Are Passports Taken Away?

Yes Most of the Companies (99%) do take the PP away from the Expats after coming here at KSA. I guess the reason for this is that the Employee should not go absconding or Leave the country without the Sponsor's consent !! BTW, its not as per the law !!

We once had a long discussion thread on this topic. The summary was as saimans said above, it's common practice and not part of law.

I'm noticing that employers have got quite lenient in leaving the passport with employees now.

Thank you very much for the answer. I at least have an idea why. All the same does one have to run away from a good employer? It may show what kind of employers one is likely to come across. A good employer should not fear that an employee might run away from him. Likewise a good employee must not run away from his employer.

Thank you for the answer. Surely if there is some degree of trust between the employer and employee there musn't be fear of anything.

Runoz wrote:

Thank you for the answer. Surely if there is some degree of trust between the employer and employee there musn't be fear of anything.

True but lots of people get here and just can't handle the culture or personal restrictions (even though they're okay with the actual work they  do).  I've know Westerners who have pulled runners for this reason.