FederalWork, study & travel abroadBeta

New labour permit for foreign employment (through an agency or individually)

श्रम स्वीकृति (नयाँ / व्यक्तिगत श्रम स्वीकृति)

Responsible office

Department of Foreign Employment

वैदेशिक रोजगार विभाग

Who can applyNepali citizens going abroad to work for the first time, or to a new country or employer. They can go through a recruitment agency licensed by DoFE, or individually with a job they found themselves (व्यक्तिगत श्रम स्वीकृति).

Typical timeNot published — confirm at the office. A third-party guide (May 2026) says the permit can be issued the same day once a complete online application is in FEIMS.

Taxes / chargesNot stated

01 · Before you apply

Essential information

Legal basis

Foreign Employment Act, 2064 and Foreign Employment Rules, 2064. The fee provisions and the FY 2083/84 Finance Act were not checked.

Fee information as of

FY 2082/83 (third-party guide, May 2026; not confirmed officially for FY 2083/84)

Source updated

2026-05-12 AD (third-party fee guide); DoFE documents page dated 2083-01-11 BS

Data confidence

low

02 · Prepare

Documents you need

Bring original documents together with readable photocopies. Names, dates and record details should match across every document.

Valid Nepali passport (राहदानी). A third-party guide says it must be valid at least 6 months beyond the end of the contract; confirm with DoFE
Citizenship certificate (नागरिकता प्रमाणपत्र): the original plus a photocopy of both sides
Passport-size photos on a white background (a third-party guide says 4 or more)
Employment contract (करार सम्झौता), authenticated by the Nepali embassy in the destination country where required
Agency route: the employer's demand letter (माग पत्र), pre-approved by DoFE in FEIMS. Individual route: see DoFE's own document list (11 Baisakh 2083) at dofe.gov.np/carousel-detail/14/
Medical certificate from a government-approved health-check centre (स्वास्थ्य परीक्षण प्रमाणपत्र)
Pre-departure orientation training certificate (अभिमुखीकरण तालिम प्रमाणपत्र)
Foreign employment insurance policy (बीमा)
Receipt for the Foreign Employment Welfare Fund contribution (वैदेशिक रोजगार कल्याणकारी कोष), and proof of enrolment in the Social Security Fund (सामाजिक सुरक्षा कोष)
If the employer or destination country requires them: education or skill certificates, and a police clearance certificate attested by MoFA

03 · At the office

Step-by-step process

1
Agency route: choose a DoFE-licensed recruitment agency and check its licence before paying anything. Individual route: get a job offer and contract directly from the foreign employer.
2
Agency route: the agency gets DoFE pre-approval (पूर्व स्वीकृति) for the employer's demand letter in FEIMS.
3
Have the medical check at a government-approved medical centre. The result is linked to FEIMS.
4
Attend pre-departure orientation training (अभिमुखीकरण तालिम) at an approved institute.
5
Buy the mandatory foreign employment insurance and enrol in the Social Security Fund.
6
Pay the Foreign Employment Welfare Fund contribution online through FEIMS.
7
Submit the labour-permit application in FEIMS. The agency submits it for agency workers; individual applicants follow DoFE's individual labour-permit process.
8
DoFE issues the final labour approval (अन्तिम श्रम स्वीकृति). Check it at foreignjob.dofe.gov.np before you travel.

04 · Cost

Fees and charges

Foreign Employment Welfare Fund contribution

From a third-party guide (May 2026); not confirmed on an official DoFE page for FY 2083/84

Rs 1,500

Social Security Fund contribution

A third-party guide lists this as payable at the permit stage. Kantipur (Dec 2025) says Rs 2,595 is the regular contribution (21.33% of the Rs 12,170 minimum wage) and that enrolment is mandatory before a permit is issued

Rs 2,595

Foreign employment insurance premium

Third-party estimate. Paid to the insurer; varies with insurer and contract length

About Rs 1,500–3,000

Medical examination

Third-party estimate. Paid to the approved medical centre

About Rs 1,500–3,000

Pre-departure orientation training

Third-party estimate. Paid to the orientation institute

About Rs 500–1,000

Separate DoFE labour-permit fee

No separate permit fee found in any source

Not published — confirm at the office

Recruitment agency service charge

Capped by the government by destination country (third-party guide); the caps were not researched

Not published — confirm at the office

05 · Digital options

Online services

FEIMS – online labour permit Labour permit (sticker) search DoFE online complaints (Ujuri)

06 · Read carefully

Important notes

DoFE's own citizen charter and its document list for individual permits could not be read during research (blank page and image). Check dofe.gov.np/pages/citizen-charter before applying.
Sources disagree on whether the visa comes before or after the permit. A third-party guide puts the visa after the permit, but DoFE's re-entry rules list a valid visa as a required document. Confirm with DoFE or your agency.
Sources disagree on how long the permit lasts: 2 years according to a third-party guide, 3 years according to Kantipur (Dec 2025). Confirm with DoFE.
Pay an agency only the government-capped service charge and insist on a receipt. Complaints can be filed online at ujuri.dofe.gov.np or on the toll-free line 1140.
South Korea (EPS) and Japan use separate government-to-government or authorised-organisation routes (third-party guide).
DoFE also lists a notice about joining the 'Shram Sansar' (श्रम संसार) system. Its content was not reviewed.
Around 400,000 Nepalis receive labour approvals each year (MoFA figure, Aug 2026).