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Formal work in Saudi Arabia through a P3MI: requirements, costs, pay and red flags

Written by KarirAman editorial team Approved by Kaiser Khan (editor), Updated Last verified

Open Formal work for legal-entity employers

Open for legal-entity employers, through a P3MI holding an SIP2MI or as an independent migrant worker who reports officially. Work for household employers (individual users), including domestic work and private driving, is under moratorium.

Status as of 7 October 2026 JDIH Kementerian Ketenagakerjaan

Summary

  • The Kepmenaker 260/2015 moratorium applies only to placement with individual employers; work for legal-entity employers in Saudi Arabia is not covered.
  • Formal work goes through a P3MI holding a recruitment permit (SIP2MI) for that position, or as an independent migrant worker without an agency, with a legal-entity employer.
  • The job title on the work visa must match the work you do; KP2MI sanctioned a P3MI that sent workers on formal visas to be employed as private drivers.
  • Health workers trained outside Saudi Arabia need professional classification and registration with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS).
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On this page
  1. What are the requirements?
  2. What does it cost and who pays?
  3. How much does it pay?
  4. What are the steps?
  5. Which schools or training lead to Saudi Arabia?
  6. How much does formal work in Saudi Arabia pay?
  7. Which documents do you need to work in Saudi Arabia?
  8. What are the warning signs of offers to Saudi Arabia through this route?
Official routes, who runs them, and their legal basis
Route Run by Official link Who pays placement costs Legal basis
Formal work for legal-entity employers Penempatan PMI pada pemberi kerja berbadan hukum oleh P3MI · Placement of Indonesian migrant workers with legal-entity employers through a P3MI Through a licensed P3MI agency; Independent PMI (no agency), legal-entity employer Official source Through a P3MI, the employer bears placement costs; worker costs must be written and itemised in the Placement Agreement. Independent applications follow this route’s specific cost rules. See the cost rules Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)

See this route in the comparison table

What do you need to work in Saudi Arabia through Formal work for legal-entity employers?

Placement channels from Indonesia for working in Saudi Arabia through Formal work for legal-entity employers: Through a licensed P3MI agency; Independent PMI (no agency), legal-entity employer. Age limits: at least 18 years.

Placement channels from Indonesia
Through a licensed P3MI agency; Independent PMI (no agency), legal-entity employer An independent migrant worker goes without an agency, only to a legal-entity employer, and must report to the labour office and the Indonesian mission. This is not the same as an individual employer (a household), or an individual who places migrant workers, which is banned.
Age
at least 18 years
Job types
Formal jobs with companies, hotels, hospitals or projects run by legal entities, as listed in SISKOP2MI job orders

What does working in Saudi Arabia through Formal work for legal-entity employers cost, and who pays?

For placement through a P3MI on the Formal work for legal-entity employers route to Saudi Arabia, the employer bears placement costs; any costs charged to the worker must be written and itemised in the Placement Agreement. Independent applications follow the route-specific cost rules below.

  1. Law 18/2017 Article 30(1): Indonesian migrant workers may not be charged placement costs. Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)
  2. Ministerial Regulation P2MI 17/2025: the employer bears placement costs. A worker may be charged only costs that are written and itemised in the Placement Agreement. Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)
  3. Any request for money outside that document, in cash or to a personal account, is a red flag.

Cost rules for this route

  • Charges in Indonesia: Placement-cost components, including training, certification, passport, medical checks and social security, are borne by the employer unless a lawful exception applies. Any cost charged to you must be written and itemised in the Placement Agreement. Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)

What is the minimum pay for working in Saudi Arabia through Formal work for legal-entity employers?

Not enough data: we have not found an official pay floor for this route that we could verify.

What are the steps to work in Saudi Arabia through Formal work for legal-entity employers?

  1. Find the vacancy in the SISKOP2MI job list and check that the employer is a legal entity and the P3MI is active.
  2. Create your own SISKOP2MI account, choose a P3MI and a job, and upload your documents. Registration on SISKOP2MI is free of charge.
  3. Take part in the selection for the job order's qualifications, then sign the Placement Agreement after a placement officer explains it.
  4. Health workers arrange professional classification and registration with SCFHS as the employer requires.
  5. When the work visa is issued, compare the job title on the visa with the one in the employment contract. If they differ, do not travel and ask KP2MI.
  6. Attend the pre-departure orientation (OPP) and make sure you hold an E-KPMI, issued free through SISKOP2MI.

The order and timings are editor estimates, not promises.

Which schools or training lead to Saudi Arabia?

The education and training routes linked to working in Saudi Arabia through Formal work for legal-entity employers: Vocational high school (SMK) in Indonesia, D3 vocational diploma in Indonesia, BNSP competency certification in Indonesia.

How much does formal work in Saudi Arabia pay?

KarirAman has not found a Saudi minimum wage for foreign workers that can be verified from an official source, so this page shows no figure. The minimum salary for domestic workers proposed in the 2025 reopening plan is not a rule in force and does not apply to formal jobs. Your pay must be written in the job order and the employment contract, because Law 18/2017 Article 14 says a migrant worker's employment relationship rests on an employment contract that sets out the work, wages and instructions.

Which documents do you need to work in Saudi Arabia?

Documents in Indonesia follow Law 18/2017 Article 13 and Regulation P2MI 2/2026: national ID card, marital-status letter, permission from your spouse, parents or guardian acknowledged by the village head or lurah, competency certificate, JKN card, health certificate, social security, passport, work visa, Placement Agreement and employment contract. Health workers also need certificate verification for SCFHS. Panduan Warga passport guide

What are the warning signs of offers to Saudi Arabia through this route?

  • Your work visa names a formal job, but you will be employed by an individual, for example as a private driver.Prokalteng (Jawa Pos Group) (official statement via media)
  • You are asked to travel on an umrah or pilgrimage visa and then work there.ANTARA (official statement via media)
  • The P3MI cannot show a job order (SIP2MI) for your position on SISKOP2MI. Placing migrant workers without an SIP2MI is banned by Law 18/2017 Article 72.Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)
  • You are offered work as a domestic worker, nanny or family driver on the grounds that the moratorium has been lifted.JDIH Kementerian Ketenagakerjaan
  • The P3MI recruiting you is on SISKOP2MI's administrative sanctions list or is not active.KP2MI/BP2MI (SISKOP2MI)

How to check a P3MI agency in 5 steps Learn the signs of trafficking through job offers

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Not legal advice. Always check SISKOP2MI before you sign up.

Frequently asked questions

How is formal work different from work covered by the moratorium?

Formal work means your employer is a legal entity, such as a company, hotel or hospital. The Kepmenaker 260/2015 moratorium covers placement with individual users, meaning household employers (a person or family), for example as a domestic worker or private driver. What matters is who the employer is, not the job title on the visa.

How do I make sure a formal job offer for Saudi Arabia is legal?

Find the vacancy in the SISKOP2MI job list and check that it is listed under a P3MI whose status is active. Law 18/2017 Article 72 bans placing migrant workers without an SIP2MI. In October 2026 KP2MI sanctioned a P3MI that placed workers in Saudi Arabia without one.

Can nurses start work in Saudi Arabia straight away?

Health workers must go through professional classification and registration with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS). SCFHS verifies the certificates of health practitioners educated outside Saudi Arabia and runs professional licensing exams.

Who wrote and reviewed this page?

Written by KarirAman editorial team Published Updated

Prepared with AI assistance. Checked against official sources and approved for publication by Kaiser Khan (editor). Approval date: .

Sources

The facts on this page come from these sources. Dates show when we opened them.

  1. Keputusan Menteri Ketenagakerjaan Nomor 260 Tahun 2015 tentang Penghentian dan Pelarangan Penempatan Tenaga Kerja Indonesia pada Pengguna Perseorangan di Negara-negara Kawasan Timur Tengah JDIH Kementerian Ketenagakerjaan · Kepmenaker 260/2015 · accessed
  2. KP2MI jatuhkan sanksi kepada P3MI yang menempatkan PMI non-prosedural ke Arab Saudi (laporan Prokalteng) Prokalteng (Jawa Pos Group) · official statement via media · accessed
  3. Masih moratorium, Kementerian P2MI berantas calo PMI ke Timteng (ANTARA) ANTARA · official statement via media · accessed
  4. Practitioner: Professional Classification and Registration, Saudi Commission for Health Specialties Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) · accessed
  5. SISKOP2MI: Daftar Lowongan KP2MI (SISKOP2MI) · accessed
  6. SISKOP2MI: daftar P3MI, detail status dan daftar P3MI dengan sanksi administratif KP2MI/BP2MI (SISKOP2MI) · accessed
  7. Undang-Undang Nomor 18 Tahun 2017 tentang Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) · UU 18/2017 · accessed
  8. Peraturan Menteri P2MI/Kepala BP2MI Nomor 17 Tahun 2025 tentang Biaya Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) · Permen P2MI 17/2025 · accessed
  9. Peraturan Menteri P2MI/Kepala BP2MI Nomor 2 Tahun 2026 tentang Tata Cara Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia oleh Pelaksana Penempatan Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) · Permen P2MI 2/2026 · accessed
  10. Peraturan Menteri P2MI/Kepala BP2MI Nomor 34 Tahun 2025 tentang Kartu Pekerja Migran Indonesia Elektronik Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) · Permen P2MI 34/2025 · accessed
How to cite

KarirAman (2026). Formal work in Saudi Arabia through a P3MI: requirements, costs, pay and red flags. Updated 8 October 2026. https://kariraman.com/en/work-abroad/saudi-arabia/formal-sector/

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Change log
  • : Clarified the terms: independent migrant workers (a legal route without an agency) are set apart from household employers under moratorium and from individual brokers.