Saudi Arabia aims to create a safe and smooth work environment for independent workers. Saudi Arabia achieves this by issuing freelance work documents that facilitate contracting with entities, replacing approved documents, and registering for social insurance. This article provides details on the advantages, process, and renewal requirements.
What is a freelance work document?
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development provides a free download of an official document. Anyone working independently, whether online or offline, can use this document to ensure their freelance work aligns with the approved fields of freelancing on the Ministry’s electronic portal.
The purpose of this document is to enable freelancers, who independently excel in providing a specific service for multiple parties, to receive special benefits from their income, enabling them to secure a better future for themselves and their families. This can be achieved by requesting to join the social insurance system or by possessing an official document proving their authorization to provide these services.
What is the difference between a freelance work document and a commercial register?
Some people believe that the freelance work document is similar to the Saudi commercial registry or that it is no different from it, but this is not true, as we can explain the difference between them briefly in the following table:
| Comparison | freelance work document | commercial register |
| Issuer | Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development | Saudi Arabia’s Commerce Ministry |
| Accreditation degree as an official document | Partial | Complete. |
| Business type | An introduction for freelancers and government employees | It cannot be issued to government employees. |
| Proof of place of work | To provide the service, you do not need to prove the existence of a designated location. | Needs proof of a fixed place of work |
| Specialties | It is available for specializations restricted to various business sectors. | It does not apply to a particular set of professions. |
| Importing goods | The holder cannot import from abroad. | Its owner can import goods from abroad. |
| Fees | We issue the document free of charge. | Requires a payment of 200 Saudi riyals. |
What are the requirements and conditions for issuing a freelance work document?
A freelancer needs to prove that he is eligible to obtain a freelance work document in the Kingdom, and he becomes so by fulfilling the following criteria:
- Saudi nationality.
- Age ranges from 18 to 60 years, and no one is older or younger.
- As a freelancer, demonstrate your experience in the profession you wish to pursue.
- You have an active account on the Absher electronic platform.
- He knows that the freelance work document has a one-year validity period, and he renews it after its expiration.
- The worker acknowledges that the relevant authorities can sometimes suspend or stop his freelance work.
- Since the document is only valid for one profession, he cannot use it elsewhere.
How is a freelance work document issued?
The freelance work document is extracted through the freelance work portal of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in the Kingdom using the following steps:
- Go to the freelance work portal by clicking here, then click Issue Your Document.
- On the login page, choose to create a new account. If you already have an account, write your ID number and password in the specified fields.
- In the first step of creating the account, enter your ID number and date of birth, then click “Next.”
- Enter your required personal information, including your phone number, to receive a verification code, then click “Complete Registration.”
- Once you receive the verification code, enter it into the designated box and click OK. Confirm that the data is correct, then click Save.
- Complete personal information about your profession, place of residence, and field experience.
- Next to the declaration, select that your data is correct and you bear full responsibility, then click Save.
- Returning to your profile, you can issue a new document; click on it.
- Start by entering the necessary information in the fields, and if the platform does not list your job, get in touch with customer service.
- Attach any certificates proving your experience in the field, knowing that you must attach at least two of the required documents. After uploading the files, check that you acknowledge their authenticity, then click Next.
- Therefore, you patiently await the review of the data, eager to receive the document, print it, and reap its benefits.
The validity period of the freelance work document in the Kingdom is two years.
The document is valid for one year after its issuance, and you can renew it year after year from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development for free. You can also issue five freelance work documents simultaneously, provided each document is specific to a specific profession.
How do you renew a freelance work document?
When the freelance work document expires, you can renew it on the freelance work platform. You can go to the Saudi freelance work platform, log in to your account, and choose to renew the document, which automatically renews upon request.
Along with uploading the necessary documents, such as experience certificates, qualifications, and business models, you will be required to submit various information, so be sure to convert these to PDF format before uploading.
The new document is often completed immediately and without fees, but sometimes you may need to wait about 48 hours to obtain it. When it is ready, you will be notified via text message to the registered phone number.
Freelance work document benefit
Although the freelance work document is considered a partially approved document and not a complete document, its holder benefits from it in many ways, including:
Possibility of opening a bank account using the document
In order to receive money earned from electronic work, you must have a bank account, which you can only create with official documents. Here comes the role of the freelance work document, which enables you to open a bank account without any problems.
Enabling digital payments for freelancers
This is done by registering on the Maarouf electronic platform, which grants many advantages to the independent policyholder. The most prominent of these is that it simplifies financial and commercial transactions.
Enabling a subscription to social insurance
Once you receive your freelance work document and register as a freelancer, your subscription to Saudi Social Insurance becomes available.
Take advantage of the offers on the freelancing portal.
In Saudi Arabia, the holder of a freelance work document benefits from the offers and discounts given to the freelancers who issued the document. Depending on your profession, you can greatly benefit from many companies that renew their offers.
Eligibility to benefit from the Nafath financing product
The Saudi Social Development Bank allocates a financing product to anyone who wants to improve his income, which may give you capital to manage your project and follow it up until it achieves profits. You will only need this document, along with a few other documents.
What professions are included in the freelance work document?
We present the document to occupants of five comprehensive job specializations, encompassing over 140 professions, with the understanding that full-time dedication to these professions is optional. If your profession does not appear among the available professions, you have the option to add it. We can summarize the occupations for which the freelance work document is extractable as follows:
Specialized services
It is what you provide based on your skills, whether you offer it from your home or a place specialized in carrying out the required tasks. This profession falls under about 55 to 60 jobs, including content writing, design work, programming, etc.
Food truck projects
It is intended for everyone who owns a car that sells food. The freelance work document is available to the owners of these projects under two main categories: cars that sell various types of food and ice cream, as well as ice cream trucks.
Productive family’s projects
These professions belong to everyone whose work involves producing and selling goods to the market. People often perform these jobs from their homes to supplement their family’s income. This specialization covers about 60 jobs, including the production of ready-made food, dairy products, sewing clothes, and others.
Crafts
This classification is similar to productive families, except that the work does not take place inside the home but requires a special place. It is also more related to individuals, such as in decorative wood workshops, blacksmithing, etc.
Rural Business
It relates to agricultural workers and industries that depend primarily on agricultural land production, such as those in charge of poultry-raising projects.
Is it possible to cancel the freelance work document?
Referring to the freelance work platform, we find that there is no talk about canceling the document, but you can wait for it to expire and then refrain from renewing it, which will save you confusion about canceling it.
The Freelancing Portal offers various ways to communicate.
If you have any questions about the freelance document, you must contact the platform’s customer service at 920002654.
conclusion
We have outlined all the necessary information for issuing a freelance work document in Saudi Arabia, including its advantages and conditions, as well as how to renew it once its validity has expired. In the Qoyod accounting program, we provide you with the most efficient services that help you achieve the maximum benefit from government programs designated for freelancers and others. All you have to do is request a free 14-day trial from Qoyod to see the impact of skill and professionalism on completing your financial, service, and accounting transactions.
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