Employment visas are granted to those who intend to work or are working in Afghanistan. Employment visas usually are initially issued for a single entry and are valid for a period of 3 months. The duration of stay of which is 90 days. the foreign worker can apply for a work permit during 90 days of his/her stay in Afghanistan. Subsequently, s/he can submit an application for either a 6-month or 1-year multiple entry visas. For a 6-month multiple entry visa, the duration of stay is 6-months and for a 1-year multiple entry visa, the duration of stay is one year.

Procedure and Required Documents:

  1. The applicant needs to provide the following documents to the Visa Section of the Afghan Central Business Registry (ACBR) of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce:
    • Visa application form
    • Copy of the employment contract
    • Copy of the passport of the applicant
    • CV of the applicant
    • Copy of all educational documents
    • Two passport size photos of the applicant
    • A letter of introduction from the company (in some cases introduction letter from sector ministry) stating purpose, reason, and duration of stay of the employee
  2. ACBR’s Visa Section, after checking the submitted documents, will issue the applicant a bank slip to pay the visa fee.
  3. The Visa Section will issue a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting the issuance of a single entry visa reference number/MoFA number for the applicant.
  4. MoFA will send the MoFA number to the Afghan Embassy/consulate where the visa is to be obtained via fax.
  5. The applicant will receive the MoFA/Fax number and check with the Afghan Embassy/Consulate on whether they received the MoFA number or not.  Once the Afghan Embassy/Consulate confirms the receipt of the MoFA number, then the applicant needs to submit the following documents to the Afghan Embassy/Consulate:
    • A visa application form (available at MoFA’s website);
    • Two passport size photos;
    • Original passport with validity of at least 6 months; and
    • Visa processing fee.
  6. Finally, the applicant will be issued a single entry visa with 3 months' validity. In some cases, the applicant will be called for a short interview prior to the issuance of the visa.

This publication is intended only to provide a summary of the subject matter covered. It does not purport to be comprehensive or to render legal advice. No reader should act on the basis of any matter contained in this publication without first obtaining specific legal advice.