# What is Qiwa?

Qiwa is the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources digital platform used to authenticate employment contracts, manage work permits and track establishment compliance.

## Qiwa explained

Employment contracts for expatriate workers must be authenticated through Qiwa, and the platform handles work-permit issuance and renewal, employee transfers between establishments, and establishment-level compliance status.

Qiwa also surfaces the establishment's Nitaqat band, making it the practical control panel for Saudization compliance.

Because contract data in Qiwa must match payroll and GOSI records, divergence between the three is a frequent audit finding.

## How NeuralHR.AI handles Qiwa

- [HRMS software Saudi Arabia](https://neuralhr.ai/en/best-hr-software-saudi-arabia)

## Related terms

- [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.
- [Nitaqat](https://neuralhr.ai/en/hr-glossary/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.
- [Mudad](https://neuralhr.ai/en/hr-glossary/mudad): Mudad is Saudi Arabia's wage protection platform, through which employers file payroll data so the ministry can verify that wages were paid correctly and on time.
- [Muqeem](https://neuralhr.ai/en/hr-glossary/muqeem): Muqeem is the Saudi digital platform used by employers to manage expatriate residency services, including iqama issuance and renewal, exit and re-entry visas.

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

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