Is compulsory to submitt a passport to the employer

yes,that's the way it is,there are very few who may not submit but most of them has no choice.I just hope it doesnt efect the proposal u have received

Had to give mine over, too.  Seems to be the policy here but I'm working at a fairly large hospital so I am not worried about it but it does definitely kill spontaneity! 

(You've heard of a round peg in a square hole?  I'm a spontaneous person in an unspontaneous country lol)

This forks out to many sub-topics hence I will try to keep it on topic considering your situation.


What is the Visa+Passport+IQAMA (Resident Permit)?

Naturally the Visa is a sticker on your Passport, it will allow you to infiltrate .. errr.. enter I mean, the Saudi lands. The IQAMA however is a Card (previously small Booklet) that comes separately and is issued to long term residents. otherwise a visit visa is issued and is usually valid for three months (renewable).

Why Should I hand them my Passport?


Ok. you'll have to pay attention here since I'm sure I might contradict my self. (yes I tend to do that sometimes)

a. your Visa will allow you to walk legally for three months max hence you need an Iqama. only your sponsor has the legal capability to issue you an IQAMA and for that they require your Passport to complete the procedures.

b. by law, an expat is not allowed to carry his Iqama and Passport at the same time.(for those of you who think this is not true, check it our with your local GRO "Goverment Relation Officer") if you have your passport, your Iqama should be with your sponsor. if you have your Iqama, your sponsor should have your passport. you can be convicted if found carrying both without a really good excuse. (like your company offices have been bombed or something "kidding")

c. you don't really need it as an ID in your day to day life in Saudi Arabia. (the cops probably won't be able to read it anyway)


can I have my Passport back when ever I want?

that my dear, is the million dollar question.
(and Im just about to answer it so arrange the money)

here are the standard reasons why your sponsor would give you your passport back during (not after) your contract validity:

I.  your leaving on vacation.

II. you need to visit the Embassy for some official paper-work.

III. you travel periodically and have a multiple exit-re-entry Visa. (this is what I call a free life)


now if your sponsor is a reputable company, you need not worry about your Passport. its in safe hands. but if your still not comfortable, then you rather not come here at all. my suggestion is do a quick research on your employer (and the vendor fella) and see if you can make peace about your PP, cause if you dont, they will think about canceling your contract. and yes they can.


sorry if I wasn't clear enough, just shoot any questions and we'll try to help out.

Salman

Handing over your passport is fairly common and the chances of you receiving employment after having said, "I won't hand over my passport to my employer" are slim and none.

The major reason that employers require passports is that people have a tendency to run from this Garden Spot.  Too often employers or recruiters don't deal honestly with prospective employees...and when the chickens come home to roost the employee often wants to leave the coop.

Handing over your passport prevents that from happening. 

If you work for a well-established (and funded) company and they request your passport, it really is no big deal.  If you have a multiple exit/entry then they generally request that you make a travel request beforehand and they give you your passport.  No big deal.

Now...if you think something funny might be going on there are two ways you can protect yourself.  1) Don't take the job or 2) Photocopy every page of your passport, have those copies certified or notarized...in the event your employer does something nefarious and you need to go to your embassy for a new one.  It's much easier with this in hand.

Actually, all foreign workers should have complete copies of their essential passport information...in more than one place.

The incidence of passport losses by the HR Departments of local Companies is unbelievably high according to my personal experience over 3 decades

Dear Friends,

Thanks a lot for your response,

It gives a clear picture about what to do. Let's take a chance will try to meet all in Sadui, since the employer is the biggest company in Saudi with Multiple products.

This forum is very much useful for me and i became a fan of musicman, alliecat, Salman Omrani, since your response are very helpful or new expats.

basheerusman wrote:

i became a fan of musicman, alliecat, Salman Omrani, since your response are very helpful or new expats.

Thanks, Basheer!  It's nice to have a fan lol

I already placed an order for T-shirts with our faces drawn on it. heres a first peek:



boy did I love those guys

Strech man don't fret over it dude, I bet you have plenty of secret admirers

Salman

/me secretly admires MisterStretch!

Dont know
Article 47 of the Basic Law of Governance (Saudi)Law of Governance stipulates that: “The right to seek legal remedy shall be guaranteed, on an equal footing, to all citizens and residents of the Kingdom”. Council of Ministers Decision No. 166 of 12/7/1421 AH Decision No. 166 regulating relations between migrant workers and their employers further stipulates as follows:

-    Employers shall not retain the passports of migrant workers or the passports of members of their families.
-    Migrants worker shall be entitled to freedom of movement within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provided that they hold a valid residence permit.
-    Migrant workers may apply to governmental and other bodies to avail themselves of the services needed to ensure a decent life for themselves and their families, such as the issuance of driving licenses, the purchase of motor vehicles, telephone connections etc., without being obliged to obtain the consent of their employers. - The term “sponsor” shall be invalid wherever it appears and shall be replaced by the term “employer”.
-    The Decision also makes provision for the establishment of a special committee to resolve any problems arising from its application.

Saudi Arabia’s  report on the human rights to United NationsKSA Report
Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi commentsGosaibi

There is a way to obtain a second valid passport if you are from the USA.

Those interested can PM me for more details...

Now, that's a new one, on me.

I had two valid ones when I was in the Peace Corps, but am unaware of how to do that outside of a government agency.

PM on the way, brudda.

Which one is Allie, Larry, Moe or Curly Joe?

Hello everyone,

This is my first post/reply on this focused and very helpful ex-pat community.

What my take on this subject is that either you have your passport in KSA or don't, it doesn't matter at all. i.e. even if you have it and you aren't issued an exit/re-entry visa by your 'sponsor' or employer; you simply can't sit on the plane! or get pass the immigration counter.

So there is no use of getting in bad terms with your employer over passport possession. Since, in the absence of that piece of paper; you can't leave! with or without passport.

Which one is Allie, Larry, Moe or Curly Joe?

You don't know your stooges, musicman!  That's the original Curly!  'Curly Joe' was his replacement.

harooon wrote:

What my take on this subject is that either you have your passport in KSA or don't, it doesn't matter at all. i.e. even if you have it and you aren't issued an exit/re-entry visa by your 'sponsor' or employer

Welcome to the community, Harooon. (Hmmm, three "o"s)

I, like many others, have a multiple entry/exit but my employer still holds my passport when I am not traveling.  I don't know that an e/e visa is dependent on the employer anyway, is it?  I am thinking if the paperwork is submitted and the fee paid, then it's the immigration department that issues it.

Regardless, yes you are absolutely correct, but we are (at least to my thinking) imagining that most of us have the option of having the multiple entry/exit visa.

In fact, is there anyone here who doesn't have one or isn't allowed to have one (and who isn't allowing that?).

I have not heard of any employers denying multiple entry exit visas as of yet, but i could imagine if one had taken out a loan at one of the banks or in some other way may be indebted to the Kingdom or the company, they might restrict their travel.

Regardless, i think employers denying multiple entry exit visas is the exception, not the rule. So the idea that passport retention does not matter is a bit ludicrous to me. I personally want to be able to travel at the drop of the hat, and do not want to have to wait on the person (who may or may not be reliable) to come retrieve my passport in the middle of the night, which likely will not happen...

Hi & thanks MisterStretch for reminding me my username with three o's (I was trying to login with failed attempts since last 20 minutes and wasn't able to figure out what was it -agghh??). It's with two o's only but then I used three to get a simplified username.

Regarding multiple entry exits - yes you can demand it legally and there is no legal denial to it as well from your employer in KSA. However, in some companies even bigger groups; they deny multiple entry/exits for God knows why as their customized/localized(within the company) 'practice' not to entertain such requests even for nationals from UK which I personally know one. I'm myself a victim of not possesing my passport or a multiple e/e :-* That's the way it is in here with few; 'my way or the high way'. %@$#$

Moreover, in general; no one/country is allowed to 'keep' or 'restrain' your passport as I would call it. It's 'your' legal document issued to 'you' by 'your' country. Then why do companies 'restrain' it?. Maybe expats coming in to work here should negotiate in advance with the package that they would keep it with themselves and will have multiple e/e visa stamped 24/7 throughout their stay, like you did.

Hi All, My greetings...
One of the hot issues....in KSA....Passport & Employer!
I think it's all about the admin of your employer/HR.
As long as we hold a valid Iqama, we dont need to bother about the Passport. Let it sleep safely in the fire proof safe box in HR office. When you submit the PP do not forget to take photo copies along with HR stamp.
Moreover, you need to have an agreement with HR to have the original PP with proper notice by submitting the Iqama.
According to my experience in British Council, 9 out of 10 companies are helping their employess in this way.

mmm.....may some odd one outs...

I have seen many HR Departments lose peoples passports over the years. To them its no different than a paper clip on their desks.