# What is Nitaqat?

Nitaqat is Saudi Arabia's Saudization programme, which grades private-sector establishments into coloured bands according to the proportion of Saudi nationals they employ.

## Nitaqat explained

Establishments are placed into bands — commonly Platinum, Green tiers, and Red — based on their Saudization percentage relative to sector and size peers. The band determines access to work permits, employee transfers and government services.

A falling band restricts an employer's ability to hire or renew expatriate staff, so Nitaqat position is an operational constraint rather than a reporting formality.

Because band calculations are relative to peers and updated continuously, tracking the ratio in real time is materially more useful than reporting it after the fact.

## How NeuralHR.AI handles Nitaqat

- [Saudization & Nitaqat software](https://neuralhr.ai/en/saudization-nitaqat-software)

## Related terms

- [Saudization](https://neuralhr.ai/en/hr-glossary/saudization): Saudization is the Saudi national policy requiring private-sector employers to hire a minimum proportion of Saudi nationals, enforced through the Nitaqat banding system.
- [Qiwa](https://neuralhr.ai/en/hr-glossary/qiwa): Qiwa is the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources digital platform used to authenticate employment contracts, manage work permits and track establishment compliance.
- [GOSI](https://neuralhr.ai/en/hr-glossary/gosi): GOSI is Saudi Arabia's social insurance authority, collecting mandatory contributions from employers and employees to fund pensions and occupational hazard cover.

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Canonical page: https://neuralhr.ai/en/hr-glossary/nitaqat
Last verified: 2026-08-01

Published by NeuralHR.AI — AI-native HR and payroll platform for the UAE, Saudi Arabia and India.