Penalties for employing residency violators: imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 riyals

The Saudi Ministry of Interior has reiterated its strong warnings to establishments and employers against any laxity in enforcing the regulations and laws pertaining to residency, labor, and border security. In a recent awareness statement, the Ministry emphasized that establishments found to be employing expatriates in violation of regulations, or those that allow their employees to work independently or for others, or even those employing workers not belonging to other companies, will face severe and uncompromising penalties.

Details of the prescribed penalties

The ministry explained that the penalties for these violations are severe to ensure the discipline of the labor market, and include the following:

• Financial penalty: up to 100,000 Saudi Riyals.
• Ban on recruitment: Preventing the establishment from recruiting workers for up to 5 years.
• Imprisonment penalty: Imprisonment for the manager responsible for the facility for up to one year.
• Deportation: Removing the manager responsible for the Kingdom if he is an expatriate, and preventing him from entering the Kingdom again.

Context of the “A Nation Without Violators” campaign

These ongoing warnings are part of the comprehensive national campaign to track down and apprehend violators of residency, labor, and border security regulations, known as “A Nation Without Violators.” Launched by the Kingdom several years ago, this campaign aims to regularize the status of expatriate workers and eliminate negative practices in the labor market. Security and government agencies are working in close coordination to apprehend violators throughout the Kingdom, in both major cities and border regions, to ensure the rule of law.

Economic and security importance

The importance of these measures extends beyond mere regulation to encompass crucial economic and security dimensions. Economically, eliminating undocumented and illegal workers helps combat commercial concealment and fosters a fair competitive environment for legitimate businesses, paving the way for job localization and the creation of genuine employment opportunities for citizens. From a security perspective, apprehending those who violate border security and residency regulations directly contributes to reducing crime rates and enhancing social stability, as undocumented workers are often associated with illegal activities operating outside official oversight.

Reporting mechanism and complete confidentiality

In closing, the Ministry of Interior called upon all citizens and residents to cooperate with security authorities and to refrain from harboring, sheltering, or transporting violators. The Ministry emphasized that reporting violations of residency, labor, and border security regulations is a national duty that contributes to the protection of society.

Any violations can be reported by calling the following numbers:

• The number (911) is available in the regions of Makkah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province.
• The number (999) in the rest of the Kingdom.

The ministry stressed that all reports are handled with complete confidentiality, without any legal responsibility on the informant, in order to encourage all members of society to contribute to maintaining security and order.