Saudi Employer Cannot Move You to Another City or Job Without Your Written Consent: Rules for Pakistani Workers
Saudi Labor Law bars moving you to another city or a different job without written consent, except 30 days a year in emergencies. What Pakistani workers can do.
Under Saudi Arabia's Labor Law, your employer cannot move you to a job in another city that means changing where you live, or give you work that is essentially different from what you agreed, without your written consent. The only exception is a genuine emergency, and then for at most 30 days a year, with the employer paying your transport and housing for a move.
Pakistani workers often find out on arrival that the "electrician" job in Riyadh is really a labourer's job in a desert camp. We read the English text of the Saudi Labor Law, Royal Decree M/51 of 27 September 2005, on the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development website, on 20 October 2026. These are the rules that protect you.
A move to another city needs your written consent
Article 58 says the employer may not move a worker from their original place of work to another place that requires a change of residence without the worker's written consent. A verbal "you are going to Tabuk next week" does not meet that test. Ask for it in writing.
The law allows one exception. In exigent circumstances, the employer may send you to a different location without your consent, but for no more than 30 days a year. During that time the employer must pay for your transport and your accommodation.
| Change | Rule in the Labor Law | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Move to a place that changes your residence | Written consent needed | 58 |
| Emergency posting elsewhere | Up to 30 days a year, employer pays transport and housing | 58 |
| Monthly pay changed to daily, weekly, hourly or piece rate | Written consent needed | 59 |
| Work essentially different from your contract | Written consent, except up to 30 days a year in a temporary need | 60 |
| Work outside the profession on your work permit | Not allowed | 38 |
Different work needs your written consent too
Article 60 says a worker may not be given duties essentially different from the agreed work without their written consent. The exception is a passing necessity, and then for no more than 30 days a year. A driver hired as a driver cannot be made a cleaner for months.
Article 38 adds a firm limit. An employer may not use a worker in a profession other than the one on the work permit. And the worker may not take up another profession before the legal steps to change it are done. So the profession on your permit is not a formality.
Check that profession before you fly. The title on your visa and contract should match the job you were offered. If the Saudi job list matters for your trade, you can check whether your job is on the Saudization list.
Your monthly salary cannot be switched to daily pay
Article 59 says a worker paid monthly cannot be moved to daily, weekly or hourly pay, or to piece rate, unless they agree in writing. Even then, the rights earned while on monthly pay are kept. This stops an employer cutting your income by changing how you are paid.
Piece rate, where you are paid by the item, is a common trap in factories and on farms. Do not sign any new pay sheet you do not understand. If a paper is in Arabic only, ask for a translation before you sign.
Article 61 also bars the employer from forced labour, from holding back all or part of your wage without a court order, and from treating you in a way that harms your dignity or religion. A pay cut forced through by holding wages runs against that article too.
You cannot work for another employer on the side
The law cuts both ways. Article 39 says a worker may not work for other employers, and an employer may not let its workers work for others, unless the legal procedures are followed. Working for yourself is barred as well, and the Ministry of Interior can detain and deport violators.
So refusing an unlawful transfer is one thing. Quietly taking a second job is another, and it can cost you your residence. If you want to change employer, use the legal transfer route rather than leaving and working elsewhere.
Leaving the job without that route can also lead to an absent from work report. The risks of that status are set out in the Saudi absent from work status.
What to do if you are moved without consent
Do not sign a consent you do not agree with. Ask your employer in writing which article allows the move and for how long. If the change goes on beyond 30 days a year, or no emergency exists, you can raise a labour dispute with the Ministry.
- Keep your contract and work permit showing your agreed job and work location.
- Write to the employer saying you do not consent, and quote Articles 58 or 60.
- If told it is an emergency, ask in writing how long it will last.
- Keep receipts if you pay for transport or housing during a posting.
- If the change continues, file a labour dispute for friendly settlement.
The Ministry's free settlement stage comes first, and the process is in filing a Saudi labour dispute for friendly settlement. If the employer ends your contract over a refusal, the notice and compensation rules are in when a Saudi employer ends your contract.
Saudi Arabia has amended parts of the Labor Law since 2005, including changes reported to take effect in 2025. The text we read is the 2005 law as published in English by the Ministry. Confirm the current wording of Articles 58 to 60 with the Ministry or the Pakistani embassy before relying on them.
Common questions
Can my Saudi employer move me to another city?
Not if it means changing where you live, unless you agree in writing. An emergency posting is allowed for up to 30 days a year.
Who pays for housing during an emergency posting?
The employer. Article 58 says it bears your transport and accommodation costs during that period.
Can I be given a different job than my contract?
Only with your written consent, except for a temporary need of up to 30 days a year under Article 60.
Can my employer change my monthly salary to daily wages?
No, not without your written consent under Article 59, and you keep the rights you earned on monthly pay.
Can I work a second job in Saudi Arabia?
No, unless the legal procedures are followed. Article 39 bars working for other employers or for yourself.
Can I work in a profession not on my work permit?
No. Article 38 bars it until the legal steps to change your profession are completed.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read the English text of the Saudi Labor Law, Royal Decree M/51 of 27 September 2005, in the PDF published on the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development website, on 20 October 2026, focusing on Articles 38, 39 and 58 to 61. We could not read a consolidated English version with later amendments, so we do not know whether these articles have been reworded since. The law's text does not say what counts as exigent circumstances.
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.
