Qiwa is the digital backbone of every Saudi labor contract. If a contract is not on Qiwa, it does not legally exist — even if both parties signed paper. Here is how to use it correctly.
What lives on Qiwa
- Every labor contract (basic, allowances, end date if any).
- Nitaqat band (your Saudization rating: red, yellow, green, platinum).
- Worker transfers between employers (mobility).
- Visa quotas and visa requests.
- Hire-Saudi awards and incentives.
The two-signature flow
- HR creates the contract on Qiwa with all wage details.
- The worker receives an SMS to review and sign via Absher.
- The contract becomes legally binding when both sides sign.
This means an old paper contract that doesn't match Qiwa is unenforceable. Always update Qiwa first; treat the paper as a copy.
Nitaqat in 2026
Nitaqat compares your Saudization percentage to your industry's required band. Standing in green or platinum gives:
- Unlimited visa quota.
- Mobility privileges (workers can change employer without sponsor consent in specific scenarios).
- Government-tender eligibility.
Yellow or red bands restrict visas and trigger renewal delays.
What to keep in sync with your HR system
- Wage line items. Qiwa expects basic + housing + transport separately. If your HR system stores a single "gross", the WPS file will mismatch.
- End dates. Fixed-term contracts must show the same end date on both Qiwa and the system.
- Job title. Qiwa uses an ISCO-aligned title catalog. Free-text titles cause rejection.
Common mistakes
- Hiring a worker locally then forgetting to upload to Qiwa. Result: worker has no legal contract; cannot use most government services.
- Renaming the contract on paper without updating Qiwa. Result: courts use the Qiwa version.
- Letting a fixed-term contract auto-extend on paper but not on Qiwa. Result: under Article 55, the contract is treated as terminated.