1,360 licenses issued for collective housing for one million foreign workers

RIYADH — The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has issued 1,360 licenses for collective housing serving about one million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia. This is through a new regulatory framework aimed at developing the collective housing sector and providing safe and sustainable living environments for foreign workers in the Kingdom. In a statement, the ministry stated that the new licenses impose on collective housing service providers a commitment to unified municipal, technical, health, and safety standards, ensuring the provision of safe and efficiently managed living environments, while simultaneously supporting the path of sustainable urban development. Under the new regulatory framework for collective housing, owners of commercial establishments comprising 20 workers or more are required to provide licensed collective housing for their workers, or secure alternative housing for them through licensed and approved facilities that comply with regulatory requirements. In 2025, the Kingdom launched the National Program for the Development of Collective Housing to oversee the implementation of the new regulatory framework, with the aim of upgrading the labor housing system and improving the quality of life for workers, in achievement of the targets of the Quality of Life Program, one of the programs of Saudi Vision 2030. The new national program includes in its membership 10 government entities whose efforts integrate to monitor the application of municipal, technical, health, and safety standards in licensed establishments.These entities carry out inspection campaigns and coordinated awareness initiatives in various regions of the Kingdom, while taking regulatory measures against violators to ensure continuous compliance and permanent improvement of the labor housing environment. The ministry affirmed that the launch of this framework through the national program embodies the Kingdom’s firm commitment to protecting workers’ rights and elevating their living standards.According to the ministry, “this framework reflects the Kingdom’s broader efforts to protect the health, safety, and dignity of the workforce.” This orientation confirms the Kingdom’s keenness to adopt a strict, compliance-based approach focused on raising standards, intensifying field oversight, and enhancing joint government cooperation, moving forward towards providing decent and safe living environments that support the targets of Saudi Vision 2030.