Employment of foreigners in Algeria is governed by specific regimes based on the duration of their intended stay:
- General Regime: Applies to foreign workers obligated to work for more than three months.
- Temporary Regime: Applicable to foreign workers obligated to work for a period of three months or less.
- Exceptional Regime: Pertains to foreign workers called to work for less than fifteen days, with a cumulative total of stay not exceeding three months in a year.
Obtaining Approval in Principle
- The Algerian or foreign company seeking to hire foreign labor must obtain an approval in principle.
- An application should be submitted to the Directorate of Employment of the territorially competent Wilaya (district), which will forward it to the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security.
- This application should outline projected needs by professional qualification and job category in both domestic and foreign labor.
- It typically includes a nominal statement of the anticipated jobs and the required qualifications.
- The application for approval in principle must be accompanied by a complete file submitted in duplicate.
Obtaining Temporary Work Permit (TWP)
- The Temporary Work Permit (TWP) is an official document issued to non-resident foreigners intending to engage in temporary professional activities in Algeria.
- This permit is necessary for any foreign individual wishing to work in Algeria for a limited time and who is not considered a permanent resident.
- The TWP is a prerequisite for applying for a work visa in Algeria.
- Before applying for a work visa at the Algerian Consulate or Embassy, the applicant must obtain the Temporary Work Permit from the competent Algerian authorities.
- The TWP serves as proof that the applicant is authorized to carry out temporary professional activities in Algeria.
- This document is issued by the Employment Directorate of the Wilaya.
Obtaining the Work Visa
- The application for a work visa must be submitted to the Algerian consulate in the applicant’s country of origin.
- Along with the visa application, the applicant must provide the temporary work permit (TWP) obtained in the previous step.
Application for a Work Permit
- Any foreign individual employed in Algeria must possess a work permit or temporary work permit issued by the competent authority responsible for labor affairs.
- The work permit’s validity should correspond to the duration of the fixed-term employment contract held by the foreign worker, not exceeding two years.
- Certain categories of foreign workers are exempt from the Temporary Work
Permit and Work Permit Renewal Tax
- Those exempted under a treaty or agreement between Algeria and the worker’s home country.
- Refugees or stateless individuals.
- Foreign workers on secondment or short-term missions (up to three months per year).
Note: The temporary work permit is issued for foreign workers engaged in employment lasting no more than three months. Only one renewal is permitted in the same year.
Regardless of nationality, all employees in Algeria are covered by the social protection regime.
This includes various benefits such as sickness, maternity, invalidity, and death insurance, retirement pension, coverage for work-related accidents or occupational diseases, family allowances, and unemployment insurance.
Documents to be provided:
Approval in Principle:
- Request for approval in principle submitted to the Wilaya Employment Directorate.
- Copy of the contract, management, or partnership agreement.
- Table of recruitment forecasts, detailing positions, required qualifications, experience, and conditions for both nationals and foreigners.
- Copy of work execution schedules, indicating deadlines and recruitment plans for local and foreign workers at each project stage (if applicable).
- Company statutes of the employing entity.
- Legalized copy of the trade register.
- Supporting documents regarding the employer’s tax situation (registration card, tax roll extract dated within three months, etc.).
- Copy of registration card with the National Fund of Security Insurance (certificate of updating).
- Census certificate issued by tax authorities for companies not under Algerian law.
- Commitment for training the national workforce if the application is from a foreign company operating in Algeria under a work or service contract.
Temporary Work Permit (TWP):
- Application for a work permit, referencing the approval in principle and the contract.
- Copy of the approval in principle.
- Copy of the employment contract, provided in triplicate with a provisional effective date.
- Copy of the passport.
- Company identification card.
- Certificate from the contracting authority stating the necessity of the foreign employee’s recruitment for project execution (typically for works contracts).
- Certified copies of diplomas in French or Arabic, authenticated by the Algerian consulate in the country of origin.
- Repatriation commitment established by the employer for the foreign worker’s benefit.