Contract
Check with the recruiting agent the exact terms of the contract - especially about the duration of contract, salary, working hours, the other benefits like housing. food, vacation, tickets for going home, responsibility for payment of Iqama etc. charges, the place where you are supposed to work and the living conditions, and terminal benefits.
If the contract is in Arabic you should have it translated into English and also understand the contents of' the contract before signing it.
If the contract is an “initial contract", then you must ask for the "final contract" and sign that before leaving India.
Sponsor / Employer
Check with your agent the exact details (name, address, tel./fax nos) of your Saudi sponsor / employer (known as KAFIL) - whether it is a person or a company, and the person who is supposed to supervise your work. Get the telephone number of this person and talk to him before leaving India. Ask him or the agent about who is going to receive you at the airport, how will you be transported to your residence or work place, etc. If you are not familiar with Arabic and English and if this employer knows only Arabic or English, then you should ask someone else who knows Arabic/English to talk to him over the telephone from India in your presence to get all the details and finalise your programme accordingly. The genuineness of a Saudi sponsor/company can only be verified by the Embassy of India, if the employer submits recruitment documents (duly attested by Saudi Chamber of Commerce and Saudi Foreign Ministry) for attestation by the Embassy.
Language
Knowledge of English & Arabic is very useful and it would be good if you could pick up some basic Arabic before coming to Saudi Arabia.
Passport
While having your passport made either through the agent or directly, you must furnish your correct particulars and correct address. This is also important in the case of any tragedy which (God forbid) may occur. You must always truthfully record all your particulars. When you get your passport, please check that all your particulars are recorded properly and if there is any mistake you should have it corrected. Do not travel on a passport, which is inaccurate.
Visa
While having your passport made either through the agent or directly, you must furnish your correct particulars and correct address. This is also important in the case of any tragedy which (God forbid) may occur. You must always truthfully record all your particulars. When you get your passport, please check that all your particulars are recorded properly and if there is any mistake you should have it corrected. Do not travel on a passport, which is inaccurate.
Work Visa
Before leaving India, check whether your visa is an appropriate one. The visa may have endorse-ments in Arabic. If you are unable to make out the endorsement - please ask a person who can read Arabic to translate. Do not rely on what the recruiting agent tells you. You are legally entitled for the job that has been mentioned in your visa. There is no such category as free/independent visa. Your legal sponsor is the one mentioned in your visa. The genuineness of the Saudi visa should be checked through Saudi Embassy / Consulate in India.
Umrah Visa
Please remember that if you are coming to Saudi Arabia on an Umrah visa, you are not allowed to work in the Kingdom and if you stay beyond the 30 days stipulated in that visa you become an illegal alien in Saudi Arabia and are liable to detention and deportation apart from getting rigorous punishment. Umrah visa is given only to Muslims to visit Makkah and Madina.
Working Conditions
Before coming to Saudi Arabia you must talk to people who are either working in Saudi Arabia or have been to Saudi Arabia in the recent past to know about the living conditions and working conditions in Saudi Arabia. You must be thoroughly acquainted with all this and you must not come here only on the basis of what your recruiting agent tells you. Do not come to Saudi Arabia with pre-conceived notions and be prepared to leave as and when things do not turn out the way you had imagined or wanted it to be. Unless the sponsor co-operates, it is extremely difficult to get exit visa to return to India and you may have to fight long legal battle/ stay in deportation centre/jail to get exit from Saudi Arabia. In case of dispute with the employer, before the employer declares you as absconding from work, please approach the nearby Police Station/Labour Office/Governor's Office after consulting the Embassy/Consulate (and your recruiting agent if you have recently arrived in Saudi Arabia) over phone. Strike by workers is illegal in Saudi Arabia. A copy of your passport, the details of the sponsor/company and the recruiting agent in India/ Saudi Arabia (name, full address, tel/fax numbers), contact numbers of friends/relatives residing in Saudi Arabia should be with you when you arrive in Saudi Arabia. It is advisable to leave a copy of all these details with your family also before travelling to Saudi Arabia. Immediately after arrival, you should convey your complete residential address and contact numbers to your family in India. The requirement for No Objection Certificate by sponsor at the time of leaving job should be checked through Saudi Embassy/Consulate in India or Saudi Labour Ministry in Riyadh.
Photocopies / Photographs
Photocopies of your passport and the contract that you have signed should be available with you in adequate numbers.
You must also leave a set of the photocopies of your passport and contract with full address/telephone & Fax number. of your sponsor with your family in India so that in time of need you may be able to get the same easily.
Carry at least 20 of your recent passport size photos with you.
Air Ticket
When you get your air ticket to Saudi Arabia you must check where you are going to land and from there how you are going to be transported to the place where you are to go. There might be a situation in which your customs formalities will be done at the place where you are landing first in Saudi Arabia, after which you might have to change planes. You must be aware of that.
Air Travel
You must ask a knowledgeable person about travelling in an airplane -how to use seat belts; how to use the toilets in the aircraft and such details.
You must also be aware of how much luggage you can carry and what type of luggage is to be carried in hand and of what specifications.
All your luggage should be properly marked with your name & address in Saudi Arabia.
Drug Trafficking
Carrying drugs and other narcotic substances entails death sentence in Saudi Arabia. You must be extremely careful not to accept any gift or packet or any item from anyone, not even from close relatives, while coming to Saudi Arabia. The baggage that you have both checked in baggage and hand baggage, should not have any open pockets on the outside in which packets can be pushed in by anyone.
Medicines
If you are under medication, check in advance through Saudi Embassy/Consulate whether the medicine prescribed to you are prohibited in Saudi Arabia. Must you carry certain prescribed medicines, you should have doctor's prescription in original and the medicines should be carried along with its original packing and literature so that custom authorities can easily identify them. Never carry medicines for somebody else or ask somebody else to bring medicines for you into Saudi Arabia.
Other Banned Items
You must know that religious literature, liquor, obscene video cassettes and other obscene literature are banned in the Kingdom and you are liable for punishment if detected carrying them. Get to know, the exact rules of customs from your agent especially about prohibited articles. Religious ceremonies/gatherings (other than Islamic), especially in public, are generally not allowed by Saudi Authorities. If it is found to be in violation of local rules / Shariah law, you may be liable for punishment and/or deportation.
Recruiting Agent's Fees
In many cases, recruiting agents are charging exorbitant amount of fees from the workers. The company or person recruiting you would in any case be paying a handsome amount to the agent. If at all any amount is to be paid to the agent it should be reasonable and you should not be asked to take a loan, sell land or pawn your property / jewellery to pay the agent. Do not get carried away by the green pastures that the recruiting agents show to prospective candidates coming to Saudi Arabia. Please be careful while befriending anyone on your way to Saudi Arabia. You may be cheated and put into serious trouble by such people.
Arrival
You must be aware of how to use telephones at the airports in case you are stranded at the airport or any other place you should be able to ring up your employer or the person who is in-charge, with whom you should have already talked from India, and inform him about your situation.
No Second Contract on Arrival
Do not sign another contract on arrival in Saudi Arabia, especially if the terms and conditions are inferior to what you signed in India or if it is in a language that you do not understand.
Identity Documents
While in Saudi Arabia always carry either your passport which should have a valid visa or in lieu of the passport, a valid residential permit called 'Iqama’,
In no case you should part with your Iqama or give it to anyone else. It is your basic document without which you may be arrested and deported. The Iqama is valid for the place where you work and where you live.
While leaving Saudi Arabia on leave etc., you need to have an ‘Exit/Re-entry Visa’ stamp on your passport and a permission letter from your sponsor.
Labour Complaints
In case of labour complaints, kindly approach the Indian Missions in Saudi Arabia (at Riyadh and Jeddah) for help. The person who is employing you is called the "Kafil”(sponsor) and your basic relation is with your sponsor.
If you are shifting sponsor, it is illegal without a valid permission.
If you run away from work and take another job that is also illegal.
In case you find that the job is not suitable, you may be required to pay for cost of visa, agency charges etc., and your air-fare to travel back to India.
House drivers in Saudi Arabia are treated as domestic service workers and, in practice, the norm of working hours is not followed. The working conditions may be particularly harsh for all female domestic workers (housemaids, house nurses, nanny/babysitters, beauticians, tailors etc.), house drivers, agriculture workers, fishermen etc. Complaints of non-payment, irregular or under payment of salaries, ill-treatment and physical abuse are often received from such categories of workers in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, you are advised to be extra vigilant before embarking on such assignments.
Ladies
Ladies who are coming to Saudi Arabia to work as maids, nurses, doctors, etc., should be very careful about the place where they are supposed to work and the conditions of their employment, specially if they are coming alone.
They should also be aware of the strict observance of dress code and wear "ABAYA" which covers their hair and the whole body and also the observance of strict segregation of males and females in Saudi society.
Traffic
Kindly note that in Saudi Arabia, the traffic moves on the right side (as against left side in India) of the road. It takes some time to get used to it. The number of deaths due to traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia is high. Pedestrians and bicycle riders have to be particularly cautious while on roads. Collision with a stray camel on highways can be fatal.
Vehicle Insurance
Please note that under administration of justice in Saudi Arabia is carried out under the Islamic Shariat Laws which are very stringent. Accordingly, the person held responsible for causing damage/injury/death in a traffic accident is liable to pay compensation. A valid Saudi driving licence and Comprehensive insurance for yourself and your vehicle is, therefore, strongly recommended.
Agricultural Farm Workers / Shepherds
Such categories of workers are not covered under the Saudi Labour Law. The living conditions for them are severe since they have to live in remote farms and work in deserts. The wages for farm workers/shepherds are low.
Register with the Embassy / Consulate
Once you arrive in Saudi Arabia, it is always desirable to register with the lndian Embassy in Riyadh or the Consulate General of India in Jeddah, so that in case of need or when you are in distress, the Mission officials are able to help you.
Courtesy: Indian Embassy, Riyad
