Liberia work permit

The Ministry of Labour portal, linked from the LIS Visa on Arrival and re-entry websites, states that a non-citizen can work in Liberia on meeting the eligibility criteria, that every foreigner who intends to work must have a valid work permit before starting, and that companies engaging foreigners must ensure they hold one. It addresses temporary workers, business people and students. A visitor on a Visa on Arrival cannot work; the visa covers tourism, business and transit visits only.

A valid Liberian residence permit is a precondition: the application form asks for the residence permit number and a scan of the permit. In practice a foreign worker therefore enters Liberia, changes status to a residence permit at the LIS Department of Naturalization (USD 750 for a non-African under the January 2025 charter) and only then files the work permit.

For each applicant the form asks for the passport number, residence permit number, job description, education level and work experience, with attachments: a scan of the passport, the residence permit, the company's business registration certificate and a CV, plus a portrait photo meeting the same standard as for personal documents. Fields marked with an information sign and red remarks show what is missing.

The company or individual arranging the registration enters its basic data on the portal and receives a work permit batch number by email. Through the emailed link it adds one or more applicants from the same company and finishes the batch. A confirmation follows while the Ministry of Labour verifies the file. When the application is approved, an invoice is emailed and must be paid within 48 hours; the payment confirmation number and a scan are then entered through the same link. With the second confirmation, the applicant goes in person to the Ministry of Labour, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex, Tubman Boulevard, Monrovia, between 09:00 and 16:00 for biometric enrolment, and collects the card there once notified that it is ready. Workers who already attended a pre-enrolment must still complete the online form, which is compared with the earlier data.

The work permit is valid for one year, and the ministry asks holders to extend it before the expiry date if they continue working. The residence permit has its own renewal at the LIS (USD 350 for a non-African), and employers report their foreign staff to the LIS twice a year.