The Saudi government has stated that domestic workers are not subject to a measure allowing monthly payments for issuing and renewing residency permits.
Absher, the official platform for domestic workers, said fees cannot be split on a quarterly basis for residency permits.
For expat workers in Saudi Arabia, which has a large expat population, quarterly residency permits tied to labour licenses were introduced in 2021, allowing partitioning related fees to be charged.
According to the Saudi General Directorate of Passports, such permits will be issued and renewed for a minimum of three months and fees on residency and labour permits will be separated.
Absher requires the beneficiary to hold a valid passport and not be registered as a work absentee in order to renew their iqama via Absher
Expats in Saudi Arabia are issued labour licences that allow them to be legal workers and residents.
In the kingdom, domestic workers include housekeepers, drivers, housemaids, cleaners, cooks, guards, farmers, tailors, live-in nurses, tutors, and nannies.
A drastic overhaul of Saudi Arabia's sponsorship system was announced late in 2020 as part of the country's labour reforms. Millions of migrant workers have benefited from the reforms, which came into effect in March 2021.
As a result of these reforms, expatriate workers are able to move between jobs and have their exit and re-entry visas issued without prior approval from their employers.
The employee mobility policy allows expatriates to move between employers upon expiration of their binding work contracts.
