Saudi Arabia Lists Allowances Foreign Workers Can Receive, Including Housing and Transport

• Saudi Arabia's Ministry outlined the full range of allowances available to non-citizen contract workers, covering air travel, housing, and furnishings
• Foreign workers are entitled to a housing allowance worth at least SAR 8,000 or three months' salary, paid as a lump sum at the start of each contract year
• The Ministry also established a tiered monthly transportation allowance ranging from SAR 300 to SAR 400 depending on the worker's salary level

Saudi Arabia's Ministry has detailed the complete compensation package available to foreign workers employed under its contract system, setting out entitlements that span air travel, accommodation, furnishings, and monthly commuting support.

The framework, anchored in Article 17 of the Ministry's contract regulations, covers non-citizen workers at key stages of their employment, from arrival in the Kingdom through to their eventual return home.

Air travel entitlements for non-citizen workers

Under the regulations, the Ministry covers the cost of an economy air ticket for a foreign worker travelling from their home country to Saudi Arabia at the start of a contract, and again at the end when they return.

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Workers who were already residing in the Kingdom at the point of their appointment are not eligible for the initial inbound ticket.

Beyond this, the Ministry provides one return ticket to the worker's home country each year during the contract period, timed to coincide with the worker's annual leave.

Housing, furnishing, and transportation allowances

On accommodation, the Ministry pays a lump-sum housing allowance equivalent to three months of the worker's salary, subject to a minimum of SAR 8,000.

This payment is made at the start of the contract and again at the beginning of each renewal year. Workers who receive Ministry-arranged housing directly are not entitled to this allowance.

Where a female worker is accompanied by a male non-marriageable relative, referred to as a Mahram, only a single housing allowance is paid, awarded to whichever of the two earns the higher salary.

A one-off furnishing allowance, set at 50% of the worker's monthly salary, is also paid at the commencement of the contract.

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For daily commuting costs, the Ministry provides a monthly transportation allowance scaled to salary level. Workers earning below SAR 2,000 per month receive SAR 300, those earning between SAR 2,001 and SAR 3,500 receive SAR 350, and workers on salaries above SAR 3,500 receive SAR 400 each month. In certain circumstances, the Ministry may elect to arrange and provide transportation directly rather than paying the monthly allowance.

Saudi Arabia bans travellers from 3 African countries

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Saudi Arabia had announced an indefinite ban on travellers arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan.

This comes amid escalating Ebola cases across parts of Africa.

Source: YEN.com.gh