Imprisonment and fine: Penalty for delaying reporting the departure of domestic workers

Saudi Arabia's Public Security Directorate issued a stern warning regarding the legal obligations of employers, revealing severe penalties for anyone who fails to report the departure of their sponsored workers after the expiry of their entry visas. This announcement comes as part of ongoing efforts to apprehend violators of residency, labor, and border security regulations.

Details of the prescribed penalties

Public security clarified through its official channels that negligence in reporting the departure of expatriate workers within the specified time exposes the employer to legal accountability, as the following penalties will be applied to him:

• Financial penalty: up to 50,000 Saudi Riyals.
• Imprisonment: A penalty that deprives one of liberty for a period of up to six months.
• Deportation: If the offender (the sponsor) is a resident expatriate, he will be deported outside the Kingdom after the penalty is carried out.

Organizational context and security control efforts

These decisive measures are an extension of the ongoing security and field campaigns carried out by the Ministry of Interior, represented by its various sectors, most notably the General Directorate of Passports and Public Security. These decisions fall within the framework of the comprehensive national campaign to track down and apprehend violators of residency, labor, and border security regulations (A Nation Without Violators), which aims to eliminate the phenomenon of undocumented workers and violators who constitute a security and economic burden.

Saudi regulations emphasize that the responsibility does not fall solely on the violating expatriate, but extends to the host or sponsor who conceals the violator or neglects to follow up on his departure procedures, which is considered an indirect participation in the violator remaining inside the country in an irregular manner.

The security and economic importance of the decision

This emphasis is of paramount importance at both the local and regional levels, as it aims to:

• Enhancing internal security: by ensuring accurate records of all those present on the Kingdom's territory and knowing their whereabouts and legal status.
• Protecting the national economy: Eliminating cover-ups and residency violations contributes to reducing the shadow economy and irregular financial transfers, which supports the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in regulating the labor market.
• Regulating the labor market: Ensuring that all workers and expatriates operate within the authorized legal frameworks, thus providing fair opportunities and protecting the rights of all parties.

Call for compliance and reporting

Security authorities urged all citizens and residents to abide by regulations and instructions, and to refrain from dealing with violators of residency and labor laws, or from harboring, sheltering, or providing them with any form of assistance. They also encouraged everyone to cooperate with security authorities by reporting any violations via the official numbers (911) in the Makkah, Riyadh, and Eastern regions, and (999) in the rest of the Kingdom, emphasizing that the security of the nation is everyone's responsibility.