Notice Period in Saudi Arabia: What Employees and Employers Must Give

Indefinite contracts: Article 75

An indefinite contract can be ended by either party for a legitimate reason, stated in a written notice to the other party (Article 75):

Notice pay if notice is not given: Article 76

If the party ending the contract does not give the required notice, it must pay the other party an amount equal to the worker's wage for the notice period, unless the parties agreed on a larger amount (Article 76).

Example 1: An employer ends an employee's indefinite, monthly-paid contract with immediate effect. The employee's wage is SAR 12,000.

• Notice pay: 60 days' wage = 2 × 12,000 = SAR 24,000

Example 2: An employee on an indefinite, monthly-paid contract walks out without notice. His wage is SAR 8,000.

• He owes the employer 30 days' wage: SAR 8,000, unless a larger amount was agreed

If the employer had no legitimate reason for ending the contract, compensation under Article 77 is a separate question. See Unfair Dismissal Compensation.

Time off to look for work: Article 78

When the employer gives notice, you may take one full day a week, or eight hours during the week, to look for another job. This time is paid. You choose the day or the hours, and you must tell the employer at least one day in advance (Article 78).

Fixed-term contracts: the usual expat case

A non-Saudi's contract is fixed-term and stays fixed-term however often it is renewed (Article 37; Implementing Regulations, Article 12). A fixed-term contract normally ends when its term expires (Article 74).

If the employer ends a fixed-term contract early without a legitimate reason, the remedy is compensation under Article 77: the wage for the rest of the term, never less than two months' wage, unless the contract sets its own figure.

If you want to leave a fixed-term contract early, the resignation procedure in Article 79 bis applies. Your contract's own terms on early exit also matter. See Resignation Rules After 2025.

When no notice is needed

• The employer, in the nine cases of Article 80, after giving the worker the chance to object. This includes termination during a valid probation (Article 80(6)). See Article 80.
• The employee, in the seven cases of Article 81, keeping all statutory rights. See Article 81.

For employers

• Give notice in writing and state the legitimate reason (Article 75).
• For monthly-paid staff on indefinite contracts, give at least 60 days, or pay the wage for that period instead (Article 76).
• During your notice period, the employee is entitled to paid job-search time (Article 78).
• For fixed-term staff, early termination without a legitimate reason is governed by Article 77, not by notice. See Labor Law Support for Employers.