Scope
Article 2
Applies to workers in the private sector.
Article 5
Does not include domestic workers (Law 68/2015).
Article 6
The law sets a minimum; any better benefit applies.
Article 115
Any condition that reduces a statutory right is void. Any settlement that reduces rights during the contract or within 3 months of its end is void.
Contract
Article 27
Minimum age is 15.
Article 28
The contract is written in 3 copies, one filed with PAM. Salary cannot be reduced, and the employee cannot be assigned work outside the nature of the contract.
Article 29
The contract is in Arabic, and the Arabic text prevails.
Articles 30–31
Fixed-term contracts run from 1 to 5 years and renew automatically.
Article 32
Probation is a maximum of 100 working days, once with the same employer.
Penalties
Articles 35–36
The regulation must be approved and posted, penalties must be progressive, only one penalty may be imposed for each violation, and there is a 15-day period.
Article 37
No penalty without written notice and hearing the employee's account.
Article 38
Deductions cannot exceed 5 days per month.
Article 39
Suspension for investigation is a maximum of 10 days.
Article 40
Deducted amounts go to a fund for the benefit of workers.
Pay
Article 55
For end-of-service, use the last wage and applicable recurring components, not basic pay and fixed allowances alone.
Article 56
Monthly-paid employees must be paid at least monthly; payment must not be delayed more than 7 days after its due date.
Article 57
Employers with 5 or more workers must transfer wages to employees' bank accounts or local financial institutions. The Cabinet may exempt certain activities from transferring expatriate workers' wages to banks.
Article 58
A monthly-paid employee cannot be moved to another wage category without written consent.
Article 59
Deductions are capped at 10% for loans and 25% overall.
Article 60
Employees cannot be required to buy from particular shops.
Article 61
Wages continue during a closure.
Article 62
For EOS, use the last wage and include applicable recurring wage components, rather than invariably using basic salary alone.
Article 63
The minimum wage is reviewed every 5 years (currently KD 75, Order 14/2017).
Working hours
Article 64
8 hours per day or 48 per week, and 36 during Ramadan.
Article 65
Employees must not ordinarily work more than 5 consecutive hours without a break of at least 1 hour, which is not counted as working time. Financial, commercial and investment sectors have an exception permitting 8 consecutive hours.
Article 66
Overtime is paid at +25%, capped at 2 hours per day, 180 hours per year, 3 days per week, and 90 days per year, with a written order and register.
Article 67
The weekly rest day is paid at +50% with a substitute day. Daily pay = salary ÷ actual working days.
Article 68
Official holidays (13 days) are paid at double rate with a substitute day.
Leave
Article 69
Sick leave: 15 days at full pay, then 10 at three-quarters pay, 10 at half pay, 10 at quarter pay, and 30 unpaid.
Article 70
Annual leave is 30 working days per year; first-year leave can be taken after 6 months. Weekends, official holidays and sick leave falling during annual leave are excluded; entitlement for a fraction of a year is proportionate (2017 amendment).
Article 71
Pay is due before leave.
Article 72
Leave may be accumulated for up to 2 years.
Article 73
Cash compensation is due when the contract ends.
Article 74
Waiving leave is not allowed.
Article 75
Study leave is optional.
Article 76
Paid Hajj leave is 21 days after 2 consecutive years of service, once during service.
Article 77
Bereavement leave is 3 days; iddah leave is 4 months and 10 days for a Muslim woman, and 21 days for a non-Muslim woman.
Article 79
Unpaid leave at the employee's request.
Article 24
Maternity leave is 70 paid days. At the employee's request, the employer may grant up to 4 unpaid months; dismissal is prohibited during the protected leave.
Article 25
Two hours for nursing; a nursery is required if there are more than 50 female employees or more than 200 employees.
Article 26
Equal pay for women.
End of service
Article 51
Monthly-paid employees receive 15 days' wage for each of the first 5 years, then 1 month's wage for each subsequent year, capped at 18 months' wage. Daily-, weekly-, hourly- and piece-rate employees receive 10 days for each of the first 5 years, then 15 days for each subsequent year, capped at 1 year's wage. Partial years are proportionate. Social-security contributions must not be deducted (2017 amendment).
Article 52
Full indemnity cases include employer termination (subject to the Article 41(a) forfeiture grounds), expiry of a fixed-term contract without renewal, cases under Articles 48–50, and a female employee ending the contract within 1 year of marriage.
Article 53
For resignation from an indefinite contract: under 3 years, no Article 53 entitlement; 3 to under 5 years, one half; 5 to under 10 years, two thirds; 10 years or more, full EOS.
Article 54
End-of-service certificate.
Article 145
Workers' dues have priority over the employer's assets.
Termination
Article 41
Dismissal (a) without indemnity, (b) with indemnity, and (c) challenging arbitrary dismissal.
Article 42
Absence for 7 consecutive days or 20 separate days.
Article 43
Imprisonment following a complaint by the employer.
Article 44
Notice is 3 months for monthly-paid workers and one month for others, with one paid day per week to look for work.
Article 45
No notice during leave.
Article 46
No dismissal without a reason or for prohibited reasons.
Article 47
Early termination of a fixed-term contract: compensation is capped at the wages for the remaining period.
Article 48
Cases where the worker leaves with indemnity.
Articles 49–50
Death, incapacity, bankruptcy, closure, and transfer of the establishment.
Safety and injuries
Article 80
A file for each employee.
Article 82
The work-hours regulation must be posted.
Article 83
The employer is responsible for safety equipment.
Article 84
Explain the risks.
Article 88
Injury insurance.
Article 90
Immediate reporting.
Article 91
Treatment is the employer's responsibility.
Article 93
Full wages during treatment, then half after 6 months.
Article 95
Lapse of compensation.
Article 96
Occupational diseases.
Disputes and penalties
Article 144
A claim is not heard after one year if the employer denies it; exemption from fees.
Article 146
File a complaint with the Labour Department; it is referred to court within one month. If the court finds that the employer is stalling payment of the worker's entitlements, it may award the worker compensation of 1% of their value for each month of delay.
Article 147
A hearing within 3 days.
Article 137
Up to KD 500 for violating Articles 8 and 35.
Article 138
Employing workers without a permit or bringing in workers without employing them: imprisonment for up to 3 years and/or a fine of KD 2,000–10,000 per worker. The same penalty applies to an employer who employs a worker in breach of these requirements (2016 amendment).
Article 139
Failure to transfer wages to a bank: a fine up to the total wages.
Article 140
Obstructing PAM inspectors: a fine of KD 500–1,000, doubled for repeat offences (2016 amendment).
Article 141
A 3-month warning, then KD 100–200 for each employee.
Article 142
Breaching a closure or suspension decision: imprisonment for 1–6 months and/or a fine of KD 500–2,000 (2016 amendment).
Decisions from 2024–2026
- 1/2025: Companies with suspended files or inactive licences cannot register new files or add workers.
- Circular 1/2026: Qualification and profession changes are permitted when compatible.
- 15/2025: Registering work schedules on PAM's system.
- Circular 2/2025: Exit permit on Sahel.
- 2249/2025: Standard annual private-sector residency charge is KD 20; reduced or exempt categories apply.
- 3/2024: An additional KD 150 fee for a work permit, and KD 300 for a transfer before 3 years.
- 680/2026: Early transfer if the employer is in breach.
- 3/2026: Midday work ban.