Saudi Arabia CV: How to Write Iqama Status

A Saudi CV fails when the title you want and the profession on the Iqama are two different jobs. Employers compare them. The English text of the Labor Law, published by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, is the source for the rules below. The Arabic text governs if they differ. I am not a Saudi lawyer, and Qiwa screens change, so check the platform before you rely on a click-path.

Article 33 says a non-Saudi may not work without a work permit from the Ministry. Article 38 says an employer may not employ a worker in a profession other than the one on that permit, and the worker may not practise a different profession before the legal change is done.

Sources we used: MHRSD: Labor Law, English text

What should the Iqama line on a CV say?

Write three facts: the profession printed on the Iqama, how long you have been employed in the Kingdom, and whether a move depends on your current employer's agreement. Do not write transferable Iqama. That phrase is not a field on the permit. It is a hope.

Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Nationality: India
Iqama profession: Accountant (as printed)
In Kingdom since: March 2024
Contract: fixed term, to January 2027
Move: would need current employer's agreement, or the ministry transfer route if it applies

Why can't the CV title ignore the Iqama profession?

Because Article 38 ties the work to the profession on the permit. If your daily job is accounting and the Iqama says clerk, the CV should not silently upgrade you to finance manager. You can show the market title in the experience section and the permit profession on its own line. A reader would rather see the gap than discover it in Qiwa.

• Before: Finance Manager. Transferable Iqama. Available in 2 weeks.
• After: Experience title: accounts supervisor. Iqama profession: accountant. Contractual notice: 60 days. Transfer depends on the current employer unless the ministry route applies.
• Before: Software engineer, any client, immediate.
• After: Iqama profession: computer programmer. Role on the contract matches that profession. Happy to discuss a profession change only if the employer will run it.

What does transferable actually refer to?

A ministerial decision published by MHRSD says an expatriate may work for another employer without the current employer's consent after two conditions: at least twelve months from the date of entry into the Kingdom, and written notice of at least ninety days, unless both parties agree otherwise. The same decision says a worker may move without a set waiting period if the current employer agrees, subject to Nitaqat controls, and may move when an authenticated contract expires.

Sources we used: MHRSD: ministerial decision on expatriate transfer

So the CV can say one of these, if it is true: employer has agreed to a transfer; or twelve months since entry are complete and I can give ninety days' notice; or the authenticated contract has ended. It should not say transferable as a personality trait.

What notice belongs on a Saudi CV?

Article 37 says the employment contract for a non-Saudi is written and for a fixed term. If it states no duration, the work-permit duration is the contract duration. Article 75's notice rule is for an indefinite contract: written notice of at least 60 days when wages are paid monthly, and at least 30 days otherwise. Do not paste 60 days onto a fixed-term expat contract unless that contract says so.

Sources we used: MHRSD: Labor Law, English text

Read the contract in Qiwa, not a template from another country. If you are using the twelve-month transfer route, the notice in the ministerial decision is ninety days unless both sides agree to something else. Those are different numbers. Write the one that applies to the path you are actually on.

Qiwa is the ministry platform where employers manage labour services. Use it as the source of the contract you describe. Do not describe a notice you have not read there.

Sources we used: Qiwa, the MHRSD labour platform

Who pays for a profession change or the Iqama?

Article 40 says the employer bears the fees for the Iqama and the work permit, including delay fines, and the fees for a change of profession, as well as recruitment costs. The new employer bears the fees of transferring a worker who wants to move to them. A CV should not offer to pay those fees.

Sources we used: MHRSD: Labor Law, English text

What else is specific to a KSA application?

• Put the city: Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, or elsewhere. Mobility inside the Kingdom is not the same as a UAE residence.
• Article 36 lets the minister list professions closed to non-Saudis. If your target title might be Saudized, say you will only accept a profession the ministry allows.
• Article 34 says another agency's licence does not replace the ministry work permit. A professional registration can still be required as well. Mention it if you hold it.
• Keep the file single column. The same ATS problems that hurt a Dubai CV hurt a Saudi one.

How is this different from a UAE visa line?

A UAE employment residence and a Saudi Iqama are not interchangeable. Do not write GCC visa. If you are in Dubai and applying to Riyadh, say you would need a Saudi work permit and that your UAE residence does not authorise work in the Kingdom. The UAE visa guide is for the other direction.

For Dubai and Abu Dhabi wording, use the UAE visa-status guide

UAE notice periods are a different statute. Do not copy them onto a Saudi CV. The UAE note is here: UAE notice guide

What should you check before you send the file?

• The profession words match the Iqama, including the English if the permit has an English line.
• The contract end date matches Qiwa.
• You have not promised a transfer your employer has not agreed to.
• The notice number is the one in your contract or in the ministry route you qualify for, not both at once.
• You have not included the Iqama number on a CV that will be forwarded.

After the Iqama line is honest, compare the rest of the file with the advert using the ATS resume checker