Cambodia opens foreign employee quota application for 2025

Cambodia has opened the application window for businesses to apply for the 2025 foreign employee quota. The deadline for applications is the end of November 2024.

Businesses in Cambodia that want to hire foreign workers must adhere to and apply to a quota set by the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (MLVT). Under this quota system, only 10 percent of a local business’ total workforce can be foreigners.

This is calculated in the following way:

• Office employees – three percent;
• Skilled labor – six percent; and
• Unskilled labor – one percent.

After receiving the quota, the company can then apply for work permits through the Foreign Workforce Centralized Management System (FWCMS).

Can a company exceed the foreign employee quota?

Businesses in Cambodia can exceed their foreign employee quota if they adhere to the following rules:

• The owners or directors of the company shall submit a request to the MLVT to employ excess foreign employees, with their employment contract attached;
• Complete the work permit application through the FWCMS;
• Pay the work permit fee; and
• Obtain a valid visa or residence permit for the foreign employee.

Foreign worker permit inspections

Foreign businesses operating in Cambodia should be aware that the government conducts inspections of foreign worker permits through the Joint Foreign Workforce Inspection Team (JFWIT). This can be done with or without notice.

The inspectors can request copies of key documents, such as:

• Articles of incorporation of the company;
• Quota approval to employ foreign employees;
• The foreign employee’s work contract;
• The foreign employee’s passport and visa; or
• The foreign employee’s work permit and employment card, among others.

How to obtain a work permit in Cambodia

Foreign workers looking to work in Cambodia will need a valid business visa (E-class visa). The E-class visa is initially valid for 30 days. The visa can be extended for one month, three months, six months, or a maximum of one year at a time, by applying to the immigration department of the Ministry of Interior (MoI).

The six-month and 12-month visas allow applicants multiple entries into Cambodia, while the one-month and three-month visas permit single entry. E-visas can be obtained at the employee’s nearest Cambodian embassy and upon arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport.

In addition to an E-visa, a foreign worker must also obtain a work permit and employment card. This is the responsibility of the employer who will apply through the MVLT.

The company will need to provide the following information to the MVLT:

• Certificate of incorporation with company stamp;
• Registered business address;
• Tax patent with company stamp;
• Foreign employee quota approval;
• Approval from the Ministry of Commerce; and
• An article of incorporation of the company.

The documents required at the employee level:

• Three sets of the application form as issued by the MOI;
• Copy of passport with a valid visa;
• Three photographs (4×6);
• Health certificate; and
• Written work contract from the employer.

Source: Asean Briefing