Saudi CV checklist
Practice items are common recruiter expectations, not rules. Official items were checked against the linked sources on 15 October 2026.
| Topic | What to do | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Equal treatment | Citizens are equal in the right to work, and employers may not treat applicants differently because of gender, age, disability, marital status or race | Labor Law, Articles 3 and 61 |
| Nationality and status | Saudis say so clearly; expatriates give their iqama status and whether they are already in the Kingdom | Common practice, linked to Nitaqat |
| Job titles | Match the titles and dates to your contracts and experience letters, because contracts are documented on Qiwa | HRSD, common practice |
| Qualifications of expatriates | High-skilled roles go through HRSD's Professional Verification of certificates and experience | HRSD, SPA |
| Engineers | Show your Saudi Council of Engineers accreditation; practising engineering requires it | Engineering professions law, as reported by Saudi Gazette |
| Health practitioners | Show your SCFHS professional category and registration number from Mumaris Plus | SCFHS, common practice |
| Foreign degrees | Expect verification, equivalency or an apostille, depending on the job | MoE, SCFHS, HCCH, MOFA |
| Length and language | Two pages for most roles; an Arabic version helps for many local employers | Common practice |
Saudi job seekers can also apply through Jadarat, the unified national employment platform managed by the Human Resources Development Fund.
What the Labor Law says about equal treatment
Article 3 of the Saudi Labor Law, in the English text HRSD publishes, makes work a right of every citizen and says all citizens share that right equally, without discrimination based on gender, disability, age or any other ground, whether in the job itself, at hiring or in job adverts. The 2024 amendments, in force since 19 February 2025, added a duty to Article 61: employers must not exclude, rank or favour job applicants or staff because of race, colour, gender, age, disability, marital status or any other form of discrimination. In a July 2026 statement HRSD also said the Labor Law amendments ban hiring discrimination based on race or national origin. As a matter of practice, you can therefore leave out a photo, marital status and date of birth unless an employer asks for them for a clear reason. Photos are still common on Saudi CVs, so either choice is normal.
Why nationality matters: Nitaqat and Saudization
Every private establishment is rated under Nitaqat, the Saudization programme of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD). The ministry's procedural guideline names five ranges: Red, Low Green, Medium Green, High Green and Platinum. Since a 2021 ministerial decision, the Saudi share each range requires depends on the firm's economic activity and its number of workers. The range decides which services a firm can use: firms in Low Green cannot apply for new expatriate work visas, and firms in Red also cannot renew the work permits of their current expatriate staff. In May 2026 HRSD said that, from 15 April 2026, Saudization rates are calculated from employment contracts documented electronically on Qiwa, so a Saudi employee without a documented contract does not count. This is why recruiters look for nationality at the top of a CV, and why many roles are open to Saudi nationals first.
- Saudi candidates: write Saudi national in the header so the recruiter does not have to guess.
- Expatriates inside the Kingdom: give your iqama status and whether you are available now (practice).
- Candidates abroad: say where you are based and your notice period (practice).
Qiwa and keeping your record consistent
HRSD has made electronic documentation of employment contracts on Qiwa a condition for Saudi staff to count under Nitaqat, and says the platform has handled more than 12 million documented contracts. Your contract history in the Kingdom therefore sits in an official record. The rest of this section is practice: a recruiter may compare what you write with that history, and a mismatch raises questions. Use the same job title that appears in your contract, add the employer's real name, and give start and end months. If your actual duties were broader than the contract title, keep the official title and describe the extra work in the bullet points.
Professional Verification for expatriate workers
HRSD launched the Professional Verification service in October 2023 under its Professional Accreditation programme, working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The service checks the certificates, experience and skills of expatriate workers in high-skilled jobs before they join the Saudi labour market, and compares each qualification with the level and field the occupation needs. HRSD says the process is fully electronic on one platform and takes no more than 15 working days. In January 2025 the Saudi Press Agency reported that the service had reached 160 labour-exporting countries and focuses on occupations in groups 1 to 3 of the Saudi occupational classification, which include engineering and health jobs. For your CV, assume that every degree and job you list may be checked. The tips below are practice.
- Write the degree title, university and graduation year exactly as they appear on the certificate.
- Make sure each employer you list can issue an experience letter with matching dates and title.
- Leave off short courses you cannot document if they could be confused with formal qualifications.
Engineers: Saudi Council of Engineers accreditation
Engineers need professional accreditation from the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE) to practise in the Kingdom. In August 2024 Saudi Gazette reported a Riyadh court case in which an engineer who worked without accreditation received six months in prison and a SR50,000 fine, and his employer was fined SR100,000 under Article 11 of the engineering professions law for hiring him. In March 2026 the paper reported SR1.6 million in SCE fines after inspections found 684 engineers whose accreditation had expired, and the council said that valid accreditation binds both engineers and the firms that employ them. Degree and document requirements are set by the SCE, so confirm them with the council before you apply. On the CV, as a matter of practice, list your SCE accreditation, grade and number under certifications, or write that your application is in progress.
Health practitioners: SCFHS registration
Doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health workers register with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) through its Mumaris Plus platform. The commission's service page lists four decision routes, each with its own service time: a direct decision, a practical assessment, an electronic written exam with Prometric or Pearson VUE, and the national electronic licensing exam. Its certificate recognition rules ask for a result from a verification company the commission approves. If you apply on a bachelor's degree alone, that degree is verified; if you apply on a postgraduate degree, only the higher degree is. Degrees that Saudis earned abroad and the Ministry of Education has already equated, and qualifications from recognised bodies inside the Kingdom, are exempt. As a matter of practice, put your SCFHS professional category and registration number near the top of the CV, because health employers look for them first.
Degree verification, equivalency and apostille
Which check your degree needs depends on who you are and on the job. The Ministry of Education's equivalency e-service covers university qualifications earned outside the Kingdom. The institution and programme should be on the ministry's recommended list, and the documents must be certified by the Saudi cultural attaché in the country of study or, where there is none, by the nearest Saudi embassy. According to the Hague Conference, Saudi Arabia joined the Apostille Convention on 8 April 2022 and the convention has applied to it since 7 December 2022. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes apostille applications online, and educational certificates are one of the document types on its form. As practical advice, ask your employer early which route it needs, because each one takes time.
Layout that works for Saudi recruiters
These points are practice, not rules. Two pages suit most experienced candidates; fresh graduates can use one. Put a short profile under your name that states your field, years of experience and the city you want to work in. List experience in reverse order with measurable results. Many local employers appreciate an Arabic version, especially in government-facing, sales and customer roles, and the Arabic and English versions should carry the same facts. Send a PDF unless the job portal asks for another format.
Saudi job seekers and recruitment fees
Jadarat, the unified national employment platform managed by the Human Resources Development Fund, lists public and private sector jobs, and the fund says the jobs on it are for Saudi nationals only. New users register by signing in through Nafath. For expatriates, Article 40 of the Labor Law puts the costs of recruiting a foreign worker, the residence (iqama) and work permit fees and their renewals, and fines for late renewal on the employer, and the 2024 amendments kept this rule. If anyone asks you to pay for a job or a visa, treat it as a warning sign and check the offer before you pay anything. If you are already working in Saudi Arabia and an employer or recruiter makes you pay these costs, you can file a complaint with HRSD on 19911 or through Qiwa.