Working in Saudi Arabia

What the employer must have

• The Saudi employer must hold approved work-visa quota ('block visa') managed through the Qiwa platform and request work-visa authorisation via Saudi MOFA's e-services — the worker cannot self-petition.
• A certified employment contract signed by the sponsor is part of the visa process.
• Since July 2025 new expatriate work permits are classified high-skill / skilled / basic, so the employer must match your documented qualifications to the occupation.
• To hire a Filipino it must also be accredited with a DMW-licensed Philippine agency and its job order approved by the DMW.

What you must do before you leave

1. Go through a DMW-licensed recruitment agency. Direct hiring is banned by Article 18 of the Labor Code — only the narrow categories listed in POEA Memorandum Circular 08-2018 are exempt — and you can check any agency's licence on dmw.gov.ph before you pay or sign anything.
2. Your employment contract must be verified by the Migrant Workers Office (MWO, formerly POLO) at the Philippine post covering your destination before you can be deployed.
3. Complete the Pre-Employment Orientation Seminar (PEOS) and the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) and keep both certificates — they are part of the documentary requirements.
4. Get your Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) before you leave. Every departing OFW needs one, it exempts you from travel tax and the airport terminal fee, and it is valid for 60 days from the date it is issued.
5. Saudi requires a medical examination at an accredited (GAMCA/Wafid) clinic and attestation of your documents before the visa is stamped — your agency arranges this; you should never be asked to pay an unlicensed fixer for it.

Things to watch

• If you are hired as a household service worker you must NOT be charged a placement fee at all — Republic Act 10361 sec. 13 puts the recruitment cost on the employer, and collecting a fee from a domestic worker is a ground for cancelling the agency's licence. For every other job the placement fee is capped at one month's basic salary and may only be collected once you have a signed contract.
• A job order on the DMW approved list means the government approved the employer's demand and the agency's licence. It does not mean you have been hired, and an order stops being real once its approved slots are filled.
• Your stay is tied to the sponsor. Wage and contract disputes are handled through Saudi labour offices and the Philippine MWO in the Kingdom — keep your verified contract.

Official sources

• Saudi MOFA — Authorization on work visa (e-service)
• DMW — Licensed recruitment agencies (check your agency before you pay)
• DMW — Approved job orders

Jobs in Saudi Arabia right now