Seasonal employment contract provisions

BY Nassr Albarakati · 11 September 2023

Table of content

Seasonal employment contract provisions

Seasonal employment contract provisions


The importance of the seasonal employment contract in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia lies in its close connection with the Hajj season, and the consequent issuance of visas for seasonal employment in a huge amount annually. Therefore, the organizer issued him with a special regulation regulating his provisions, in addition to some of his special provisions that were mentioned in the Saudi Labor Law. Given the special nature of the seasonal employment contract; The organizer did not subject him to all the rules of the labor system, but rather assigned him some provisions that were commensurate with his own nature.


The Ministry of Labor and Social Development is preparing to perform its work during the Hajj season with the launch of the "Tammam Al-Hajj" program; In order to follow up on seasonal workers, ensure their commitment to work in what they were brought for, exchange information about companies and institutions whose employees did not commit to work in the work for which they were brought, and control violations resulting from the sale of seasonal workers' visas, in light of the provisions of the regulation for temporary and seasonal work visas issued by Cabinet Decision No. (497) dated 16/11/1436 AH.


The Ministry of Labor issues seasonal work visas, for a fee of one thousand riyals. And according to Article 6 of this regulation, the duration of residence for a seasonal work visa is a maximum of four months, which cannot be extended, or converted into a permanent work visa. The seasonal work visa holder may not make the pilgrimage. And the regulation clarified that the entry of the holder of this visa to the Kingdom is from the first day of the month of Shawwal, and the last day of their entry is the end of the month of Dhu al-Qi'dah, and the duration of stay does not exceed the end of the month of Muharram following the Hajj season. And the employer, or his representative, is obliged to submit the employment contract, signed by both parties to the contract, to the Kingdom's representations abroad within the grounds for applying for a visa for seasonal employment, otherwise it will be punished with a fine of up to five thousand riyals. "It is also obliged to specify his permanent address, or his address for seasonal or temporary work, and the employer is punished with a fine of up to eight thousand riyals if this address is proven to be incorrect." These visas are obtained based on a letter of support from the supervisor of the activity or project.


And the Ministry of Labor is addressing the facts of selling seasonal labor visas outside the Kingdom in exchange for money. And to face that violation, the regulation stipulated that the student of the seasonal work visa must provide insurance to the Ministry of Labor in the amount of (2000) thousand riyals for each worker, to be recovered after the return of the seasonal worker to his country. And the regulation set a set of penalties for anyone who is proven to have sold a temporary or seasonal work visa with a fine ranging between five thousand and fifteen thousand riyals, with the multiplicity of those fines with the number of visas sold, in addition to recovering all the amounts obtained because of this violation, and also preventing him from entering competitions for temporary or seasonal work for five years.


The Ministry of Labor has also set up a committee; To consider the violations that are caught, and to recommend the penalties stipulated in the regulations against violators, and its recommendations are adopted by a decision of the Minister of Labor, and the concerned person may appeal the decision before the Board of Grievances.


On the other hand, labor courts are competent to consider the disputes that may arise between the parties to the seasonal labor contract. Examples of such differences that may arise between the parties to the seasonal employment contract are with regard to their respective duties towards each other; "Such as the employer detaining the worker's wage or part of it without judicial authority, and dealing with the worker with a statement or act that harms his dignity, or his religion." And also the entry of the worker any item prohibited by law to the workplace, and the violation of the employer to return all the certificates or documents deposited with the worker. It also considers the worker's breach of his obligation to maintain and take adequate care of the machinery, tools, tasks, and materials owned by the employer and placed at his disposal, or in his custody, or his breach of his obligation to return non-expendable materials to the employer. The labor courts are also competent to consider disputes that may arise between the parties to the seasonal labor contract arising from the application of disciplinary rules, such as the employer imposing a penalty of warning, fine, suspension from work with deprivation of pay, or dismissal from work in cases prescribed by the system.


And in addition to the above, the Ministry of Labor has set the conditions that must be met when applying for a seasonal work visa, and the most important of these conditions: that all licenses of the establishment are valid, including the subscription of the national address service at the Saudi Post. A recruitment application may not be submitted if the entity has a recruitment application that is still under consideration. And that the establishment is in the green range or higher, and seasonal visas are not included in the scope calculation.


- The application form after filling it with the facility's seal.


- Support from the supervising authority of the activity.


- A copy of the commercial register and membership of the Chamber of Commerce.


- A copy of the municipal license.


- Letter from the Ministry of Finance.


And the service is obtained by submitting the application to the labor office with the required documents.


And through the short period of implementation of the seasonal work contract, which does not exceed four months, and the government's keenness not to extend that period for any reason whatsoever, and the lack of leniency of the inspection authorities in controlling the violations arising during the implementation of the regulation of temporary and seasonal work visas, it seems that the government is keen on the stability of the Saudi labor market in particular, which in turn affects the economy in general.


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