Working in Cyprus

What the employer must have

• The Cypriot employer must obtain approval to employ a third-country national before the visa is issued.
• The demand must be pre-approved by Nepal's Department of Foreign Employment as a lot.

What you must do before you leave

1. Get your labour permit (Shram Swikriti) from the Department of Foreign Employment before you fly. It is required for every Nepali going abroad for work except to India, and it is applied for online through the FEIMS system.
2. Use a recruiting agency licensed by DoFE. Under section 3 of the Foreign Employment Act 2064 nobody may send a worker abroad without that licence, and the agency holding your lot is named on the DoFE job search.
3. Complete the pre-departure orientation training and the mandatory insurance and Welfare Fund payment — the government fee is Rs 1,500 for the Welfare Fund plus the Rs 2,595 SSF contribution that became mandatory in 2026.
4. Ask which permit category your job falls under — Cyprus approves third-country hiring by sector and quota, not on request.

Things to watch

• Under the free-visa free-ticket policy the EMPLOYER pays your visa and one-way ticket, and your service fee to the agency is capped at NPR 10,000 for the six Gulf countries. For Malaysia the employer covers the recruitment costs. Anyone asking you for more than that is overcharging, and you can complain to DoFE or the Foreign Employment Tribunal.
• A lot on the DoFE register means the government pre-approved that employer's demand for Nepali workers. It does not mean you have been hired, and a lot disappears from the register once its deadline passes.
• Cyprus is a small market with tight quotas; offers arriving without a named employer and permit category are the ones to distrust.

Official sources

• Cyprus Civil Registry and Migration Department
• DoFE — Foreign employment job search (approved lots)
• DoFE — Licensed recruiting agencies
• Department of Foreign Employment (Nepal)

Jobs in Cyprus right now