What Happens to Your Iqama If You Resign?

Short answer: resigning does not cancel your iqama straight away. Your iqama stays valid while you serve your notice. Once the contract ends, you get 60 days to either move to a new employer through Qiwa or leave Saudi Arabia on a final exit visa. If you do neither, your employer can report you as absent from work. Most expats still call that "huroob". It is the status you want to avoid, because it makes transferring, leaving and coming back much harder.

A lot of what gets shared in WhatsApp groups about this is out of date, because the rules changed in 2021 and again in 2025. Here is how it works now, step by step.

Step 1: Handing In Your Resignation

Put your resignation in writing (an email to HR is fine, but keep a copy) and note the date. Since the Labour Law amendments that came into force in February 2025:

• The employer has 30 days to respond. If they say nothing for 30 days, your resignation is treated as accepted automatically.
• They can delay it once, by up to 60 days, but only if the work genuinely needs it and they tell you why in writing within those first 30 days.
• You can withdraw it within 7 days, as long as the employer has not already accepted it.
• Notice period: on an open-ended (unlimited) contract the minimum is 30 days from you, unless your contract sets a longer period.

During this time nothing changes with your iqama. You are still employed, still paid, still on GOSI, and your service keeps counting towards end of service.

Step 2: The Contract Ends and the 60-Day Window Starts

When your last working day passes, your contract shows as ended or expired in Qiwa. From that point you have 60 days to sort out your status. You have three options:

Sixty days goes faster than people expect, especially if a new job offer is still being negotiated. If you are planning to transfer, line up the new employer before your last day, not after.

Step 3: What Happens If You Do Nothing (Huroob)

If the 60 days pass with no transfer, no final exit and no new contract, you are reported as absent from work. In Qiwa this is listed as work discontinuation or "absent from work" (انقطاع عن العمل). It is the same thing people mean by huroob or "kharoob".

An employer can also file this report earlier, while your contract is still running, if you simply stop coming to work. This is why it matters to resign properly in writing instead of just walking away.

Being marked absent causes real problems:

• Normal transfer and final exit requests can stop being accepted.
• You cannot legally work for anyone else.
• Your iqama cannot be renewed and your work permit lapses.
• You are exposed to fines and, in the worst case, deportation. Leaving that way can make getting a new Saudi visa difficult later.

Can absent status be fixed?

Sometimes. If the report is recent, a transfer or final exit can still be possible within 60 days of the report date. After that, Qiwa has run correction programmes for workers who have been in the Kingdom for more than 12 months, where a new employer agrees to take you on and pay any outstanding work-permit fees. Check the current options in Qiwa yourself, and be wary of anyone who charges money to "remove huroob". Nobody outside the system can guarantee that.

If you believe your employer reported you falsely, keep every message and payslip and file a complaint through Qiwa's labour dispute service.

Leaving on Final Exit and Coming Back Later

If you leave properly on a final exit visa, there is no ban on returning. You can come back whenever another Saudi employer issues you a new work visa. You will go through the visa process again from the start (medical, visa stamping, new iqama), but your record is clean.

A few practical points before you fly:

• Clear everything first: traffic fines and any outstanding dependent fee must be paid before a final exit can be issued. Settle loans and credit cards too, because unpaid debts can lead to a travel ban through the courts.
• Your family goes too. Dependents on your iqama need their own final exit visas, and they should leave before or with you.
• The final exit visa has a validity period. If you do not leave in time, it can be cancelled and you will pay a fine, so book your flight once it is issued.
• Close or update your bank account and get your GOSI and salary certificate copies before your iqama is cancelled.

What About Your End of Service Money?

Resigning reduces end of service compared with being terminated. Under Article 85 of the Labour Law:

The full award is half a month's wage for each of the first five years and one month's wage for each year after that. When you resign, the employer must pay your final dues within two weeks of the contract ending (Article 88). Work out your own figure with our end of service calculator, or the final settlement calculator to add unpaid salary and leave.

A Simple Timeline

Before You Resign: A Quick Checklist

• Check your contract type (unlimited or fixed-term) and the notice period it states.
• Resign in writing and keep proof of the date.
• If you want to stay in Saudi Arabia, get the new offer in writing before your last day.
• Check your iqama expiry date. If it runs out during the 60 days, ask the employer how renewal will be handled.
• Estimate your end of service so you know what to expect in the settlement.
• Clear traffic fines and the dependent fee early if you plan to leave on final exit.

Related Tools and Guides

Sources

• Ajel News: Qiwa details the grace period and job transfer after an expat resigns (August 2026)
• Al Tamimi & Co: key amendments to the Saudi Labour Law (resignation and notice rules)
• HRSD: end-of-service award regulations
• Qiwa: contract status, transfers and labour disputes

Frequently Asked Questions