Last updated: 20 August 2026. This guide is built on the Department of Foreign Employment’s public safety notice, with the 2026 reform decisions flagged separately where they change what the notice says. Rules in this sector move fast — confirm anything money-related with the Department before you pay.
Quick answer: Shram Swikriti (श्रम स्वीकृति — labour approval) is the government permission that makes your foreign job legal. Without it you lose the welfare fund, the insurance payout, and any realistic chance of rescue if things go wrong. You can obtain it two ways: institutionally through a licensed manpower company, or individually if you found the visa yourself, by appearing in person with embassy-attested original documents. Only a licensed foreign employment agency may send you abroad — consultancies, travel agencies, money transfers and individual agents legally cannot, no matter what they promise.
Key takeaways
- Two legal routes only: through a licensed manpower company, or individually with embassy-attested originals, in person.
- Rs 1,500 to the Welfare Fund is compulsory — labour approval is not issued without the receipt (Foreign Employment Regulations, 2064, Rule 24).
- Verify any newspaper job advert by texting LT<space>LotNumber to 34001.
- Toll-free helplines: 1660-01-09999 (Department) and 1660-01-50005 (Foreign Employment Board).
- Sign one contract only. Dual contracts have been caught at the airport, and they are how workers end up with neither salary honoured.
- Returning early? You must inform the Department and the sending agency within 15 days.
- 2026 changes: the token system was scrapped in favour of same-day labour approval, and pre-departure orientation is moving fully online.
Why this document matters more than the job offer
The Department’s notice is blunt about what happens when the papers submitted for labour approval are not true and accurate: workers do not get the contracted job or benefits, become stranded on foreign soil, struggle to return home, in some cases face jail, and in some cases lose their lives.
That is not a scare campaign. It is the observed failure pattern, and almost every case traces back to the same root — someone went without proper Shram Swikriti, or went on documents that did not match reality.
The two legal routes to Shram Swikriti
| Institutional | Individual | |
|---|---|---|
| Who arranges it | A licensed foreign employment agency (manpower company) | You, having obtained the visa yourself |
| Licence requirement | Must hold a valid, regularly renewed licence from the Department | Not applicable |
| How you apply | Through the company | In person, with original documents attested by the Nepali embassy |
| Where | Offices under the Department of Foreign Employment, Tahachal | |
Before you hand anything over, ask three questions about the company and get answers you can verify:
- Is it actually licensed by the Department of Foreign Employment?
- Has its licence been suspended?
- Has it been cancelled?
A company can look completely normal — office, signboard, staff — while sitting under suspension. Confirm with the Department, not with the office you are standing in.
Who is NOT allowed to send you abroad
This is the single most useful line in the whole notice, and the least known:
Consultancy firms, travel agencies, money transfer and exchange counters, brokers (dalal) and individual agents have no authority to send anyone for foreign employment. None of them. Giving money to any of them is where most foreign employment fraud begins.
If a person — not a licensed company — asks you for money to arrange a foreign job, the notice tells you to report it immediately to your local administration, the police, or the Department of Foreign Employment.
What changed in 2026
The pasted-around version of this notice predates a set of reforms. In implementing the Cabinet’s 100-point governance reform agenda, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security announced a ten-point action plan on 15 Chaitra 2082 (late March 2026):
| What it was | What was decided in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Token system, multi-day wait for labour approval | Token system abolished — labour approval to be issued the same day the application is filed |
| Two-day in-person orientation at an approved institution | Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT) to go fully online, delivered as curriculum-based audio-visual material, removing the requirement to attend physically |
| Orientation fees varying by provider | Fee capped at Rs 700, with a warning that licences charging more will be revoked (reported 31 March 2026) |
| Private providers only | Government to deliver orientation itself, with country-specific content |
These are decisions and directives. Whether the counter you visit has fully implemented them is a separate question — so ask, and if you are told the old process still applies, that is worth reporting to the helpline rather than simply accepting.
Shram Swikriti costs: what you must pay, and to whom
| Payment | Amount | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Welfare Fund (कल्याणकारी कोष) | Rs 1,500 | Compulsory — no labour approval without the receipt |
| Term life insurance | Set by regulation | Compulsory, for the contract period, from a government-designated insurer |
| Orientation training | Rs 700 cap (2026) | Charging above the cap is grounds for licence revocation |
| Agency service charge | As per the approved advert | Never more than the pre-approved advertised amount |
Four payment rules that decide whether you have any evidence later:
- Pay only into the manpower company’s bank account or at its head office — never to an individual, never at a branch that cannot issue a receipt.
- Always take the receipt, and check that the amount written matches the amount you actually handed over.
- Check the receipt carries the agency’s stamp and the recipient’s signature.
- If you pay in instalments, get a slip for each instalment stating which instalment it covers.
One figure needs a caution. Older copies of this notice say “at least Rs 5 lakh” of life insurance. Current reporting on foreign employment term life policies describes a substantially higher sum assured, with an additional amount for loss of income. Because the figure has moved and could move again, confirm the current insured amount with the Department or your insurer — do not rely on the number in a forwarded notice.
Verify the job advert before you commit
Every legitimate foreign employment advert carries a Lot Number. You can check its authenticity from your own phone:
Type LT<space>LotNumber and SMS it to 34001. For example, if the advert shows Lt No: 202020, send LT 202020 to 34001.
If an advert has no lot number, or the SMS does not confirm it, that is your answer. You can also confirm authenticity directly with the Department of Foreign Employment or the Foreign Employment Promotion Board.
The contract: one, and only one
Before signing anything, the notice says you must clearly understand: the job you are going for, what it will cost you, the salary, whether food and accommodation are provided, working hours, overtime allowance, and contract duration. Sign only when you are genuinely satisfied with the country, company, position, salary, benefits and terms — and keep one copy with you.
Then the warning that tells you what actually happens at Tribhuvan International Airport: workers have been found carrying different contracts signed with different terms. Sign with one company only. A second contract does not double your protection — it destroys it, because neither can then be enforced.
Documents: what to carry, what to leave behind
- Carry: passport with the labour approval sticker, visa, contract, training certificates, payment receipts, insurance papers, health check certificate.
- Leave at home: a photocopy of every one of those, with family or a trusted guardian.
- Health check only from a listed health institution, and the certificate must carry the prescribed hologram.
- Before handing over your original passport, confirm in writing which country, which job, within what period and at what cost — and take a receipt.
Also worth writing down before you fly: the contact address of the Nepali embassy in your destination country, and phone numbers of organisations there that assist Nepali workers. If you cannot write, have someone write it for you.
Route, tickets and timing
- Fly from a Nepali airport. Departing via another country’s route for employment is where people get stranded.
- Do not buy the air ticket until the labour approval is actually issued.
- Do not go quietly. Travelling without approval means legal action, no welfare fund, no insurance benefit, and a rescue that is far harder to mount.
- If someone is tempting or pressuring you into an irregular route, inform the local police.
Already abroad, or coming back
Three obligations people routinely miss:
- Register your arrival with the Nepali embassy or mission in the destination country, and go to them when a problem starts — not after it has become unfixable.
- Renew, do not overstay. If your labour approval has expired, or you are moving to a new country or company, you must take re-labour approval (पुन: श्रम स्वीकृति). Staying beyond the visa without approval invites action under that country’s law. Renew your passport on time too.
- Returning early? Inform the Department of Foreign Employment and the sending agency within 15 days of arriving back — this is what protects your compensation claim.
🛂 पुन: श्रम स्वीकृति (Re-Shram) को काम अड्कियो?
विदेशमै छँदा वा नयाँ कम्पनी/देश जाँदा चाहिने Online Re-Shram Swikriti को प्रक्रियामा Digital Solution ले सहयोग गर्छ — कागजात मिलान, form र follow-up सम्म, WhatsApp बाटै।
Sending money home, legally
Use a bank account or a licensed remittance company — the notice names Western Union, IME and MoneyGram as examples. With remittance you fill a form at a counter, receive a secret number, and your family collects the money with that number and their ID. Bank transfers need both sides to have accounts plus the receiving bank’s SWIFT code, and typically cost more than remittance.
Informal and illegal channels — hundi and similar — carry no guarantee whatsoever. If the money disappears there is nobody to complain to. Our guides to receiving international payments in Nepal and SWIFT transfer charges cover the legal routes and what they actually cost.
Frequently asked questions
What is Shram Swikriti?
Shram Swikriti is the labour approval issued by the Department of Foreign Employment that makes working abroad legal for a Nepali citizen. Without it you forfeit the Welfare Fund, insurance benefits and effective consular protection.
Can I go abroad for work through a consultancy or travel agency?
No. Only a licensed foreign employment agency may send workers abroad. Consultancies, travel agencies, money transfer counters, brokers and individual agents have no such authority, and paying them is the most common starting point for fraud.
How do I check if a job advertisement is genuine?
Send an SMS in the format LT<space>LotNumber to 34001 — for example LT 202020. You can also confirm with the Department of Foreign Employment or the Foreign Employment Promotion Board.
How much is the Welfare Fund contribution?
Rs 1,500, and it is compulsory — labour approval is not issued without the receipt. It can be paid through digital wallets as well as at the counter.
What is the minimum age for foreign employment?
You must have completed 18 years. Submitting false details or documents at any stage is what later produces contract, wage and legal problems abroad.
Do I still need to attend orientation training in person?
The Ministry decided in March 2026 to move Pre-Departure Orientation Training fully online through audio-visual material, and to cap the fee at Rs 700. Confirm the current arrangement when you apply, since implementation has been rolling out.
What if I have to come back before my contract ends?
Inform the Department of Foreign Employment and the agency that sent you within 15 days of returning. Missing that window weakens any compensation claim.
Where do I complain about foreign employment fraud?
Toll-free 1660-01-09999 for the Department of Foreign Employment, or 1660-01-50005 for the Foreign Employment Promotion Board. For an offer being made to you right now, tell the local administration or police.
The bottom line
Shram Swikriti is not paperwork standing between you and a flight — it is the only thing that makes every other protection real. The Welfare Fund, the insurance, the embassy’s ability to help, the compensation claim if you come home early: all of it depends on having gone legally. Verify the lot number, verify the licence, pay only into a company account and take the receipt, sign one contract, and keep copies at home. Those six habits cost nothing and are what separates a job abroad from a case file.
Digital Solution disclaimer: Digital Solution Pvt. Ltd. is an independent private company and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting on behalf of the Department of Foreign Employment, the Foreign Employment Promotion Board, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security or any manpower company. This article summarises an official public notice together with publicly reported 2026 reform decisions; fees, insured amounts, training arrangements and procedures can change without notice. Verify current requirements directly with the Department of Foreign Employment before paying anyone.
Rabin Paudel
Rabin Paudel is the Founder of Digital Solution, a Content Creator, and an AI Trainer. He shares practical and easy-to-understand content on Artificial Intelligence, Digital Literacy, Online Services, FinTech, and Technology. His mission is to make technology simple, accessible, and useful for everyone.
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