On 9 December 2020, the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) issued Notification 041/20 on Extending the Deadline for the 2021 Foreign Employee Quota Application (“Notification”).

Through the Notification, the MLVT has delayed the submission deadline for 2021 foreign employee quota applications until 31 January 2021, being two months after the original deadline.

If your organization currently employs any foreign nationals (or intends to do so next year), we strongly recommend that the 2021 foreign employee quota application be filed as soon as possible, as it normally takes several weeks to obtain approval. Late filings will incur potential fines of up to KHR 2.52 million (approximately USD 630) from the MLVT and/or up to KHR 3.6 million (approximately USD 900) by a competent court. Without due and valid approval of the foreign employee quota, enterprises will be unable to apply for foreign work permits on behalf of their foreign staff for 2021. This could lead to even heavier fines and sanctions being imposed on affected companies and organizations. If you seek further information regarding foreign employee quotas (including the ability to hire foreign nationals in excess of 10% of the total number of Cambodian employees in the event of special circumstances), please refer to our previous alert (link here). 

We can help

DFDL’s labor team is comprised of Cambodian labor and employment law experts all of whom possess wide-ranging experience on all labor related matters. In addition, we have full familiarity with Cambodian labor-related approval processes in addition to long-established relationships with officials at multiple tiers of the relevant government authorities.

If you require our assistance with such applications or any other matters, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected]. We would be more than happy to outline our scope of professional services and help address any queries that you may have.

The information provided here is for information purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice. Legal advice should be obtained from qualified legal counsel for all specific situations.