You most likely searched for “Saudi Arabia appreciation certificate,” expecting a webpage with a government-issued application form, fee schedules, and a list of eligible candidates. That webpage does not exist. Understanding the reason for its absence will save you considerable time.
The appreciation certificate (Saudi: shahadat shukr wa taqdeer (شهادة شكر وتقدير)) is run by an individual ministry. It is a congratulatory certificate, issued by an individual/organization in order to thank someone. These certificates are typically issued by employers or schools, but may also be issued by hospitals, charities, municipalities, or a government agency, thanking their own employees. There is no central registry, no legal criteria for eligibility, and no sole webpage.
However, the search volume tells you something genuine is occurring. People are looking for this because appreciation certificates are important and recognized in the Kingdom. Furthermore, there are two or three such genuinely official documents that are adjacent to, and frequently confused with, appreciation certificates. This guide separates them all.
An appreciation certificate in Saudi Arabia is simply a formal note of thanks.
It is an official, formal thank-you, that one would be proud to keep.
Take a trip to almost any office space in Riyadh, Jeddah, or Dammam. Chances are there will be pictures of these docs framed on a wall behind a desk. Also, you will likely find these in any school folder of a Saudi child. Additionally, take a look at a Saudi contractor company webpage. Odds are there is a page called “Certificates,” and it is likely full of scanned letters of appreciation from either Aramco, SABIC, or a main contractor.
With that last one, let’s take a moment. In the Saudi contracting and services sector, these kinds of letters of appreciation from major clients are what’s often considered a “soft credential.” It usually gets included as part of a prequalification submission. It gets featured on capability statements. Nobody claims it is an ISO certificate, but it means that a real client took the time to express satisfaction with that submission in a letter.
This is culturally more important for a lot of us than it would be for folks in other regions. Public appreciation and recognition is expected. Just saying “good job” is nice, but having an appreciation certificate officially signed and stamped is what actually sticks.
That being said, legally, standard appreciation certificates DO NOT have any legal weight whatsoever. They are not registered with any authority, either. They do not establish legal rights, and you cannot take these to a passport office and expect to have a miracle happen.
The three documents are so often mistaken
Most of the issues seen in search results are caused by three documents that have been called “certificates” in a relaxed way.
- The appreciation certificate. Easily made by anyone. Everyone is eligible. There’s no verification process. If you want to, you can design it on Canva. A lot of organizations create them.
- The employment and experience certificate. This is an official certificate. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has made this through their Qiwa platform for workers. This certificate confirms your current job details. Another certificate confirms your service with the other organizations. The ministry has guaranteed that the service is free and is offered with no conditions. This is the certificate that you need for your visa file, loan application, or job application. This is not an appreciation certificate.
- The volunteer certificate. This is an official certificate, and the closest to an appreciation certificate with real eligibility. More on this below, because this is probably what most of people who are searching for this, are looking for.
If you take one thing from this article: when a bank, an embassy, or a new employer asks you for proof, they want number two or number three. Number one is for the wall.
Who issues appreciation certificates
There is no restriction, which is why the question “who is eligible?” has no clean answer. In practice, the issuers fall into a few groups.
Private employers reward completion of tasks with certificates of appreciation in recognition of project completions, safety milestones, years of service, and end of year ceremonies. In the construction and industrial services sectors, a project handover normally includes a letter of appreciation accompanying project completion documentation.
Schools and universities also issue certificates, for excellent academic results, good attendance, and for participation in competitions and volunteering activities. If you have children in the Saudi school system you know where these certificates are stored.
Government ministries issue certificates to employees, contractors, community partners, and participants in ministry sponsored campaigns and events.
Charitable and non governmental organizations issue certificates as appreciation for volunteering and donor support and to training program completions.
Professional associations and training service providers issue certificates for attendance of conferences and workshops, as well as certificates of appreciation and recognition for continuing professional development (CPD) activities. There is distinction to be made here, if your CPD training is assessed, it is an accredited training and will have value in the labor market. In Saudi Arabia, accredited certification involves a separate process with recognized training providers and implementation through HRDF/HADAF.
Eligibility: how you actually qualify
You qualify based on the criteria set by the organization. Since there is no national framework, this is the case for each instance.
Realistically,
- As an employee, the qualification is attained by your employer deciding to recognize you. Some of the bigger Saudi employers make this official by completing a nomination form with a line manager sign-off. Some also have an HR committee that meets quarterly to review the nominations. Some organizations do this on an ad hoc basis. If your organization has a recognition policy, it can be found in the HR manual, not in the Saudi Labor Law.
- As a contractor or supplier, the qualification is by completion of the scope and requesting. This is the part most companies usually avoid. A letter of appreciation from a client is usually not a standalone occurrence; it is presented when a request is made during a handover and the client is still engaged and the project manager is able to recollect the specifics. Request it during the closure of a contract and not six months later.
- As a student, the criteria are set by the school or university and are generally published: a certain grade, a placement in a competition, a particular number of volunteer hours, etc.
- As a volunteer, you need to verify your hours through an approved organization to qualify.
The official one: Saudi Volunteer Certificates
This is the path to obtain a government backed and verifiable, volunteer certificate that will actually enhance your CV in Saudi Arabia.
The National Volunteer Platform (nvg.gov.sa) was built under the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development as part of Vision 2030. The platform brings together volunteering opportunities through organizations and those looking to volunteer.
Unlike a thank you note, the platform has an entire infrastructure behind it. It connects to the National Information Center and tracks your volunteering hours. After a few hours are added to your record, you can check your record through Absher. Certificates are ready for you to download in your account any time you wish.
Volunteers on the platform have set standards, and these standards include: an official volunteering certificate; the volunteering organization must be transparent; agreement on volunteering hours; a safe working environment; equality in volunteering opportunities; and eligibility for grants aimed for volunteers.
Alongside the national volunteering platform, several other sectors have created their own specific volunteering platforms. The Ministry of Health has its own volunteering platform for health, and the Saudi Red Crescent also has its own volunteering platform for ambulance, education, humanitarian, media, and sports, along with environmental and administrative volunteering.
Of the available options, this the best for students. It’s flexible and works around students’ study routine. It also provides a verified volunteering certificate, unlike a PDF volunteering certificate.
Benefits: what they do and what they do not do
What they do:
They provide you with documented evidence to use for an interview. “I received a client appreciation letter for the Jubail turnaround” is a lot better than “I work hard.” They provide you with something you can answer to if your potential employer asks you a follow-up question.
They create a company’s credibility file. For contractors bidding on Saudi work, a file of client appreciation letters is genuine social proof and costs nothing to create.
They strengthen your CV in a market that values documented recognition. Recruiters here are used to seeing them and they read as normal, and not padding, if they are real and specific.
They help with internal retention. There is a reason large employers keep doing this: public and permanent recognition works better than recognition that evaporates.
Certificates specifically add verified hours to your record, which some scholarship and university applications ask about directly.
What they do not do:
They do not affect your iqama, your visa status, your exit-re-entry, or any immigration outcome. There is no points system in Saudi residency that counts appreciation certificates.
They do not substitute for an experience certificate. If an employer overseas asks for proof of employment, an appreciation certificate is not the document — get the Qiwa one.
They are not attestable in the normal sense. Saudi attestation (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then the relevant embassy) is for degrees and official employment records. A company-issued thank you letter is not something you can push through that chain.
Not legally binding, so don’t expect a salary increase, a promotion, or even a contract extension. Anyone selling you that is selling you a product.
Putting it together properly
On the issuing side of things, a certificate that people do not bin has a few distinct characteristics.
It is bilingual. It can be the Arabic side paired with the English side, or it can be the Arabic side with the English side underneath. Most Saudi professional certificates do this and it is free.
Make use of company letterheads. This includes the correct logo of the organization, the correct name in English (if it is a company), and the CR number. This detail will make it look official.
Add a reference number and an issue date. It conveys that it was produced by a system, not someone’s laptop at 4pm on a Thursday.
Be smart with word choice and specific. “In appreciation of your outstanding efforts” is just filler. “In appreciation of your contribution to the Phase 2 pipeline installation, completed 14 days ahead of schedule with zero LTIs” is something the recipient will actually show people.
Sign a senior officer and if possible, the company seal.
Lastly, make sure the alignment of Arabic is correct. It is likely to break if you are using a template in which text is input from right to left. Have an Arabic speaker of your company check this before printing 30 copies.
On tools: Canva is helpful with this as their bulk function creates one certificate per name automatically, which comes in very handy for events. If you don’t really care about design, the built in layouts in Word and PowerPoint are just fine for this. For corporate, bilingual letterhead templates are widely available.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a price for government appreciation certificate?
None, since there isn’t a government version for it. Certificates of Employment for Qiwa, and volunteer certificates through the national portal, are free.
Is there a chance for expats to earn one?
Yes, there is no restriction with nationality. Expatriates receive appreciation certificates from employers, schools, and volunteer organizations all the time.
Is there any way to check the validity of a certificate?
Only by contacting the issuing organization. There is no verification database for appreciation certificates. For this reason, volunteer and Qiwa certificates hold more value.
Does this fulfill the requirements for permanent residency or citizenship?
No. There are clear criteria for both Saudi premium residency naturalization, and appreciation certificates hold no value in this regard.
What happens if my employer doesn’t give one?
There is no obligation to do so. What they are legally obliged to do is process your employment documentation, and through Qiwa you are not bound to their discretion to issue a certificate, since you are able to obtain salary and employment certificates through the Ministry’s portal.
The short version
An appreciation certificate in Saudi Arabia is effectively goodwill but is also a worthless legal document. This is true, and both should be clear when encountering this document. It is best to understand it as evidence of goodwill that could be used when mentioning this in job interviews or tender documents. In practice, you will find it meaningless when placed on the counter when dealing with government agencies.
In the event that you need an official document that carries some sort of weight, then there are two clear ways to address your situation. One is Qiwa for your employment and experience certificates. The other is the National Volunteer Platform for confirming the volunteering hours that you have done, both of which are done free of charge, through official channels of the Saudi government, and can be confirmed.
Government services and platforms do change. Before you use any of these for something substantial, be sure to check the current situation on the relevant official websites, Qiwa, nvg.gov.sa, or my.gov.sa.