The Ministry of Labor has announced that holders of the Overseas Worker Identification Card (OWIC) will be allowed to travel abroad only with prior approval from the Department of Labor.
Starting January 14th , OWIC holders must apply to the Department of Labor at least five days in advance, excluding office holidays, to receive permission to travel abroad, according to a January 12 statement.
In March 2025, OWIC cardholders with PJ passports could travel abroad by showing emailed documents at airports, but this is no longer allowed.
“This is similar to the OWIC application system back in 2022, when the rules were much stricter. At that time, applications had to be sent all the way to the Ministry, and approval was only given after they responded to your phone number. Now it has returned to that system. Even for returning abroad, we must ask permission for the departure date. We can no longer leave on the day we choose; we can only travel when they approve it,” said one overseas worker.
The Ministry of Labor also said that lists of those approved for overseas travel will be announced through the Safe Migration Telegram channel.
Overseas workers may face difficulties because they can only return home for leave approved by their employers, he added.
Once the rule came into effect on January 12, hundreds of people, including workers already at airports, could not travel causing financial losses.
Since the military coup, very few people travel abroad using labour passports (PJ), while more people have left the country using education passports (PE).
“Since the coup, it has become difficult to go abroad for work. Those travelling for work must follow official procedures, but many only attend training and are not actually hired. Agencies also no longer accept workers. As a result, people who want to work abroad now travel mainly on education visas. In our case, there are only people going abroad for study; there are no longer any traveling for work,” said an overseas travel and transportation service worker.
The military junta is deliberately restricting overseas travel for young men aged 18 to 35, who are eligible for conscription, and is also limiting the number of workers that each agency can send abroad.
Overseas Workers are also pressured to send 25% of their wages to their families and pay income tax.
