In 2025, the Saudi government changed its labour management system on a massive scale by introducing Qiwa – a digital, centralised platform that aims to simplify most of the employment administration processes by making them available from one place. If you happen to be a business owner, an HR professional, or an expat worker, you need to know what Qiwa is and how it functions if you want to save time, be compliant, and grow your workforce.
What do you mean by Qiwa?
Qiwa is a one-stop digital platform initiated by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) of Saudi Arabia, which aims to provide labour and employment operations with easy and integrated access through digitising work permit management, employee contracts, Saudisation compliances, and dispute mitigation processes. In other words, Qiwa is a government portal that facilitates connections and interactions among government agencies, employers, and employees in a smooth and efficient manner.
Qiwa has been the foundation for the labour reform in Saudi Arabia since its full deployment. By bringing together many services into one, it lessens paperwork, reduces duplicative work effort, accelerates approval processes, and increases the accuracy of data – supporting the Kingdom’s goal of economic and technological transformation under Vision 2030.
Key Features and Benefits of Qiwa
1. Work Permit Management
Applications for a work permit, including first-time applications, renewals, and cancellations, can be made online by employers; thus, the latter are no longer required to make a physical visit to a government office. There might be a possibility for employees to check the status of their work permit application in real time, which is beneficial for them to ensure they are following the rules of their visa and work permit issued.
2. Employee and Employer Registration
Both employers and employees are obligated to input their information onto Qiwa. Employers are the ones who post employment contracts, salary details, and Saudisation plans. While employees have the liberty to check their contract status, transfer requests, and benefits.
3. Labour Compliance and Saudisation
Qiwa provides dashboards to allow employers to monitor compliance based on the Saudi Labour Law and the related Saudisation targets, which are necessary to maintain licences and to prevent penalties and sanctions. The tool offers transparency and early compliance management.
4. Complaint Filing and Dispute Resolution
Through the platform, employees and employers can raise grievances or disputes directly for a speedy resolution without needing to be physically present.
5. Digital Document Storage
All interaction documentation – contracts, visas, approvals, etc. – can be securely stored and found online at any time for audits, renewals, or enquiries.
Why is Qiwa Important?
The main value of Qiwa is derived from its ability to offer a transparent, fast, and connected ecosystem that is aligned with the labour department of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to become a global hub for investment and employment. Qiwa is a significant part of the Saudi labour market at the moment, as it has been used by more than 14.5 million people, and there are more than 11 million employee contracts registered with it.
It is a perfect method for employers to follow the law, and, at the same time, it is very convenient for them in the management of the human capital. Moreover, by means of transparency, Qiwa brings the trust level between an employee and his employer to the same level.
How Does Qiwa Benefit Employers and Employees?
For Employers: Qiwa decreases the amount of manual work, provides lawful compliance with labour laws, provides convenience in reporting Saudisation and provides a reference point for strategic workforce planning. Qiwa also provides employers with real-time data for better-informed decisions regarding hiring, transfers, and terminations.
For Employees: Qiwa provides transparency and control regarding their employment details, streamlines the transfer and renewal of contracts, and provides a direct line to raise grievances, protecting employees’ rights, and minimising delays related to disclosures and bureaucracy.
How to Start Using Qiwa
Signing up for Qiwa is simple for businesses and employees:
1. Set up an account
- Go to the official Qiwa website.
- Employees must sign up with their Saudi National ID or Iqama number, date of birth, and identity confirmation by one-time password (OTP) that is sent to their mobile via the Nafath authentication system.
- If it is a business, find out if your company is already registered with the Ministry of Commerce and has a Commercial Registration Number (CRN) before creating an account. Each business must be registered separately. The business owner or authorised manager should register, providing enough details: business name, CRN, national address, and contact information.
2. Sign In and Configure
- Once your account has been established, you will access the Qiwa platform and set a password for your Qiwa account. You will also select security questions for use in future account recovery, etc.
- If you are a business owner, you may add other authorised users and give each user a different role to support any HR, payroll, and/or Saudisation compliance offerings.
3. Complete Profile and Upload Documents
You will enter all necessary or relevant information for you or your business, upload documents (e.g., employment contracts and details), and make sure that existing contracts and permits from Qiwa are uploaded into the latter service this year.
For new companies, Qiwa will automatically connect information about your establishment with related government portals such as Muqeem and Mudad for your full compliance experience.
4. Use Qiwa Services:
Choose from the wide variety of services provided:
- Request new work permits or renew work permits.
- Create, sign, and update digital labour contracts.
- Request employee transfers and complete necessary Saudisation.
- Manage complaints and submit any mandatory HR record documentation.
5. Monitor and Follow Up:
- Check your dashboard regularly for status updates or soon-to-expire items, labour regulation notices and wage protection compliance, and Saudisation scoring.
- Ensure notifications for significant updates and submission deadlines are enabled so you can remain compliant with all labour regulations and avoid any penalties from the government.
Once these steps have been met, both employers and employees are taking advantage of Qiwa’s centralised functions for easy, compliant, and simple workforce management, which keeps you and your workplace in Saudi Arabia organised.
Why 6 Pence to Solve Labour Management Issues?
Managing labour regulations, digital compliance, and employee data in Saudi Arabia is a complicated and lengthy process. 6 Pence provides expert services to help you on this journey. With over 20 years working in Saudi labour law and management, our team helps clients:
- Manage their use of the Qiwa platform efficiently.
- Become fully compliant with labour laws and Saudisation.
- Conduct HR audits and manage digital contracts of employment
- Support employee onboarding, transfers, rehires, and contract renewals.
Conclusion
Qiwa represents the digital transformation of labour management in Saudi Arabia. These comprehensive features make it the most efficient, lawful, and absolutely transparent instrument for recruitment, workforce administration, and observance of the law. Whether you are a mere local business or an international investor, it is essential for the flow of your activities in the Kingdom that you make good use of Qiwa.
For help implementing Qiwa or facilitating your workforce compliance, please contact 6 Pence today to utilise our extensive local knowledge and support.
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