Working in the Gulf from Pakistan: protector registration, licensed OEPs, legal fees and where to get help

Who does what: the ministry, BE&OE, Protectors and OEC

Overseas employment is the business of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development. Its assigned work includes the Emigration Ordinance, 1979, control of the BE&OE, the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC) and the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF), and links with the Community Welfare Attachés posted in Pakistani missions abroad [1]. Under the Ordinance the government appoints a Director General for the Bureau and Protectors of Emigrants for defined areas, and every Protector is a public servant [2]. A Protector's duties under rule 4 of the Emigration Rules include processing OEP demands, making sure workers understand the terms of the foreign service agreement, advising workers when they leave and when they return, and inspecting OEP offices [3], [8]. The 2026 National Emigration and Welfare Policy lists nine Protectorate offices: Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, D.G. Khan and Sialkot in Punjab, Karachi in Sindh, Peshawar and Malakand in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Quetta in Balochistan [5]. The ministry's Year Book for 2024-25 also shows registrations at Sukkur and Abbottabad, says offices at Gujrat and Abbottabad have been notified, and says more are planned at D.I. Khan, Muzaffarabad, Nawabshah, Kotli and in Gilgit-Baltistan [4]. The OEC is the only public agency that recruits for foreign employers, including government-to-government hiring [5]. In 2024-25 the Bureau registered 738,544 workers going abroad for jobs, 537,679 of them through OEPs and 200,865 on direct employment visas [4].

• In 2024-25 Saudi Arabia took 506,924 of those workers, the UAE 59,302, Oman 50,034, Qatar 39,338, Bahrain 6,946 and Kuwait 1,332 [4].
• Bureau figures reported by Gulf News show more than 300,000 Pakistanis took jobs in the Middle East from January to May 2026, 143,586 of them in Saudi Arabia [22].
• An OEP may only process demands in the area where it has its office or branch, so ask which Protector office will register your case [3].

Protector registration: what the stamp means and how it works

Section 15 of the Emigration Ordinance says that before anyone emigrates for work, he must appear in person before the Protector of Emigrants together with the OEP that recruited him, or its authorised representative [2]. The Protector registers your foreign service agreement only after checking that you meet the employer's requirements, that the OEP has explained the agreement to you in your own language, and that you understand it and are going of your own free will; your passport then carries the agreement's registration number with the Protector's seal and signature [3]. This is what most people call the protector stamp. You must also be insured before registration [3]. The Migrant Resource Centre, which works under the ministry, says registration entitles you to full help from the Pakistani mission in the country of work and to legal help from the Community Welfare Attaché if the employer breaks the agreement [8], [10]. The Bureau's E-Protector system now runs in every Protectorate office and registered 25,774 workers online in 2024-25 [4]. Since March 2025 workers also take a compulsory pre-departure course, the two-hour PAK Soft Skills programme in Urdu and English, delivered through the BE&OE, OEPs and the Migrant Resource Centres [4]. If you went abroad on a visit or other visa and are now working, the rules say you must register with a Pakistani mission and pay the registration fee, the welfare fund and the insurance premium there [3].

• In January 2026 the Bureau denied social media claims that E-Protector would become compulsory for everyone from 1 February 2026 and that people with protector stickers or stamps would have to register again [15].
• Keep a copy of the registered agreement. If the employer breaks it, the rules tell you to complain to the Pakistani embassy and send a copy to the Bureau [3].
• Employers' demands are now attested online by Community Welfare Attachés under the Pakistan Emigrant Management Framework, and the consulate in Dubai lists demand letter attestation among its welfare services [4], [21].

Check the OEP yourself

Only the holder of an Overseas Employment Promoter's licence granted under section 12 of the Ordinance may recruit for jobs abroad, and the Year Book counts 2,721 valid licences in 2024-25, after 78 new ones were issued that year [2], [4]. The Bureau publishes the list of licensed OEPs and the approved foreign job demands on its website, and its advisories, as reported in the news, tell job seekers to check both there before paying [12], [13], [14]. A private-sector job advert must come from a licensed OEP after approval by the relevant Protector of Emigrants and must carry a permission or tracking number, which shows the employer, country, job title, number of vacancies and salary [12]. In September 2026 the Bureau warned that trade test centres are not recruiters: they may test your skills only after a licensed OEP has started the hiring, and may not advertise jobs, promise visas or take fees for them [12]. In August 2026 it said the same of travel agencies, which may only book tickets and hotels [14]. The rules forbid OEPs to use visit, study or Umrah visas for jobs abroad, to charge any fee other than the service charge, or to pay anything to Protector staff [3]. An OEP may keep your passport only after entering it in the Bureau's online database and giving you a numbered receipt, and must return it if no job comes within 150 days or the permission period, or earlier if you ask [3].

• The OEP's name and licence number are on the Bureau's list, and the licence is not suspended, cancelled, surrendered or expired [13].
• The advert or offer shows a permission number, and the job details on the Bureau's portal match it [12], [13].
• The office you deal with is the OEP's own office, not a sub-agent, trade test centre or travel agency [12], [14].
• You get a numbered receipt for your passport and a receipt for every payment [3].
• Enforcement is real: in 2024-25 the Bureau cancelled 130 OEP licences, suspended one and forfeited Rs 113.27 million of OEP security deposits [4].

Fees: what the law allows

The Emigration Rules, as amended on 8 August 2023, fix what you pay. If an OEP or the OEC recruits you, its service charge is Rs 15,000, which you deposit in a bank against a certificate; the OEP is paid from that deposit only after the Protector certifies that you have joined the job abroad, and the money comes back to you if the OEP fails in its duties or no job comes [3]. If you found the job yourself but the destination country's embassy accepts visa cases only through an OEP, the service charge is Rs 6,000, and the OEP may add only the actual cost of the visa endorsement and Protector registration [3]. Beyond the service charge, an OEP may recover only the actual cost of your air ticket, medical test, work permit, levy, visa and documents, against a receipt under its own seal with revenue stamps, and must refund them by cheque or bank draft if you do not get the job [3]. The government dues are Rs 4,000 for the OPF welfare fund, Rs 200 for the OEC and either a Rs 500 agreement fee paid through the OEP or a Rs 2,500 registration fee for a direct visa, plus the insurance premium [3]. A January 2026 news report of the Bureau's fee table gives totals of Rs 22,200 through an OEP and Rs 9,200 for direct employment [15]. Charging more than the prescribed amount, or taking money for a foreign job without a licence, is punishable under section 22 of the Ordinance with up to 14 years in prison, a fine, or both [2].

• Gulf rules are stricter still: 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 [23], [24], [25].
• Pay the service charge into the bank, not in cash to a person, and keep the bank certificate [3].
• The fee table in the news report folds Rs 6,000 for processing into the Rs 15,000 charge [15]; the rules treat Rs 6,000 as a separate, lower charge for direct-hire cases [3]. We follow the rules.
• If the job falls through, the OPF regional office refunds the Rs 4,000 welfare fund on a certificate from the Protector [3].

Insurance and the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation

Every worker going abroad through an OEP, the OEC or a direct visa must be insured before Protector registration [3]. The Migrant Resource Centre says the scheme, run with State Life Insurance Corporation since May 1982, costs a Rs 2,500 premium, covers Rs 1,000,000 for five years and can be renewed [8]. The 2026 policy confirms the Rs 1,000,000 cover for death or disability and plans to raise it to Rs 2,000,000 [5]. In 2024-25 the Bureau paid Rs 982.311 million on 1,175 death and disability claims [4]. Paying the welfare fund also makes you a member of the OPF [8], and the Year Book says everyone who has gone abroad since 23 March 1979 on a work visa registered by the Protector or the OEC is registered with the OPF automatically [4]. The OPF runs schools for overseas workers' children, a free ambulance that carries the remains of a worker who dies abroad from the airport to the home town, a Rs 25,000 funeral grant for needy families, a financial aid scheme for families after a death or disability, and a 24/7 complaint cell on 051-111-040-040 [4].

• The OPF also arranges the transport of a worker's remains home when a Pakistani embassy or consulate asks it to [5].
• Pakistani missions issue OPF membership cards; the consulate in Dubai lists them among its welfare services [21].

Skills tests: NAVTTC and Saudi Arabia's Takamol check

If your trade is on Saudi Arabia's mandatory list, you must pass a skill verification test before you travel for the job. NAVTTC, Pakistan's vocational training regulator, is the implementing partner for the Saudi Takamol Skill Verification Program, while Takamol sets the curriculum, the tests and the rules [20]. You register yourself on the SVP portal, choose a city, trade and date, pay USD 85 per test, about Rs 23,500 to 24,500 at current rates (effective 9 September 2026), download the appointment slip and sit the test at the approved centre the system allocates; you need only a valid passport and CNIC, and a pass is uploaded to your portal account within 24 hours [20]. Takamol only checks skills: it does not train you or give you a job [20]. The Bureau's September 2026 advisory adds that trade test centres may test you only after a licensed OEP has started the recruitment [12].

• Candidates register and pay directly on the SVP portal; the test centre is allocated by the system [20].
• Most tests so far have been in construction, driving and services: building electricians, plumbers, truck and bus drivers, kitchen and warehouse workers and cleaners [20].

Country notes: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain

Saudi Arabia is by far the largest destination [4]. Article 40 of its Labor Law puts recruitment, iqama and work permit fees and the return ticket on the employer [24], and many trades need the Takamol test first [20]. The ministry lists three Community Welfare Attachés in Riyadh and three in Jeddah [6]. UAE: a real job offer is an offer letter issued through MOHRE that you can check by its reference number, and working on a visit or tourist visa leads to fines and legal liability [23]. The consulate in Dubai's welfare wing gives free initial legal advice through lawyers two days a week, visits police stations, immigration offices and hospitals, attests demand letters from UAE companies, and has an after-hours number for deaths and emergencies, +971 56 6472721 [21]; the ministry lists two attachés in Dubai and one in Abu Dhabi [6]. Qatar: licensed recruiters may not charge workers any recruitment fee [25], and the ministry lists two attachés in Doha [6]. Oman: one attaché in Muscat [6], where the FIA also has a link office that records statements of irregular migrants and helps victims of trafficking and smuggling [19]. Kuwait: one attaché [6]; only 1,332 workers registered with the Bureau for Kuwait in 2024-25 [4]. Bahrain: one attaché [6]. Women going abroad as maids, ayas or governesses must be at least 35, though the government can relax this by five years in special cases [3].

• The ministry's list gives each attaché's email and WhatsApp number; check it for the current contact before you travel [6].
• Our scam alerts for each Gulf country and our CV format guides for the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are linked below, as are the guides for Indian and Filipino workers.

Warning signs of illegal recruitment

These signs come from the Emigration Rules and from BE&OE and FIA warnings. One alone does not prove fraud, but each is a reason to stop and check the OEP on the Bureau's list before you hand over money or your passport.

• The recruiter will not give a licence number or a permission number, or they do not match the Bureau's portal [12], [13].
• You are told to travel on a visit, Umrah or study visa and switch to a work visa later [3], [23].
• A trade test centre or travel agency says it has visas or jobs to sell [12], [14].
• You are asked for more than the service charge and actual costs, in cash or without a receipt [3].
• The offer promises an unusually high salary or a quick placement without an interview or document checks, or demands urgent advance payment [11].
• The website looks official but its address is slightly different; the FIA and the Bureau warn that fake recruitment sites copy official logos and layouts [11].
• The OEP keeps your passport without a numbered receipt [3].

Where to complain in Pakistan and through the mission

Complaints about an OEP or a recruiter can go to the BE&OE headquarters, a Protector of Emigrants office, a Community Welfare Attaché, the overseas Pakistanis complaint cell of the Wafaqi Mohtasib, the ministry or the FIA [9]. Under the rules every Protector office keeps a complaint box; the Director General can issue a show-cause notice to an OEP and decide the case after a hearing, refers serious complaints for investigation by the FIA, and sends complaints against people who are not OEPs for prosecution [3]. The Bureau received 375 new complaints in 2024-25 and closed 280 [4]. The ministry's own complaint cell takes complaints by email at ds.complaint@ophrd.gov.pk and ac.complaint@ophrd.gov.pk, by phone on 051-9201096 and 051-9208581, in person at its office in Islamabad, and through the Pakistan Citizen's Portal [7]. For fake agents and fraud, the FIA runs helpline 1991 and the UAN 051-111-345-786, an online complaint portal and the address complaints@fia.gov.pk, and its anti human trafficking circles investigate and prosecute such cases [16], [17], [19]. Its page for overseas Pakistanis gives +92 51 111 345 786 and +92 51 9261104 for calls from abroad, and complaints.img@fia.gov.pk for immigration problems [18]. The FIA and the Bureau have asked people to report fake agents, websites and adverts through 1991 and the Bureau's complaint channels [11]. Abroad, a worker whose employer breaks the agreement complains to the Pakistani embassy, whose Community Welfare Attaché helps settle it with the employer and, if that fails, helps the worker take it to the local labour courts or authorities; complaints about an OEP are sent back to Pakistan [3]. There are 24 attaché posts in 16 countries [4].

• Ministry complaint cell: ds.complaint@ophrd.gov.pk, 051-9201096 [7].
• FIA: helpline 1991 and complaint.fia.gov.pk; from abroad +92 51 111 345 786 [16], [17], [18].
• OPF 24/7 complaint cell: 051-111-040-040 [4].
• Migrant Resource Centre free hotline for advice before you go: 0304 1112123 [10].
• UAE: Consulate General in Dubai, +971 56 6472721 after hours for deaths and emergencies [21].

You can also complain in the country where you work

Pakistan'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 [28], [34], [37]. These channels are used: Qatar's Ministry of Labour registered 5,369 worker complaints against companies in the first quarter of 2026 [32]. Before you file, gather copies of your passport and visa or work permit, the agreement registered with the Protector 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 [28]. The Community Welfare Attaché at the Pakistani mission 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 [26], [27].
• Saudi Arabia: HRSD's amicable settlement service, through Qiwa, the HRSD website or the unified number 19911; domestic workers file through Musaned [28], [29].
• 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 [30], [31], [33].
• Oman: the Ministry of Labour's free labour complaints e-service, which also allows a group complaint, or its call centre 80077000 [34].
• 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 [35], [36].
• 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 [37], [38].

What we could not confirm

We only use sources we could open. The BE&OE website and the OPF website answered our checks with a browser security challenge, so we could not read the list of OEPs, the foreign jobs portal, the fee table or the E-Protector pages ourselves. For the Bureau's rules we used the Emigration Ordinance and Rules, which the ministry hosts as BE&OE compilations, and the ministry's Year Book; for the Bureau's recent notices we cite news reports that name it. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs site and the websites of the Pakistani missions in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat, Kuwait and Manama did not respond, apart from the consulate in Dubai, so we name the attachés' stations from the ministry's list and do not reprint personal mobile numbers. Some web directories list addresses for Pakistani missions that no longer belong to the government; use the ministry's list instead. Official figures also differ: the 2026 policy names nine Protectorate offices while the Year Book shows eleven cities registering workers; the Year Book counts more than 11 million overseas Pakistanis while the Migrant Resource Centre says about 9 million; and the Year Book writes 'five (06)' for the new offices it plans. We could not open the December 2025 notification that news reports said makes bank or digital payment to OEPs compulsory, so we only repeat the rule that the service charge is deposited in a bank. For the channels in the section on complaining where you work, we used the UAE government portal, HRSD's service page, and the Oman and Bahrain labour ministry websites, which did open; 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.