Buying guide • 2026

The first HR policy set for a Saudi business approaching ten workers: where to get the work regulation and the documents around it

At ten workers the internal work regulation becomes an obligation that needs Ministry approval. This guide helps you choose the source for the regulation and the policies that go with it before you reach that number.

Reviewed by a licensed Saudi lawyer Updated 3 October 2026 8 min read

A business that started with three employees runs on verbal understanding and trust. As it approaches ten workers the picture changes: more people are subject to the same rules, and every warning, deduction or termination becomes a decision whose written basis you must be able to show. That is where the Labor Law brings a clear obligation.

An establishment employing ten workers or more, as the general rule, must prepare an internal work regulation and submit it to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development for approval, which is done electronically through Qiwa, and then announce it to workers in a visible place so that it becomes enforceable against them. An unapproved regulation cannot be relied on in a dispute.

Our guide on the internal work regulation explains its contents and the approval steps. This guide answers a different question: where to get the regulation and the policies that go with it, and which source suits which business, as the options appeared on their own pages on 3 October 2026.

Get the Work Regulation templateE-07

What a business really needs at ten workers, and the criteria that matter

The regulation is the mandatory document, but it does not work alone. The practical first set is the regulation with its schedule of penalties, a leave policy, warning letters, a grievance form, an employee privacy notice and a confidentiality agreement. Before you choose a source for them, measure it against these criteria.

Complete core content: working hours and rest, types of leave, conduct rules, a graduated schedule of penalties from warning to deduction to dismissal, investigation procedures and hearing the worker's statement, and end-of-service provisions. A missing essential clause may lead to approval being refused.
Approvability: text organised so it can be uploaded in Qiwa or its clauses completed per the form available there, without rewriting from scratch.
Fit to how you work: shifts, several branches, field or remote work. A regulation so generic that it does not describe your work weakens at the first dispute.
Consistency with contracts and policies: what the regulation says about leave and penalties must agree with the employment contracts, the leave policy and the warning letters, or the documents will contradict each other before the deciding body.
Arabic and English: the regulation is announced to every worker, and many do not read Arabic. A matching English version makes the announcement understood, with the Arabic text remaining the one that prevails.
The update trail: any amendment to the regulation after approval follows the same approval path, so know who updates the text when the law changes and when it was last updated.

The options available, and who each one suits

No government body writes your regulation for you: the Ministry approves what the establishment submits through Qiwa. As for the source of the text, these are the options as they appeared on their public pages on 3 October 2026.

Free templates on websites and law firm blogs: useful for learning the chapters of a regulation and their order before you decide. Their usual limits: no update date, an unknown author, no matching English version, and no companion policies consistent with them.
A law firm library, for example Hoquqi: its template registry lists a work regulation, a penalties and violations regulation, an attendance and leave regulation, and policies for recruitment, performance evaluation, training and termination, plus an employee warning form, all marked coming soon on 3 October 2026. Its files are Word and Arabic, and its store says later updates are free. If you prefer a named firm with Arabic-only texts, keep an eye on when they become available.
A labour lawyer drafting a bespoke regulation: through a firm or a platform such as Shwra, which lists labour among its practice areas and prices drafting services through offers lawyers submit after reviewing the request. This is the better option if you have unusual shifts, several sites or a sector with its own character. Its limits are price and time, and the companion policies are often a separate project.
AI generators: Adel, for example, creates documents through a smart questionnaire and AI in Arabic and English, and we could not verify whether its library includes a work regulation as such. Genie AI publishes English pages labelled Saudi Arabia where we found no Arabic output, and a regulation submitted to the Ministry needs Arabic text. This option suits a first draft that you check against the criteria above.
Sighaty: the E-07 work regulation and its companion policies and letters in one library certified under the name of a licensed Saudi lawyer, produced in Arabic and English as a Word document after short questions. Its limits are that it is a fixed certified text, not a regulation tailored to your business, and that it does not file the request in Qiwa or obtain the approval for you.

Which option suits which business

A business with ordinary hours on one or two sites, approaching ten workers: a ready certified regulation with its policies from one library is the fastest and least costly route, after which you submit it through Qiwa.
Night shifts, many field sites, or a sector with special rules: a labour lawyer drafting a bespoke regulation, and you can start with a ready text to save time.
A business below ten workers and still some way from the number: the regulation is not mandatory for it but is useful, and warning letters and a leave policy are enough to start, with the warning letters available on the Free plan.
You want Arabic-only texts from a named law firm: follow Hoquqi's registry, and check that the regulation is available in its store before you tie your approval date to it.
You have a live dispute with a worker or an imminent dismissal: do not start with a template, start with a lawyer, because a penalty applied before the regulation is approved and announced may be held to have no legal basis.

Sighaty's place: what the library holds for this stage, what it costs, and what it will not do

E-07 Internal Work Organization Regulation: the mandatory document at ten workers, with a graduated schedule of penalties.
E-10 Graduated Warning Letters: one of the Free plan documents, documenting each step on the penalty ladder.
E-15 Leave Policy, E-18 Grievance Form, and E-17 Employee Privacy Notice.
E-08 Employee NDA and IP Assignment, and E-09 Non-Compete Annex.
E-11 Termination Letters Set, to end the relationship along the path the regulation sets out.

Cost: E-07 can be bought once for 329 riyals. The HR Pack holds all eighteen documents of the employment pack, from the employment contracts to the regulation, policies and letters, for 999 riyals paid once. The Professional plan is 249 riyals a month and opens the whole library of sixty seven templates with unlimited smart-fill and law-change updates, and it fits better if you will also need commercial contracts or formation documents. Prices include VAT. Sighaty's compliance calendar includes a reminder for the work regulation when you reach ten workers.

What Sighaty does not do: it does not file the approval request in Qiwa or follow it up with the Ministry, it does not review a regulation you have from another source, it does not tailor a bespoke regulation for unusual shifts or sites, and it does not represent anyone in a labour dispute. The regulation is a legal instrument that takes effect only after Ministry approval and announcement, and the template starts the work rather than finishing it.

Test any source before you pay

Write a short description of your work: the number of workers expected within a year, the shifts, the sites, and who works remotely.
Open the source's table of contents for the regulation and check that every core chapter is there: hours, leave, conduct, the schedule of penalties, investigation and end of service.
Read the schedule of penalties: is it graduated, and does it provide for hearing the worker's statement before a penalty?
Compare what the regulation says about leave with your leave policy and employment contracts, since a conflict between them is the first thing that surfaces in a dispute.
Check the last-updated date, who stands behind the text, and whether there is an English version for announcing it to workers.
Work out the full cost of the whole set, not the regulation alone, then plan to submit it in Qiwa before you need your first penalty.

Common mistakes at this stage

Waiting until you reach ten workers before starting, although the Ministry's review may take time and may request amendments.
Applying a penalty to a worker before the regulation is approved and announced, so the penalty is treated as having no legal basis.
Assembling the regulation and the policies from different sources that do not agree with each other on leave or penalties.
Adopting an English-only regulation, or translating one drafted for another legal environment.
Amending the regulation internally after approval without taking the amendment through the same approval path.

Facts about other providers were taken from their public pages on 3 October 2026; prices and catalogues change, so check the current page before you decide, and if anything here is out of date or wrong, tell Sighaty support so it is corrected. Sighaty templates are certified drafts and a strong starting point, not a substitute for legal advice on a specific case or dispute, and the Arabic text prevails on divergence.

Frequently asked questions

When does the internal work regulation become mandatory in Saudi Arabia?

The general rule is that an establishment employing ten workers or more must prepare the regulation and submit it to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development for approval through Qiwa, then announce it to workers in a visible place. The count covers the establishment's total workers regardless of title or branch.

What is the best work regulation template for small businesses?

For a business with ordinary hours on one or two sites, a ready certified regulation with its companion policies from one updated source is the practical choice. For a business with unusual shifts, several sites or a special sector, a labour lawyer drafting a bespoke regulation. Either way, the regulation takes effect only after Ministry approval and announcement.

Does Sighaty get the regulation approved by the Ministry for me?

No. Sighaty gives you the bilingual E-07 regulation text ready to submit, and filing the request in Qiwa and following up any amendments the Ministry requests remain with the establishment or whoever it authorises.

Is the HR Pack better value than the Professional plan?

The HR Pack is 999 riyals paid once and holds the eighteen documents of the employment pack. The Professional plan is 249 riyals a month and opens the whole library with unlimited smart-fill and law-change updates. If your need is HR only, the pack is simpler; if you will need commercial contracts or formation documents during the year, the plan fits better. Prices include VAT.

Can the work regulation be amended after approval?

Yes, but the amendment follows the same approval path through Qiwa and is not enforceable against workers until it is approved and announced to them. That is why it helps for the source of the text to be kept current, so you know when an amendment is needed.

Certified template · E-07

The next step

This guide ends with a ready bilingual template, drafted from the statute and its regulations and reviewed by a licensed Saudi lawyer.