Nitaqat Bands 2026: Platinum, High Green, Medium Green, Low Green and Red

What are the Nitaqat categories in Saudi Arabia?

The Nitaqat bands in 2026 are Platinum, High Green, Medium Green, Low Green and Red, listed from highest to lowest. MHRSD's 2026 procedural guide for Developed Nitaqat uses these five bands, and the old Yellow band is gone. Pages that still refer to Yellow describe the earlier system.

Under Saudization policy, the band is the outcome of the Nitaqat program for your whole entity. It is what Qiwa uses to decide which services you can request.

How is a Nitaqat band decided?

Your band comes from comparing your Saudization percentage (n) with four thresholds, Y1 to Y4, calculated for your economic activity and workforce size.

Each threshold comes from the formula Y = M ln(X) + C. The page on how Nitaqat is calculated explains the terms. MHRSD publishes the constants in an appendix to the guide, by economic activity, band and year.

What can each band do and not do?

The table below shows the five services that distinguish the bands. It combines MHRSD's guide with reporting from Clyde & Co, Al Tamimi and Qoyod, which cites the guide's benefits table.

"Not confirmed" means our sources do not state the position clearly. MHRSD's guide is the authority, and your Qiwa account shows what is open to you. We have not verified any extra benefit that is specific to Platinum or High Green.

Platinum, High Green and Medium Green

These three bands keep full access to the services in the table. Changing a worker's profession is still subject to the profession change requirements in the guide, so a good band does not make every change automatic. See Qiwa profession change.

Low Green

Low Green is compliant on paper but not free of consequences. Al Tamimi and Clyde & Co both report that new visas and profession changes are suspended. Renewals and transfers stay open on the sources we checked. Details are on the Low Green and Red page.

Red

Red is the non-compliant band. Al Tamimi reports suspension of service transfers and a prohibition on issuing or renewing work permits for new or existing non-Saudi employees, on top of the Low Green restrictions.

Why do two employers of the same size sit in different bands?

Thresholds depend on economic activity as well as size. Clyde & Co notes that entry thresholds are no longer uniform and vary significantly by sector. Two employers with 100 workers and 25% Saudis can therefore land in different bands.

Assessment is also at entity level, across all branches in the same activity. A branch can look healthy and still sit inside an entity that is not.

Worked example with illustrative thresholds

These thresholds are invented to show the mechanics. They are not MHRSD figures. Look up your own in the guide or the Nitaqat calculator.

How do I check my company's Nitaqat category and move up?

Your official band is shown on the Qiwa platform under your employer account. MHRSD also offers a free calculator there, covered in our Nitaqat calculator guide, which can show your current or expected position.

Moving up a band means raising the counted Saudi share until it reaches the next threshold. You can do that by adding Saudi employees, by replacing non-Saudi positions, or both. Because thresholds rise with headcount and with each year of the 2026 to 2028 cycle, growing the workforce also raises the bar. Salary matters too: Al Tamimi reports that a Saudi earning SAR 4,000 or more counts as one, SAR 3,000 to 3,999 counts as half, and below SAR 3,000 does not count. See salary thresholds and the page on moving out of Low Green and Red.

How does Nitaqat band relate to profession rules?

They are separate tests. A Platinum band does not exempt you from a profession decision such as the 70% procurement rule, and a profession rule does not change your band. Check both against the rates database.