Saudi Arabia CV Format 2026: Photo, Personal Data, Iqama, Pay, Saudization and Labor Law

By AIResume Editorial Team

Last updated: 24 October 2026

No law sets the format of a Saudi CV. There is no required page count, no required photo and no required file type. What does differ from many other markets is the system around the CV: an iqama (residence permit) tied to a work permit, a localisation programme (Saudization, measured through Nitaqat) that shapes how larger employers hire, a pay package built from a basic wage plus allowances, no general statutory minimum wage for foreign private-sector workers, no personal income tax, and an end-of-service award instead of a pension for most foreigners. This guide turns those rules into practical choices for the CV and the application.

It is written for Saudis, expatriates already in the Kingdom on an iqama, professionals applying from abroad, and Japanese nationals. It covers the CV format, personal data, iqama status and job changes, degree equivalency, an annotated sample CV, pay, the economy, rules for foreign workers, labor law, holidays, social security, taxes and job scams. For where to find vacancies, see our Saudi Arabia job-board guide.

Editorial boundary: This is practical job-search guidance, not legal, immigration or tax advice. We only list figures we could read in an official or primary source: the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD, also written HRSD), the Qiwa platform, the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI), the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA), the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and the Bureau of Experts legal portal (laws.boe.gov.sa). Some Qiwa and MHRSD pages could not be opened when we checked, so the items that rest on press reports or professional summaries are marked "reported" or "likely". Confirm details with the authority concerned before you sign.

The riyal (SAR) is pegged by SAMA at 3.75 per US dollar, so SAR 1 is about USD 0.27.[^1] For yen we use the MUFG mid-rate (TTM) of 23 October 2026, about JPY 41.8 per riyal, so SAR 4,000 is about USD 1,067 or JPY 167,200.[^2] The dollar rate is fixed but the yen rate moves, so treat yen figures as approximate.

Saudi CV format at a glance

Make your current title, sector, core skills, experience, languages, iqama status and notice period easy to find in the first third of page one. Treat the live vacancy as the source of truth for required documents. For layout basics see our ATS-friendly CV guide.

Personal data, photo and fair hiring

Photo, marital status and date of birth. We found no Saudi law that requires a photograph on a CV and none that bans one. This is practice, not law: add a photo if the advert or portal asks, otherwise leave it off, especially on a CV that circulates internationally. The same logic applies to marital status, number of children, religion and exact date of birth: include them only if a trusted employer form explains why it needs them. Keep your National ID, iqama and passport numbers off any CV that may be emailed or forwarded; that is editorial privacy advice, not a quotation from the law.

Personal data law (PDPL). The Personal Data Protection Law was issued by Royal Decree M/19 on 16 September 2021 and amended by Royal Decree M/148 in March 2023. It entered into force on 14 September 2023 with a one-year compliance period that ended on 14 September 2024. The regulator is SDAIA.[^7][^8] Article 1 lists photos and videos, personal identification numbers, addresses and contact numbers among personal data, so a photo on a CV is personal data. The law sets data-minimisation and purpose-limitation principles; it does not list the fields an applicant may or may not put on a CV. The amended SDAIA regulation on transferring personal data outside the Kingdom has been reported to apply since 1 September 2024, which matters if a Saudi employer sends your CV to an overseas group office.[^9]

Non-discrimination. Article 3 of the Labor Law (as amended by Royal Decree M/134 of 1440 H) says citizens are equal in the right to work without discrimination on the basis of sex, disability, age or any other form, at work, at hiring and in job advertising. The 2025 amendments (Royal Decree M/44) added a new item 4 to Article 61: the employer must refrain from anything that nullifies or impairs equality of opportunity or treatment in employment, including exclusion, distinction or preference among applicants or workers on the basis of race, colour, sex, age, disability, marital status or any other form of discrimination.[^3][^6] The 2025 text names marital status, yet it does not say what a CV or an interview form may contain. We found no article that bans a photo or a marital-status line on a CV, so treat that choice as practice: leave them off unless asked, and treat a request for sensitive documents before an interview as a reason to ask why.

What no law covers. We did not find a rule on pregnancy tests, medical-history questions or family-planning questions in the articles and summaries we read, so we do not claim one. Medical checks, where they occur, belong to the visa and onboarding process rather than the CV.

Iqama status, job changes and Saudization

Changing employer. The Labor Reform Initiative (LRI), announced by MHRSD on 4 November 2020 and effective 14 March 2021, states that "employee mobility will allow expatriate workers to transfer between employers upon the expiry of the binding work contract without the employer's consent". During a valid contract a transfer is possible subject to a notice period and specific measures that the official announcement does not itemise, so we give no notice length and no list of conditions. The same initiative lets workers travel on an exit/re-entry visa without the employer's approval after submitting a request, with the employer notified electronically, and lets them take final exit after the contract ends without the employer's consent; the worker bears the consequences of breaking a contract. The services run on Absher and Qiwa.[^10] Under Article 40 (as amended in 2025) the new employer bears the transfer fee, and the employer bears exit/re-entry fees and the return ticket at the end of the relationship.[^3] Article 35 lets the ministry refuse to renew the work permit of an employer that breaches localisation standards, and the regulation provides for moving the worker to another employer without that employer's consent.[^3][^4]

Contract and probation. Under Article 37, a non-Saudi worker's contract is fixed-term, one year by default, and renews automatically.[^4] Under Article 53 as amended, the contract must expressly provide for probation, the total may not exceed 180 days in any case, and either party may end the contract during it.[^4]

Exit and re-entry on a CV. Do not put exit/re-entry or final-exit details on a CV. They are process steps, not qualifications.

How to state iqama status and notice. Put one truthful line in the header: "Resident in Jeddah, employment iqama, notice 60 days" or "Overseas applicant, needs employer sponsorship". There is no official status vocabulary on Qiwa or MHRSD for a CV, which treat transfer as a process rather than a label, so do not copy phrases from other people's CVs, and do not write the iqama number.

Nitaqat. Nitaqat is an establishment-level framework: it rates an employer, not a vacancy, and it does not tell you whether one job is open to you. A Saudi counts as a full worker in Nitaqat at a social-insurance wage of SAR 4,000 or more (about USD 1,067) under a ministerial decision of November 2020. This is reported through press, because the Qiwa page could not be opened; the wage that counts is the wage on which social insurance is paid, not "basic salary".[^16][^17]

2025 to 2026 localisation decisions. These are quotas on employers in a profession group, not rules for a single vacancy. They decide how many Saudis a firm of a given size must employ in that group, and the minimum wage a Saudi must earn to count toward the quota. They do not stop a foreign applicant from being hired for one role.

MHRSD also published a headline on 9 September 2026 about raising localisation of project management professions; we have not confirmed the details, so we give no quota. Check the current decision for your profession on Qiwa before you assume anything about a specific role.

Degree equivalency, skill verification and professional licences

Degree equivalency (MOE). The Ministry of Education operates an e-service for the equivalency of degrees obtained outside the Kingdom. It asks for a national ID or passport, the certificate and the transcript. Equivalency is not needed for every private-sector job, so ask the employer before you start.[^18] Put your real award name, institution and country on the CV, and write "MOE equivalency: pending" only if a real application is pending. We did not find an official requirement for a stamping step after entry into the Kingdom, so we do not describe one.

Professional Verification Program. MHRSD uses the name "Professional Verification Program". For highly skilled professions it verifies documents and qualifications automatically (reported up to 15 working days). For medium- and low-skilled trades it tests practical and theoretical skills before arrival and after entry. It has been extended to 160 labour-exporting countries (reported).[^21][^22] We do not give exam lengths or validity periods because only third-party sources state them.

Health practitioners (SCFHS). The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties verifies foreign qualifications through DataFlow, runs exams through Prometric or Pearson VUE, and takes classification applications from foreign applicants through Mumaris Plus. Non-Saudis need at least one year of experience. Registration applies only to health practitioners.[^19][^20]

Engineers (SCE). The Saudi Council of Engineers requires registration for engineering practice under the engineering professions law, and foreign engineers are reported to need SCE membership for iqama issue and renewal. We could not open the council's page, so confirm the current requirement with the council. Write "SCE membership" on a CV only if you hold it, and never print the number.[^23]

Annotated sample Saudi CV

Everything below is fictional: the person, employer, contact details and results. Replace every item with facts you can prove.

Noor Hassan, Supply Chain Operations Specialist

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · +966 50 000 0000 · [email protected]

Status: Resident in Riyadh, employment iqama · Notice period: 60 days

Annotation: city only, no National ID, iqama or passport number, no date of birth, no photo unless the vacancy asks. Status and notice answer two early screening questions.

Profile

Supply chain operations specialist with five years of fictional experience coordinating orders, inventory records and vendor follow-up for consumer-goods teams.

Annotation: names the target role and evidence in two lines.

Core skills

Inventory reporting · vendor coordination · SAP order tracking · Excel reconciliation · process documentation

Experience

*Supply Chain Operations Specialist, Desert Example Trading Co., Riyadh | March 2023 to present*

• Reconciled a fictional weekly inventory file of 420 stock-keeping units and documented exceptions for warehouse owners.
• Built a fictional supplier follow-up tracker that cut unresolved delivery checks from 31 to 12 a week.
• Prepared bilingual fictional status notes for sales and warehouse teams from verified order data.

*Operations Assistant, Coast Example Foods Ltd., Jeddah | July 2021 to February 2023*

• Updated fictional purchase-order records and prepared a weekly late-delivery report for the operations manager.

Annotation: each bullet starts with a verb and names a deliverable. Replace every fictional number with a record you can explain.

Education and languages

Bachelor of Business Administration, Example University, 2021 (fictional). Arabic (native), English (C1, fictional).

Annotation: keep the real award name. Add equivalency or licence status only when verified. References: available on request, after you have asked the referees.

Salary packages and the minimum wage

Package structure. A Saudi offer is usually negotiated as several lines: basic wage, housing, transport and other allowances. Ask for the breakdown in writing. The percentage splits between basic wage and allowances are market practice, not law, so do not assume one. The law defines the "actual wage" as the basic wage plus allowances, customary commissions and bonuses, and in-kind benefits.[^5]

What the law does say. Article 61 items 5 and 6, added in 2025, oblige the employer to provide suitable housing, which it may replace with a suitable cash allowance paid with the wage, and suitable transport from residence to work, or a cash allowance.[^3] The end-of-service award under Article 84 is calculated on the last (actual) wage, so a package with a very low basic wage and large cash allowances can still produce a reasonable award, but ask how your contract defines the wage.[^4] Overtime under Article 107 is the hourly basic wage plus 50%.[^4]

No general minimum wage. We found no general statutory minimum wage for non-Saudi private-sector workers. SAR 4,000 (about USD 1,067 or JPY 167,200) is the full-credit counting threshold for a Saudi in Nitaqat, not a statutory minimum wage, and the localisation minimums in the table above likewise decide only whether a Saudi counts toward a quota.[^16][^11]

Average wages. The National Labor Observatory (NLO) reports average monthly wages in the private sector at the end of Q1 2026 of SAR 9,331 for Saudis (about USD 2,488 or JPY 390,000) and SAR 2,615 for non-Saudis (about USD 697 or JPY 109,300).[^30] The gap reflects different occupations, not a pay scale by nationality, and many non-Saudi workers are in lower-paid trades.

Wage Protection System (WPS). The Mudad platform has run the WPS since 2013; it has applied to all private firms, including micro and small ones, since 31 December 2020. MHRSD reports more than 900,000 establishments covered and compliance above 88% in 2024. Non-compliance is reported to bring fines and suspension of ministry services.[^46] Keep every pay slip and check that your pay matches your Qiwa contract.

What this means: without a minimum wage, your protection is the written contract, the end-of-service rules and WPS. Compare offers on the full package and the basic wage, ask how the contract defines "wage", and keep your records.

Saudi Arabia's economy in numbers

*Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (accessed 24 October 2026).*[^51]

The World Bank also lists unemployment of 3.0% for 2025, youth unemployment (ages 15 to 24) of 10.0% and an international migrant stock of 13,683,841 for 2024.[^51]

The IMF names disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as a downside risk to the forecasts. Forecasts are projections, not outcomes, and the IMF and World Bank figures differ.

What this means for a job seeker: a 3.0% overall unemployment rate hides a large gap between non-Saudis (1.3%) and Saudis (6.5%), and between Saudi women and men. Expect strong demand for Saudi nationals in localised professions, and treat 2026 growth forecasts as uncertain when you weigh an offer that depends on a project start date.

Rules for foreign workers

Japanese nationals

Japan is on the Kingdom's tourist e-visa list: a one-year multiple-entry visa with stays of up to 90 days each. A tourist cannot work, so a job needs a work visa and an iqama through an employer.[^33] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan counted 718 Japanese residents in Saudi Arabia on 1 October 2025 (660 long-term and 58 permanent), up 8.6% on the year.[^32] Japan and Saudi Arabia have no social security agreement: Saudi Arabia is not among the 24 countries in force from 1 December 2025 on the Japan Pension Service list, so ask your Japanese employer or the Japan Pension Service how pension and health contributions apply.[^34] The Japan-Saudi tax treaty was signed in Tokyo on 15 November 2010 and entered into force on 1 September 2011.[^35]

Foreign workers in numbers

Sources: NLO, DataSaudi, World Bank, MOFA.[^30][^31][^32][^51] Domestic workers are covered by separate regulations.

Labor law: hours, leave, notice and dismissal

The private sector is governed by the Labor Law, Royal Decree M/51 of 23 August 1426 H (27 September 2005), as amended by Royal Decree M/44 of 12 August 2024, which took effect on 19 February 2025 (38 articles amended, 7 omitted, 2 added; some firms give 18 February).[^6][^4] The English translation at the Bureau of Experts carries the amendments appendix. The table cites articles as we read them.

Disputes

The ministry first tries an amicable settlement, described by the ILO as within 21 days (reported), and unresolved claims go to the labour court. Claims are time-barred 12 months after the end of employment (Art. 234).[^45][^4] Domestic workers have a separate committee.

2026 public holidays

Founding Day (22 February) and National Day (23 September) have fixed dates. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are 4 days each in the private sector; the exact 2026 dates depend on moon sighting and are reported from press, not from a ministry page we could open. Compensation is due if a holiday falls on the weekly rest day or the worker works (executive regulations, Art. 24).

Social security, end-of-service, unemployment insurance and health cover

GOSI for Saudis. For Saudis, the legacy annuities contribution is 18%, split 9% employer and 9% employee. The SANED unemployment-insurance contribution is 1.5% (0.75% each) since 1 January 2022. The contributory wage is capped at SAR 45,000 a month (about USD 12,000).[^38][^39] A new Social Insurance Law (Royal Decree M/273, approved 2 July 2024) applies only to new civil entrants with no prior contributions, with the pension contribution rising by 0.5 point a year from year two, reported as 11% instead of 9% in total; we do not state the split between employee and employer.[^40][^41]

Occupational hazards. The employer pays 2% of wages for all workers, whatever their nationality.[^39]

Non-Saudis. The annuities branch is compulsory for Saudis only, so non-Saudis have no state pension in Saudi Arabia.[^39] The end-of-service award replaces it.

End-of-service award (Arts. 84 and 85). Article 84 applies to every worker under the Labor Law, not only foreigners. It pays half a month's wage for each of the first five years and a full month's wage for each later year, on the last (actual) wage, pro rata for part-years. On resignation (Art. 85) you receive one third after 2 to 5 years, two thirds after 5 to 10 years and the full award after 10 years, and nothing under 2 years. Article 87 gives the full award for force majeure, and for a woman who resigns within 6 months of marriage or 3 months of childbirth.[^4] Commissions and variable pay may be excluded by agreement (Art. 86).

Unemployment insurance (SANED). SANED covers Saudis only. Foreign workers have no unemployment insurance in Saudi Arabia, so keep savings and a plan for an exit.[^38]

Health insurance. Private employers must insure Saudi and non-Saudi employees and their covered family members (spouse, sons up to 25 and unmarried non-working daughters), reported; employers need not insure parents or siblings. We did not read the Council of Health Insurance law text, so ask your employer in writing what the policy covers.

Taxes on employees

• Personal income tax: none on wages. Zakat and corporate income tax apply to businesses, not to your payslip.[^42]
• VAT: 15% since 1 July 2020.[^42]
• Excise tax: from 1 January 2026, the 50% rate on sweetened drinks is replaced by a per-litre tier by sugar per 100 ml: SAR 0 for sugar-free and under 5 g, SAR 0.79 for 5 g to under 8 g and SAR 1.09 for 8 g or more (about USD 0.29). Tobacco and energy drinks stay at 100%.[^43]
• Real estate transaction tax (RETT): 5% on transfers of real estate by sale or gift, with exceptions.[^44]
• Local personal tax: none. There is no municipal or regional income tax on individuals, so nothing like Japan's resident tax (juminzei).
• Closest recurring charge for expatriates: the dependant fee (reported SAR 400 a month per dependant), which is a fee and not a tax.[^50]
• Treaty with Japan: signed 15 November 2010, in force 1 September 2011, with withholding taxes applying from 1 January 2012.[^35]

Recruitment agencies and job scams

Article 30 of the Labor Law allows only persons licensed by MHRSD to recruit Saudis or workers from abroad. Under Article 22 the ministry's employment channels are free to use. Under Article 40, the employer, not the applicant, bears the recruitment, residence and work-permit costs, so never pay for a visa, a permit or a job.[^3] The implementing regulations also bar licensed offices from charging the worker (reported).[^52] MHRSD continues to report enforcement against unlicensed recruitment; a headline of 28 September 2026 reports 10 establishments detected operating recruitment services without a licence. A fine of SAR 200,000 to 500,000 for unlicensed manpower supply was reported with the 2025 amendments.[^10][^24] A reporting hotline of 920002866 was reported by MHRSD in 2024. Musaned is the platform for domestic workers, not a general agency checker.

Warning signs: a recruiter who asks for a fee, a "visa" sold for cash, an offer with no named employer, a request for your passport or iqama scan before any interview, and payment to a personal account. Check that an agency holds an MHRSD licence, and keep your documents out of messaging apps.

Final checks before you apply

• [ ] Plain layout, one or two focused pages, tailored to the vacancy, saved as a text-searchable PDF.
• [ ] Language of the CV follows the vacancy; Arabic version ready if asked.
• [ ] No National ID, iqama or passport number or scan; no salary history; photo only if the vacancy asks.
• [ ] Iqama status and notice period in the header; no promises about sponsorship or transfer.
• [ ] Real award names; MOE equivalency started only when required.
• [ ] For health roles, SCFHS route checked; for engineers, SCE membership stated only if held.
• [ ] Offer broken down into basic wage, housing, transport and other allowances; contract definition of "wage" read.
• [ ] Contract read for probation (180 days at most), notice, end-of-service and WPS payment.
• [ ] Agency licence checked; no fee paid.
• [ ] Referees have agreed; documents shared only through the employer's own secure channel.

How to use AIResume

Keep one master CV in AIResume and create a version for each advert using our ATS-friendly CV guide. Remove ID numbers, set your iqama-status and notice-period line, choose the English or Arabic version the employer asks for, and save the exact version and date you send.

Related AIResume guides

• Job boards in Saudi Arabia
• UAE CV format guide
• Qatar CV format guide
• UK CV format guide
• How to write an ATS-friendly CV

Sources

[^1]: Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), riyal peg of 3.75 per US dollar

[^2]: MUFG Bank, published exchange rates of 23 October 2026 (SAR TTM 41.80 yen)

[^3]: Bureau of Experts, Labor Law (current Arabic text with amendment notes)

[^4]: Bureau of Experts, Labor Law English translation with amendments to Royal Decree M/44

[^5]: MHRSD, Labor Law English translation (2023 edition, definitions and Art. 64)

[^6]: MHRSD, announcement of the Labor Law amendments taking effect

[^7]: SDAIA, Personal Data Protection Law (English)

[^8]: Latham & Watkins, Saudi Arabia's data protection law enters into force

[^9]: Clyde & Co, 10 legal updates in KSA tech and data laws (transfer regulation)

[^10]: MHRSD, Labor Reform Initiative announcement (4 November 2020)

[^11]: MHRSD, localisation of technical engineering, pharmacy and dental professions

[^12]: MHRSD, localisation of engineering professions and procurement

[^13]: MHRSD, localisation of 44 accounting professions (6 November 2025)

[^14]: MHRSD, localisation of marketing and sales professions

[^15]: MHRSD, phase 2 of dental localisation

[^16]: Saudi Press Agency, Nitaqat full-credit wage of SAR 4,000

[^17]: Saudi Gazette, Nitaqat wage threshold

[^18]: Ministry of Education, equivalency of qualifications issued outside the Kingdom

[^19]: SCFHS, Mumaris FAQ

[^20]: SCFHS, professional classification requirements

[^21]: Gulf News, Saudi professional scheme accredits nearly 210,000 expat workers

[^22]: MHRSD, Skills and training (Professional Verification Program)

[^23]: Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner / BAL, Saudi Arabia online registration for engineers (SCE)

[^24]: King & Spalding, Amendments to the Saudi Labor Law approved

[^25]: General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), home page headlines

[^26]: GASTAT, Labour Force Survey Q2 2026 (text of the release, read from a mirror)

[^27]: GASTAT, Population Estimates Statistics 2024

[^28]: IMF, Saudi Arabia 2026 Article IV conclusion (29 July 2026)

[^29]: Zawya, World Bank forecast of Saudi rebound (press)

[^30]: National Labor Observatory, Q1 2026 labor force snapshot report

[^31]: DataSaudi, GASTAT administrative records

[^32]: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Japanese residents overseas, 1 October 2025

[^33]: Visit Saudi, eVisa portal

[^34]: Japan Pension Service, social security agreements

[^35]: Ministry of Finance Japan, list of tax conventions

[^36]: DLA Piper, Saudi Arabia enforces seasonal midday work ban

[^37]: Deloitte Middle East, expansion of the Premium Residency program

[^38]: GOSI, annuities

[^39]: GOSI, social insurance (legacy law text)

[^40]: Saudi Gazette, social insurance law update

[^41]: Argaam, GOSI contribution rise

[^42]: ZATCA

[^43]: KPMG, amendments to the excise tax implementing regulations

[^44]: ZATCA, RETT implementing regulations

[^45]: ILO, description of Saudi labour dispute settlement

[^46]: ILO, wage protection systems

[^47]: Gulf News, Saudi Arabia announces Eid al-Fitr holidays for private sector

[^48]: Gulf News, first day of Eid al-Fitr 2026

[^49]: Time Out Jeddah, Eid al-Adha 2026 in Saudi

[^50]: Qiwa, expatriate and employer fee pages (could not be opened; amounts reported by press and law-firm summaries)

[^51]: World Bank, World Development Indicators, Saudi Arabia

[^52]: Gulf Labour Markets, summary of the implementing regulation of the Saudi Labor Law