Work abroad · 6 min read

Work abroad from Ethiopia legally: registration, who pays what, and agency rules

You register at a one stop centre first, you must be 18 or over, and the employer pays your visa, flights and work permit. Here's the law, article by article.

By WorkEthiopiaPublished 2 November 2026

Photo: Pixabay, Pexels License, via Pexels

To work abroad legally from Ethiopia, you register on the labour market system at your nearest one stop centre, and you must be 18 or over. The employer pays your visa, your round trip, your work permit, your residence permit and your insurance. You pay for your passport, medical exam, vaccination, birth certificate and competence certificate. That's what Proclamation 923/2016 and Directive 1126/2018 say, and if anyone tells you otherwise, stop and check. Nobody should pay for a job.

The steps, in order

Directive 1126/2018 sets the start. Anyone who wants to work abroad registers on the labour market system at a nearby one stop centre (Article 11). To register, you must meet these conditions.

You're 18 or over
You're competent for the work you'll do
You're willing to take the training and assessment at a nearby institution

The Ministry of Labour and Skills then picks those who meet the criteria and sends them to training centres. After that comes your contract, which has to be approved, and your medical exam at a health facility chosen with the Ministry of Health. The agency has to send you within one month of the contract's approval (Proclamation 923, Article 38). We couldn't read the online steps, because lmis.gov.et is a login app, so ask at the centre.

Domestic work and skilled work have different rules

Domestic work: you must be trained and hold a certificate of occupational competence for the work. If you've worked abroad and returned, you need the certificate but not the training (Proclamation 1246/2021, new Article 7(1))
Skilled work: you must have the education and experience the job needs, and hold a competence certificate where needed (new Article 7(2))
Domestic work can go ahead only where a bilateral agreement or memorandum exists between Ethiopia and the receiving country (new Article 12(1))
Skilled work needs an agreement with a competent government body or an accredited company in that country, or the government's permission for an agency that has found the jobs, once the workers' rights and safety are confirmed (new Article 12(2) and (3))

We couldn't confirm which countries have a current agreement, so we don't list them. Ask at the one stop centre before you agree to anything.

Who pays what

This is Article 10 of Proclamation 923/2016. Proclamation 1246/2021 adds a new part to it but leaves this split in place.

Article 10, who covers what

The employer covers:
- entry visa fee
- round trip transport
- work permit fee
- residence permit fee
- insurance
- visa and document authentication at the embassy
- contract approval service fee

You cover:
- passport fee
- contract authentication and crime clearance
- medical exam
- vaccination
- birth certificate
- certificate of occupational competence

If you pay your share and then aren't sent for reasons that aren't your fault, the agency or employer has to refund you (Article 10(3)). It works the other way too: if you back out with no good reason after everything is ready, the employer can ask you to refund what it spent (Article 10(4)).

Can an agency charge me?

Generally no. Article 74(1) of Proclamation 923/2016 says it's prohibited for any person to receive a service charge from a worker for overseas employment exchange.

There's one exception, and it's narrow. Proclamation 1246/2021 added Article 10(5): a worker employed abroad through an agency, in work other than domestic work, pays the agency up to one month's salary over four payments. Directive 1126/2018, Article 26(9), adds conditions. It covers skilled workers other than seafarers, the employer must be shown not to cover the agency's payment, and this has to be confirmed by the Ethiopian mission in that country or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The agency must have an agreement with a recognised employer, the amount can't pass one month's wage, and the agreement has to be approved by the Ministry.

So you should never hear that you need to pay a large sum up front for a job abroad. Domestic workers aren't part of this exception at all. If someone asks you for that, treat it as a warning sign, and use our scam check.

Your pay, and who answers if it goes wrong

If you go as a skilled worker, your wage can't be lower than what the receiving country pays for the same level (Directive 1126/2018, Article 3)
If the contract is broken, the agency and the employer are both liable (Proclamation 923/2016, Article 40)
If you've found a job on your own, you still bring papers to the Ministry (Directive 1126/2018, Article 7). They include your contract, your visa, a renewed Kebele ID, your authenticated education papers, a medical exam, a crime clearance and proof of insurance

How to check an offer before you pay anything

Ask for the employer's full name and the agency's licence, and check them with the Ministry or at the one stop centre
Ask to see the contract, with the wage, the hours and the job, before you start any paperwork
Don't hand your passport to someone you can't identify
Be careful with offers on a visit visa, or that say you can skip registration
Keep receipts for everything you pay

What we couldn't confirm

The Ministry of Labour and Skills site didn't open from where we checked on 2 November 2026, so we have no list of licensed agencies, and we name none. The fee schedule in Regulation 573/2025 wasn't readable in the copy we opened, so we give no fee amounts. We don't cover any one country's rules. This page explains the law, and it isn't legal advice. Our site isn't a recruiter or an agency for work abroad.

Sources and further reading

Explore this topic

Frequently asked questions

Who pays for my flight and visa to work abroad?

The employer, under Article 10(1) of Proclamation 923/2016. It covers the entry visa, round trip transport, work permit, residence permit and insurance.

What's the minimum age to work abroad?

18. Directive 1126/2018, Article 11, makes it a condition for registering.

Can I pay an agency for a job abroad?

Article 74(1) prohibits taking a service charge from a worker. The one exception is up to one month's salary for skilled workers through an agency, over four payments, under conditions the Ministry approves.

Where do I register?

At the one stop centre nearest you, on the labour market system. The Directive doesn't print a list of addresses, so ask your local labour office.

Do I need a COC to work abroad?

For domestic work, yes. For skilled work, where it's needed for the job. Proclamation 1246/2021 says you present it once you meet the employer's other requirements.