Does HRSD require SCE accreditation?

Yes. HRSD's procedural manual for the Saudization of technical engineering professions requires technicians to hold professional accreditation from the Saudi Council of Engineers, and the decision applied from 30 June 2026 adds the same requirement for engineering professions.

Does SCE accreditation replace the work permit?

No. The Labor Law states that no permit or licence required by another body replaces the work permit issued by the Ministry (Article 34).

How long is SCE accreditation valid?

The period is set by the SCE and was not verified from a readable official source for this draft. Enter the expiry date the SCE gives for each person.

What happens if an engineer is not accredited?

According to HRSD, non-accredited technicians are not counted in the establishment's Saudization rate, and establishments that miss the required rate face the penalties for Saudization violations.

SA · Expiry & renewal tracking

Keep every engineer's SCE accreditation current

HRSD requires engineering technicians to hold Saudi Council of Engineers professional accreditation and does not count non-accredited staff in the Saudization rate (procedural manual, section 3.4); from 30 June 2026 this extends to 46 engineering professions. The SCE sets the accreditation period.

Professional accreditation by the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE) is the professional classification of engineers and engineering technicians in Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) relies on it in its Saudization decisions: the procedural manual for the Saudization of technical engineering professions (Ministerial Decision 103105 of 26 January 2025, applied from 27 July 2025) requires technicians to hold professional accreditation from the SCE and does not count non-accredited technicians towards the required Saudization rate.

On 30 June 2026 HRSD, with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, began applying a 30% Saudization rate to 46 engineering professions in establishments employing five or more workers in those professions, in addition to requiring professional accreditation from the Saudi Council of Engineers. HRSD's inspection teams verify compliance, and statutory penalties apply to non-compliant establishments after the grace period.

HRSD also notes that the engineering job scale approved by the Council of Ministers on 17 December 2024 uses the levels Engineer, Associate Engineer, Professional Engineer and Consulting Engineer, in line with the Engineering Professions Practice Law and SCE professional accreditation. The SCE's own regulations and service pages could not be read when this draft was prepared, so accreditation periods and renewal steps are not stated here.

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At a glance

Issuing body	Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE)
Validity	Set by the SCE; enter the expiry date the SCE gives for each person. The period was not verified from a readable official source
HRSD requirement	Technicians in engineering professions must hold SCE professional accreditation (procedural manual, section 3.4)
Effect on Saudization	Non-accredited technicians are not counted in the Saudization rate; the system checks accreditation through the technical link with the supervisory bodies
Since 30 June 2026	30% Saudization in 46 engineering professions, plus SCE professional accreditation (HRSD)
Relation to the work permit	No permit or licence required by another body replaces the work permit (Labor Law, Article 34)

The SCE's accreditation regulation, its membership and accreditation periods, and any link between accreditation and the engineer's work permit or iqama could not be verified from a readable official page. Check the SCE portal for the rules that apply to each engineer.

Who is responsible?

The engineer or technician holds the accreditation, but HRSD's decisions place the consequences on the establishment: staff without SCE accreditation are not counted in its Saudization rate, and the penalties for Saudization violations apply to the establishment. HR should therefore track every engineer's accreditation expiry date.

If the deadline passes

HRSD's procedural manual states that technicians without SCE professional accreditation are not counted in the Saudization rate, and that establishments which fail to reach the required rate face the penalties for Saudization violations set by Ministerial Decisions 75913 (19/05/1445 AH) and 44558 (03/04/1446 AH). The 30 June 2026 announcement confirms that statutory penalties apply after the grace period. Any consequence on the SCE side of a lapsed accreditation was not verified.

Which professions are covered?

The procedural manual lists the targeted technical engineering professions by Saudi Standard Classification of Occupations code (Table 1), from surveyors and draughtsmen to civil, electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering technicians. The 30 June 2026 decision names 46 engineering professions, among them architectural, power generation, industrial, electronics, vehicle, marine, sanitary, production, landscape design, oil and gas, research and development and aerospace engineers (HRSD).

Tracking it with ExpirySuite

Add each engineer and technician and record the expiry date of their SCE accreditation; keep their work permit and iqama as separate records.
Reminders arrive 60, 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before expiry and on the expiry day.
Assign a responsible person (for example HR or your Qiwa user) so the right person gets the reminder.
If the document passes its expiry date, managers get overdue reminders 3, 7 and 14 days later.
Ask for the renewed document through a secure upload link, valid for 14 days; no account is needed.
Emails arrive in each recipient's language, Arabic included.

Frequently asked questions

Does HRSD require SCE accreditation?: Yes. HRSD's procedural manual for the Saudization of technical engineering professions requires technicians to hold professional accreditation from the Saudi Council of Engineers, and the decision applied from 30 June 2026 adds the same requirement for engineering professions.
Does SCE accreditation replace the work permit?: No. The Labor Law states that no permit or licence required by another body replaces the work permit issued by the Ministry (Article 34).
How long is SCE accreditation valid?: The period is set by the SCE and was not verified from a readable official source for this draft. Enter the expiry date the SCE gives for each person.
What happens if an engineer is not accredited?: According to HRSD, non-accredited technicians are not counted in the establishment's Saudization rate, and establishments that miss the required rate face the penalties for Saudization violations.

Sources

Last checked: Oct 10, 2026 · This page summarises official sources for general information and is not legal advice. Check the linked sources for current rules and fees.

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Email alerts at 60, 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before each saudi Council of Engineers accreditation (Saudi Arabia) expires, plus overdue escalation to managers.

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