Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development
The ministry that writes Saudi labour policy - and the parent of Qiwa, Mudad and Musaned.
Reviewed by the Wathim GCC Services Desk
On this page
Launched
Ministry
Operator
Government of Saudi Arabia
Cost
Free portal; service fees apply
Languages
Arabic, English
What is MHRSD?
For the term itself rather than the portal, see MHRSD (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development) in our GCC glossary.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development is the Saudi government agency responsible for labour regulation across the public and private sectors, together with social affairs and its development programmes. For an expatriate worker it is the ministry behind almost every employment rule that affects you: work permit issuance and renewal, the Saudisation quotas that determine whether your employer can hire you at all, wage protection, and the labour courts that hear disputes. In practice you rarely deal with the ministry directly, because it delivers through platforms - Qiwa for employment contracts and establishment services, Mudad for wage protection, and Musaned for domestic labour. Understanding that those platforms are MHRSD channels rather than separate authorities makes the Saudi employment system far easier to navigate.
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How does MHRSD work?
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development draws up general policy for labour regulation and workers in both the public and private sectors, and covers social affairs and development programmes alongside it. It is the policy owner behind Saudi employment law.
For expatriates the ministry matters most through work permits. Work licences for foreign establishments are issued and renewed through the ministry, with employers selecting the expatriate workers whose licences need issuing or renewing.
MHRSD delivers to users through platforms rather than counters. Qiwa handles employment contracts, establishment services and much of the employer-employee relationship; Mudad handles wage protection; Musaned governs domestic labour recruitment. All three are ministry channels, not independent authorities.
Saudisation, administered as Nitaqat, is the ministry's quota system classifying establishments by their proportion of Saudi employees. Your employer's Nitaqat band determines what it can do - hire, transfer, renew - and therefore constrains your own options even though you never interact with it directly.
Labour disputes begin with the ministry's amicable settlement process before proceeding to the labour courts. Filing is done through the ministry's channels, and the process has statutory timelines that reward acting early.
The wage protection system requires employers to pay through traceable channels so that non-payment is visible to the ministry. For a worker, the practical value is that a wage complaint is far easier to evidence than it used to be.
Domestic workers are regulated separately through Musaned, which covers recruitment offices, contracts and the specific protections that apply to household employment rather than to company employment.
Because so much of the Saudi employment system is delegated to platforms, the most common mistake is treating Qiwa, Mudad or Musaned as the authority. They are interfaces; the rules, and the appeals, sit with the ministry.
What services does MHRSD offer?
Work permits
Issuance and renewal of work licences for foreign establishments and the expatriate workers attached to them.
Labour disputes
Filing and amicable settlement before the labour courts, with statutory timelines that reward acting early.
Saudisation (Nitaqat)
Classification of establishments by their proportion of Saudi employees, which constrains what your employer can do.
Wage protection
Oversight of payment through traceable channels, delivered through Mudad, making non-payment visible and evidenceable.
Domestic labour
Regulation of household employment through Musaned, covering recruitment offices, contracts and protections.
Employment contracts
Contract authentication and establishment services, delivered through Qiwa.
How do I register an account on MHRSD?
- 1
Know which platform you need
MHRSD delivers through Qiwa, Mudad and Musaned. Identify the right one before searching the ministry site for a service it does not host directly.
- 2
Use Absher or Nafath to authenticate
Ministry platforms authenticate through the national identity systems, so those need to be working first.
- 3
Check your employer's Nitaqat band
It determines whether transfers, renewals and new hires are possible, and explains refusals that otherwise look arbitrary.
- 4
File disputes early
The amicable settlement stage has timelines. Delay narrows the options available to you later.
- 5
Keep contract copies
Authenticated contracts held in Qiwa are the evidence base for any later dispute.
Troubleshooting
The errors residents hit most often on MHRSD, and the fix that works.
Several GCC ministries delegate consumer transactions to a national platform. Check the platform named on this page before assuming the service does not exist.
The usual causes are an expired residence document, an outstanding fine, or an establishment-level problem at your employer that is invisible from your side.
The mobile number must be registered against your own residence identity document. Numbers registered to an employer or a previous holder will not receive the code.
Attestation and translation are separate requirements and both may apply. Confirm which the receiving body actually needs before resubmitting.
Where two authorities share a process, a delay at one commonly presents as silence at the other. Check the earlier stage rather than chasing the later one.
Published figures go stale quickly across the GCC. Confirm the current fee with the authority before budgeting.
Employment, residency and licensing are usually split across different bodies. Filing with the wrong one loses time that statutory deadlines do not return.
Frequently asked questions about MHRSD
It draws up general policy for labour regulation and workers across both the public and private sectors in Saudi Arabia, and covers social affairs and development programmes. It is the policy owner behind Saudi employment law.
No. Qiwa is a platform the ministry delivers through, handling employment contracts and establishment services. The rules, and any appeal, sit with the ministry. The same is true of Mudad for wage protection and Musaned for domestic labour.
The Saudisation programme classifying establishments by their proportion of Saudi employees. Your employer's band determines whether it can hire, transfer or renew, which constrains your own options even though you never interact with it.
Through the ministry's channels, beginning with amicable settlement before the labour courts. There are statutory timelines, so filing early materially widens your options.
A requirement that employers pay through traceable channels, delivered through Mudad, so non-payment is visible to the ministry. For a worker it makes a wage complaint far easier to evidence.
No. Domestic employment is regulated separately through Musaned, which covers recruitment offices, contracts and protections specific to household work.
Establishment-level problems - often a Nitaqat band or an outstanding compliance issue - block individual transactions without surfacing an explanation to the worker. Ask your employer to check its own status.
Both are official; the ministry uses both domains. Neither is a clone.
No. The iqama is issued through the Ministry of Interior via Absher and Muqeem. MHRSD handles the work permit, which is related but separate. Both must be valid.
Under specific conditions in the labour reform framework, yes. The conditions are set by the ministry and applied through Qiwa. Check your eligibility before resigning.
File through the ministry's dispute channels. Wage protection records make the claim far easier to evidence than it once was, so act rather than waiting.
It sets policy for both public and private sectors, but the operational rules differ. Private-sector guidance does not automatically apply to government employment.
The ministry publishes them, but in practice they surface through the platforms first - Qiwa and Mudad usually reflect a change before general guidance catches up.
It may be, but it is materially harder to enforce. Authenticated contracts held in the platform are the practical evidence base in a dispute.
What is MHRSD's equivalent in other GCC countries?
Working across borders? These are the functional equivalents of MHRSD elsewhere in the GCC.
Saudi Arabia
Balady Municipal Services Platform
Saudi Arabia's municipal services platform - licences, permits and local government services for individuals and businesses.
Saudi Arabia
Etimad Government Contracting Platform
Saudi Arabia's government procurement and contracting platform - tenders, bids and supplier payments.
Qatar
Ministry of Labour - Qatar
Qatar's labour ministry, formerly ADLSA - work permits, contract attestation, wage protection and disputes.
Qatar
Ministry of Education and Higher Education - Qatar
Qatar's education ministry - school licensing, enrolment rules, certificate attestation and higher education recognition.
Oman
Ministry of Labour - Oman
Oman's labour ministry - labour clearance, work permits, Omanisation and labour disputes.
Oman
Ministry of Health - Oman
Oman's health ministry - medical fitness testing for residency, health licensing and public health services.
Guides from the blog
Walkthroughs that use MHRSD
Step-by-step guides for the most common transactions on this portal.
Saudi Arabia
Huroob in Saudi Arabia: The MHRSD Contest Window (About 15 Working Days) + Transfer Escape Routes 2026
Huroob in Saudi Arabia opens a short MHRSD Friendly Settlement contest window, roughly 15 working days from notification, before deportation, plus three Qiwa transfer escape routes to run in parallel.
Saudi Arabia
Qiwa Transfer Rejected by Your Employer? How to Move Without Their Consent in 2026
Your Naql Khidmat (sponsorship transfer) was blocked by your current employer. Here is when Saudi law lets you transfer WITHOUT their consent in 2026, the Qiwa and MHRSD process, and how to escalate a labour dispute.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Iqama Profession Mismatch: Free Correction vs Paid Change (Tagheer Mehna) in 2026
Your iqama profession is blocking a service, and you are not sure whether you need a free profession correction or a paid profession change (Tagheer Mehna). Here is the difference, when each applies, the Qiwa and Absher process, fees, and the blocked-profession rules for 2026.
Last verified against the MHRSD portal on .
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