Saudi Arabia has introduced a more flexible way to issue and renew residency permits, or Iqamas, for domestic workers.
The new option allows employers to select a period starting from three months instead of paying for a longer period at once.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced the change on August 16, 2026.
It was introduced with the Ministry of Interior’s General Directorate of Passports and the Musaned platform.
Who is covered by the new Iqama option?
The shorter renewal period applies to domestic workers and workers in similar occupations.
These may include household workers, private drivers and other occupations classified under Saudi Arabia’s domestic labor system.
Filipino workers should check the profession listed on their Iqama because the announcement does not apply to every private-sector employee.
Regular company employees remain covered by the separate residency and employment procedures for private-sector workers.
Employers can choose three-month periods
Employers may now issue or renew a domestic worker’s Iqama for three months or multiples of three months.
This means the selected period may be three, six, nine or 12 months, depending on the available option and the employer’s needs.
The employer will pay only the residency permit fees required for the chosen period.
The change can make payments easier to manage because employers are no longer limited to paying for a longer period in one transaction.
It does not remove the employer’s responsibility to keep the worker’s legal documents valid.
What should domestic workers do?
The employer or sponsor remains responsible for completing the Iqama issuance or renewal process.
Domestic workers should check the expiry date printed on their physical or digital Iqama.
They may also ask their employer to confirm the selected renewal period after the transaction is completed.
Workers should not assume that their Iqama has been renewed simply because the new option is available.
They should verify that the renewal was successfully processed and that the updated expiry date appears in the official government system.
Other requirements still apply
The announcement changes the length and payment period available for Iqama issuance and renewal.
Saudi authorities did not say that other residency requirements, unpaid charges or recorded violations would be removed.
Employers may still need to meet the existing government conditions before a renewal can be completed.
The ministry also did not provide a separate application link or a complete step-by-step procedure in its announcement.
Employers should therefore use only official residency channels and Musaned information when completing the transaction.
For now, domestic workers should know that the three-month option is already available, but their employer must still process the renewal and keep their residency status valid.