Foreign employment in the Gulf from Nepal: the labour permit, licensed agencies, legal fees and where to get help

Who does what: DoFE, the Foreign Employment Board and the embassies

Foreign employment is regulated by the Department of Foreign Employment in Tahachal, Kathmandu, which sits under the Ministry of Youth, Labour and Employment [1]. DoFE licenses manpower agencies, issues labour permits and investigates foreign employment offences, under the Foreign Employment Act, 2064 (2007) and the Foreign Employment Rules, 2064 (2008), which it publishes in English on its website [6], [7]. The Act bans sending anyone under 18 for foreign employment [6]. The Foreign Employment Board, set up under section 38 of the Act, runs the foreign employment welfare fund, sets the curriculum for orientation training and answers the toll-free 1141 line for questions and complaints [6], [16]. Abroad, the Act provides for labour attachés in Nepal's missions, and the embassies in the Gulf attest the demand letters of employers who want to hire Nepali workers [3], [6], [23]. Most Nepali workers go through agencies: in the last fiscal year 406,404 people left on new labour permits, about 66% of them through manpower agencies and 31.6% on their own, according to DoFE figures reported by the Kathmandu Post [31].

• DoFE's online services include FEIMS for labour permits, the Foreign Job Search site for agencies and permit stickers, the ujuri complaints system and a mobile app [2].
• In the first ten months of fiscal year 2025/26 DoFE issued 661,769 labour approvals, new and renewed; in Baishakh 2083 (mid-April to mid-May 2026) the UAE took 17,108 Nepali workers and Qatar 10,667, according to DoFE as reported by Himal Press [33].
• Nepal's embassies in Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, Muscat, Kuwait City and Manama, and the consulates in Dubai and Jeddah, are on the Department of Consular Services' list of missions [26].

The labour permit on FEIMS, step by step

Every Nepali who goes abroad for work needs a labour permit from DoFE, shown by a sticker in the passport [6]. DoFE's FAQ sets out the steps for a new permit: log in to feims.dofe.gov.np and fill in the online form; choose an institution that runs the pre-departure orientation training (PDOT) and attend the class; pay the medical centre's fee online and take the health test; once both results are in, which takes about three working days, pay the insurance, social security and welfare amounts online; then upload your documents and submit the form to the office you chose [3]. DoFE's notice on the online form adds that you must use your own mobile number, that filling in the form is free, and that anyone helping you may charge at most Rs 300 [4]. If you go through an agency, the agency applies for the sticker and must attach your training, health and insurance certificates, both contracts and the receipt or bank voucher for what you paid it; DoFE fixes the sticker only if these match what it approved earlier [6].

• Documents for a new individual permit: a passport valid for more than 90 days, a valid visa or work permit, the contract with the employer (which must also reach DoFE by the employer's email), proof of the life insurance, welfare fund and social security payments, the health test and the orientation training [3], [5].
• For a Gulf job, DoFE also asks for the attestation letter issued by Nepal's embassy in that country, and an English translation of any contract that is not in English or Arabic [3].
• Your contract must be explained to you and translated into Nepali; DoFE certifies the copies and gives one to you [6].
• Going back to the same employer in the same country (re-entry): since June 2026 FEIMS approves this automatically if your passport has at least three months left, your visa is valid and the contract, insurance, welfare and social security payments are in order [9].
• You can look up an issued labour permit by its sticker on DoFE's Foreign Job Search site [2].

Check the manpower agency yourself

Only an institution licensed by DoFE may run a foreign employment business [6]. DoFE's Foreign Job Search site lists every agency with its permission (licence) number, district, address, phone and status [15]. When we downloaded the list on 19 October 2026 it held 1,782 agencies: 1,123 Active, 583 Blocked, 47 deactivated by the system because the licence renewal had expired, 28 Inactive and 1 Suspended [15]. Deal only with an agency whose status is Active. DoFE says it is enforcing the law: its director general told the Kathmandu Post in August 2026 that the department had acted against 771 agencies in recent months for illegal fees, fraud, exploiting workers, using intermediaries and failing to answer to workers [31]. The Act also sets out what an agency must do: get DoFE's prior approval for each demand, publish a job advertisement with the approved details, select workers from the applications, and send you within the period fixed or within three months of informing DoFE, or else return your money with 20% annual interest within 30 days [6].

• The agency's permission number is on DoFE's list and its status is Active [15].
• The job was advertised with DoFE's approval, and the wage, hours and costs in the advertisement match your contract [6], [7].
• You get a receipt or bank voucher for every payment; the agency must attach it to your permit application [6].
• Running a foreign employment business without a licence, taking money for a job abroad or luring someone with false promises is a crime under section 43 of the Act; the English text published by DoFE sets three to seven years in prison, a fine of Rs 300,000 to 500,000, and repayment of the money plus 50% [6].
• If you were never sent, ask the agency in writing for your money back with interest, and complain to DoFE if it refuses [6].

Fees: what is legal and what is not

Under the Act the government may fix the most an agency can collect from a worker, including its service fee and promotional costs, and the worker pays only after the agency reports that the visa has arrived, into the agency's office against a receipt or into its bank account [6]. Since 9 June 2015 the free visa, free ticket policy has capped the service fee at Rs 10,000 for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, with the employer paying for the visa and air ticket [29], [30]. In April 2026 the labour minister said the cap would be strictly enforced, asked workers to report any higher demand to Hello Sarkar (1111) or the Foreign Employment Call Centre (1141), and officials began asking departing workers at Tribhuvan International Airport what they had paid [29]. Since April 2026 DoFE has also required service fees to be paid only through the banking system [30]. An agency that takes more than the fixed fee, or charges a visa fee for a free visa, must refund the excess and pay a fine of Rs 100,000 under section 53 of the Act [6]. In practice workers often pay far more: the president of the agencies' association told the Kathmandu Post in August 2026 that workers often spend Rs 200,000 to 500,000 [31]. That is what the rule forbids, not what it allows. A government committee was asked in June 2026 to propose a new basis for the fee [30].

• Government payments on top of the service fee: Rs 1,500 to the welfare fund, term life insurance by age (Rs 3,708, 4,931 or 9,463) and the social security contribution shown in FEIMS; you pay them online yourself [3], [4].
• The orientation training and the health test have their own fees, which you pay to the training institution and the medical centre [3].
• Gulf law points the same way: the UAE says the employer pays recruitment costs, Article 40 of Saudi Arabia's Labor Law puts recruitment, iqama and work permit fees on the employer, and Qatar bars licensed recruiters from charging workers [34], [35], [36].
• Pay by bank transfer to the agency's own account and keep the receipt; never pay cash to a middleman [6], [30].

Minimum wages Nepal sets for Gulf jobs, and embassy attestation

Section 23 of the Act lets the government fix the minimum pay for Nepali workers abroad [6], and the embassies check it when they attest an employer's demand letter. For the UAE, the Embassy of Nepal in Abu Dhabi announced that from 24 June 2025 every demand letter must offer at least AED 1,000 basic pay plus AED 400 for food (AED 1,400 a month) for unskilled work, AED 1,600 in total for semi-skilled, AED 1,900 for skilled and AED 6,400 for highly skilled work [21]. For Bahrain, the Embassy in Manama lists BD 100 basic plus BD 30 for food for unskilled workers, BD 120 plus 30 for semi-skilled, BD 150 plus 30 for skilled and BD 550 plus 50 for professionals [24]. Employers in Oman have filed demand letters for attestation through an online portal since 16 July 2024, after which the attested papers go to DoFE's system [23]. For an individual job in the UAE, the embassy checks the contract, offer letter, the company's trade licence and the visa, and charges AED 300 for the verification [22].

• Compare the salary in your contract with the minimum for your skill level before you sign [21], [24].
• Ask whether your demand letter was attested by the Nepali embassy; DoFE asks for this attestation for Gulf jobs [3].
• For Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait we did not find a current minimum wage table on an embassy page that opened for us, so we do not print one.
• Our scam alerts for each Gulf country and our CV format guides for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait are linked below, as are the guides for Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian and Filipino workers.

Orientation training, health test and flying from Nepal

Every worker must take orientation training from an institution approved under the Act before leaving [6]. Enrolment and attendance are recorded in FEIMS; in October 2026 DoFE set morning and evening attendance hours and said that verifying your national identity card for the training costs nothing [13]. The health test is done at a medical centre you choose in FEIMS [3]. The Act requires agencies to send workers from Nepal's own airports [6], and a DoFE notice of June 2026 reminded agencies of this rule: a foreign airport may be used only with DoFE's permission, and the worker must then register at the immigration office at the border point of exit [7], [10].

• If someone offers to sell you a PDOT or health certificate without the class or the test, refuse; both are recorded in FEIMS [3].
• Do not agree to travel to another country first and fly to the Gulf from there unless DoFE has approved it in writing [6], [10].

The 2026 suspension of Gulf labour permits

Because of the conflict in West Asia, the government stopped issuing labour permits for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Israel from 1 March 2026 [8]. Re-entry permits for seven of these countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Oman, resumed on 18 March, according to Himal Press [32]. A DoFE notice of 20 April 2026 reopened all types of labour permits, individual, institutional and legalisation, for all of them except Iraq [8]. If an agent tells you that Gulf permits are still closed and offers a way around the system, treat it as a warning sign.

• Iraq stayed closed after 20 April 2026 under an earlier cabinet decision [8].
• Nepal's embassies in the Gulf post their own notices about demands and legalisation; check them before you rely on an agent's word [25], [27].

What the Foreign Employment Board pays if something goes wrong

The welfare fund you pay into exists for workers abroad, returnees and their families, and the Act lists its uses: repatriating workers, compensation and financial help for families, bringing home bodies and support for returnees [6]. The Board's pages describe the services. If a worker who went with a labour permit dies during the contract, or within one year after it ends, the close family can claim financial assistance; the claim must reach the Board within one year of the body arriving in Nepal [17]. The Board provides free transport of the body from Tribhuvan International Airport to the home address [16]. A worker who returns sick or disabled can apply for help with treatment within one year of coming back, with papers from the foreign hospital or a letter from the employer or embassy [18]. While a worker's contract is running, family members can get one-time help of Rs 15,000 to 50,000 for treatment of listed illnesses [19]. The Board also handles applications to rescue and bring home stranded workers [20].

• To check the payment status of a death, disability or family treatment claim, the Board gives the mobile number 9851361448 [16].
• Keep your contract, the page of your passport with the labour permit sticker and every receipt; the Board asks for them with each claim [17], [18].
• The term life insurance you buy is separate from the Board's help; claim it from the insurance company as well [17].

Warning signs of illegal recruitment

These signs come from the Foreign Employment Act, DoFE notices and official Gulf warnings. One alone does not prove fraud, but each is a reason to stop and check the agency on DoFE's list before you hand over money or your passport.

• The recruiter cannot give a permission number, or the agency is not Active on DoFE's list [15].
• You are asked for more than Rs 10,000 as a service fee for a Gulf job, in cash, or without a receipt [6], [29], [30].
• You are told to travel on a visit or tourist visa and change to a work visa later, or to fly out through another country without DoFE's permission [10], [34].
• The person you deal with is a middleman, not the agency; DoFE has acted against agencies for using intermediaries [31].
• The salary is below the minimum the Nepali embassy has set for your skill level [21], [24].
• You are pushed to fly before you have the labour permit sticker, the orientation training and a contract you understand [3], [6].
• The offer promises a high salary with no interview or document checks, or demands urgent payment [34].

Where to complain in Nepal

On 21 July 2026 the labour minister launched DoFE's complaint and case management system, ujuri.dofe.gov.np. Victims of foreign employment fraud, or their family members, can file a complaint online with evidence from Nepal or from abroad, for example when an agency took money and did not send them, charged more than the fixed fee, held their passport, or when the work, pay or facilities abroad did not match the contract; the system sends updates by email and SMS [11]. DoFE says that once the system is fully in place, complaints can be filed at all 77 District Administration Offices, ordinary cases will be settled by reconciliation in the district, and DoFE will investigate serious ones [11]. The Foreign Employment Board answers questions and complaints on the toll-free number 1141 [16], and the minister also pointed workers to the government's Hello Sarkar line, 1111 [29]. DoFE's own office is on 01-4792671 and info@dofe.gov.np [14]. If anyone asks for a bribe or commission in DoFE's name, DoFE asks you to email its director general at dg@dofe.gov.np and says it will keep your name secret [12]. A worker can also ask DoFE for compensation if the employer did not provide the work in the contract [6].

• Online complaint: ujuri.dofe.gov.np [11].
• Toll-free: 1141 (Foreign Employment Board); Hello Sarkar: 1111 [16], [29].
• DoFE: 01-4792671, info@dofe.gov.np; bribery reports to dg@dofe.gov.np [12], [14].
• Time limit: most complaints under the Act must be filed within one year, but a worker can still complain within one year of coming back to Nepal; the most serious offences, such as unlicensed recruitment, have no such limit [6].
• From abroad: the embassy in Riyadh links to the Department of Consular Services' online rescue and complaint form [26]; the embassy in Muscat has a hotline, +968 71592490 or 71592506, and a labour wing at eonmuscatlabour@mofa.gov.np [23]; the other embassies take email at eonabudhabi@mofa.gov.np, eondoha@mofa.gov.np, eonkuwait@mofa.gov.np and eonmanama@mofa.gov.np [21], [24], [27], [28].

You can also complain in the country where you work

Nepal's offices are not the only place to complain. If an employer in the Gulf does not pay you, changes your contract, keeps your passport or makes you pay for your job, you can file a complaint with the labour ministry of the country where you work, even as a foreign worker, and you can report fraud or threats to that country's police. Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain list their labour complaint services as free on their official pages [39], [45], [48]. These channels are used: Qatar's Ministry of Labour registered 5,369 worker complaints against companies in the first quarter of 2026 [43]. Before you file, gather copies of your passport with the labour permit sticker, your visa or work permit, the contract you signed in Nepal and any contract you were given on arrival, payslips or bank statements, receipts for any fees you paid, and your chats and call logs with the employer or recruiter. Watch the time limits: Saudi Arabia's settlement service asks for the complaint within 12 months [39]. The Nepali embassy can help you prepare and follow up the complaint, but the decision is made by the host country's authorities, and you can use both at the same time.

• UAE: the MOHRE app or website, or the Labour Claims and Advisory Centre on toll-free 80084. MOHRE also takes reports of forced labour and human trafficking [37], [38].
• Saudi Arabia: HRSD's amicable settlement service, through Qiwa, the HRSD website or the unified number 19911; domestic workers file through Musaned [39], [40].
• Qatar: the Ministry of Labour's Unified Complaints and Disputes Platform, which also takes complaints against registered recruitment agencies, or info@mol.gov.qa; 16505 for fraud or requests for unofficial payments [41], [42], [44].
• Oman: the Ministry of Labour's free labour complaints e-service, which also allows a group complaint, or its call centre 80077000 [45].
• Kuwait: the Public Authority for Manpower, through the Labour Relations unit that holds the company's file or the As'hal Manpower service; violations can be reported confidentially through Report Me in the Sahel app, and the authority runs shelters for migrant workers [46], [47].
• Bahrain: the Ministry of Labour's complaints service in person, on 17873637 or 17873919, or online, for workers with a valid work permit; for exploitation or trafficking, the LMRA hotline 995 [48], [49].

What we could not confirm

We only use sources we could open. DoFE's and the Foreign Employment Board's websites, DoFE's Foreign Job Search site and the websites of Nepal's embassies in Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, Muscat, Kuwait City and Manama all opened for us; the ujuri complaints site did not respond to our checks and the Law Commission's site gave an error, so we used the English texts of the Act and Rules that DoFE hosts. Those English texts are the original 2007 and 2008 versions; the Act has been amended since, so penalty amounts may have changed. We could not open the government decision of June 2015 that set the Rs 10,000 fee cap, so we cite the Kathmandu Post and OnlineKhabar, which report it, and a June 2026 report that a committee is reviewing it. DoFE's FAQ and its form notice give different social security amounts (Rs 2,308 and Rs 2,596), so we give both and tell you to pay what FEIMS shows. The Board's pages describe the death, disability and family treatment claims but did not show the current death grant amount on the pages we opened, so we do not print one. We did not find current minimum wage tables for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait or Oman on embassy pages that opened, and we did not check rules on domestic work for women, which change often. Our count of agencies by status is our own tally of DoFE's list on 19 October 2026. For the host-country channels we used the UAE government portal, HRSD's service page and the Oman and Bahrain labour ministry websites; for Qatar's Ministry of Labour, Kuwait's Public Authority for Manpower and Bahrain's LMRA we relied on an ILO leaflet and on newspaper reports that quote those bodies.