Nitaqat Saudization in Saudi Arabia: How to Read and Raise Your Band

What Nitaqat is and why it matters

Nitaqat is the programme the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development uses to measure how far an establishment meets Saudization targets, meaning its share of Saudi employees compared with the ratio required for similar establishments by activity and size. The result is a band, a colour that decides which services the establishment can use on Qiwa.

The band matters because it is tied directly to expatriate staff: issuing work visas, transferring workers to the establishment, renewing work permits and changing occupations. A business that ignores its band often finds the problem only when it needs a visa for a new worker or when an existing worker's permit renewal stalls, and by then fixing it is slower and more expensive than if it had been watched early.

The required ratio is not the same for every establishment. Under Nitaqat Al-Mutawar it is set by a linear equation tied to the establishment's number of workers and varies by economic activity, with activities merged into 32 groups, so two establishments with the same ratio can sit in different bands. The reference for your establishment's band and required ratio is what its Qiwa account shows.

The bands and what each one means

Under Nitaqat Al-Mutawar, establishments are classified into bands running from Red up to Platinum. The table is a general, indicative summary, because the services available in each band are updated from time to time and Qiwa is the reference. The new phase announced in January 2026 targets more than 340,000 additional jobs for Saudis over three years, so check your required ratio at the start of each year.

An establishment in the Red band usually faces restrictions on requesting new work visas. If you plan to recruit, check the band and the services available on Qiwa before any other step.

How the Saudization ratio is calculated

The Saudization ratio is the number of counted Saudi employees divided by the establishment's total workforce, compared with the ratio required for its activity and size. What many owners miss is that a Saudi employee does not always count as one full employee: how they count depends on the wage registered with GOSI and the type of work.

Under the ministerial decision the ministry announced in November 2020 raising the minimum wage for counting Saudis in Nitaqat, counting works as follows:

• Monthly wage of 4,000 SAR or more: the Saudi employee counts as one full employee.
• Monthly wage from 3,000 SAR to below 4,000 SAR: counts as half an employee.
• Monthly wage below 3,000 SAR: not counted towards Saudization.
• Part-time work: counts as half an employee if GOSI contributions are paid and the wage is 3,000 SAR or more, and cannot be counted at more than two entities.
• Flexible work: counts as one third of an employee once 168 working hours are completed and GOSI contributions are paid.

Illustrative example: an establishment with 10 workers has two Saudis on 5,000 SAR and a third Saudi on 3,500 SAR. The Saudis count as 2.5, not 3, so the ratio is 25%, not 30%. Rules can be updated, and Qiwa is the final reference.

Registering Saudi hires correctly with GOSI

A Saudi employee only appears in the Saudization ratio when they are registered with GOSI under the establishment at their actual wage, so the most common Nitaqat problems are registration mistakes, not hiring mistakes. An employee registered at less than their real wage may count as half or not at all, even though they are paid enough to count in full.

1. Document the contract on Qiwa

   The employment contract is documented on Qiwa with the correct wage and job title before anything else.

2. Register with GOSI at the actual wage

   The employee is registered under the establishment with GOSI at the same wage as the contract, because that wage is the basis for counting in Nitaqat.

3. Pay wages through WPS

   The salary is paid from the establishment's bank account and the payroll file is uploaded to Mudad, so what is paid matches what is registered.

4. Check the result on Qiwa

   Confirm the employee appears in the establishment's Qiwa account and its effect on the ratio, and correct any data mismatch quickly.

Registering Saudis who do not actually work at the establishment to lift the ratio is fake Saudization, a violation that exposes the establishment to penalties. We do not arrange anything of this kind.

How to move your establishment up a band

Moving up means increasing the number of counted Saudis or improving how they are counted, and it starts with understanding the gap between your current ratio and the ratio required for the band you want. The usual ways to close it:

• Review the wages of existing Saudi staff in GOSI, since some may be registered below their actual wage and count only as half.
• Hire Saudis into real roles at a wage that lets them count in full, and register them with GOSI from day one.
• Review the number of expatriate workers, since releasing staff the establishment no longer needs raises the ratio without extra hiring.
• Use part-time or flexible work where it suits the job, bearing in mind that it counts as a fraction of an employee.
• Check the establishment's registered activity, because the required ratio is tied to the activity and the registered activity may not match what the business actually does.

How Grow More handles Nitaqat for your establishment

We start by reviewing the establishment's band on Qiwa and matching the Saudi employees' data across contracts, GOSI and the wage protection file, then send you a clear summary: the current ratio, what is missing for the next band and the errors that can be fixed immediately. With your approval we then document contracts, register employees with GOSI and correct registered wages.

Grow More is an independent private office, not a government body, and we work on the official portals under a delegation or power of attorney that you control and can revoke at any time. We never ask for passwords or verification codes. We agree a fixed price with you before starting and quote it on WhatsApp, government fees are paid at cost with receipts, and you pay our fee when the work is done. You get a status update at every step, in Arabic or English, in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.