Nepal Working Visa (Non-Tourist 4A)
An employer-sponsored visa for foreigners taking a job with a Nepali company, NGO, INGO, donor project or embassy, conditional on a labour market test.
Three permissions sit behind this route, and applicants conflate them. The work permit is the employer’s authorisation to hire a foreigner. The labour approval is your permission to be employed. The visa is a third step. Having one does not mean you have the others.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | Foreign employees of Nepali companies, NGOs, INGOs, donor projects and embassies |
| Route family | Skilled work |
| Validity | Work permit 1 year standard, up to 5 years for highly skilled roles, up to 3 years for general workers. Visa issued to match |
| Stay per entry | Matches the permit |
| Threshold | No published salary floor. The employer must show no Nepali citizen is available |
| Renewal | Annual, at least 30 days before expiry, with a performance report and evidence the skill transfer plan is working |
| Settlement | None |
| PR clock | None |
| Citizenship clock | 15 years, discretionary and not designed for this route |
| Family | Partial. Dependants get dependent visas at monthly rates |
| Local employment | Sponsor only |
| Tax headline | Employment income taxed at slab rates up to 39 percent. Social security contributions apply |
| Processing | Labour approval within 30 days, rejection notice within 7 days, then visa issuance |
Application flow
- The employer advertises in a national daily and on the Ministry of Labour portal. Both are mandatory.
- The employer applies for the work permit (shram ijajat) to hire a foreigner.
- You apply for labour approval (shram swikriti), your permission to be employed.
- The Ministry of Home Affairs issues the work agreement.
- Apply for the Working Visa with the approval and agreement attached.
- Register with the labour office and pay social security.
- Renew at least 30 days before expiry, with a performance report and skill transfer evidence.
Good fit
A specialist recruited by a Nepali employer that has already done the advertising properly. It suits engineers, teachers, medical staff, INGO managers and donor project advisers, where the role genuinely cannot be filled locally. It is the only route that lets a foreigner work for a Nepali organisation legally.
Poor fit
A remote worker with a foreign employer. There is no category for that, and the Working Visa requires a Nepali sponsoring entity. Also a poor fit for anyone whose employer has not advertised, and for senior managers in capped sectors.
Watchpoints
- Three permissions, not one. Work permit, labour approval and visa are separate documents. Employers regularly obtain one and assume the rest follows.
- The advertising requirement is evidential. A national daily placement plus a labour portal listing. Without both, the application fails.
- Nepali staff must be trained to replace you. Renewal is refused where the skill transfer plan shows no progress.
- Fees are NPR 15,000 for up to 6 months and NPR 20,000 for more than 6 months under the 2018 regulations. Confirm at the counter.
- The visa fee is published inconsistently. One Department of Immigration page shows USD 30, 50 or 75 per month depending on employer type, another shows USD 60. Budget the higher figure.
- Sector caps exist and are enforced at renewal. Foreign employees are capped as a proportion of the workforce in most sectors, which can block renewal.
Sources
- Department of Immigration, visa information, checked 2026-10-22
- Department of Immigration, visa fees and documents, checked 2026-10-22
- Labour Act 2074 (2017), sections 22 and 23, and Labour Regulations 2075 (2018), checked 2026-10-22