Ajeer Contract Saudi: Full 2026 Guide & Fees

By Ishita Roy — Business Consultant, Noble Core · Updated June 2026

What an Ajeer contract in Saudi Arabia actually is

The Ajeer service was introduced by MHRSD to give employers a lawful, documented route for one of the most common operational realities in the Kingdom: a company needs manpower for a project, a season, or a specialised task, and the people best suited for that work are already under someone else’s commercial registration and Iqama sponsorship. Before Ajeer existed, there was no clean way to record that arrangement. Today, the Ajeer platform creates a digital contract that links the beneficiary establishment, the original employer, and each named worker for a fixed period.

Practically, an ajeer contract saudi arrangement is a permission slip with an audit trail. It records who is working where, under whose supervision, for how long, and with whose written consent. Inspectors from MHRSD, and systems such as Qiwa and Muqeem, can see that the worker on site is authorised to be there. That is the whole point of the service: it converts an informal arrangement into a registered, verifiable one.

The service sits inside the wider Qiwa ecosystem. If you already use Qiwa for employment contract authentication, establishment files, or Saudization (Nitaqat) tracking, Ajeer will feel familiar — it uses the same national single sign-on, the same establishment identifiers, and the same unified number logic.

What Ajeer is not

• It is not a transfer of sponsorship. The worker’s Iqama and employment relationship remain with the original employer.
• It is not a work visa. You cannot use Ajeer to bring someone into the Kingdom; the worker must already hold a valid Iqama.
• It is not a substitute for a manpower-supply licence if your core business model is supplying labour. Licensed manpower companies operate under their own MHRSD licence category.
• It is not a way around Saudization quotas — your establishment’s Nitaqat position is calculated on your own registered workforce.

Who needs an Ajeer contract

Ajeer is used across a wide slice of the Saudi economy. The common thread is temporary, project-based, or event-based deployment of workers who belong to another establishment.

• Contracting and construction: a main contractor authorising subcontractor crews on a project site, or a developer authorising a specialist trade for a fit-out phase.
• Events, exhibitions and conferences: organisers using ushers, technicians, riggers and hospitality staff supplied by service partners for a few days.
• Facilities management and cleaning: mall, hospital and campus operators using teams under an FM contractor’s registration.
• Seasonal retail and logistics: peak-season warehouse and delivery support around promotional periods.
• Specialist technical work: a certified welder, HVAC commissioning engineer, or lab technician needed for a short scope.
• Group companies: related entities under common ownership moving staff between commercial registrations for a defined assignment.

If you are a foreign investor building a Saudi operating entity from scratch, Ajeer often becomes relevant in month three or four — after the MISA licence and commercial registration are done, when the first real project lands before your own recruitment pipeline has caught up. Planning for that gap early is part of a sensible entry plan, and it is one of the practical questions we work through during company formation in Saudi Arabia.

The three parties to every Ajeer contract

Every Ajeer request has a fixed structure. Understanding the roles prevents most of the rejections we see.

1. The beneficiary establishment (المستفيد) — the company that will actually use the worker’s services at its site or on its project. This party normally initiates the request and pays the service fee.
2. The provider establishment (المزود) — the worker’s registered employer, holding the Iqama sponsorship and the authenticated employment contract in Qiwa. This party must approve the request electronically.
3. The worker — identified by Iqama number and date of birth. The worker must hold a valid Iqama, a valid work permit, and a profession that is consistent with the task.

Both establishments need active files. If either commercial registration is expired, either MHRSD file is inactive, or either party has an unresolved compliance flag, the Ajeer request will not progress past validation.

Prerequisites: what must be in place before you log in

For both establishments

• Valid commercial registration with the Ministry of Commerce. Under the new Commercial Register Law effective 3 April 2026, the Kingdom moved to a unified national CR whose identifier begins with “7” and which no longer carries an expiry date — instead, establishments file an annual confirmation. Make sure that confirmation is current.
• An active MHRSD/Qiwa establishment file, with the national unified number (700 number) recognised by the system.
• A Nitaqat (Saudization) status that is not in the red band. Establishments in the lowest band typically find MHRSD services, including Ajeer, restricted.
• Compliant wage protection (WPS) uploads and no blocking violations.
• GOSI registration current, with contributions filed. Total GOSI contribution for a Saudi employee runs at roughly 21.5% split between employer and employee.
• A user with authorised delegation — an owner, manager, or a person delegated through Qiwa’s delegation module — able to sign in with Absher/Nafath national single sign-on.

For each worker

• Valid Iqama (residency permit) with sufficient remaining validity to cover the contract period.
• Valid work permit (rukhsat amal) — expired work permits are the single most common blocker.
• Profession on the Iqama that reasonably matches the work to be performed.
• No open exit/re-entry or final exit status, and no open transfer request in progress.

You can verify Iqama and work permit validity in advance through Absher (individual) or Muqeem (establishment view). Doing this check before you start saves a rejected request.

Step-by-step: how to issue an Ajeer contract on ajeer.qiwa.sa

The flow below reflects the standard beneficiary-initiated request. Screen labels are available in Arabic and English; the platform remembers your language choice.

1. Open the platform. Go to ajeer.qiwa.sa and choose Login / تسجيل الدخول. Authentication runs through the national single sign-on, so you will be redirected to Nafath and asked to confirm a two-digit code in your Absher app.
2. Select the establishment. If your national ID is linked to several commercial registrations, the system presents an establishment picker. Choose the entity that will actually use the workers — this is the beneficiary. Confirm the 700 unified number shown on screen matches your records.
3. Choose the service. From the dashboard, select New Request and then the relevant Ajeer service type — typically labour authorisation between establishments, event/seasonal authorisation, or the specialised category matching your sector. The category you pick determines the maximum duration and the documents requested.
4. Enter the provider establishment. Type the provider’s unified number or commercial registration number. The system pulls the legal name automatically. If the name does not appear, the file is inactive or the number is wrong — stop and verify rather than retrying.
5. Add workers. Enter each worker’s Iqama number and date of birth. The platform validates in real time and returns the name, nationality, profession and permit status. Add workers one at a time, or upload the bulk template (usually an .xlsx) if you are authorising a large crew. Bulk uploads fail entirely if one row is malformed, so validate the sheet first.
6. Set the contract period. Choose start and end dates. Periods are commonly capped per service category — often up to 12 months, with shorter caps for event categories. The end date must fall within the validity of every worker’s Iqama and work permit.
7. Attach supporting documents. Upload the project contract, purchase order, event permit, or scope-of-work letter as required by the category. PDF, usually under 5 MB per file.
8. Review and submit. Check the summary screen carefully: establishment names, worker count, dates, and fee. Submit; the request moves to Pending provider approval.
9. Provider approves. The provider establishment’s authorised user logs in to the same platform, opens Incoming Requests, reviews the worker list and dates, and approves. Nothing happens until this step is completed.
10. Pay the fee. On approval, a SADAD bill with an invoice number is generated. Pay through your bank’s app or online banking using the SADAD biller code shown. Payment posts within minutes to a few hours.
11. Download the contract. Once payment clears, the status becomes Active and a PDF authorisation with a QR code becomes available under My Contracts. Print it, keep a copy on site, and give copies to supervisors — inspectors ask for it.

Documents and data you will need

Item	Held by	Notes
Unified number (700) / CR number	Both establishments	New unified national CR IDs begin with “7”; no expiry, annual confirmation instead
Nafath / Absher credentials	Authorised signatory	Two-factor confirmation on each login
Iqama number + date of birth	Each worker	System auto-fills name and profession
Valid work permit	Each worker	Must cover the full contract period
Project contract / PO / event permit	Beneficiary	PDF, category-dependent
Scope-of-work letter	Beneficiary	Useful even when optional; speeds review
Qiwa delegation authorisation	Both establishments	Needed if a PRO rather than the owner submits

Ajeer fees and timelines in 2026

Ajeer fees depend on the service category, the number of workers, and the contract duration. The figures below are indicative planning numbers — always confirm current figures on the official portal before you budget a project.

Item	Indicative cost (SAR)	Typical timeline
Ajeer authorisation per worker (short-term/event)	100 – 200	Instant issue after payment
Ajeer authorisation per worker (up to 12 months)	200 – 300	Instant issue after payment
Provider approval step	No fee	Same day to 2 business days
End-to-end request (small crew, clean files)	—	1 – 3 business days
SADAD payment posting	—	Minutes to a few hours
Iqama issue / renewal government fee	~650 per year + applicable levies	1 – 5 business days
Commercial registration (new unified CR)	~1,200 – 2,000	Same day online
Chamber of Commerce membership	~2,000 – 3,000 per year	1 – 2 business days
MISA investment licence issue/renewal	Fees suspended in 2026 (previously 12,000 / 62,000)	~3 – 10 business days

Two budget notes. First, VAT at 15% applies to the commercial invoice your service provider raises, and that invoice must be a compliant e-invoice under ZATCA’s Fatoora programme — government fees themselves are handled separately through SADAD. Second, if you are authorising a crew of forty for a nine-month project, the per-worker fee stops being rounding error; model it into the project cost from day one.

Managing, extending and cancelling an Ajeer contract

Extension

Projects overrun. If your contract will expire before the scope finishes, submit an extension from the My Contracts screen before the end date, not after. An expired contract usually cannot be revived — you raise a fresh request, pay again, and wait for provider approval again. Set a calendar reminder 30 days out.

Cancellation

Either party can request cancellation from the contract detail screen. Cancellation ends the authorisation from the effective date; fees already paid are generally not refunded once the contract has been activated. Cancel promptly when a worker leaves the assignment, so your active-authorisation list matches reality on site.

Amendments

Adding or removing individual workers mid-contract is possible in most categories, but changing the provider establishment or the core dates typically requires a new request. Plan the worker list carefully at submission rather than relying on later edits.

Records and inspections

Keep the PDF authorisation, the SADAD payment receipt, and the underlying project contract together in one file per assignment. MHRSD inspections at active sites commonly ask for the authorisation and the worker’s Iqama in the same breath, and a supervisor who can produce both in thirty seconds saves everyone a long afternoon.

How Ajeer connects to the wider Saudi compliance stack

Ajeer does not sit alone. It reads from and writes to several national systems, and a gap in any of them shows up as an Ajeer failure.

• Qiwa (qiwa.sa) — establishment file, authenticated employment contracts, Nitaqat band, delegation. Ajeer inherits your Qiwa identity.
• Absher (absher.sa) and Nafath — identity and login for every authorised user.
• Muqeem (muqeem.sa) — Iqama and residency data for the workers you are authorising.
• GOSI (gosi.gov.sa) — social insurance registration for the provider’s registered workforce.
• Saudi Business Center / Ministry of Commerce (business.sa) — the unified commercial registration both parties rely on.
• ZATCA (zatca.gov.sa) — VAT and e-invoicing on the commercial invoices between provider and beneficiary.
• MISA — the investment licence that underpins a foreign-owned entity’s ability to hold a commercial registration and hire at all.

For foreign investors, the sequence matters: the MISA licence comes first, then the commercial registration, then the Chamber and MHRSD/Qiwa files, then GOSI, then visas and Iqamas — and only then does Ajeer become usable. If you are still at the start of that chain, our guide to the MISA licence in Saudi Arabia walks through the licensing step in detail, including the 2026 fee suspension and the activities that permit 100% foreign ownership.

Ajeer versus the alternatives

Ajeer is one of several ways to resource a short-term need. Choosing correctly saves both money and rework.

Option	Best for	Key constraint
Ajeer authorisation	Defined project or season using another establishment’s existing staff	Requires provider consent; worker must hold valid Iqama and permit
Direct hire on your own CR	Ongoing, core roles	Visa quota, recruitment lead time, Nitaqat impact, GOSI and WPS obligations
Licensed manpower supply company	Volume labour with managed compliance	Higher commercial rate; provider must hold the correct MHRSD licence
Sponsorship transfer through Qiwa	Permanent move of a specific individual to your establishment	Permanent, consumes visa/quota capacity, longer process
Professional services contract	Deliverable-based specialist work	Not appropriate where you direct and supervise the workers day to day

A simple test: if you are directing the worker’s daily tasks on your site, you need an Ajeer authorisation or an employment relationship — not a bare service contract.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Starting work before the contract is active. Submission is not authorisation. Work should begin only after provider approval, payment, and an Active status with a downloadable PDF.
• Ignoring the work permit expiry. A valid Iqama with a lapsed work permit fails validation. Check both in Muqeem before you build the worker list.
• Contract end date beyond Iqama validity. The system rejects it, and the fix is a fresh request rather than an edit.
• Assuming the provider will approve quickly. Tell the provider’s PRO in advance that a request is coming, with dates and worker names, so it does not sit in their queue.
• Bulk uploading an unvalidated spreadsheet. One bad Iqama number or a stray space can void the whole batch. Check the file first.
• Letting the contract lapse mid-project. Extensions must be filed before expiry; after expiry you start over.
• Profession mismatch. Authorising an “administrative clerk” for scaffolding work invites a rejection or an inspection finding. Match the profession to the task.
• Red Nitaqat band or expired annual CR confirmation. Either will block the request. Fix the underlying file before touching Ajeer.
• Losing the paperwork. No PDF on site means no proof of authorisation during an inspection, even if the contract exists in the system.
• Not raising a compliant e-invoice. The commercial invoice between provider and beneficiary carries 15% VAT and must meet ZATCA e-invoicing requirements.
• Treating Ajeer as a Saudization workaround. Authorised workers do not change your own Nitaqat calculation; plan Saudi hiring separately.

How Noble Core helps with Ajeer and Saudi workforce compliance

Most Ajeer problems are not Ajeer problems. They are establishment-file problems, Iqama-validity problems, or delegation problems that only surface at the moment you try to submit a request. We work upstream of that.

For clients setting up in the Kingdom, we handle the full chain: MISA investment licence, unified commercial registration under the 2026 Commercial Register Law, Chamber of Commerce membership, MHRSD and Qiwa establishment files, GOSI registration, corporate bank account, and ZATCA VAT and e-invoicing readiness. Our standard formation package starts from SAR 36,999, and it is built so that the Qiwa and Ajeer layers work on day one rather than being retrofitted after your first project deadline.

On the workforce side, our PRO team manages block visas, entry visas through the MOFA visa platform, medicals, Iqama issue and renewal, work-permit tracking, exit/re-entry, and Ajeer authorisations including provider coordination and SADAD settlement. If you want the visa and Iqama side handled end to end, that sits within Noble Core’s visa and Iqama service, with expiry monitoring so a permit never lapses in the middle of a live project.

The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 programme has made government services genuinely digital — Ajeer, Qiwa, Absher, Muqeem, Najiz, Balady and Etimad now do in minutes what once took counter visits. The remaining work is knowing which platform to open, in what order, with which prerequisites already satisfied. That is where an experienced local partner earns their fee, and it is what we do every week for investors entering Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and the emerging economic cities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Ajeer contract in Saudi Arabia?

An Ajeer contract in Saudi Arabia is an official MHRSD authorisation issued through ajeer.qiwa.sa that allows one establishment to legally use workers sponsored by another establishment for a defined period. It records the beneficiary company, the provider company, and each named worker, creating a verifiable digital trail that inspectors can check during site visits.

How do I issue an Ajeer contract on ajeer.qiwa.sa?

Log in to ajeer.qiwa.sa using Nafath and Absher, select your beneficiary establishment, choose the service category, enter the provider’s unified 700 number, add each worker by Iqama number and date of birth, set the contract dates, attach the project contract, then submit. The provider approves electronically, you pay via SADAD, and the PDF authorisation becomes downloadable.

How much does an Ajeer contract cost in Saudi Arabia?

Ajeer fees vary by service category, worker count and duration. Indicative planning figures are around SAR 100 to 200 per worker for short-term or event authorisations and SAR 200 to 300 per worker for periods up to twelve months. These are indicative only, so confirm current figures on the official Ajeer portal before budgeting a project.

How long does Ajeer contract approval take?

A clean Ajeer request for a small crew typically completes in one to three business days end to end. The provider establishment’s approval is usually the slowest step, taking anywhere from the same day to two business days. Once approved and the SADAD bill is paid, activation and the downloadable PDF authorisation are effectively instant.

What documents are required for an ajeer contract saudi request?

You need both establishments’ unified 700 or commercial registration numbers, Nafath and Absher access for the authorised signatory, each worker’s Iqama number and date of birth with a valid work permit, and a supporting project contract, purchase order or event permit in PDF. A scope-of-work letter and Qiwa delegation authorisation are also useful.

Does an Ajeer contract transfer sponsorship of the worker?

No. An Ajeer authorisation does not transfer sponsorship. The worker’s Iqama, employment contract and social insurance registration remain with the original provider establishment throughout. Ajeer only authorises the beneficiary company to use that worker’s services for the defined period, after which the arrangement simply ends without any change to the worker’s status.

Why was my Ajeer request rejected?

The most common causes are an expired work permit despite a valid Iqama, a contract end date beyond the worker’s Iqama validity, an inactive establishment file, an unconfirmed annual commercial registration under the 2026 Commercial Register Law, a red Nitaqat band, or a profession on the Iqama that does not match the task. Verify each in Muqeem and Qiwa first.

Can a new foreign-owned company in Saudi Arabia use Ajeer?

Yes, once the foundations are in place. A foreign investor needs a MISA investment licence, whose issue and renewal fees are suspended in 2026, followed by a unified commercial registration, Chamber membership, and active MHRSD, Qiwa and GOSI files. Only after that chain is complete can the entity submit Ajeer requests as a beneficiary establishment.