Maktab Amal in Saudi Arabia: Locations, Working Hours, Helpline and Complete Guide 2026

Maktab Amal (مكتب العمل), officially the Labour Office, operates under Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD). It handles work permits, labour disputes, sponsorship transfers and wage protection for millions of workers and employers across the Kingdom.

Most services have moved online since 2020, but some still require a physical visit, and when they do, showing up at the wrong office at the wrong hour costs you a day. This guide covers the offices that actually exist, their real working hours, what each one handles, and what you can do without leaving the house.

If you are trying to pay or check a fee rather than visit an office, start with how to check and pay your Maktab Amal fee online, which covers the whole process through Absher and SADAD.

What Is Maktab Amal?

Maktab Amal translates as “Labour Office” and is the government body responsible for:

• Regulating employer and employee relationships
• Processing work permits
• Resolving labour disputes
• Enforcing Saudi labour law
• Managing the Nitaqat Saudization system
• Overseeing the Wage Protection System

It operates under MHRSD, formed in 2020 by merging the Ministry of Labor and Social Development with the Ministry of Civil Service. This is why you will see the same offices signposted as Ministry of Labour, MHRSD, or Maktab Amal depending on the age of the building and the sign.

Maktab Amal or Jawazat? This trips up a lot of people. Maktab Amal handles the employment relationship: work permits, contracts, disputes, transfers. Jawazat, the Passport Directorate, handles residency itself: iqama issuance, exit and re-entry visas, final exit. If your problem is with your employer, you want Maktab Amal. If your problem is with your iqama or travel, see our guide to Jawazat offices in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam instead.

Maktab Amal Locations and Working Hours

Important: working hours are not the same at every office. Guides that publish a single set of hours for the whole Kingdom are wrong. Riyadh alone has offices opening at 7:30 AM, 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM, closing at 2:30 PM, 2:20 PM and 2:10 PM respectively. Check the specific office you are visiting.

All offices are closed Friday and Saturday.

Riyadh

Al Mughrizat opens earliest and stays open longest, which makes it the best choice if you need a full morning. Al Mursilat opens two and a half hours later and closes twenty minutes earlier, so a trip there is a much narrower window than most people expect.

Jeddah

Worth knowing about the Al Hamra branch. Its listed hours run to 5:00 PM, which looks like the most convenient option in Jeddah. Multiple visitors report it is an administrative headquarters that does not receive the public for standard services. Call before travelling there.

Al Baghdadiyah: at least one recent visitor report suggests this office may no longer be operating. Confirm by phone before making the trip.

The Al Frosyah office sits near Hamdaniyah and is the one most commonly used for labour complaints in Jeddah.

Dammam and Eastern Province

Dammam closes at 2:00 PM, earlier than the Riyadh and Jeddah offices. If you are travelling in from Khobar or Jubail, allow for that.

Other Regions

Offices operate in Makkah, Madinah, Tabuk, Abha, Buraydah, Hail and Jazan among others. Rather than publish street names without building numbers, the reliable method is to search “مكتب العمل” plus your city in Google Maps, which returns the current location and hours, or call 19911 and ask for your nearest office.

Always confirm hours before travelling. Working hours change during Ramadan, Eid, national holidays and occasionally without notice.

Appointments: You Almost Certainly Need One

This is the single most common reason a trip to Maktab Amal is wasted. Visitors consistently report being turned away at the gate without a booked appointment, and staff directing them to book through Qiwa or scan a QR code posted at the entrance.

How to book:

1. Go to the Qiwa portal at qiwa.sa, or the MHRSD website
2. Log in with your Absher or Nafath credentials
3. Open the Appointments section
4. Choose your service type, location, date and time
5. Save the reference number

Practical advice from people who have done this:

• Book three to five days ahead. Same-week slots at the busy Riyadh and Jeddah offices go quickly.
• Morning slots between 8:00 and 10:00 AM are less crowded than the hour before closing.
• Tuesday and Wednesday tend to be quieter than Sunday, which absorbs the weekend backlog.
• Bring every document you might need. Being sent away to fetch one paper means rebooking, not returning that afternoon.
• If your documents are in English, bring an Arabic translation. Several visitors report being turned away over this.

Helpline and Contact Information

Online channels:

• MHRSD: hrsd.gov.sa
• Qiwa: qiwa.sa
• Musaned (domestic workers): musaned.com.sa
• X: @HRSD_SA

Note that direct office numbers, listed in the tables above, often get you further than the unified line for questions about a specific branch, its hours, or whether it is currently receiving visitors.

Services Offered by Maktab Amal

For Employers

Work permits. New applications, annual renewals, profession changes.

Nitaqat compliance. Saudization percentage verification, category upgrades, exemption requests. If your establishment’s band has slipped, that affects your workers directly, and they can check their iqama color status to see it.

Wage Protection System. Salary file registration, payment verification, compliance monitoring.

For Employees

Labour complaints. Wage disputes, contract violations, end of service benefit claims. If your employer has stopped paying you, see your legal options when an employer stops paying salary before you file, because how you frame the complaint matters.

Contract services. Contract authentication, transfer requests, occupation corrections.

Rights protection. Working conditions, safety violations, discrimination cases.

If you are considering resigning because of an employer dispute, understand your position under Article 81 of the Saudi Labour Law first. Resigning the wrong way costs you your end of service entitlement, and that is not recoverable afterwards.

What You Can Do Without Visiting

Most services no longer require a physical visit, which is worth checking before you book anything.

Qiwa (قوى) handles work permit management, employee transfers, contract documentation, violation corrections and establishment management.

Musaned covers domestic worker recruitment, contracts, complaints and visas.

Absher and Nafath connect to iqama renewals, exit and re-entry visas, final exit procedures and dependent sponsorship.

Before booking an appointment, check whether Qiwa can do it. A large share of the people queuing at these offices are there for something the portal handles.

Required Documents

General

By Service

Work permit renewal: valid iqama, medical insurance certificate, payment receipt, employer authorisation.

Labour complaint: employment contract, last three months of salary slips, supporting evidence, written complaint form. Arabic translations of any English documents.

Profession change: attested original certificates, current iqama, employer approval letter.

Fees 2026

Two things this table cannot show on its own.

Which levy rate applies to you depends on your employer’s Saudization balance. The standard 700 per month applies when expat employees do not exceed Saudi employees; 800 applies to those above that point.

Several categories pay nothing. Companies holding a valid industrial licence were permanently exempted from the levy in December 2025, and small business, domestic worker and other exemptions also exist. Our complete 2026 iqama fee guide covers who is exempt and what the total annual cost actually comes to.

Fees are revised periodically. Confirm current amounts through Qiwa or Absher before paying, and once you have paid, check your payment status rather than assuming it cleared.

Tips for a Successful Visit

Before you go

• Book through Qiwa. Without an appointment you will likely be turned away at the gate.
• Check the hours for that specific office, not the generic hours you found online.
• Bring originals and copies of everything.
• Bring Arabic translations of any English documents.
• Save your appointment reference number to your phone.

While you are there

• Arrive fifteen to twenty minutes early. Security and reception take time.
• Note the name of the officer handling your case. If you need to follow up, this matters more than you would expect.
• If you are sent to a different department, ask for the specific desk or floor rather than a general direction.

Afterwards

If nothing moves within the stated timeframe, escalate through the formal complaints channel rather than returning in person..

Keep every receipt and reference number.

Track status through Qiwa rather than calling.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)