Saudi Work Visa from Bangladesh (2026): What Officials Say

Who asks for a Saudi work visa

The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's visa application page describes a service for employers. It says that, on the Qiwa platform, a business owner logs in and can choose a permanent work visa, a temporary work visa, or a temporary work visa for Hajj and Umrah services. It lists businessmen as the beneficiaries. Its conditions include a valid commercial registration (except for activities that do not require one) and compliance with wage protection regulations. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa platform also lists a service that lets employers authorise a recruitment office to deal with the Saudi mission and use their work visas.

hrsd.gov.sa: Visa Application visa.mofa.gov.sa: Visa Platform, services for businesses and entities

Saudi Arabia: the contract, who pays and your passport

The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's 2025 guide says the employment contract must be written and documented on Qiwa, based on the unified contract form. The contract of a non-Saudi worker must be written and of a fixed term. If it states no duration, it is deemed to be for one year from the start of work. The Saudi Ministry's services guide for expatriates says that, in a Qiwa Individuals account, a job offer can be accepted, sent back for modification, or rejected. For non-Saudi workers, the 2025 guide says the employer is responsible for recruitment fees and for residence and work permit fees and renewal. The Saudi guide adds that under no circumstances may a worker's passport or residence permit be withheld.

hrsd.gov.sa: Awareness Guide on the Rights and Duties of Employers and Workers (PDF) hrsd.gov.sa: Guide to Services Provided for Expatriates (PDF)

Saudi Arabia: contract renewal and return costs

The Saudi Ministry's 2025 guide says that if both parties continue to implement a non-Saudi worker's contract after it expires, it is automatically renewed for a similar period. It lists the employer's responsibilities as including exit and return fees and a return ticket to the worker's country upon expiration of the contract. It says the worker is responsible for the cost of returning to their home country if the worker is unfit for work or decides to terminate the contract without a valid reason.

hrsd.gov.sa: Awareness Guide on the Rights and Duties of Employers and Workers (PDF)

Saudi Arabia: work permit, residence and medical results

The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's work permit page says the work permit is one of the conditions for issuing or renewing residency in the Kingdom. The establishment must issue it for the expatriate employee within the first 90 days after entry. The page lists a service fee of 100 SR for this service and tells the establishment, after payment, to check with the Passport Office for a residence permit. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa platform lists a service for work or residence visa applicants to pay health certificate costs, and another that lets a visa applicant confirm that the medical centre has issued the certificate. A Saudi Ministry of Health service sends the expatriate labour examination result to the passport office electronically.

hrsd.gov.sa: Issue and Renew Work license visa.mofa.gov.sa: Visa Platform, services for businesses and entities hrsd.gov.sa: Guide to Services Provided for Expatriates (PDF)

Saudi Arabia: renewing and cancelling a work permit

The Saudi Ministry's work permit page says the facility is allowed to renew the work permit if 180 days or less remain from its expiry date. It says a work permit cannot be cancelled after it has been issued or renewed. It also says work permits (called licences on that page) cannot be issued or renewed if the facility is in the "red zone", a term the page does not explain.

hrsd.gov.sa: Issue and Renew Work license

Migrating for work under Bangladesh's migration law

The Overseas Employment and Migrants Act says no citizen may migrate for work without following the Act. A migrating citizen must have the emigration clearance issued by the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), plus a visa and either proof of selection, under an agreement with a country, through a government-authorised body or a recruiting agent; or an appointment letter, or a work permit or no-objection letter from an authority of the employing country. People who want to migrate must register with BMET, stating their occupation. Once formalities are complete, the Bureau issues the clearance as a passport seal with the registered number and an electronic card with fingerprints and biometric data.

bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd: Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013 (বৈদেশিক কর্মসংস্থান ও অভিবাসী আইন, ২০১৩), consolidated text

Bangladesh: recruiting agents, costs and offences

Under Bangladesh's Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, nobody may carry out recruitment activity without a licence. A licence applicant must give an affidavit that the agent will not take more than the government-set amount for sending workers; the Bangladesh government may set a maximum migration cost by order. The agent must execute a contract between the selected worker and the employer, stating the wage, housing, duration, compensation for death or injury, and the costs of going abroad and returning. Under the same Bangladeshi Act, holding a migrant worker's passport, visa or migration papers without a lawful reason, or taking money on a false promise of foreign work, is an offence: up to five years in prison and a fine of at least one lakh taka.

bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd: Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013 (বৈদেশিক কর্মসংস্থান ও অভিবাসী আইন, ২০১৩), consolidated text

Bangladesh's checklist for people going abroad

The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment publishes a checklist for people going abroad to work. It says to decide to go legally and get a passport, then register at the DEMO office of your own district. It says to go through a government-approved, legal recruiting agency, and to read and understand the contract before signing. It also lists three sets of photocopies of all papers, the BMET smart card, a bank account, three days of pre-departure training, fingerprints at the relevant DEMO office, and a health check at an approved medical centre.

probashi.gov.bd: কাজের জন্য বিদেশ যাওয়ার পূর্বের প্রস্তুতি ও করণীয় (Preparation and what to do before going abroad for work)

Bangladesh's online platform for migrants

The Overseas Employment Platform at oep.gov.bd shows what it calls the journey of an aspirant migrant. An employer registers and submits a job demand, and the Bangladesh Mission verifies the employer and attests the job demand and visa. The aspirant migrant registers with BMET by verifying a national ID, takes skill training and obtains a passport. The recruiting agency selects the migrant from a skill database. The next steps are pre-departure orientation, medical records, a visa, applying for emigration clearance, downloading the clearance card, and arriving at the airport with the card and an air ticket. The last step is updating the employment record.

oep.gov.bd: Overseas Employment Platform (home page), The Journey of an Aspirant Migrant

What this page does not cover

This page does not cover visa fee amounts, salary levels for Bangladeshi workers, which medical tests are required, the steps to issue a worker's residence permit on Absher, which jobs need a pre-arrival skills examination, visas for domestic workers hired by households (the Musaned platform), the visa procedure at the Saudi mission in Bangladesh, or any maximum migration cost the Bangladesh government has set for Saudi Arabia. Check the official pages for them.