Restrictions on Employment of Foreign Nationals in Retail Sector Forthcoming

Effective 11 September 2018, employment across four sub-sectors within the retail sector in Saudi Arabia will be restricted to Saudi nationals only. Foreign nationals will be prohibited from working in forty-three different professions.  

September 09, 2018:  Thirteen professions across three additional sub-sectors will be subject to restrictions effective from 9 November 2018, and forty-four designations within five other sub-sectors will be affected from 7 January 2019 onwards.  

 Affected sub-sectors  
 
Professions restricted to Saudi nationals are within the below listed sub-sectors: 
 
From 11 September 2018 onwards:  

• Automobile and motorbike showrooms; 
• Shops selling ready-to-wear apparel, children and men’s cloths; 
• Shops selling home and office furniture; and
• Shops selling household goods and utensils.  

 From 9 November 2018 onwards:  

• Electrical appliances and electronics shops; 
• Shops selling watches; and
• Shops selling optical instruments.  

 From 7 January 2019 onwards:  

• Medical appliances and equipment shops; 
• Shops selling building and construction materials; 
• Shops selling vehicle spare parts; 
• Shops selling carpets; and
• Confectionary shops.   

How Fragomen can assist?  

Fragomen will continue monitoring the situation and will revert with additional information as developments occur.