Foreign employment in the Gulf from Sri Lanka: SLBFE registration, licensed agencies, legal fees and where to get help

Who does what: the SLBFE, the ministry and the missions

The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment was set up in 1985 under the SLBFE Act, which was amended in 1994 and 2009 [1]. Today it sits under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, whose foreign employment office is at Mehewara Piyasa in Narahenpita, Colombo [29]. The Bureau licenses foreign employment agencies, approves every job order and job advertisement, registers every worker who leaves, runs the pre-departure training, insures registered workers, supports their families, and investigates illegal recruitment [6], [7], [20], [28]. Abroad, Employment and Welfare officers at Sri Lanka's embassies and consulates handle workers' problems, and the Bureau says it runs welfare sections and safe houses in host countries [1], [21]. The numbers are large: 47,819 Sri Lankans left for foreign employment in January and February 2026 alone, and workers abroad sent home US$1,480.1 million in those two months [27].

• SLBFE head office: 234 Denzil Kobbekaduwa Mawatha, Koswatta, Battaramulla; 011 286 4101; info@slbfe.lk [18], [19].
• The Bureau has units at Katunayake (Bandaranaike International), Mattala and Jaffna airports; the Katunayake unit is on 011 225 9871 [22].
• There are three legal ways to a job abroad: through a licensed agency, by finding the job yourself and registering it with the Bureau, or through the Bureau's own recruitment programmes, which are for countries such as Israel and Japan rather than the Gulf [5], [28].

SLBFE registration, step by step

Section 53(3) of the Act says every Sri Lankan leaving for employment abroad must register with the Bureau before leaving [3], [6]. Registration is what makes you eligible for the Bureau's free insurance and for its help with complaints, and it is valid for two or three years depending on your contract [2], [16]. You can apply and pay online and then bring the original documents to the SLBFE head office or a branch office [4]. For a first registration the Bureau asks for a passport valid for at least six months, a valid visa or entry permit, the employment contract (service agreement), proof of experience, training or qualifications, and, for women under 45, a family background report [3]. If you go through an agency, the agency registers you at the Bureau's Final Approval Division using the job order SLBFE approved; if you found the job yourself, you register at the First Approval Division, which the Bureau says takes about 45 minutes [28].

• Minimum age: over 18 for all jobs. For women going for domestic work it is 25 for Saudi Arabia and 23 for the other Middle Eastern countries [3].
• Experience or training: women going for domestic work need 150 days of work abroad (in up to three trips) or the Bureau's housekeeping course; other workers need 30 days abroad in one trip or the Bureau's two-day course; skilled and professional workers show at least six months' certified experience or a recognised qualification [3].
• The two-day orientation course for non-domestic jobs costs Rs 1,846 and covers Arabic law and culture, Arabic and English, safety and money management; the seven-day domestic housekeeping course costs Rs 9,973 [23], [24].
• Renewal with the same employer costs Rs 4,599: bring your passport and re-entry visa, and for Saudi Arabia a copy of your iqama. A family member can renew it for you at an SLBFE office while you are abroad, and you can also renew at the Sri Lankan embassy in your host country [4].
• If you change employer, the two-year registration ends and you pay the full first-time fee again for the new contract [4].

Check the agency yourself

Under the Act only an agency licensed by the Bureau may run a foreign employment business, and the licence lasts one year at a time [6], [7]. The agency must display its licence in its office, and it may not advertise a job, call for applications or take any other recruitment step without the Bureau's written approval [6]. SLBFE's agency search lets you look up any agency by licence number, name, district or country [8]. Its list of valid agencies, dated 20 October 2026, held 1,009 agencies with their licence numbers, addresses, phone numbers and licence expiry dates [9]. A second list, of the same date, showed 105 suspended and 1,953 cancelled agencies by our count [10]. The Bureau's investigators inquire into complaints about licensed agencies and unlicensed people, carry out raids and prosecute offenders [20].

• Find the agency on SLBFE's list of valid agencies and check that its licence has not expired [9].
• Make sure it is not on the list of suspended or cancelled agencies [10].
• Ask for the job order number and look it up on SLBFE's job search; the order shows the country, job, minimum salary, food, housing, medical cover, air ticket and the maximum fee [11], [13].
• A job advertisement must carry the Bureau's approval; the agency needs a recruitment-cost declaration to get it [6], [28].
• Anyone without a licence who takes money for a job abroad, or who helps someone leave for work outside the rules of the Act, commits an offence [6].

Fees: what is legal and what is not

Two kinds of money are involved. The first is the Bureau's registration fee, which you pay to the SLBFE, online or at its offices: Rs 22,027 for a first registration (Rs 18,200 plus 18% VAT and 2.5% social security contribution levy) and Rs 4,599 to renew with the same employer [3], [5]. If you register and then do not travel, you can ask for the fee back within 120 days with your insurance certificate, receipt, passport and bank details [3]. The second is what the agency may charge you. The Act says a licensed agency may not charge any fee except as the law allows, and that an agency charging more, or anyone without a licence taking money for a job abroad, commits an offence; the magistrate also orders the money to be refunded [6]. In practice the Bureau fixes the figure for each job order. SLBFE's job search shows the maximum amount the local agency may charge for every approved job and states that the agent is not permitted to charge more and that doing so is a punishable offence [11], [12]. The amounts vary a lot. Of the 32 Gulf job orders SLBFE listed as approved in the week to 20 October 2026, the maximum ranged from Rs 0 for a UAE job to Rs 389,827 for a UAE security guard job, and seven office, sales and driving jobs in Qatar were capped at Rs 22,027, the same as the registration fee [13].

• Before you pay anything, write down the job order number and check its maximum fee on SLBFE's website; some job orders say the air ticket is not included [12].
• Ask for a receipt for every payment; you will need it for any complaint or refund [3], [16].
• The training courses have their own fees, which you pay to the Bureau's training centre [23], [24].
• 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 [30], [31], [32].

Extra rules for domestic work in the Gulf

Women going abroad for domestic work face stricter rules. Besides the higher minimum ages, a woman aged 45 or below must hand in a family background report, a care plan for her children aged 2 to 18 issued through the Divisional Secretariat, which is valid for nine months; women over 45 sign a self-declaration instead [3], [5]. The report rests on Cabinet decisions of 2007, 2013 and 2016 [5]. Contracts for domestic work in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain must be verified by the Sri Lankan embassy, and for Saudi Arabia the agency also files the Musaned agreement [3], [28]. For women going to domestic jobs in the Middle East, the employer has to lodge a non-refundable safety deposit of US$1,500 at the Sri Lankan embassy where it has an Employment and Welfare section [3]. For domestic work in the UAE, and in countries where the embassy has no such section, a service contract fee of US$50 is paid in Sri Lanka [3].

• If an agent offers to skip the family background report or the embassy verification, that is a warning sign: the Bureau needs both to register you [3].
• Women going to Kuwait for non-domestic unskilled jobs need their contract certified by the Sri Lankan embassy in Kuwait or the chamber of commerce [3].

What the SLBFE insurance pays

Every registered worker is covered by the Bureau's local insurance free of charge during the contract [2], [15]. The Bureau's schedule pays Rs 600,000 if the worker dies abroad from any cause during the contract, and Rs 250,000 if the worker dies in Sri Lanka within three months of coming back from an illness or accident suffered abroad [15]. Permanent total disability from an accident abroad pays up to Rs 400,000, permanent partial disability up to Rs 125,000 and serious temporary disability up to Rs 50,000, plus the cost of the flight home [15]. After a worker comes home sick, injured or because of harassment, the cover pays treatment in Sri Lanka up to Rs 50,000 for the contract period, or Rs 700 a day in a government hospital for up to 30 days [15].

• Claims must reach the Bureau within six months of returning to Sri Lanka; a family member claims within six months after a death [14].
• Keep foreign medical reports, see a doctor in Sri Lanka within seven days of arrival and keep your boarding pass and bills [14].
• The cover pays only for treatment in Sri Lanka, and it does not cover workers over 65 [3], [14].
• In a harassment case, the Bureau asks for a letter from the Sri Lankan embassy or the police, or a copy of the complaint you or your family made before you came back [28].

Warning signs of illegal recruitment

The Bureau says that cases of job seekers being cheated or trafficked through social media and other channels have risen sharply, and in 2026 it began training police officers around the island on the Act [26]. These signs come from the SLBFE Act, SLBFE's warnings and official Gulf advice. One alone does not prove fraud, but each is a reason to stop and check the agency and the job order on SLBFE's website before you hand over money or your passport.

• The agency is not on SLBFE's list of valid agencies, or it is on the suspended or cancelled list [9], [10].
• Nobody can give you an SLBFE job order number, or the job is not on SLBFE's job search [11].
• You are asked to pay more than the maximum fee on the job order, or to pay in cash with no receipt [6], [12].
• The person taking your money is a sub-agent or a private person, not a licensed agency [6].
• A website or social media page uses SLBFE's name and logo to offer free jobs and asks for your NIC number and other personal details; the Bureau warned about exactly this in September 2026 and reported it to Sri Lanka CERT [25].
• You are told to leave on a visit or tourist visa and change to a work visa later, or to leave without SLBFE registration [6], [30].
• The offer promises a high salary with no interview or document checks, or demands urgent payment [30].

Where to complain in Sri Lanka

The Bureau takes complaints from registered workers, or from someone acting for them, at its head office, at any branch office, or through the labour section of the Sri Lankan embassy in the host country, in person, by phone, by email or online [16]. Its online complaint system at services.slbfe.lk lets you file a new complaint and check its progress [17]. Complaints are handled by the Bureau's Conciliation Divisions, which work with the agency, the foreign employer and the embassy, and the remedies include compensation, legal help, medical help and repatriation [16]. The Act also lets a Bureau officer hold an inquiry and order the agency that recruited you to pay unpaid wages, leave pay, end-of-service benefits and the fare home, money that can be recovered through the District Court [6]. Illegal recruitment and trafficking go to the Bureau's Investigation Division and its Anti Human Trafficking Unit [19], [20]. If you were not registered with the Bureau, it says it cannot take your complaint, and you should go to the Consular Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instead [16].

• Hotline: 1989; 24-hour call centre: 011 287 9900; email info_center@slbfe.lk [18].
• From abroad: +94 71 980 2822 (phone or WhatsApp, for callers outside Sri Lanka) [19].
• Online: services.slbfe.lk/OnlineCMPL [17].
• Conciliation Division I: 011 286 4112, mgr_concil@slbfe.lk; Conciliation Division II: 011 287 9218, mgr_cons2@slbfe.lk [19].
• Investigation Division: 011 286 4241 or 011 286 4118, mgr_invest@slbfe.lk; Anti Human Trafficking Unit: 011 288 4707, mgr_cht@slbfe.lk [19].
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism (foreign employment): +94 112 331 200, info@mfe.gov.lk [29].

Sri Lankan missions in the Gulf

SLBFE lists Employment and Welfare officers at Sri Lanka's missions in the Gulf. They take complaints from registered workers, register and renew workers abroad, and verify domestic work contracts [3], [4], [16], [21]. These are the office contacts the Bureau publishes [21].

• Saudi Arabia: Riyadh, counsellor.riyadh@slbfe.lk, +966 11 460 8232; Jeddah, ts2.jeddah@slbfe.lk, +966 12 606 5414 [21].
• UAE: Abu Dhabi, ts.abudhabi@slbfe.lk, +971 2 633 2271; Dubai, counsellor.dubai@slbfe.lk, +971 4 398 4007 [21].
• Qatar: Doha, ts.doha@slbfe.lk, +974 4499 8660 [21].
• Oman: Muscat, counsellor.muscat@slbfe.lk, +968 2469 7841 [21].
• Kuwait: counsellor.kuwait@slbfe.lk, +965 2535 4611 [21].
• Bahrain: the embassy, slemb.bahrain@mfa.gov.lk, +973 1700 8410 [21].
• Our scam alerts for each Gulf country and our CV format guides for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain are linked below, as are the guides for Nepali, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian and Filipino workers.

You can also complain in the country where you work

Sri Lanka'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 [35], [41], [44]. These channels are used: Qatar's Ministry of Labour registered 5,369 worker complaints against companies in the first quarter of 2026 [39]. Before you file, gather copies of your passport and visa or work permit, your SLBFE registration, the contract you signed in Sri Lanka 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 [35]. The Sri Lankan 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 [33], [34].
• Saudi Arabia: HRSD's amicable settlement service, through Qiwa, the HRSD website or the unified number 19911; domestic workers file through Musaned [35], [36].
• 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 [37], [38], [40].
• Oman: the Ministry of Labour's free labour complaints e-service, which also allows a group complaint, or its call centre 80077000 [41].
• 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 [42], [43].
• 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 [44], [45].

What we could not confirm

We only use sources we could open. The SLBFE website, its agency and job search systems and its online complaint page all opened for us, as did the home page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism. The Act on the Bureau's website is a scanned copy of the 1985 text; we read it page by page, but the 1994 and 2009 amendments were not readable there and the government's legal databases did not open, so we do not print penalty amounts, which have changed since 1985, and we do not print the payment amounts in the original section 51, which today's registration fee has replaced. We did not find a single official cap on agency fees for Gulf jobs, so we tell you to use the maximum SLBFE approved for your job order; the range we give is our own count of the job orders SLBFE showed as approved in the week to 20 October 2026, as are the numbers of suspended and cancelled agencies. The embassy websites in Riyadh, Doha, Muscat, Kuwait and Manama did not open, so the mission contacts come from SLBFE's list. We did not find an official table of minimum wages for Sri Lankan workers in the Gulf, so we do not print one. 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.