Qiwa Employer Registration and Subscription Fees (2026)

14 min readLast updated 11 November 2026

How an establishment gets onto Qiwa, what the annual subscription is priced on, how users are delegated, and which employer services are free and which are paid.

Qiwa is the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's labour platform, and for an employer in Saudi Arabia it is where the establishment's labour file lives: employment contracts, work permits, transfers of employees in and out, the Nitaqat level and the work policy. This guide covers registration, the subscription, user delegation and what each core service costs.

In short: an establishment is created on Qiwa automatically once the Ministry of Commerce issues its National Unified Number, and an authorised person on the commercial register can add it manually if it does not appear. The person acting for the company opens a Qiwa account with their National ID or iqama number, verified through Nafath, and a free account is enough to create and authenticate employment contracts. The full platform, including visas and employee transfers, needs a paid annual subscription. Qiwa prices it on the number of employees under the establishment group's Unified Number and shows the total, with VAT, at checkout; it is charged per user, not per establishment, and paid by card or SADAD. Qiwa does not publish a price list, so this guide does not give one.

This page is for employers and their HR and government relations teams. If you are an employee, you use your own individual Qiwa account to approve the contract your employer sends you, and your employer handles the establishment side. For the wider picture of why Qiwa matters and what non-compliance costs, see Qiwa in Saudi Arabia: what employers must register.

What Qiwa is, in employer terms

The subscription, the users and the Nitaqat calculation all hang off Qiwa's own vocabulary.

Term	What Qiwa means by it
Establishment	One labour file on the platform, tied to a commercial registration or licence
Establishment Group	All establishments under the same National Unified Number
Group Manager	The main authorised user who can conduct services on every establishment in the group, previously called the Unified Number Manager
Establishment Delegator	A user added to the group and given access to chosen establishments and services, either the same for all of them or set for each one
Entity	For Nitaqat, the establishments in one group that share the same economic activity

Under the new Commercial Register Law, Qiwa says the commercial registration number is being replaced across the platform by the National Unified Number, which begins with "700", and that the registration's status (active, suspended or deleted) is shown on each establishment card.

Before you register: what has to exist first

Qiwa does not create companies. Its guide to registering a new establishment says you first need to open the business with the Ministry of Commerce and receive a National Unified Number, or, for a non-commercial establishment, obtain a licence from the relevant government body. The establishment is then created on Qiwa automatically.

MHRSD's own "Open Establishment File" service describes the labour file side: it is free, completed immediately through the ministry's electronic services portal, and does not require a visit to a labour office with documents. Opening a main establishment file requires entering every licence the activity needs, and a commercial registration number cannot be used for more than one establishment anywhere in the Kingdom.

If the company is new, the first 90 days after the CR sets out the order in which Qiwa, GOSI, Mudad and the Ministry of Interior platforms come into play.

How to register on Qiwa

There are two separate things to set up: a personal Qiwa account for the person who will act for the company, and the establishment itself.

1. Create the Qiwa account. Qiwa's registration page asks for a National ID or iqama number and date of birth, and then authenticates the person through Nafath using their mobile phone number. Qiwa's contract guide confirms that a free account is enough to create contracts; the paid subscription comes later.

2. Register the establishment, if it is not already there. Qiwa's step-by-step guide:

Log in to the Qiwa business account.
Go to Establishment Accounts and select "Register new establishment".
Read the introduction and select "Start process".
Enter the National Unified Number and select "Upload establishment data".
Check that the commercial registration and Group Manager details are correct.
Review the establishment's nationality and Labour Office, and select its ISIC4 economic activity.
Enter the establishment's address, review the summary, accept the terms and select "Register establishment".

Two points from the same guide are easy to miss. Only persons authorised on the commercial register can register a new establishment. And Qiwa warns that if the declared activity does not match what the establishment actually does, a fine can be issued, so choose the ISIC4 activity with care: it is also one of the factors Qiwa lists for your Nitaqat level.

Branches. Qiwa's note on the new Commercial Register Law says new branches can no longer be registered. Existing branches can stay for a five-year transitional period, during which an establishment can keep them as they are or move their employees and contracts to the main establishment; Qiwa's guidance on compliance is to transfer employees and contracts to the main establishment and close the others.

The Qiwa subscription: what it is and what it costs

Registration gets the establishment onto Qiwa. The subscription unlocks the platform. Qiwa's subscription guide says an annual fee is needed to use the full version of Qiwa, and its establishment registration guide says that to use all services, such as visa issuance, employee transfers and online business management, the Establishment Group must subscribe.

What the price depends on. Qiwa's Subscriptions and User Management service page, updated in September 2026, says the cost depends on the number of employees under the Unified Number, and that the total, including VAT and any discounts, is calculated automatically and shown at checkout. Its Establishment Management FAQ says the same in older words: the cost varies with the size of the Establishment Group, meaning the total employees across all its establishments, and you see it after logging in, during the subscription process.

Per user, not per establishment. The same service page states that the subscription is per user: each user of the establishment account needs a separate annual subscription, and it cannot be transferred. Qiwa's guide to adding users confirms that you pay the subscription fee to add a new user.

No published price list. Qiwa shows its subscription prices only inside a logged-in account. Package figures circulating on consultancy sites do not appear on any official page we could open, so they are not repeated here; the checkout screen is the authority.

How to subscribe, from Qiwa's guide:

Log in to Qiwa and go to Workspaces, then Establishment Accounts.
Select "Subscribe" and check the registered information.
Review the summary, accept the terms and conditions, and select "Go to payment".
Pay by card, confirming with the four-digit code sent to the mobile number registered on Qiwa; or choose a SADAD number and pay it through your bank.

Paid by card, the subscription runs for one year once the payment is processed. A SADAD number is valid for 14 days, after which a new one has to be requested.

Renewal. Qiwa subscriptions can be renewed up to 30 days before they expire. Another user's expired or terminated subscription is renewed from Payment and users, then Manage subscription; a terminated user's establishments and privileges are chosen again.

Free and paid: what each employer service costs

The subscription is one cost. The services each have their own, and contract authentication is free.

Service	Cost, as Qiwa or MHRSD publishes it	What it needs
Qiwa account	Free	National ID or iqama number, Nafath
Establishment registration on Qiwa	Free	National Unified Number or licence; an authorised person on the CR
Annual subscription	Paid; priced on employees under the Unified Number, shown at checkout	Per user
Contract Management (create, authenticate, update, terminate)	Free	A free account is enough
Work policy	Free	Required for every establishment under the Labour Law
Establishment information and registration	Free	—
Work permits	SAR 100 a year per non-Saudi employee, plus SAR 700 or SAR 800 a month (below)	Qiwa Wallet or SADAD
Employee transfer	Paid; Qiwa does not state the amount on the service page	The conditions below

Amounts as published by Qiwa and MHRSD, checked November 2026.

Users and delegation

The Group Manager can act on every establishment in the group, and adds other users as Establishment Delegators.

To add a user, Qiwa's guide says: go to Payment and users, then Manage subscription, and select "Add new user"; enter the person's National ID or iqama number and verify their identity; choose which establishments they can access; and choose which services they can use, either the same for all establishments or customised for each. Then pay that user's subscription. Once the payment goes through, the new user can log in.

A few rules from Qiwa's pages:

Who sets privileges. The Group Manager, and any Establishment Delegator who has been given access to User Management. A delegator cannot change their own privileges.
Missing services. If services do not appear after signing up and paying, Qiwa says this can happen when the Group Manager has not authorised that user, and otherwise points to technical support.
Workspace Management. A user who is not employed in any of the group's establishments cannot be given Workspace Management privileges.
Removing access. A user can be removed from selected establishments or from all of them.

Because each user is a paid seat, the user list is worth reviewing whenever staff change roles or leave.

The core employer services

Contract authentication

Qiwa says contracts created on the platform are considered authenticated and approved by MHRSD, so no visit to the Ministry is needed, and that the same service can authenticate contracts for existing employees on paper contracts. Its Contract Management FAQ adds that a contract must be authenticated before the employee starts work, even during probation.

The sequence:

The employer creates the contract under Contract Management, singly or for several employees, from scratch or from a template. Arabic is the default language because contracts must be in Arabic.
The contract goes to the employee's individual Qiwa account to approve, request changes or reject.
For a Saudi employee, the request stays open for 10 days and is cancelled automatically if not answered. Once both sides agree it is approved, and it becomes active on its start date.
For a non-Saudi employee already working in Saudi Arabia for another employer, the contract goes with an employee transfer request, and the employee approves both.

Contracts are documented on Qiwa first and reflected automatically in GOSI, not the other way round. An authenticated contract can be edited later, but the change goes back to the employee, and the last approved version stays valid until the update is accepted.

Since 15 April 2026, Qiwa says, Nitaqat counts Saudi employees only on the basis of contracts authenticated on the platform. An unauthenticated Saudi hire does not help your level.

Work permits for non-Saudi employees

A work permit must be issued within 90 days of a non-Saudi employee's arrival in the Kingdom; it is the first step to the iqama. Qiwa publishes the cost as SAR 100 a year for each non-Saudi employee, plus SAR 700 a month for each non-Saudi employee up to the number of Saudi employees and SAR 800 a month for each one beyond. Permits run for 3, 6, 9 or 12 months, and payment is by Qiwa Wallet or a SADAD number paid within 14 days. After the permit come medical insurance and the authenticated contract, then the iqama. If no permit is issued within the 90 days, the employee becomes eligible for direct transfer to another employer.

Qiwa lists three fee exemptions, two of them for establishment groups of nine employees or fewer where the owner works full time in the establishment. The iqama renewal guide covers the renewal side in detail, and the cost of hiring an expat employee puts the permit and levy into a full budget.

Employee transfers

The Employee Transfer service moves non-Saudi employees between your own establishments or brings one in from another employer. Qiwa lists it as a paid service. Its conditions include an active establishment and commercial registration; no expired work permits anywhere in the Establishment Group; no remarks from the Wage Protection System; contracts authenticated in line with the Ministry's plan; and the employee's approval of the request and contract. For an establishment in its expansion phase, Qiwa's FAQ adds that it must be at Medium Green and stay within its recruitment quota.

Qiwa says the Ministry of Interior step, which comes last, usually takes up to 14 days. An employee whose work permit has expired and was not renewed by the current employer can be transferred directly. The wage protection and Mudad guide explains the wage protection condition.

Viewing your Nitaqat level

The establishment's Nitaqat level is visible under Establishment Management. Qiwa's Nitaqat page sets out five levels, from Platinum to Red, for entities of more than five employees, and two, Green and Red, for entities of five or fewer, calculated on the economic activity, the entity's size and its Saudization rate.

The level decides what Qiwa will let you do. At Medium Green and above, Qiwa says, an establishment can renew work permits, request new permanent work visas, transfer employees in and change occupations. In the Red, it cannot request new visas, use the transfer service, renew work permits or open new establishment files. The Nitaqat categories guide explains the bands, and the Nitaqat calculator models a change in headcount before you make it.

The work policy

Qiwa states that every establishment subject to the Labour Law must have a work policy approved by MHRSD, whatever its size, and that one that does not may be fined under MHRSD's violations and penalties schedule. Establishments of 49 employees or fewer can use a standard policy, accredited automatically; those of 50 or more need a custom policy prepared and reviewed by a law office accredited as a Qiwa service provider. The service is free.

Qiwa labour office appointments in Riyadh, Dammam and elsewhere

Most Qiwa transactions are online, but some services, such as issuing or renewing work permits, can also be carried out with a Labour Office agent. Qiwa's Labor Office Appointments service books a virtual or in-person appointment: confirm the email address on the establishment's account, choose the establishment, the reason for the visit (which decides whether it is virtual or in person) and the service, then pick a date, time and office. The office is chosen inside the booking flow, and Qiwa's guide does not list office addresses, so this guide does not either.

How SCPL handles this for clients

SCPL administers Qiwa as part of its government relations work, from Dammam and Riyadh, on the client's own establishment account and under delegated user access. The establishment keeps ownership of the account and can see and revoke that access at any time; SCPL recommends this over handing login credentials to any provider, including SCPL.

Establishment file management: keeping entity data, activities and authorised users accurate, so that downstream transactions clear.
Subscription and users: keeping the establishment's Qiwa subscription matched to its headcount and transaction needs.
Contract authentication: drafting to the platform's requirements and authenticating, including bulk processing for existing staff whose contracts were never registered.
Work permit issuance and renewal, aligned to iqama validity, and the Qiwa-side steps of employee transfers in and out.
Rejection resolution: diagnosing why a submission failed before it is resubmitted.
Nitaqat: assessing the current band, modelling the ratio under the client's hiring plan, monthly monitoring, and recruitment of Saudi nationals for the client's own roles where the gap needs closing.

The service pages set out the scope: Qiwa services, government relations services, Saudization and Nitaqat and iqama services. To discuss your establishment, send SCPL your headcount and where your employees are based.

FAQ

What is Qiwa?

Qiwa is the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's labour platform. Employers use it to register establishments, create and authenticate employment contracts, issue and renew work permits, transfer employees, manage the work policy and see their Nitaqat level; employees use their individual accounts to approve contracts and transfers.

How much is the Qiwa subscription fee?

Qiwa does not publish a price list. Its service page says the cost depends on the number of employees under the Unified Number, and the total, including VAT and any discounts, is calculated and shown at checkout. The subscription is annual and per user, so each person who uses the establishment account needs their own, and it cannot be transferred. It is paid by card or SADAD.

Do we need a paid subscription to authenticate employment contracts?

No. Qiwa's contract guide says a free account is enough to create contracts, and the Contract Management service is free. The paid subscription is needed for the full platform, which Qiwa says includes visa issuance, employee transfers and online business management.

How do we register our company on Qiwa?

Once the Ministry of Commerce has issued the National Unified Number, the establishment is created on Qiwa automatically. If it does not appear, a person authorised on the commercial register logs in, goes to Establishment Accounts, selects "Register new establishment", enters the National Unified Number, confirms the details, chooses the ISIC4 activity and address, and registers it. Registration is free; the subscription comes after.

Can someone other than the owner manage our Qiwa account?

Yes. The Group Manager can add Establishment Delegators, choosing the establishments and services each one can use, and pays a subscription for each user added. A delegator can be given access to User Management but cannot change their own privileges, and the Group Manager can remove a user from some or all establishments.

When can we renew the Qiwa subscription?

Up to 30 days before it expires. Because the subscription is per user, another user's expired or terminated subscription is renewed for that user, from Payment and users, then Manage subscription.

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.