Huroob is the word most expatriates in Saudi Arabia still use for being reported “absent from work” by an employer. Until it is resolved, it blocks a normal final exit and a normal move to a new employer. The rules have changed a lot since 2022. Private-sector employers now file a “work discontinuation” report on Qiwa, and domestic workers are handled on Musaned. The worker then gets a 60-day window to act, and since September 2025 many workers already marked absent can transfer through Qiwa. This guide is for workers, HR staff and household employers. It covers how to check the status, the 60-day rule, whether a report can be cancelled, the status-correction routes, costs and penalties, and the rules for domestic workers. It is based on official sources as of October 2026 and is general information, not legal advice.
Huroob in brief
- Employers file a work discontinuation report on Qiwa, or on Musaned for domestic workers.
- The worker has 60 days to transfer or leave on a final exit. If he does neither, the status becomes “absent from work”.
- Once submitted, a Qiwa report cannot be withdrawn. A Musaned report can be cancelled within 15 days.
- Since 18 September 2025, absent workers who spent at least 12 continuous months in the Kingdom can move to a new employer through Qiwa. The new employer must agree to pay the outstanding work permit fees.
- Anyone can check a worker’s status without logging in on HRSD’s Expatriate employee inquiry.
- Employing or sheltering residency and labour violators can lead to a fine of up to SAR 100,000 and up to six months in prison.
What does huroob mean in Saudi Arabia today?
Huroob (هروب, “running away”) was never an official status. It was the popular name for the absence report an employer filed when a worker stopped coming to work. In October 2022 HRSD replaced that report for private-sector workers with a two-stage process on Qiwa. Domestic workers got a similar route on Musaned in 2024, with a new Musaned service added in February 2026. These are the terms you will see:
| Term | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Work discontinuation report | بلاغ انقطاع عن العمل | The report the employer files on Qiwa or Musaned to end the relationship over unexcused absence |
| Work discontinued | منقطع عن العمل | Status for the 60 days after the report; the worker can still transfer or leave |
| Absent from work | متغيب عن العمل | Status after 60 days with no transfer or exit; what people now mean by huroob |
| Absence report | بلاغ تغيب | The older report used before the work discontinuation rules; Absher still uses the name for domestic workers |
When can an employer file the report?
The Labor Law allows it when a worker is absent without a legitimate reason for more than 30 days in one contract year, or for more than 15 consecutive days. A written warning must come first: after 20 days of absence in the first case and after 10 days in the second. Qiwa has said that a worker can claim his rights if the employer skipped these steps. HRSD’s procedural guide adds that to file on Qiwa:
- the establishment must be active (its Nitaqat band does not matter);
- the worker must be “on the job” and have no documented contract on Qiwa;
- the work permit and the iqama must be valid for at least 60 more days.
If the worker has a documented Qiwa contract, the employer ends the contract through Qiwa’s contract management service instead. Qiwa has explained that once a contract has ended, the worker gets 60 days to transfer, leave on a final exit or sign a new contract with the same establishment. If none of these happens, the status becomes absent.
Huroob check online: HRSD, Qiwa and Absher
- HRSD Expatriate employee inquiry (no login): search by border number, iqama number, or passport number with nationality. It shows the worker’s record in HRSD’s systems.
- Qiwa individual account: log in through Nafath to see your employer, contract and status details. Workers also approve transfers here.
- SMS: when a report is filed on Qiwa, the worker and the employer both get a text message. The 60 days start on the day the report is submitted.
- Absher: a worker can issue his own final exit there during the 60 days. After day 60 the request is refused, and that refusal is often how people find out about the report.
- Employers: on Qiwa, the worker drops off the establishment’s list and stops counting towards Nitaqat. Household employers see the status on the worker’s Musaned page.
The 60-day window after work discontinuation
| Stage | Status | What can be done |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0: report submitted | Work discontinued | Both sides get an SMS. The worker leaves the establishment’s records and Nitaqat count, and the employer no longer carries obligations for him. |
| Days 1 to 60 | Work discontinued | A final exit from the worker’s own Absher account, or a transfer through Qiwa if he has been in Saudi Arabia for more than 12 months. |
| After day 60 | Absent from work | The system refuses a final exit or a normal transfer, and the worker is treated as violating the residency and labour rules. The status-correction initiative is the remaining legal route. |
A worker who has been in the Kingdom for 12 months or less cannot transfer during the window, so a final exit visa is his only route. A worker who does nothing and is later caught normally leaves through deportation, which can bring a ban on returning. Acting inside the 60 days avoids that.
Can an employer cancel a huroob report?
On Qiwa, no. Before submitting, the employer accepts a pledge that the worker will be removed and that the establishment cannot reverse the step. Qiwa repeated in December 2024 and October 2025 that a work discontinuation request cannot be withdrawn once submitted. The employer can still pursue its own claims against the worker in court. What remains open is the worker’s own route within the 60 days.
A worker may believe the report is wrong, for example because he was at work, was on approved leave or never got a written warning. Qiwa does not decide such disputes. They go to HRSD as a labour complaint, which starts with amicable settlement and can be referred to the labour court.
On Musaned, yes, within 15 days. HRSD’s rules let a household employer cancel a domestic worker’s report within 15 days of first submitting it. After that it becomes final, unless the worker already has a Musaned transfer request or has left on a final exit. Musaned’s guidance also limits cancellation during probation, so check whether the cancel option appears.
Outdated advice still online: many pages say that any huroob report can be cancelled “within 15 days on Absher”. That rule belonged to the old absence reports. Two grace periods often quoted have also ended: HRSD’s extra 60 days for workers absent before 1 December 2024, and the original Musaned campaign of May 2025.
The status-correction initiative: transferring after huroob
On 18 September 2025 HRSD launched a Qiwa initiative for professional (non-domestic) workers recorded as “absent from work”. It lets them transfer legally to a new employer without the previous employer’s consent. The press has called it “integration into the labour market”. No end date was set, and the route was still in use in 2026. It covers:
- workers who became absent after the 60 days that followed a work discontinuation report;
- workers who became absent after a documented contract expired or was terminated;
- workers with older absence reports filed before the work discontinuation rules.
There are two conditions. The worker must have spent at least 12 continuous months in the Kingdom before the discontinuation or the end of the contract. The new employer must also commit to paying the outstanding work permit fees. Qiwa checks eligibility automatically. Workers still on a border number, or whose absence came from an unused final exit visa, have been reported as excluded.
How the transfer works on Qiwa
- The new employer opens the employee transfer service in the Qiwa business account and enters the worker’s iqama number.
- Qiwa checks eligibility and shows the total outstanding work permit fees. The employer accepts the pledge to pay them and submits.
- The worker approves the request in his Qiwa individual account.
- HRSD approves and sends the request to the linked government systems. Once they confirm, the worker appears under the new establishment.
- The new employer documents the contract on Qiwa and renews the iqama and work permit as needed.
For older absence reports, HRSD’s procedure allows at most two transfer requests. A request is cancelled if the linked systems do not confirm it within 15 days or the National Information Center rejects it. If the new job differs from the profession on the iqama, plan an iqama profession change afterwards.
Huroob fees, fines and what happens to the iqama
There is no government “huroob removal” fee. The costs are unpaid fees from the absence period and penalties for breaking the rules:
| Item | Who pays | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding work permit fees (expat levy) under the Qiwa initiative | New employer | Shown in Qiwa before approval; depends on the unpaid period |
| Transfer of an absent domestic worker on Musaned (correction period) | New household employer | SAR 172.50 operating cost |
| Transporting, employing, sheltering or concealing a residency or labour violator | The person who does it | Up to SAR 100,000 and 6 months in prison; deportation for an expatriate |
| Individual employer letting his worker work for others or for himself | Employer | Up to SAR 100,000, 6 months in prison and a 5-year recruitment ban |
| Expatriate working for his own account | Worker | Up to SAR 50,000, 6 months in prison and deportation |
The report cuts the link between the worker and the establishment, and HRSD says the previous employer bears no further obligations for him. Until he leaves or a new employer takes him on, nobody pays for his work permit, so unpaid fees can build up. That is why the initiative makes the new employer settle them. After the move, the usual iqama and work permit renewal fees apply as for any employee.
Domestic workers: the Musaned work stoppage service
On 15 February 2026 HRSD announced the Work Stoppage Service on Musaned. Household employers use it to end a contract over absence (“Employment Contract Termination for Work Stoppage”) or to use the “Labor Transfer Service”. Since February 2026, Absher has expected a Musaned report to exist before it accepts a domestic worker absence report. The rules depend on time in the Kingdom:
- First two years after entry: the worker must leave on a final exit within 60 days.
- After two years: the worker must leave or transfer to another employer within 60 days.
- Otherwise: the worker is recorded as absent and treated as violating the Residency and Labor laws.
In Musaned, the report sits on the worker’s page under View details, then Other procedures. For domestic workers already absent, HRSD ran a six-month correction campaign on Musaned from 11 May 2025. It extended the campaign for six more months from 11 November 2025, with a SAR 172.50 operating cost for the new employer. As of October 2026 we found no announcement of a further extension, although the service is still listed on Musaned. Check eligibility there first.
Common mistakes that make huroob harder to fix
- Waiting for the employer to “cancel” it. On Qiwa this is not possible, and every day of waiting comes out of the 60.
- Counting from the wrong date. The window starts when the report is submitted, not when you notice it.
- Assuming the 12-month rule is met. Check the entry date. The initiative needs 12 continuous months in the Kingdom.
- A new employer who has not budgeted for the arrears. If the outstanding fees are not accepted, the transfer fails.
- Trying to transfer a domestic worker in his first two years. Only a final exit is allowed.
- Paying someone who promises to “remove huroob”. There is no paid shortcut outside the official routes, and nobody needs your Nafath password or codes.
How Moaqeb can help with a huroob case
We check the status with you and work out the dates: when the report was filed, when day 60 falls, and how long the worker has been in the Kingdom. Then we show which route fits: a final exit, a transfer, the Qiwa initiative or a Musaned procedure. We prepare the documents each step needs and guide the new employer and the worker through Qiwa, or the household through Musaned. We track the request through our online transaction follow-up. You always log in with Nafath, enter the codes, pay the fees and give the approvals yourself, and we never ask for passwords. Moaqeb is an e-services office. We do not give legal opinions or represent anyone before HRSD, the labour courts or Jawazat. See our services for employers and individuals.
Official sources
We reviewed this guide in October 2026. Rules and eligibility screens change, so confirm the details on Qiwa, Musaned or Absher before acting:
- HRSD: initiative to regularise the status of absent workers (September 2025)
- HRSD: procedural guide for ending the contractual relationship (PDF)
- HRSD: work discontinuation rules and the 60-day window (Arabic)
- HRSD Knowledge Centre: work contract termination and absence
- HRSD: Work Stoppage Service on Musaned (February 2026)
- HRSD: domestic workers initiative and the 15-day cancellation rule (Arabic)
- HRSD: Expatriate employee inquiry
- Musaned: FAQ on correcting the status of absent domestic workers (Arabic)
- Saudi Press Agency: penalties for employing or sheltering violators (Arabic)
- Qiwa platform
Frequently asked questions
What does huroob mean in Saudi Arabia?
It is the everyday word for being reported absent by an employer. The employer files a work discontinuation report. If the worker does not transfer or leave within 60 days, the status becomes “absent from work”, which blocks a normal transfer or exit.
How can I check if I have huroob?
Use HRSD’s Expatriate employee inquiry with your iqama, border or passport number, or log in to your Qiwa individual account. Both sides also get an SMS when a report is filed on Qiwa.
What happens after 60 days?
The status changes to “absent from work”. The system stops accepting a final exit or a normal transfer, and the worker is treated as violating the residency and labour rules. The Qiwa status-correction initiative may still apply.
Can my employer cancel a huroob report?
Not on Qiwa, where a work discontinuation report cannot be withdrawn once submitted. For domestic workers on Musaned, the employer can cancel within 15 days of first submitting it.
Can I transfer to a new employer with huroob?
Often, yes. Within the 60 days you can transfer if you have been in Saudi Arabia for more than 12 months. After that, the Qiwa initiative allows a transfer if you spent at least 12 continuous months in the Kingdom and the new employer pays the outstanding work permit fees.
Can I get a final exit with huroob?
During the 60 days you can issue a final exit from your own Absher account. After that the system refuses it, and leaving normally means deportation, which can bring a ban on returning.
How much does it cost to remove huroob?
There is no government removal fee. Under the Qiwa initiative, the new employer pays the outstanding work permit fees shown in Qiwa. Musaned lists a SAR 172.50 operating cost for transferring an absent domestic worker during its correction period.
Do the same rules apply to housemaids and drivers?
No. Domestic workers are handled on Musaned. In the first two years after arrival, the worker must leave within 60 days of the report. After two years, he can leave or transfer within 60 days.
