Saudi custom contracting for domestic workers explained
What Musaned's custom contracting route means for employers — browse available resumes, choose a candidate, submit an offer, and complete the portal steps.
The short answer
Custom contracting is a Musaned route where the employer browses available resumes, chooses a specific candidate, and submits an offer to a licensed recruitment office. The employer then completes the insurance, contract and payment steps set out in the portal. Unlike the agency route, custom contracting lets the employer select the worker rather than leaving sourcing to the office.
The custom contracting process at a glance
Browse available resumes
Open the custom contracting service on Musaned and review candidates whose resumes are available.
Choose a candidate
Select the worker whose profile best fits your role, budget and expectations.
Submit an offer
Send your offer to the licensed recruitment office through the portal.
Complete the portal steps
Insurance, contract and payment steps as shown on Musaned.
Track issuance and arrival
Follow the status in Musaned and complete the worker's arrival and residence steps.
Who is this guide for?
This guide is for employers in Saudi Arabia who want to choose a specific domestic worker from available resumes rather than leave sourcing to a recruitment agency. It explains how custom contracting works on Musaned and where it differs from the other digital routes.
- Employers who already know what profile they want
- Households that prefer to shortlist candidates themselves
- Employers comparing custom contracting with the agency route
- Workers and service providers who need to understand the route
What does Ployer provide?
Ployer is the workflow layer around the official Musaned process. Employers describe the role once, compare candidate profiles, shortlist and interview, then follow a Saudi-specific checklist that keeps the custom contracting route, documents and arrival steps on track.
- Structured role intake — housekeeping, nanny, cook, driver or caregiver
- Candidate profiles with skills, experience and language information
- Deterministic eligibility screening against your requirements
- Document vault with statuses for passport, contract and medical files
- Onboarding journey tracking from offer to work start
- WhatsApp connection so workers and sponsors can stay in touch
What is custom contracting?
Custom contracting is one of the digital hiring routes on Musaned. Instead of specifying a profession and nationality and letting a licensed office source candidates, the employer browses available resumes, chooses a specific candidate, and submits an offer to a recruitment office through the portal.
- You select the candidate from available resumes
- The offer routes through a licensed recruitment office
- Insurance, contract and payment are completed in the portal
- Route availability and eligibility can change — confirm on Musaned
How does the custom contracting process work?
- Log in to Musaned and open the custom contracting service.
- Browse the available resumes and review each candidate's details.
- Choose the candidate that fits your requirements and submit an offer to the recruitment office.
- Complete the insurance, contract and payment steps set out in the portal.
- Track issuance status in Musaned and complete the worker's arrival and residence steps.
How does custom contracting compare with the other routes?
| Route | Who chooses the worker | How the offer works | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruitment through agency | The licensed office sources candidates; employer reviews CVs | Employer requests through the office | Employers who want the office to shortlist |
| Custom contracting | Employer browses resumes and picks a specific candidate | Employer submits an offer to the recruitment office via Musaned | Employers who want to choose from available resumes |
| Known worker (Maarofa) | Employer provides a known worker's passport and contact details | Contract completed with the known worker; selected nationalities | Employers who already know the worker |
| Transfer | Worker already in Saudi Arabia, moving employers | Digitized transfer in eligible cases (individual-to-individual, company-to-individual) | Employers hiring a worker who can be transferred |
The four digital routes on Musaned compared. Availability and eligibility change — confirm current details on the portal.
Which documents are required?
The exact document list depends on the route and the worker's source country, but the core set is consistent across Musaned routes.
| Document | Who provides it | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Passport (valid well beyond the contract period) | Worker | Identity and contract processing |
| Available resume and candidate profile | Recruitment office | The basis for your candidate selection |
| Domestic worker contract | Employer + worker | Terms, duties, salary, accommodation |
| Insurance arrangement | Employer | Completed through the Musaned steps |
| Recruitment office documents | Licensed recruitment office | Required to route the offer |
| Residence (Iqama) documents | Official authorities | Legal stay and work in Saudi Arabia |
Core custom contracting document set. Additional documents may apply depending on source-country and route requirements — confirm on Musaned.
How much can custom contracting cost?
Total cost splits into official government fees, insurance, travel, and any recruitment or service fees. Figures vary by candidate, nationality and recruitment office. All numbers here are indicative planning guidance only — confirm the current fee schedule on Musaned before starting.
- Official government fees — set by the authorities; confirm on Musaned
- Insurance costs — vary by provider and required cover
- Travel and airfare — usually employer-funded; varies by source country
- Recruitment office or service fees — only through lawful, licensed channels
- Monthly salary — depends on role, experience and duties; agree it in the written contract
What should employers check?
- Confirm current custom contracting requirements and fees on Musaned before starting
- Review each candidate's resume against your actual needs
- Verify the worker's identity and documents before any payment
- Put duties, hours, salary, accommodation and leave in a written contract
- Complete the insurance and contract steps only through the portal
- Record every document and its status in one place
- Use only licensed channels; avoid anyone promising visa or permit guarantees
What protections do workers receive?
Custom contracting routes the employment through recorded, accountable arrangements under Musaned. Ployer supports this by keeping the employment route explicit: written terms, tracked documents, clear responsibilities, and a guided process on both sides.
- Written contract with clear duties and salary
- Recorded insurance, contract and payment steps through Musaned
- Employer accountability through the official portal workflow
- Clear communication channel between worker and sponsor (including WhatsApp)
What happens after the offer is accepted?
Once the offer is accepted and the official steps are complete, the relationship moves into management: arrival, onboarding, documents, leave, salary and any replacement needs. Ployer tracks this as an onboarding journey and supports replacement workflows if the arrangement does not last.
- Offer accepted → contract signed → passport collected
- Insurance and payment completed → issuance tracked in Musaned
- Arrival → residence steps → work started
- Replacement support if the worker leaves early
How the Musaned routes compare at a glance
The chart below compares the three main Musaned contracting routes on the factors that matter when you decide. Percentages are the authors' indicative weighting of how directly each route lets you choose the worker — not official statistics.
Indicative employer-choice comparison based on the official Musaned service descriptions as of 2026-09-21. Verify current availability of each route on Musaned.
Which hiring route fits you?
Choose the option closest to your situation to see which Musaned route applies.
Select an option above.
Common questions
In custom contracting, you browse available resumes and choose a specific candidate, then submit an offer to a licensed recruitment office. In the agency route, you specify profession, nationality and gender and the office sources and shortlists candidates for you to review.
You choose from the resumes available in the custom contracting service on Musaned at the time. If the candidate you want is not available, you can browse again or consider another route. Confirm current availability on Musaned.
Yes. In custom contracting, your offer is submitted to a licensed recruitment office through the portal, and the office handles the recruitment side of the arrangement.
Core documents include the worker's passport, the available resume and candidate profile, a signed employment contract, insurance completed through Musaned, and residence (Iqama) documents. Source-country and route requirements may add more.
Custom contracting is for choosing from available resumes. If you already know a specific worker, the known worker (Maarofa) route covers selected nationalities and lets you provide the worker's passport and contact details. Confirm eligibility on Musaned.
Resume availability can change. You may need to choose another candidate from the available resumes or revisit your route. Confirm the current status on Musaned.
No. Permits and decisions are issued through Musaned and the official authorities under their own rules. Ployer structures and tracks the workflow but never guarantees an official decision.
What we can evidence on this page
Ployer does not publish fabricated reviews or self-awarded star ratings. Where evidence exists it is shown with its source and date; where it does not exist yet, it is stated plainly.
- Official sources — This page cites Musaned and three MHRSD service pages, each dated and linked in the sources section below.
- Last checked — Regulatory facts on this page were last reviewed on 2026-09-21; they are re-checked when Musaned announces changes.
- Author and reviewer — Written by the Ployer Editorial Team and reviewed by Ployer Compliance & Editorial Review before publication.
- No fabricated ratings — Ployer does not publish self-awarded star ratings or invented testimonials. Aggregated figures would only be shown with their methodology, source and date.
- Worker privacy — Public pages never expose passport, medical or other sensitive personal information. Worker documents live in private, account-level vaults.
Related guides
Official sources and references
- Musaned — official domestic worker services portal
- MHRSD — custom contracting service
- MHRSD — request to contract with a recruitment company
- MHRSD — known worker (Maarofa) service
Tell us who you need.
Describe the role once — Ployer structures the requirements, shows verified matches and tracks the Saudi Musaned workflow.