Muqeem Portal

The policy must cover the FULL renewal window (2 years for a 2-yr renewal). A 1-year CCHI on a 2-yr renewal rejects. Extend CCHI to match, then retry.

The worker's National Address on Wasil is probably stale. Confirm on saudipost.com.sa, update if needed, and request re-dispatch via the Wasil tracking reference.

Confirm Industrial Licence linked in Muqeem, activity code matches the gazetted exemption list, exemption start-date processed. Raise via Qiwa Support with the December 2025 Cabinet announcement reference.

SADAD-to-Muqeem sync can lag 60-90 minutes. Wait, refresh. If still showing arrears after 24 hours, verify the SADAD bill code (048 for dependent levy) was used; wrong bill code is the most common cause.

Workers do not have Muqeem accounts. Use Absher for personal view, or the public visa-validity sub-portal at vv.muqeem.sa with Iqama plus passport number.

The user's Nafath enrolment may have lapsed (SIM change, phone change). Re-enrol Nafath at a kiosk or bank channel, then retry the Muqeem action.

When the work-permit levy is paid, CCHI insurance is live and covers the full renewal window, the dependent levy is current, and all traffic and municipal fines are cleared, the renewal completes in minutes - the digital Iqama on Absher updates within an hour and the worker can verify the new expiry date. If any of those checks fail, Muqeem rejects with a generic 'cannot complete renewal' message and the GRO has to back-trace which layer is short. Renewals fail at the CCHI step more often than at any other. For a complete Iqama renewal cost breakdown by job category and dependent count, use our Saudi Iqama cost calculator.

From January 2026 the physical Muqeem card (the printed Iqama) is now issued for up to 5 years of validity, dispatched by Wasil postal service to the worker's registered National Address. Workers do not receive one retroactively - the new card is printed the next time their sponsor triggers a re-issuance after expiry, damage, or loss. The digital residency record on Absher and Muqeem still has to be renewed every 1 or 2 years; the 5-year window only applies to the physical card's reprint cycle. Delivery is 5-10 working days in major cities; the digital Iqama on Absher is legally sufficient meanwhile. Dependent-levy savings over the five-year window are significant; size them with our Saudi dependent fee calculator.

Per December 2025 Saudi Cabinet announcement reported widely in industry sources, the work-permit levy was permanently cancelled for companies holding a valid Industrial Licence, taking it to SAR 0/month per worker from SAR 700-800. As of June 2026 the exemption is being applied in practice but is not yet fully visible in every official MHRSD gazette text. Industrial-sector sponsors should confirm on Qiwa or directly with MHRSD before assuming a zero-levy Muqeem renewal will go through. Non-industrial sectors continue at the SAR 700/SAR 800 schedule based on their Nitaqat band.

From January 2026 the printed Iqama card is issued for up to 5 years of validity, dispatched via Wasil to the worker's registered National Address. Existing workers do not receive a new card automatically; the 5-year version is printed the next time the sponsor triggers a re-issuance (annual or biennial renewal, damaged/lost replacement). HR should ensure each worker's National Address on the Saudi Post Wasil system is current before triggering print - the card has nowhere to be delivered if the address is stale. The digital Iqama on Absher and Muqeem still renews on the 1- or 2-year cycle; the 5-year window only applies to the physical card's reprint cycle. Delivery is 5-10 working days in major cities; the digital Iqama on Absher is legally sufficient meanwhile.

At the SADAD bill-generation step on Muqeem, the work-permit levy line item should display SAR 0 instead of SAR 700 or SAR 800. If it still shows the standard levy, confirm: (1) the establishment's Industrial Licence is current with MISA/MODON/SIDF and the licence number is linked in Muqeem; (2) the establishment's category in the gazetted exemption list matches the activity code; (3) the exemption start-date has been processed (some sponsors saw a lag of 1-2 months in early 2026). If all three look clean and the levy still appears, raise a ticket with MHRSD via Qiwa Support, citing the December 2025 Cabinet announcement. Non-industrial sectors continue at the SAR 700/800 schedule based on Nitaqat band.

Unpaid work-permit levy (SAR 700-800/month per worker) and dependent levy (SAR 400/month per dependent) cascade across the stack. Muqeem blocks Iqama renewal with a generic 'cannot complete' error, Qiwa blocks new block-visa requests and contract amendments, and Absher blocks exit/re-entry visa issuance for both the worker and dependents. The fix: settle the SADAD bills (bill code 048 for dependent levy, the work-permit levy bill auto-generates on Muqeem). Pay through the company bank account, wait 60-90 minutes for SADAD-to-Muqeem sync, then retry the renewal. If the levy has been unpaid for more than 3 months, MHRSD adds a late-payment penalty (currently 1% of the overdue amount per month) and the establishment's Nitaqat band can downgrade silently. Confirm Nitaqat status on Qiwa after clearing arrears.

Residence transfer (changing the worker's sponsor on Muqeem after a Qiwa transfer completes) routinely fails for sponsors who try to file before all the upstream layers are clean. The five common rejections, in order of frequency: (1) the worker has not formally signed the new Qiwa contract via Nafath - sign first, wait 2-4 hours for Qiwa-Muqeem sync, then retry. (2) CCHI insurance from the new sponsor is not yet active for the worker's Iqama - the new policy must show live before transfer. (3) The worker's passport on Muqeem differs from passport on Absher (old passport carried in one system) - sponsor must file 'Update Passport Data' first. (4) The worker has an open exit/re-entry visa with the old sponsor - cancel before transfer. (5) The new sponsor's Nitaqat band is Red or the establishment is in compliance hold - confirm on Qiwa first. Fix each layer in order; transfer then completes in minutes.

Dependant visit visas are filed by the sponsoring expat worker through Absher Family Services, which then routes to Muqeem for the Jawazat-side approval. The 2026 flow: confirm the worker's salary on the Qiwa contract meets the threshold (currently SAR 5,000/month for the standard visit visa path, lower for High-Skilled tier under the July 2025 reform), confirm the dependent's relationship is documented (marriage certificate, birth certificate, all MOFA-attested), pay the SAR 200 visa application fee on SADAD. Muqeem cross-checks against the worker's dependent levy status - if any existing dependent has an unpaid levy, the new visit visa is blocked. Approval is usually 5-10 working days; the visa is single-entry, 90-day validity from issuance, extendable in-country to 180 days. For dependants who later transition to residence, the family-sponsorship flow is filed via Muqeem after the in-Kingdom medical and biometrics. Estimate the dependent fee stack with our Saudi dependent fee calculator.