies the formula and the resignation scale. The last wage includes commission unless the contract excludes it (Articles 2 and 86); the end of service benefits guide covers the other elements.
4. Pay it on time, into the bank account
Article 88 sets the deadline: the employer pays the wage and settles the employee's dues within one week of the end of the contractual relationship, or within two weeks where the employee ended the contract.
MHRSD's Resolution 112377, the schedule of labour violations, enforces both halves of that (amounts as published by MHRSD, checked October 2026):
| Row | Violation | Class | 20 workers or fewer | 21–49 | 50 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | Wage and dues not settled within one week, or two weeks where the worker ended the contract | Not serious | SAR 1,000 | SAR 2,000 | SAR 3,000 |
| 39 | Wages and dues not paid in riyals, on their due dates, into the workers' approved bank accounts | Serious | SAR 300 | SAR 300 | SAR 300 |
Both are multiplied per worker. Row 39 is why the settlement goes by bank transfer, like any other wage (Article 90 requires payment into workers' accounts through approved banks), not in cash on the last day. How a leaver's final month appears in the wage protection file is covered in our WPS and Mudad guide, and the full schedule in the labour violations guide.
5. Close the contract on Qiwa
The employment contract was written on the unified form and documented on Qiwa, which MHRSD requires, so its end is recorded there too.
Either side can start it. Since 16 April 2025, MHRSD's "Termination of Contractual Relationship" service has let an employee end the contract from their own Qiwa Individuals account, giving a reason and a last working date, without visiting the employer. The employer-side steps are in Qiwa's knowledge hub ("How to terminate an employment contract?", under business owners). Whichever side starts it, check that the reason recorded on Qiwa matches the legal ground you established in step 1, because the award and the deadline follow from that ground.
6. Issue the final exit visa
The employer issues the visa on Absher Business, the Ministry of Interior's platform for establishments, or on Muqeem, the portal establishments use for their residents' passport transactions.
What Jawazat published on 9 January 2025, through the Saudi Press Agency:
- No fee. The service is free of charge, through Absher or Muqeem (checked October 2026).
- At least 30 days on the iqama, as in step 2.
- At most 60 days to leave. With between 30 and 60 days left on the iqama, the visa runs only as long as the iqama does. With 60 days or more, it is limited to 60 days.
Absher Business's guide adds three rules the employer carries:
- The visa must be used within two months of issue, or fines apply under the regulations.
- If plans change, the employer can cancel the visa online, within 60 days of issue and while the worker is still in the Kingdom. Not cancelling within that period also attracts fines.
- The employer must destroy the worker's iqama card, and is fully responsible for doing so. The guide does not say at what point.
The guide publishes no amounts. Issue the visa once the departure date is settled, not as soon as the end date is known.
When the employee applies. Under MHRSD's Labour Reform Initiative, announced on 4 November 2020 and in force since 14 March 2021, an expatriate worker can leave on final exit immediately after the employment contract ends, without the employer's consent; the employer is notified electronically. MHRSD's announcement adds that a worker may also leave the Kingdom by breaking the contract, bearing all the consequences that follow.
7. Dependants
Under Jawazat's January 2025 announcement, employers and heads of households issue final exit visas for those they sponsor and their family members, through Absher and Muqeem. Absher Business's guide requires the primary visa holder to travel with all family members added to their passport. Which account issues a dependant's visa depends on who sponsors them; confirm it on the platform before booking. The visa is free, but any dependants' levy due must be paid up to the date of the request (Jawazat, through the Saudi Press Agency, July 2017).
Their medical cover follows the employee's: under the Council of Health Insurance's basic policy, a dependant's cover on the employer's policy ends automatically when the insured employee leaves the Kingdom permanently.
8. Ticket home, service certificate and documents
The ticket. Article 40 puts the employee's return ticket home, after the relationship ends, on the employer, unless the employee is unfit for work or chooses to return without a legitimate reason. Row 32 of Resolution 112377 fines an employer that fails to bear these costs, or passes them to workers, SAR 1,000 to SAR 3,000 per worker by establishment size, as a serious violation.
The service certificate. Article 64 requires the employer, at the end of the contract and on the employee's request, to give a free service certificate stating the start date, the end date, the profession and the last wage, with nothing that harms the employee's reputation or chances of work — and to return every certificate or document the employee deposited. Row 37 fines a failure to do either SAR 1,000 to SAR 3,000 per worker.
The passport. Retaining an employee's passport or iqama is a serious violation in its own right (row 31, SAR 1,000 to SAR 3,000 per worker). The passport goes back to the employee; the iqama card is destroyed by the employer (step 6).
9. Exclude the leaver from GOSI
GOSI's deadline falls after the employee has gone, which makes it easy to miss. The employer notifies GOSI of a worker who leaves employment within the first fifteen days of the month after the month they left, using Form No. (3/insurance), through GOSI Online or at a GOSI office, once the contractual relationship has ended.
Contributions follow a fixed rule. No contribution is collected for any part of the month in which employment ends, unless it ends at the end of the last day of that month; where employment ends in the same month it began, the whole month is collected. The rates themselves are in our GOSI contributions guide.
10. Remove the employee from the medical insurance
The Council of Health Insurance's basic health insurance policy (the version effective 1 October 2022) ends a worker's cover automatically when the insured leaves the Kingdom permanently, and lets the employer remove one or more employees from the policy once the insurer receives proof that the insured has left the Kingdom. The same clause sets a pro rata premium refund within 60 business days where the insured's claims did not exceed 75% of the annual premium; ask your insurer whether it applies to a single deletion.
How SCPL handles offboarding for clients
SCPL runs the leaver sequence for companies that remain the employer of their own staff, from its head office in Dammam and its office in Riyadh. In practice that means the settlement calculated to the Labour Law from the payroll and contract records — end of service, leave pay and outstanding dues — the GOSI exclusion, the removal from the medical policy, and the final exit on Absher Business or Muqeem. SCPL acts on your government portals as your authorised agent; you remain the legal employer throughout.
- Employee onboarding and offboarding — the joiner and leaver sequences as one service.
- Government relations and Muqeem and Absher Business management — the passport transactions, including final exit.
- Payroll outsourcing and GOSI, WPS and Mudad compliance — the final month and the leaver notifications.
Ask for a written scope — send the number of leavers, their end dates and how each contract is ending, and you will get back a scope for running them.
If you are an employee asking about your own final exit rather than an employer processing one, Absher and your employer's HR are the right channels: SCPL works with companies, not individuals. If you are looking for work, register as a candidate.
FAQ
How long does an employee have to leave after a final exit visa is issued?
At most 60 days. Jawazat stated on 9 January 2025 that the visa is limited to 60 days, or to the iqama's remaining validity where that is between 30 and 60 days. An unused visa attracts fines.
Is there a fee for a final exit visa?
No. Jawazat's announcement of 9 January 2025 says the service is free of charge through Absher and Muqeem (checked October 2026). Where the iqama has fewer than 30 days left it must be renewed first, and Article 40 puts iqama fees on the employer. Where there are dependants, any dependants' levy due is paid up to the date of the request.
When must the final settlement be paid?
Within one week of the end of the contractual relationship, or two weeks where the employee ended the contract (Article 88). A late settlement is fined SAR 1,000 to SAR 3,000 per worker.
Does an employee who resigns get end-of-service benefits?
It depends on length of service. Under Article 85 the award is one third after at least two and not more than five consecutive years, two thirds once service exceeds five years but is under ten, and in full from ten years. Below two years nothing is due, unless Article 87 applies: leaving because of force majeure, or a female employee ending the contract within six months of her marriage contract or three months of giving birth, restores the full award.
Can an expatriate employee take final exit without the employer?
After the contract has ended, yes. Since 14 March 2021, MHRSD's Labour Reform Initiative lets the worker leave on final exit without the employer's consent; the employer is notified electronically.
Can a final exit visa be cancelled?
Yes, online through Absher Business, within 60 days of issue and while the worker is still in the Kingdom. After that period, fines apply.
Official sources
Verify current requirements directly with the authorities — rules and fees in this area change, and the official portal is always ahead of any guide, including this one.
- MHRSD — Labour Law, "Labour relations" (Articles 50 to 88, including 53, 54, 64, 74 to 80 and 84 to 88), consolidated with the 2025 amendments
- MHRSD — Labour Law, definitions (Article 2, the wage)
- MHRSD — Labour Law, "Employment of non-Saudis" (Articles 32 to 41, including 37 and 40)
- MHRSD — Labour Law, "Conditions of work" (Articles 89 onwards, including 90 and 111)
- MHRSD — Ministerial Resolution 112377, schedule of violations and penalties (rows 31, 32, 36, 37 and 39)
- MHRSD — Awareness Guide on the Rights and Duties of Employers and Workers (2025)
- MHRSD — Termination of Contractual Relationship service
- MHRSD — Labour Reform Initiative announcement (4 November 2020; the Arabic version separates the two final exit cases)
- Saudi Press Agency — Passports: minimum of 30 days required for resident's ID validity (9 January 2025)
- Saudi Press Agency — Jawazat begins collecting the dependants' levy, including at final exit (5 July 2017, Arabic)
- Absher — Ministry of Interior services portal, where the Absher Business user guide covers issuing and cancelling a final exit visa
- Muqeem — establishment portal for residents' passport transactions
- Qiwa — Ministry of Human Resources labour platform
- GOSI — Registration (excluding a contributor, Form No. 3/insurance)
- GOSI — Employer FAQ (leaver notification and the month of termination)
- Council of Health Insurance — Basic Health Insurance Policy (effective 1 October 2022)