What is Qiwa and Why does it matter for businesses in Saudi Arabia? (2026 Guide)

Key Takeaways

• Qiwa is the official digital labour platform of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), accessible at qiwa.sa.

• Every business with an active Commercial Registration (CR) in Saudi Arabia must have a Qiwa establishment account to hire and manage staff legally.

• Employers use Qiwa for work permits, contract authentication, employee transfers, and Saudi_{zation (}Nitaqat) management.

• Since 15 April 2026, only Saudi employees with Qiwa-authenticated contracts count toward Nitaqat, because registration with the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) alone is no longer enough (MHRSD).

• Not using Qiwa correctly can lead to violations, a lower Nitaqat band, and blocked visa and permit services.

What is Qiwa?

Qiwa is the official digital labour platform of Saudi Arabia, operated by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) and accessible at qiwa.sa. Qiwa lets private-sector employers in Saudi Arabia manage employment contracts, work permits, employee transfers, and Saudization through one government account.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development launched the Qiwa platform in April 2019 to replace paper contracts and scattered government counters with a single online system (MHRSD).

Qiwa now offers more than 130 services for employers and employees, including contract documentation, work permits, service certificates, and end-of-service calculations (MHRSD).

Why is Qiwa important for businesses?

Qiwa is essential because Saudi labour law establishes the platform as the sole legal authority to document employment agreements, authorize work permits, and verify Saudization compliance.

1. Every company with an active Commercial Registration in Saudi Arabia must have an active Qiwa account to legally hire employees, authenticate contracts, and manage work permits.
2. MHRSD calculates your Saudization percentage from verified contracts in Qiwa, and this determines how many expatriates you can hire.
3. Managing contracts, permits, and transfers in one system helps you catch documentation errors before they lead to fines.
4. New hires, contract renewals, profession changes, and experience certificates all run through one dashboard instead of separate ministry portals.
5. Real-time workforce benchmarks and wage data help you plan hiring to reach your target Nitaqat band.
6. Employees can review, accept, or flag their contracts and work permits through their own Qiwa portal, which reduces contract disputes.

What services does Qiwa offer employers?

Qiwa services for employers cover the full employment cycle, from issuing a work permit to generating a salary certificate.

• Issue and renew work permits for expat employees whenever you hire or renew an expat worker’s Iqama.
• Create employment contracts that both employer and employee approve online, required for every new hire, Saudi or expat.
• Transfer an employee’s sponsorship from one establishment to another when they change employers.
• Check your Saudization band and see which Saudi employees count toward it, so you can track and improve compliance.
• Generate official salary and experience certificates whenever an employee needs proof of employment.
• Get ongoing alerts for documentation gaps and expiring permits, so you can fix them before they become violations.
• View your workforce data, Nitaqat band, and pending actions in one dashboard to manage day-to-day HR and government tasks.

How does Qiwa affect Nitaqat and Saudization?

• Contract verification dictates your tier: An establishment's Nitaqat band depends directly on verified portal records, because the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) calculates workforce ratios exclusively from authenticated digital agreements. This classification sets your expatriate visa allocations and operational hiring limits.
• GOSI enrollment alone no longer qualifies: Since 15 April 2026, a Saudi employee counts toward your Saudization quota only if their contract is documented and authenticated on Qiwa alongside active social insurance registration (MHRSD). Unverified Saudi personnel on your payroll count as zero in official calculations.
• Mandatory quota deadlines carry immediate downgrades: Establishments were required to achieve 85% contract authentication by 30 April 2026, scaling to 90% by 30 June 2026, with automatic tier demotions enforced for non-compliant businesses (MHRSD). These targets run parallel to the active three-year Nitaqat Mutawar cycle running through 2028.

Note: 

• Before 15 April 2026, a Saudi employee counted toward Nitaqat as soon as they were registered with GOSI.
• From 15 April 2026, a Saudi employee counts toward Nitaqat only if their contract is documented and authenticated on Qiwa, in addition to being registered with GOSI.

How do you register a business on Qiwa?

Qiwa registration opens access to Saudi Arabia's labour services once the establishment and its representative are verified.

Requirements Checklist

• An active Commercial Registration (CR) that matches MHRSD establishment records
• A verified Nafath account for the authorized representative, where Nafath is the national single sign-on service
• The establishment's 700-series Unified National Number, where applicable
• An active GOSI registration for the establishment

Steps

1. Open qiwa.sa and select the establishment (business) account.
2. Sign in through Nafath using the authorized representative's national ID or Iqama.
3. Confirm the Commercial Registration details, which Qiwa cross-checks against MHRSD records.
4. Complete the establishment profile and assign your authorized users.
5. Link your GOSI registration and verify the workforce data.
6. Begin using services such as contract authentication and work permits.

Qiwa vs GOSI vs Muqeem: what's the difference?

Qiwa, GOSI, and Muqeem are the three main government platforms that employers in Saudi Arabia use to manage their workforce, and each one handles a different part of the employment process.

Qiwa is run by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD). Employers use Qiwa to manage employment contracts, work permits, and Saudization (Nitaqat) compliance.

GOSI is run by the General Organization for Social Insurance. Employers use GOSI to manage social insurance registrations, monthly contributions, and wage protection records.

Muqeem is run by Elm on behalf of the Ministry of Interior’s residency services. Employers use Muqeem to manage expatriate residency (Iqama), entry and re-entry visas, and final exit permits.

Note: Qiwa links with GOSI data to confirm social insurance contributions before processing labour transactions, while Muqeem issues the physical Iqama residency card based on the authenticated Qiwa work permit.

What happens if a business doesn't use Qiwa properly?

Using Qiwa incorrectly or leaving contracts undocumented creates direct administrative penalties and operational disruption for an establishment.

• Nitaqat band drops: Saudi employees with unauthenticated contracts stop counting toward your Nitaqat band, dropping your business into lower compliance classifications.
• Blocked visa and permit requests: The Ministry places automated holds on new visa issuance and work permit approvals until contract documentation is resolved.
• Recorded labour violations and fines: Establishments face compliance inspections, official citations, and statutory fines for unauthenticated staff.
• Employee transfer delays and employee loss: Discrepancies stall routine transfers, and employees can transfer sponsorship away from non-compliant establishments without employer consent (MHRSD).
• Restricted government services: Substandard compliance ratings freeze municipal licensing renewals and access to commercial state tenders.

Qiwa in numbers (2026)

The scale of Qiwa in 2026 demonstrates why the platform serves as the central operational hub for all private-sector workforce administration in Saudi Arabia:

• More than 2 million registered establishments were recorded on Qiwa in the first quarter of 2026 (MHRSD via SPA).
• More than 13 million registered workers were on the platform in the first quarter of 2026 (MHRSD via SPA).
• Around 12 million employment contracts had been documented through Qiwa by the first quarter of 2026 (MHRSD via SPA).
• Qiwa processed more than 3 million services in the second quarter of 2026, including 419,381 documented employment contracts for Saudis and 258,829 new Saudi users (MHRSD).

How Abou Naja IP helps businesses with Qiwa

Abou Naja IP supports businesses in Saudi Arabia with Qiwa account configuration and ongoing labour compliance, ensuring contracts, permits, and Saudization remain aligned with current regulations. Our specialists handle government administrative processes to keep your Nitaqat rating stable and protected.

Services include:

• Setting up and verifying your Qiwa establishment account
• Documenting and authenticating employment contracts for Saudi and expatriate staff
• Monitoring your Nitaqat band and flagging contracts that are not yet counted
• Processing work permits, renewals, and employee transfers
• Running compliance checks against the 2026 documentation rules

To review your Qiwa and Nitaqat standing before it affects your hiring capacity, contact Abou Naja IP for a compliance check.