Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) clarified that the Saudi employer, who allows his expatriate worker to engage in jobs for their own personal benefit or in return for a sum of money will be punished with a maximum jail term of three months and fines amounting to SR50000.

According to the Jawazat sources, the employer, who committed this violation for the first time, will be awarded with one-month jail term and SR5000 in fine. In the event of repeating the same crime, the penalties include imprisonment for two months and a fine of SR20,000, whereas for the third time violation, the employer will have to face three months in prison and fines amounting to SR50,000.

In all cases, the fine will be multiplied with the number of workers whom the employer allowed to engage in jobs for their own personal benefit in violation of the regulations of the Labor Law, the Jawazat sources said.

The Jawazat noted that there will be a ban on the employer for recruiting workers for a period of no less than one year in the event of allowing self-employment of a worker. The ban will be raised to two years and three years in the event of repeating the violation for the second time and third time respectively.

The Jawazat warned that a maximum jail term of six months and fines amounting to R50,000 will be slapped on those expatriates who engage in jobs for their own personal benefit. The self-employed expatriate will be deported after serving the jail term and payment of fines.

The Jawazat source said that the expatriate, who works for anyone other than his original employer or works for his own personal benefit, would be deported to his country.

If an expatriate employs another expatriate for his benefit, the expatriate employer will be punished with a fine of SR5,000 or imprisonment for a month or of both in addition to revocation of his residency permit (iqama) and deportation from the Kingdom.

In such cases, if the employer other than the original employer is a citizen, he will be punished for the first time violation with a fine of SR5,000, a a fine of SR10,000 or imprisonment for a month or of both for the second violations, and a fine of SR20,000 or imprisonment for three months or of both for the third violation, the Jawazat sources added.