Nitaqat and Saudization basics

Nitaqat is the Ministry of Human Resources' Saudization program; its current version is Nitaqat Mutawar. It places every private establishment in a band according to the share of Saudis in its workforce. In 2026 the Ministry launched a new three-year phase, aimed at more than 340,000 additional jobs for Saudis.

There are five bands: Platinum, High Green, Medium Green, Low Green and Red.

Your Saudization rate is the average number of Saudi employees divided by the average of all employees, Saudi and non-Saudi. The rate each band needs depends on your activity, the size of your workforce and the year, so there is no single percentage that applies to everyone. Since 15 April 2026 the calculation uses the employment contracts documented on Qiwa.

The Ministry's calculator is built for establishments with six or more workers. It notes that an establishment with five or fewer needs to add only one Saudi employee.

Under the Ministry's rules:

• A Saudi employee earning at least SAR 4,000 a month counts as one.
• From SAR 3,000 up to just under SAR 4,000, they count as half. Below SAR 3,000 they do not count.
• A part-time Saudi employee counts as half, if GOSI contributions are paid and the wage is at least SAR 3,000.
• An employee with a disability can count as more than one, with the Ministry's card and a job suited to the disability.

The band decides which Ministry services the company can use:

• Red: no new visa requests, no new work permits and no renewal of expatriate work permits. The company also cannot change expatriates' occupations or receive transferred workers.
• Low Green: new visa requests and occupation changes are stopped, but work permits can still be renewed.
• Medium Green, High Green and Platinum: visas for permitted occupations, occupation changes, work permit renewals and transfers of workers in.

Because an expatriate's iqama renewal needs a valid work permit, a Red band can quickly turn into expired iqamas.

Your band is shown on Qiwa. The Ministry's Nitaqat calculator lets you test the effect of hiring before you do it, and its "Nitaqi" service shows the establishment's actual average.

Some Premium Residency products carry Nitaqat benefits: the main holder of a Special Talent or Gifted Residency is exempt, and a company founded under the Entrepreneur Residency is exempt for its first three years.

Mohla Comply records your Nitaqat band alongside your licences, iqamas and work permits, so a falling band is flagged before it blocks a renewal. If you need Saudi staff to hold or improve your band, you can ask Mohla from your account for candidates in sales, marketing, accounting, digital development or HR.

Mohla's own fee is in the written quote you receive before any work starts.