A transfer of services moves a worker onto your own sponsorship through Qiwa, so you become the legal employer. Ajeer lends a worker to you for a limited period while the provider stays the employer, and a service contract hands the whole task, such as cleaning, to a provider. This guide shows how to choose between the three, what each one requires, and what to ask before you sign.
A transfer of services is the electronic process through which an employer takes over an expatriate worker from another employer on the Qiwa platform.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development describes it as a service that lets an employer request the transfer of an expatriate employee from another employer without visiting the ministry. The worker then works for the new employer under a new contract, and the new employer carries the permits, wages and insurance.
The ministry sets conditions on the establishment that receives the worker, and Qiwa sets conditions on the worker.
These worker conditions were published by Qiwa in June 2026. The ministry page shows no fee for the service and lists no paper documents, but it asks you to attach an employment contract for each worker.
Qiwa has stated that the notice period follows the valid contract or the request to end it, and that 90 days applies when no documented contract exists.
The same statement says a worker with more than one year in the Kingdom can move without the current employer’s consent, and a worker with less than one year needs that consent. Treat this as the position in June 2026 and confirm it in your Qiwa account, because the rules are updated often.
Sometimes. In September 2026 Qiwa clarified that a worker recorded as absent may move to a new employer if the worker has spent more than 12 months in the Kingdom.
The absent status must come from a ministry absence report, a work-interruption report or the end of the contractual relationship. The new employer pays any outstanding work permit fees. KPMG notes that the clarification does not say how the 12 months are counted or which documents are needed, so ask Qiwa before you commit.
The difference is who stays the legal employer, because that decides who carries the permits, the housing and the risk.
Question | Transfer of services | Ajeer secondment | Service contract |
|---|---|---|---|
Who is the legal employer? | Your company, after the transfer. | The provider, for the whole period. | The provider, who also supervises the work. |
What is signed? | An employment contract for each worker. | An electronic service contract on the Ajeer platform. | A commercial contract with a scope, a service level and a monthly fee. |
How long does it last? | Open-ended, like any employment. | Up to three years or the end of the service contract. | The term written in the contract. |
Who handles permit renewal? | You. | The provider. | The provider. |
Best when | You know the workers and want them on your payroll. | You need extra hands for a defined period. | You want the result, such as clean sites, not the headcount. |
Under the Ajeer rules in force since 26 January 2026, the provider stays the legal employer and handles work permits and renewals. The beneficiary supervises the work on site and must stop work when the permit expires.
Ajeer manpower compared with direct hiring in Saudi Arabia
Choose by asking three questions: do you already employ the workers, how long do you need them, and who should manage them every day.
Ask for the full monthly cost per worker before you compare routes. A transfer adds residence permit, medical insurance, housing and transport to the salary, and a provider’s quotation should show the same items.
BICC supplies Ajeer manpower under its Platinum Nitaqat sponsorship and manages housekeeping and facility services under service contracts. Where a crew needs a bed, BICC can add licensed accommodation and meals to the same agreement.
Send the trades, the headcount and the city, and BICC prepares a plan and quotation within 48 hours.
BICC housekeeping and cleaning services
Cleaning manpower in Makkah: what to ask a provider
Qiwa has stated that a worker who has spent more than one year in the Kingdom can move without the current employer’s approval, while a worker with less than one year needs that approval. The rule was reported in June 2026, so confirm it inside your Qiwa account before you rely on it.
Qiwa has stated that the notice period is the one written in the valid contract or in the request to end it. Where no documented contract exists, a default period of 90 days applies.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development lists the transfer service itself as free. Other costs, such as residence permit renewal and medical insurance, sit outside that service and should be priced separately.
Qiwa clarified in September 2026 that some workers recorded as absent may move to a new employer if they have spent more than 12 months in the Kingdom. The new employer pays any outstanding work permit fees owed by the worker.
Under the rules in force since 26 January 2026, an Ajeer permit lasts for a maximum of three years or until the service contract expires, whichever comes first.
Ajeer or a service contract is usually faster when you do not already employ the cleaners, because the provider already holds the workers and the permits. A transfer needs each worker’s consent and a signed contract per worker, so it suits crews you already know.
Tell us the trades, headcount and city, and we will send a plan and quotation within 48 hours.
