Authenticating an Employment Contract in Qiwa: The Complete Step by Step Guide

Authentication Is Mandatory Before Work Begins

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development requires that the employment contract be authenticated electronically through the Qiwa platform, so that every employee has an authenticated contract recognised by the platform. The principle is that authentication takes place before the employee starts work, so that the work rests on a formal contract with defined terms rather than a verbal agreement open to dispute.

• Authentication makes the contract terms (wage, job title, duration, probation period) fixed and recorded with an official body.
• The authenticated contract is the recognised reference in any labour dispute before the labour office or the labour court.
• The absence of an authenticated contract weakens the establishment's position and tips the interpretation of the employment relationship in the employee's favour.

The Legal Deadline for Authentication

The Ministry has set a time window within which the establishment must authenticate the contract from the start of the employment relationship. Meeting this deadline is what keeps your establishment's authentication rate high and keeps the contract from being counted among the unauthenticated contracts. Because the precise details of the deadline may change by ministry decision, the safe practical rule is to authenticate the contract as soon as the employee joins and without delay.

• Start the authentication procedure on the same day the employee joins, not weeks later.
• Track pending authentication requests regularly, since a contract is not counted as authenticated until the employee signs it electronically.
• Review the notifications from Qiwa, as they alert you to contracts that have exceeded the deadline.

The Compliance Rate and Its Effect on Ministry Services

Qiwa calculates an authentication rate for every establishment that reflects the number of authenticated contracts compared with the number of employees on the job. This rate is part of the establishment's compliance assessment, and a low rate can restrict your access to essential services you need to run your daily operations.

• Issuing and renewing work permits for expatriate employees can be affected by a low authentication rate.
• Service transfer and labour recruitment services can be disrupted when compliance is weak.
• A high authentication rate strengthens your establishment's classification and eases your dealings with government bodies.

Penalties for Non Authentication

Neglecting to authenticate employment contracts exposes the establishment to violations that may include financial fines calculated for each unauthenticated contract, in addition to the restriction of ministry services noted above. More serious than the fine is the legal impact in a dispute, since it becomes hard for the establishment to prove the agreed terms of work in the absence of an authenticated contract.

• Financial fines calculated for each contract not authenticated within the legal deadline.
• Suspension or restriction of Qiwa and Ministry of Human Resources services until the situation is corrected.
• A weakened position in labour lawsuits due to the lack of an authenticated document proving the contract terms.

The Authentication Procedure Step by Step in Qiwa

1. Create and activate the establishment account in the Qiwa platform, and make sure it is linked to the commercial registration and the establishment's correct data at the Ministry of Human Resources.
2. Go to the contracts service and choose to create a new employment contract for the employee whose contract is to be authenticated.
3. Enter the contract terms manually or import a ready template, including the job title, basic wage, allowances, contract duration, probation period, and working hours, making sure they match your approved employment contract template.
4. Review the terms carefully, then send the contract to the employee for electronic signature through their Qiwa account.
5. Wait for the employee's approval and electronic signature. Once they sign, authentication is complete and the contract becomes authenticated and recognised.
6. Save the authenticated copy of the contract and keep it in the establishment's records, as it is your official reference for any future need.

Data That Must Match Between the Contract, Qiwa, and the WPS

Any discrepancy between the data in the authenticated contract in Qiwa and the wage recorded in the Wage Protection System creates a mismatch violation and may make your establishment appear as if it is not paying the agreed wages. The essential data must therefore be unified across all three: the contract, the Qiwa platform, and the Wage Protection System.

• The basic wage and the total allowances, since the contract must match what is recorded in the WPS.
• The employee's name and the national ID or residence number, unified across all systems.
• The job title and the occupation recorded in the work permit.
• The contract start date and its duration, to ensure consistency of the employment relationship across the platforms.

Frequently asked questions