Saudi Arabia Absent From Work Status: How Pakistani Workers Fix It in 60 Days
A Saudi employer can report you absent on Qiwa. You then get 60 days to transfer or take a final exit. See the steps, the options and what happens after day 60.
Short answer: In Saudi Arabia, a private employer can report a worker as "absent from work" through the Qiwa platform. From the day of the report the worker has 60 days to move to a new employer or take a final exit visa. If the 60 days pass, the system refuses both, and the worker stays flagged. Act the same day you get the SMS.
Update, 11 October 2026: The Labor Law also sets working hours, overtime and rest days.
This matters to many of the Pakistani workers in the Kingdom, because the status follows you into every government system. We read the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) procedural guide on absence reports and its two public notices on the 60 day period. Here is what they say, in plain steps.
An employer can report you absent after 15 straight days or 30 scattered days
The HRSD guide lets an employer file an absence report on Qiwa when a worker stays away without a legitimate reason for more than 15 consecutive days, or for more than 30 days in total in one contractual year. The employer must give one of those two reasons.
The guide also lists conditions on the employer's side. The firm must be active, the worker must be shown as employed, and the work permit must have at least 60 days left. The guide describes this route for expatriate workers who have no digitally documented contract on Qiwa.
The employer can still bring other legal claims against you. The report does not close those.
The report removes you from the employer's records and starts a 60 day clock
Once the report is filed, you and the employer receive an SMS. Your record is removed from the firm's system, and you are no longer counted in its Nitaqat quota. The 60 days run from the date of filing, and your status becomes "Absent from Work" in the Ministry's systems.
The guide says the report cannot be taken back. It also says the 60 day window applies to a worker who entered the Kingdom more than 12 months earlier. The guide does not say what applies to a newer arrival, so ask your embassy before you assume.
You have two ways out within the 60 days
You can transfer to a new employer, or you can take a final exit visa and leave the Kingdom. Both must be completed inside the 60 days. A transfer needs the new employer to start the request and you to approve it on Qiwa. A final exit is requested from your own Absher account.
| Option | Who starts it | Where | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer to a new employer | New employer, then you approve | Qiwa | Worker moves to the new firm during the grace period |
| Final exit visa | You | Your Absher account | Worker leaves the Kingdom within the 60 days |
| No action | None | None | Both requests are refused and the flag stays |
Before you ask for final exit, check that your residence and travel records are in order. We explain how in how to check your Saudi iqama and final exit status.
After 60 days the system refuses both a transfer and a final exit
HRSD says that if you do neither within 60 days, the system will not accept a final exit request or a transfer, and your status remains "absent from work" in all linked systems. The guide adds that you bear all the consequences of that failure under the law.
The guide does not set out those consequences in a list, so we will not guess at fines or bans. What it does say is that a new employer also cannot move you after day 60 through the normal route.
Two later notices are worth knowing. On 18 December 2024, HRSD gave an extra 60 days to workers listed as absent before 1 December 2024, to fix their status through Qiwa. That window has closed. On 8 March 2026, HRSD described a work stoppage service on Musaned for individual employers. Within the first two years of service the worker must leave within 60 days. After two years the worker has 60 days to leave or transfer to another employer.
Act on the same day you get the SMS
The 60 days are short, and each day lost shrinks your choices. Confirm the report, find a willing employer or decide to leave, and contact your embassy early. Keep copies of every message and every request number.
- Read the SMS and note the date. That date is day 1 of the 60.
- Log in to Qiwa or Absher and confirm that your status shows the report.
- Decide quickly: a new employer who will file a transfer request, or a final exit.
- If you transfer, approve the new employer's request on your Qiwa account before day 60.
- If you leave, request the final exit from Absher and keep the receipt.
- If your employer owes you wages, start that claim in parallel. See how to recover unpaid salary through OPF.
- If you are stuck, call the mission using the numbers in Pakistan's embassy and consulate numbers in Saudi Arabia.
A dispute about whether you were really absent should be raised through the embassy's labour support and the Saudi labour office, with proof of where you were. The Foreign Office route for Pakistanis stuck abroad explains who to ask.
Common questions
How many days of absence can lead to an absent from work report?
More than 15 consecutive days, or more than 30 days in one contractual year, without a legitimate reason, according to the HRSD procedural guide.
How long do I have after the report is filed?
60 days from the filing date to transfer to a new employer or take a final exit visa.
Can I fix the status after the 60 days?
The guide says the system then refuses a final exit and a transfer. A special 60 day window in December 2024 has closed, so ask your embassy about any current relief.
Can my employer take back the report?
The guide describes the report as non-retractable, since it removes your record from the firm's system.
Does this apply to household workers and drivers?
They fall under Musaned, where HRSD's March 2026 service lets individual employers end the contract for work stoppage, with a 60 day period to leave or transfer.
Who do I call in Saudi Arabia if I am stuck?
Use the Pakistan embassy in Riyadh or the consulate in Jeddah, listed in the numbers page linked above, and keep the SMS and request numbers ready.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 11 October 2026. We read the HRSD procedural guide for ending the contractual relationship of workers without a documented contract, HRSD's 18 December 2024 notice of an extra 60 days for absent workers, and its 8 March 2026 note on the Musaned work stoppage service. The guide dates from earlier years, so confirm the current rule on Qiwa before you act. We could not open Qiwa itself.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
