Saudi Arabia will penalise employers in the country who withhold the passports of their employees without their written consent, local media reported.
Spokesperson for the kingdom’s Ministry of Labour and Social Development Khalid Abalkhail said that employers found violating the rule will be fined SAR2,000 for every worker’s passport that is withheld.
“The employer then has a month to rectify his status. The fine will double if the employer does not rectify the status in time,” he added.
Under Saudi’s labour regulations, employers who do not provide job contract copies to their workers face fines of SAR5,000.
Meanwhile, a fine of up to SAR15,000 will also be slapped on employers who force their workers to do jobs not specified in the contract or those who make their staff bear unwarranted expenses.
