DOFE Process — Nepal's Foreign Employment Approval System Explained

The Department of Foreign Employment (DOFE), under Nepal's Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, regulates every Nepali worker going abroad for employment. Its pre-approval, biometric enrolment, welfare-fund, medical and labour-permit workflow is mandatory under the Foreign Employment Act 2007 and the Foreign Employment Rules 2008. Skipping any step — or being told by an agent that you do not need it — is the single biggest red flag that you are dealing with an illegal recruitment arrangement.

This guide walks you through every step in the order it happens, explains the government's purpose for each requirement, and tells you exactly what paperwork you need to have in hand.

Why the DOFE process exists

Nepal sends hundreds of thousands of workers abroad every year, most of them to the Gulf and Malaysia. The Foreign Employment Act was enacted to protect these workers from exploitative recruitment practices, from working on incorrect visas, and from traveling without insurance. Every step in the DOFE process maps to a specific protection:

• Pre-approval of vacancies — ensures you have a real, verified job offer before you pay anything.
• Biometric enrolment — links your identity permanently to your migration record, preventing passport fraud and identity theft.
• Welfare fund contribution — automatically insures you for accident, death, disability and repatriation.
• Medical examination — protects both the worker and the destination country from health risks.
• Pre-Departure Orientation — ensures every worker knows their rights, knows how to contact the embassy, and understands the destination country's labour law.
• Labour permit — the legal instrument that activates embassy protection and the right to file complaints through official channels.

Before you start — three things to prepare

• A valid Nepali passport with at least 18 months remaining validity (24+ months is strongly recommended to avoid renewal mid-contract).
• Your original Nepali citizenship certificate (Nagarikta Pramaan Patra) plus clear photocopies.
• Your highest academic certificates — SLC/SEE at minimum, plus any trade or skill certificates. For nursing, driving or engineering roles, bring your professional council registration.

The 10-step DOFE process

Gulf vs. Non-Gulf differences

While the core 10 steps apply to every destination, some details differ significantly:

• Gulf (UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait): A GAMCA-approved medical is required. Visa stamping is handled through the destination embassy or the employer's approved channel. Free-visa, free-ticket positions are common, where the employer covers visa and airfare.
• Malaysia: Medical, visa and approval steps follow Malaysian immigration requirements and the arrangement in force between the two governments. Confirm the current process with DOFE before paying any fee.
• Romania, Croatia, Serbia: Work visa and permit steps run through the destination country's authorities and embassy. Expect document translations or apostille, and longer visa processing times. A GAMCA medical is not part of this route; the medical requirements are set by the employer and embassy.

Foreign Employment Welfare Fund (FEPB) — what it covers

The welfare-fund contribution (Step 4) is not an agency fee — it is paid directly to the government. In return, every permit-holder is covered for the duration of their contract:

• Natural death abroad: NPR 7,00,000 to nominated family members.
• Accidental death: NPR 10,00,000 plus full repatriation cost of the body.
• Total permanent disability: NPR 7,00,000.
• Medical treatment emergency support: up to NPR 1,00,000.
• Emergency repatriation for workers in distress: air-ticket cost.
• Children's education scholarship if the worker dies: up to NPR 50,000 per year per child through secondary school.

DOFE pre-approval numbers — how to verify any job

Before signing any employment contract or paying any fee, ask your agency for the Swikrit Mang number (DOFE pre-approval reference for your specific vacancy). You can verify it on dofe.gov.np under Approved Vacancies. If the number does not exist on the portal, the vacancy has not been vetted and you should not proceed.

How Power Support helps with the paperwork

• Documentation support: we help you prepare and check your documents, demand letter paperwork and DOFE submissions.
• Visa processing support for the employer's approved vacancy, and guidance on the medical examination and biometric steps.
• Pre-departure orientation guidance, so you know your contract, your rights and what to expect on arrival.
• A receipt for every fee paid and a copy of every document filed on your behalf. Insist on this from any agency.

Common mistakes that delay or void the process

1. Paying cash without a receipt. Every legitimate charge — service fee, medical, welfare fund — must be receipted with agency stamp. Never pay cash without one.
2. Surrendering your passport permanently. Your agency may hold it briefly for visa stamping (days, not weeks). It must be returned before you fly. Abroad, your employer cannot retain it.
3. Flying before the labour permit is in your passport. The labour permit sticker must physically be in your passport before you leave home — not 'following by courier'.
4. Working abroad on a tourist or visit visa. Illegal in every destination, ends in deportation, lifetime ban and possible criminal record. No legitimate employer asks this.
5. Skipping the PDO. Some agents offer to provide a forged PDO certificate. This is detected at immigration, results in your being stopped at the airport, and is a criminal offence under Nepali law.
6. Not confirming the Swikrit Mang number. Jobs advertised without a pre-approval number are unverified — paying fees for these is the first step in most recruitment frauds.

What to do if something goes wrong

DOFE maintains an online complaint portal at dofe.gov.np. Workers and their families can file complaints with:

• DOFE Grievance Unit (dofe.gov.np) — for agency misconduct, document fraud, overcharging.
• Foreign Employment Tribunal — formal legal proceedings for significant disputes.
• Nepali embassy in your destination country — for post-departure employer violations.
• FEPB Kathmandu — for insurance claims, stranded-worker assistance and repatriation support.

See our Scam Awareness guide for patterns to spot before you commit, and our Rights Abroad guide for what you are entitled to once you land.