Saudi Arabia outlines eligibility rules for appointing non-Saudis as general managers

Saudi Arabia’s Qiwa platform has clarified that non-Saudis can continue to be appointed as general managers if they meet regulatory requirements, addressing confusion after the job title was removed from profession-change options for foreign workers, according to a report by Saudi Gazette. Qiwa, which operates under the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, said the role of “general manager” is not limited to Saudi nationals and is not subject to mandatory Saudization rules.

The clarification came after reports suggested that the general manager position had been restricted to Saudis. As per the Saudi Gazette report, Qiwa said this was incorrect and stressed that the profession remains open to non-Saudis under existing regulations.

Conditions for appointing non-Saudis

The platform explained that companies appointing a non-Saudi as general manager must ensure the job title is formally listed in the company’s commercial registration under the same designation. This is required to ensure consistency between employment contracts and official business records.


Qiwa added that while the option to change an expatriate’s profession to “general manager” has been removed from open modification requests, the designation is still available to non-Saudis who comply with approved regulatory conditions.