Saudi Arabia Extends the Grace Period for Work Permits Until December 31, 2026
The grace period for work permits has been extended in Saudi Arabia until December 31, 2026. This is what employers and international employees should know about the new deadline and compliance guidelines.
Businesses and international workers now have an additional six months to resolve compliance issues as Saudi Arabia has extended the deadline for regularizing expired work licenses.
The grace period was previously set for June 30, 2026, but the Ministry has extended it until December 31, 2026. Foreign workers whose work permits expired more than a year ago or who did not obtain a work permit within six months of beginning employment are covered by the change.
Extended Deadline for Saudi Work Permits
According to the previous schedule, after June 30, foreign employees whose permits had expired for longer than three months were supposed to be automatically deleted from their employers' records in the Qiwa portal.
Employers now have extra time to renew or issue any missing work permits because the automatic cleanup has been delayed until the end of the year.
Employers must take action by December 31st.
Before December 31, 2026, Saudi employers must evaluate their personnel records and finish any outstanding work permit requirements. Failure to meet the updated deadline may result in:
Financial penalties
Authorities' compliance action
Removal of impacted employees from the Qiwa system's employer records
In order to provide companies time to adjust before more stringent measures are taken, Saudi Arabia has increasingly favored short compliance periods while tightening long-term enforcement.
Why Foreign Workers Should Care About This
Millions of foreign workers are engaged in Saudi Arabia's construction, healthcare, hospitality, retail, and engineering sectors, making India one of the country's top suppliers.
The extension gives companies another chance to reestablish lawful employment status and prevent administrative issues for Indian nationals who are already employed in Saudi Arabia. It can assist qualified employees in staying compliant if their employer takes action before the deadline, but it does not establish a new category for visas or work permits.
Travunited Take
Rather than a change in policy, we view this expansion as a useful respite. I would advise Indian workers in Saudi Arabia to verify the status of their work permits with their employers well in advance of December 31, 2026.
