Passport KSA

If an employer (Kaleef) holds an employee's passport he is violating Council of Ministers Resolution No. 166 dated 12/04/14-1421h.

It is illegal to retain another person's passport in most nations, since it is a violation of international laws. It remains a common practice however, especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, simply because expat workers just don't know the laws and don't stand up for their legal rights.

Some important points to remember here:

1.  A passport IS NOT the property of the person to whom it has been issued - IT IS THE PROPERTY OF THE NATION THAT ISSUED IT. The bearer of the passport only has "secondary" ownership of the document.

2.  You should inform your employer that you are aware of the provisions of the Council of Ministers Resolution 166, which makes retaining an employee's passport illegal. You should make it perfectly clear that should your employer insist on anything other than a photocopy of your passport you will not turn it over, but rather report the matter to your Embassy or Consulate and to the local police.

3.  Saudi employers use retention of passports in order to "blackmail", intimidate and control their employees. If you turn over your passport this is what you can expect to happen to you. Even after you have completed your contract if you do not have possession of your passport your employer can refuse to release you, force you to continue working under threat.

Cheers,
James
Expat-blog Experts Team