Sierra Leone work permit

The Unified Permit portal, run jointly by the Immigration Department and the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security, states that any non-citizen intending to work, provide services or engage in gainful business in Sierra Leone needs a work permit. Neither the eVisa nor a resident permit on its own allows employment. The Work Permit Act 2023 (Act No. 11 of 2023) is the legal basis, and its fee regulations, Statutory Instrument No. 1 of 2024, took effect on 1 January 2024.

The 2024 regulations require a foreign employer to apply to the Employment Ministry for an expatriate quota before any work permit application, and to advertise the job in electronic, print and social media for at least one month. The Minister may not issue a permit for a job reserved for Sierra Leoneans; unskilled positions are reserved entirely for nationals, and managerial positions follow a 50 per cent ratio. Employers of foreign workers must submit their quarterly payroll for inspection, on pain of a Le 10,000 fine, ensure that capacity-building gives due consideration to Sierra Leoneans and prevent discrimination at work.

The regulations set the fee in new leones or the US dollar equivalent, payable before the permit is issued: Le 34,700 for a citizen of a non-ECOWAS country in the formal sector (companies, partnerships, industries), Le 22,740 for an ECOWAS citizen in the formal sector or a non-ECOWAS citizen in the informal sector, Le 5,000 for foreigners under a written contract with the Government or employed by humanitarian or religious NGOs and for ECOWAS citizens in the informal sector, and no fee for diplomatic missions. For a non-African nationality the portal's price checker currently shows USD 1,500 for the formal sector and USD 220 for Government or NGO contracts; for non-ECOWAS Africans in the informal sector it shows USD 1,000.

The worker first registers with the National Civil Registration Authority for a NIN and an active Non-National ID card. On the portal you then create an account, select the work permit or both the work and resident permits, complete the form, upload the passport, employment letter and photos, and pay online. The application can be tracked in real time. In October 2025 the portal reported that average work permit processing had fallen from 14 to 8 business days.

Foreign workers must hold both a valid work permit and a valid resident permit. Keep the permit cards with your passport, because the Immigration Department requires foreign nationals to show their documents to its officers on request, and employers who hire foreigners without a permit are subject to the penalties of the Act.