If you came home on leave and are going back to the same employer in the same country, you need a re-entry labour permit (पुनः श्रम स्वीकृति) before you fly. Since about June 2026 the Department of Foreign Employment's FEIMS system approves these applications automatically when everything checks out, and you can apply from abroad or from Nepal without visiting an office. Older articles describing stickers, office queues and the airport labour desk are out of date.
The short version
Before you start the application.
- Re-entry is only for going back to the same country and the same company. A new employer or country needs a new labour permit.
- Apply online at feims.dofe.gov.np (Individual Login, with your passport number). No office or embassy visit is needed.
- You need a valid passport and visa or residence card, your contract, term life insurance, and payments to the Welfare Fund and Social Security Fund.
- At the airport, immigration checks the e-permit directly — carry your passport and the labour permit. There is no longer a labour desk.
- Don't fly on a pending application: immigration won't let you board without an approved permit.
Step by step on FEIMS
Your details from your first labour permit are already in the system, so most of the form is pre-filled.
- 1. Go to feims.dofe.gov.np, choose Individual Login and sign in with your passport number and password. If you've forgotten the password, email the labour section of your embassy.
- 2. Update your profile: a passport-size photo and the passport pages with your latest arrival and departure stamps.
- 3. Open the re-entry application and check the pre-filled details.
- 4. Upload scans (JPG, PNG or PDF): your previous labour permit, passport photo page, visa or residence ID (both sides — for example Emirates ID) and your employment contract.
- 5. Pay the insurance, Welfare Fund and Social Security Fund amounts online through ConnectIPS, eSewa or Khalti, and upload the receipts if asked.
- 6. Once approved, download the e-permit from your FEIMS account or the email. You can print it or show it on your phone.
The system rejects applications automatically when something doesn't match — most often an expired or soon-to-expire passport or visa. The Department of Foreign Employment asks for at least 3 months of passport validity and some embassies ask for 6, so renew your passport first if it is close.
What it costs
There is no separate application fee for online payment, but three payments are conditions of approval. The Social Security Fund amount has been reported differently by different offices; the portal shows the exact figure when you apply.
| Payment | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign Employment Welfare Fund | Rs 1,500 (contract under 3 years) · Rs 2,500 (3–10 years) | Department of Foreign Employment |
| Term life insurance | Rs 3,708 (age 18–35) · Rs 4,931 (36–50) · Rs 9,463 (51–64) | Premiums for about 2½ years of cover |
| Social Security Fund | Monthly contribution set by the Fund | The Dubai consulate listed Rs 2,596 a month in March 2026 |
Checking your permit, and at the airport
To check a labour permit (श्रम स्वीकृति कसरी चेक गर्ने), use the Department of Foreign Employment's labour permit verification at foreignjob.dofe.gov.np and search with your passport number, or log in to FEIMS and check the status.
The labour desk at Tribhuvan International Airport was removed in 2022; immigration officers now check the e-permit themselves. You need only your passport and the labour permit — not the payment receipts.
Travelling without a valid permit isn't only a boarding problem: workers abroad without one can lose the insurance and Welfare Fund support that covers injury or death at work.
Special cases
- UAE: re-entry can't be used to switch to another country, and you need both sides of your Emirates ID.
- Changed employer or country: apply for a new labour permit instead of re-entry.
- Korea (EPS): EPS workers are handled by the Department's separate EPS Korea Branch — ask them rather than following the FEIMS steps.
- Nagarik App: there is no official way to apply for re-entry through it — use FEIMS.