Annual leave in Saudi Arabia is at least 21 days a year, rising to at least 30 days once you have spent five consecutive years with the same employer, and its wage is paid in advance (Article 109 of the Labor Law). It sits alongside a set of separate leaves that do not come out of it: five days for marriage or the death of a close relative, three days for a new father, ten to fifteen days for Hajj, twelve weeks' maternity leave, exam leave, sick leave on a sliding scale, and four months and ten days of iddah leave for a Muslim widow.
This guide lists every one of them from the Labor Law as amended in 2025, with the days, the pay and the article. Count your days of annual leave first; the calculator also works right here:
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Annual leave in Saudi Arabia: 21 or 30 days (Article 109)
Annual leave means paid time off you earn by working. Article 109 sets the minimum, and your contract may give more:
- 21 days a year for the first five years of service.
- 30 days a year after five consecutive years with the same employer.
- The leave is paid in advance: your wage for the leave days is due before you go.
Three rules in Articles 109 and 110 shape how you use it. You must take your leave in the year it falls due and you cannot give it up or take cash for it while you are employed. The employer sets the dates to suit the work but must tell you at least 30 days ahead. And leave can be postponed: by you into the next year with the employer's approval, or by the employer for up to 90 days, longer only with your written consent, and never past the end of the following year.
Leave builds up in proportion to service, at 1.75 days a month in the first five years and 2.5 days a month after that. Someone who started on 1 March 2022 and leaves on 1 October 2026 has 55 completed months: 55 × 1.75 = 96.25 days earned. With 70 days already taken, the balance is 26.25 days, and Article 111 turns that balance into money when the job ends. The leave salary calculator prices that vacation pay on your actual wage.
Every type of leave in the Saudi Labor Law
| Leave | Days | Pay | Article |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual leave | 21 a year; 30 after 5 years | Full, paid in advance | 109–111 |
| Weekly rest day | Friday (or a substitute), 24 hours min. | Full | 104 |
| Eids and official occasions | As set in the Executive Regulations | Full | 112 |
| Marriage | 5 days | Full | 113 |
| Death of a spouse, parent or child | 5 days | Full | 113 |
| Death of a brother or sister | 3 days | Full | 113 |
| Birth of a child (father) | 3 days, within 7 days of the birth | Full | 113 |
| Hajj | 10 to 15 days incl. Eid al-Adha, once | Full | 114 |
| Exams | The actual exam days | Full, unpaid or annual leave | 115 |
| Unpaid leave | As agreed | None | 116 |
| Sick leave | Up to 120 days in a year | 30 full, 60 at 75%, 30 unpaid | 117 |
| Maternity | 12 weeks | Full | 151 |
| Care of a sick or disabled newborn | 1 month, plus 1 unpaid | Full for the first month | 151(2) |
| Iddah (Muslim widow) | 4 months and 10 days | Full | 160 |
| Bereavement (non-Muslim widow) | 15 days | Full | 160 |
None of the special leaves is deducted from annual leave, except exam leave where the employer did not approve your studies. And Article 118 applies to all of them: you may not work for another employer while on leave, or the employer can withhold or recover your pay for it.
An Eid off is paid leave under Article 112. Working on Eid is overtime instead: Article 107(3) treats those hours as overtime, paid at the actual hourly wage plus 50% of the basic hourly wage.
Saudi National Day (23 September) and Founding Day (22 February) are official occasions for the private sector too, and the Ministry of Human Resources announces the dates off each year. Work on either counts as overtime under Article 107(3). If the holiday falls on your weekly rest day, whether you get a substitute day is set by the Executive Regulations and that year's Ministry announcement.
Marriage, bereavement and paternity leave (Article 113)
Article 113 gives full-pay leave of:
- 5 days on your marriage, or on the death of your spouse, a parent, grandparent, child or grandchild.
- 3 days on the death of a brother or sister.
- 3 days for the birth of your child, taken within seven days of the birth.
The bereavement days run from the date of the event, not from when you return to work, and the employer may ask for supporting documents. Women workers keep their own, longer leaves on top of these.
Hajj leave (Article 114)
Once in your service, if you have not performed Hajj before, you are entitled to paid leave of 10 to 15 days including the Eid al-Adha holiday. You must have worked for the employer for two consecutive years, and the employer may limit how many workers take it in a given year to keep the business running.
Exam leave (Article 115)
If the employer approved your enrolment, or agreed to your continuing, you get full-pay leave for the actual exam days of a year you are sitting for the first time. For a repeated year the exam days are unpaid. Without the employer's approval, the exam days come out of your annual leave if you have any, otherwise they are unpaid. Apply at least 15 days before, and expect to show proof that you sat the exam: the pay is lost if you did not. These rules cover private-sector employees under the Labor Law; government staff have their own.
Maternity, nursing and iddah leave (Articles 151 to 160)
- Maternity (Article 151). Twelve weeks on full pay. Six of them must fall immediately after the birth; you can place the other six as you choose, starting up to four weeks before the expected date shown on a medical certificate. If a late birth leaves fewer than six weeks after it, the shortfall is unpaid. You may extend the leave by one month unpaid.
- A sick or disabled newborn (Article 151(2)). Where the baby needs constant care, one further month on full pay after maternity leave, extendable by a month unpaid.
- Nursing breaks (Article 154). On returning, up to one hour a day for nursing, on top of normal breaks, counted as working time and without a pay cut.
- Protection (Article 155). No dismissal, or warning of dismissal, during pregnancy or maternity leave, including related illness of up to 180 days a year.
- Iddah (Article 160). A Muslim worker whose husband dies has at least four months and ten days on full pay from the date of death, extendable unpaid until delivery if she is pregnant. A non-Muslim widow has 15 days on full pay.
Sick leave and unpaid leave (Articles 116 and 117)
Sick leave follows a ladder within one year counted from your first sick day: 30 days on full pay, 60 days on three-quarters pay, then 30 days unpaid. The guide to sick leave in Saudi Arabia works the ladder through in riyals. Unpaid leave is whatever you agree with the employer; beyond 20 days the contract is treated as suspended unless you agree otherwise, which can matter for your service period. What government staff call exceptional leave corresponds to this unpaid leave in the private sector.
What changed in 2025
The Labor Law amendments in force since February 2025 changed several of these leaves. Annual leave itself did not change.
| Leave | Before February 2025 | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Maternity | 10 weeks on full pay | 12 weeks on full pay |
| Unpaid maternity extension | Up to 2 months | 1 month |
| Death of a brother or sister | Not covered | 3 days on full pay |
| Paternity | 3 days | 3 days, taken within 7 days of the birth |
| Bereavement timing | Not specified | Counted from the date of the event |
The before column is MHRSD's 2023 English translation of the law; the after column is the consolidated Arabic text as amended in 1446 AH.
Common mistakes with Saudi leave
- Treating Hajj or marriage leave as annual leave. They are separate entitlements and do not reduce your annual balance.
- Expecting to cash in leave each year. Article 109(2) forbids it during service. Cash comes only when you leave, under Article 111.
- Counting the five-year step from the wrong date. The 30 days start after five consecutive years with the same employer, not five years in the Kingdom.
- Assuming the employer can postpone leave indefinitely. Ninety days without your consent, and never past the end of the following year.
- Working a second job on leave. Article 118 lets the employer recover the leave pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days of annual leave do you get in Saudi Arabia?
At least 21 days a year, rising to at least 30 days after five consecutive years with the same employer (Article 109). Your contract may give more, never less. The leave wage is paid in advance.
How many days is marriage leave in Saudi Arabia?
Five days on full pay under Article 113. The same five days apply on the death of a spouse, parent, grandparent, child or grandchild, and three days on the death of a brother or sister.
How long is maternity leave in Saudi Arabia?
Twelve weeks on full pay since the 2025 amendments, six of them immediately after the birth (Article 151). It can be extended by one month without pay, and a further paid month is available where the newborn is sick or disabled.
Is there paternity leave in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. Article 113 gives a father three days on full pay for the birth of his child, to be taken within seven days of the birth.
Can my employer refuse my annual leave?
The employer chooses the dates to suit the work and must give you at least 30 days' notice of them, but it cannot cancel the entitlement. It may postpone leave by up to 90 days after the year it falls due, and longer only with your written consent, never beyond the end of the following year (Article 110).
Do public holidays count as annual leave?
No. Article 112 gives separate full-pay leave on Eids and the occasions set in the Executive Regulations. If you work on one, Article 107(3) makes those hours overtime.
Is unused annual leave paid when I leave?
Yes. Article 111 pays the wage for every earned day you have not used, plus the part of the final year you worked, whether you resign or are terminated.
Can I take unpaid leave in Saudi Arabia?
Only by agreement with the employer (Article 116). If it runs beyond 20 days, the contract is treated as suspended for the excess unless you agree otherwise.
Count and price your leave
Use the Saudi annual leave calculator for your balance and the leave salary calculator for what it is worth when you leave. If you work through an Eid, the Saudi overtime calculator prices those hours.
Sources: Saudi Labor Law (Royal Decree M/51), consolidated Arabic text as amended to 1446 AH, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. This guide is for general guidance, not legal advice; your contract or work rules may give more than the minimums described here.