How to Verify Gulf Work Permits: Saudi, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain & Oman
Why Work Permit Verification Is the First Step in Gulf Hiring
Every year, employers and workers alike lose money to forged Gulf work permits. A fake Saudi visa, a doctored Qatar work permit, a “guaranteed” UAE employment entry permit that turns out to be a tourist visa — the scams are industrial in scale, and they target both sides of the hiring relationship. For employers, deploying a worker on an invalid permit means fines, deportation costs, and a banned establishment file. For workers, it means arriving at an airport to discover the job does not exist.
The good news: every Gulf state now runs an online verification system, and every legitimate permit can be checked against official government databases before anyone boards a plane. This guide shows employers and workers how to verify work permits and visas for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman — which official portals to use, what data you need, and what a genuine result looks like. For the European side of this problem, our separate guide covers how to check a Romania work permit for authenticity.
The Universal Rule: Verify Before You Pay, Verify Before You Fly
Three rules prevent nearly every Gulf permit scam:
- Never pay the full cost of a “visa” before verifying it exists in the destination country’s official system.
- Every genuine Gulf work permit is traceable to a government database using the passport number, permit number, or sponsor details. If it cannot be checked online, it is not real.
- The visa type must match the purpose. A work permit is not a visit visa, a tourist visa, or an Umrah visa. Scammers routinely sell visit visas as “work visas” — the worker arrives legally but cannot work legally, and the employer who uses them is breaking the law.
Saudi Arabia: Verify Through MOHRAD and MOFA
Saudi Arabia issues work visas through a two-step process: the employer obtains a work visa block (authorisation) from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), then the visa is stamped through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) platform. Both steps are verifiable.
How to Verify a Saudi Work Visa
- MOFA visa inquiry platform — the official MOFA portal lets you check a visa application’s status using the passport number and application/visa number. A genuine work visa shows the visa type as “WORK,” the sponsor’s name, and a valid status.
- MHRSD / Qiwa platform — the employer’s establishment file and the worker’s employment record are visible through Qiwa. If the employer claims to have issued your permit, their establishment should appear with an active file and available visa quota.
- Tasheer / VFS centres — Saudi visa processing from Nepal runs through the authorised visa centres; any document that bypasses the official centre is suspect.
Red Flags Specific to Saudi
- A “visa” with no MOFA application number
- Visa type listed as VISIT, UMRAH, or TOURISM instead of WORK
- A sponsor name that does not match the employer you were told about
- Requests to pay via personal bank accounts or hundi rather than traceable channels
For the full Saudi hiring process from the employer side, see our guide on how to hire Nepali workers for Saudi Arabia.
Qatar: Verify Through the MOI Portal and Metrash2
Qatar’s Ministry of Interior (MOI) runs the official visa inquiry services, and the Metrash2 platform is the government app through which sponsors manage permits.
How to Verify a Qatar Work Permit
- MOI visa inquiry service — the MOI website offers a visa inquiry page where you enter the visa number or passport details to confirm status, type, and sponsor.
- Work permit approval from the Ministry of Labour (ADLSA) — genuine employment requires a labour contract approved through Qatar’s labour systems; the contract should be visible and match the visa.
- Qatar Visa Center (QVC) — workers processed for Qatar complete medicals and biometrics through the QVC in Kathmandu. If your “Qatar process” never touched the QVC, it is not a genuine work deployment.
Red Flags Specific to Qatar
- No QVC biometric or medical appointment in the process
- A “work visa” that is actually a family visit or tourist visa
- Contract terms at arrival different from those signed in Nepal (contract substitution — illegal under Qatar’s labour law)
Our guide to hiring Nepali workers for Qatar covers the compliant end-to-end process.
UAE: Verify Through ICP Smart Services and MOHRE
The UAE splits jurisdiction: ICP (Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security) handles visa status for most emirates, while MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation) governs private-sector employment permits. Dubai additionally runs its own GDRFA system.
How to Verify a UAE Work Permit
- ICP Smart Services / ICP app — check visa and entry permit status by passport number or file number. A genuine employment entry permit shows the correct type and sponsor.
- MOHRE inquiry services — MOHRE lets you verify a work permit and the employment contract registered against it. The offer letter must be registered with MOHRE before the worker travels; this is the single most important check.
- GDRFA Dubai — for Dubai-issued visas, the GDRFA portal confirms visa authenticity and status.
Red Flags Specific to the UAE
- No MOHRE-registered offer letter — this is mandatory for private-sector workers
- An “employment visa” that is actually a visit visa convertible “later” — conversion schemes are a classic scam and leave workers stranded
- Free-zone offers with no verifiable free-zone authority record
For the compliant route, our guides cover hiring Nepali workers for the UAE and the UAE work visa process for Nepali workers.
Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman: The Verification Portals
Kuwait
Kuwait work permits are verified through the Ministry of Interior’s e-services and the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), which registers the employment contract. The Kuwait Visa Center system processes biometrics and medicals for incoming workers — a genuine Kuwait deployment always passes through it. See our Kuwait work visa guide for Nepali workers.
Bahrain
Bahrain’s Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) is the single window for work permits. The LMRA portal lets you verify a permit’s status using the application or CPR number, and Bahrain’s system is notably transparent — if a permit does not appear in LMRA, it does not exist. Our Bahrain work visa guide covers the full process.
Oman
Oman work permits are issued through the Ministry of Labour and verified via the Royal Oman Police e-services for visa status. The labour clearance (permit) must be in the worker’s name and match the sponsoring employer. Our Oman work visa guide details each step.
The Nepal Side: DOFE Labour Permit Verification
Verification is not only about the destination country. Every Nepali worker departing for foreign employment must hold a DOFE labour permit, and every genuine permit is recorded in Nepal’s foreign employment system. Before any worker flies:
- The labour permit number should be verifiable with DOFE
- The permit must name the correct destination, employer, and job
- Pre-departure orientation must be completed
A “deployment” that skips the DOFE permit is illegal under Nepali law, regardless of how authentic the foreign visa looks — and it strips the worker of every protection Nepal provides abroad. Our employer guide to DOFE explains the system, and the definitive guide to manpower verification, embassy attestation, and fraud prevention covers the full anti-fraud framework.
Employer Verification Checklist Before Deployment
- Confirm the destination permit in the official government portal (MOFA/MOHRAD for Saudi, MOI for Qatar, ICP/MOHRE for UAE, LMRA for Bahrain, MOL for Oman, MOI/PAM for Kuwait).
- Confirm the visa type is WORK — never visit, tourist, or Umrah.
- Confirm the sponsor/employer name matches the actual hiring entity.
- Confirm the registered contract (Qiwa, MOHRE offer letter, or equivalent) matches what the worker signed.
- Confirm the DOFE labour permit is issued and matches the deployment.
- Keep verification screenshots and reference numbers in the worker’s file for audit purposes.
This checklist takes an hour per worker and prevents the most expensive failure in Gulf recruitment: a stranded, undocumented worker and a penalised establishment file.
What to Do If a Permit Fails Verification
- Stop all payments immediately.
- Do not let the worker travel on an unverifiable document.
- Report the matter — in Nepal, complaints go to DOFE and the Foreign Employment Tribunal; workers can also reach the Foreign Employment Welfare Fund for assistance.
- Switch to a licensed channel. Only DOFE-licensed agencies may legally process Gulf deployments from Nepal. Verify any agency against the official DOFE-licensed list.
How Mount Everest International Handles Verification
Mount Everest International verifies every permit in the destination country’s official system before any worker departs, and we complete the full DOFE process on the Nepal side. Employers receive the verification references for their files; workers travel only on confirmed, type-checked work permits. If you are an employer who wants deployments that survive any audit — or a worker who wants to confirm a permit is genuine before paying anything — contact us at bookings@bestrecruitmenthub.com or through our contact page.
