Immigration
Free 30-day tourist visa on arrival, quota-based work permits
Visitors receive a free thirty-day visa on arrival. Employment requires a work permit and quota allocated to the employer under the Immigration Act, with a monthly fee per foreign worker.
Key rules
- Deadline — Work permit medical and registration within the period set on arrival
- Deadline — Monthly work permit fee payable per expatriate employee
Governing law
- Immigration ActLaw 1/2007
- Employment ActLaw 2/2008
- Expatriate quota regulations
In practice
The employer must first hold an approved quota, then obtain an employment approval, then convert it to a work permit after the worker arrives and passes a medical. Undocumented expatriate labour in construction has been a persistent enforcement problem and periodic regularisation programmes have run. Permanent residence is not generally available and citizenship is confined to Muslims.