Is a work permit required in Afghanistan?
As an employer, you’re responsible for complying with the employment laws of your home country or in whichever country you are planning to enter. While hiring an employee from a different country, you must ensure that the onboarding process is smooth and the international employees receive the ideal work permit and visa to stay legally in a country.
To work in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA) is responsible for approving work permits based on the requirements for certain international workers. The country ideally demands technical workers, industry experts, engineers, teachers, doctors, and training staff. The foreign national must have an approved Afghanistan work visa and work permit to enter the country and work legally.
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Types of Afghanistan Work Visa Available
While other countries have different work permits and visas for foreign employees, there is only one work visa in Afghanistan that MoLSA grants. The single-entry work permit is valid for a month and can be extended at extra charges.
For a work visa extension of an employee, the employer has to request for extending the visa through the Ministry of Interior. In addition to this, the employee must have a letter of extension from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Apart from the Afghanistan work visa, there is a business visa available. But the foreign employees traveling to the country for work do not perform the roles which qualify for a business visa.
Requirements for an Afghanistan Work Permit
Every foreign employee who wants to apply for a work visa should meet these requirements:
- Must be above 18 years old
- Must not be eligible for retirement i.e. must not be older than 65 years
- Must have a health certificate issued from their native country and attested by the Ministry of Public Health
- Must have a stay permit before applying for a work visa
Eligibility Criteria for an Afghanistan Work Visa:
- One must be a genuine traveler who has good intent in traveling to the country.
- One must have sufficient funds to support themselves and also the dependents who want to come and stay.
- One must have a strong relationship with the native country and can return once the stay is over.
- One must have a clean criminal track record and hold a good character. To prove this, one can be asked to provide PCC (Police Clearance Certificate).
- One must be in good health and should be able to meet minimum health requirements.
- One must have an employment contract or a job offer to enter the country for work purposes.
Afghanistan Work Permit Application Process
To get an Afghanistan work visa, one has to follow this application process:
- Firstly, the employee must have a fully completed work visa application.
- The employee needs to have an introduction letter or an invitation from the employer from Afghanistan to start the application process. This will include the passport information, the reason for the employment, and the employee’s duration of stay).
- The employee must also have the letter issued by the Consular Affairs Directorate-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- The employee must also submit a recent passport-size photo and the payment for the work permit in their native currency.
Along with all the documents mentioned above, the employee must submit their visa application to MoLSA to get approved for the Afghanistan work visa.
Work Permit Exceptions and Special Cases
Before applying for the work permit for Afghanistan, keep these exceptions in mind:
- The international employees have to abide by the laws enforced by the country’s government and respect the citizens’ beliefs and traditions.
- If any changes in the foreign employee’s job, the employer must notify MoLSA about the changed specifications.
- In cases where similar talent is available domestically, employers must prioritize local candidates over international ones.
- If, in any case, restrictions are imposed on the citizens of Afghanistan, the government holds the right to impose restrictions on businesses that the citizens of the country own.
- All the employees, including the foreign nationals, have to observe the weekend on Fridays.
Overview of Afghanistan Work Permit Fees
In Afghanistan, the single-entry work permit costs USD 100. If the employees wish to extend that, they must pay USD 50 per month to the Ministry of Interior (Mol).
How Multiplier Can Help
We’re a global EOR solution with local entities in over 150+ countries. Our mission is to ease the onboarding process for companies like you and help manage talent from various parts of the world. Our HR suites, designed by our in-house experts, provide end-to-end solutions to our users.
With our SaaS-based solutions, you can raise a request for an Afghanistan work visa. Our team of experts will simplify your task by managing the entire process, from the processing time to the document checklist to the costs. During the whole process, you will be kept notified about the progress.