Marshall Islands work-permit renewals require filing 30 days before expiry

Calculate the renewal date from the existing permit

The Marshall Islands’ Labor (Non-Resident Workers) Act 2018 requires an employer to submit a work-permit extension application no later than 30 days before the current permit expires. This current procedural guide concerns foreign workers in the Marshall Islands, rather than Marshallese citizens exercising Compact rights in the United States. It does not report a newly announced November deadline. The relevant date depends on the individual permit, so employers should calculate it from the actual document.

The International Labour Organization’s NATLEX copy of the Act is the resource for checking this statutory provision. The same text requires written authorisation for an employment transfer involving a valid permit. A new contract alone therefore does not settle the transfer question. Workers considering a different employer should establish who is making the transfer application and obtain the official decision before treating a proposed move as authorised.

Check labour and immigration records together

The Division of Immigration’s Live & Work guidance describes separate labour permission and an employment visa: the first concerns the employment relationship and the second lawful presence for work. Its published checklist requests a labour approval letter, signed employment contract, passport, photographs, birth certificate, police and medical clearances, registration paperwork and relevant payment evidence. Government contractors and other applicants have additional category-specific requirements. Use that resource to discuss the immigration file with the employer, rather than assuming that one approval completes both processes.

The webpage contains inconsistencies: it describes local advertising as both a minimum of 30 days and three weeks, and some permit details are expressly marked for verification. Applicants should obtain written confirmation of the applicable instructions. The 2018 Act also identifies exemptions, including United States citizens and conditional reciprocal treatment for citizens of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. Anyone relying on an exemption should have the authorities confirm its application to their nationality and circumstances, including outstanding registration or immigration obligations.

Obtain the correct form before signing a declaration

The Marshall Islands embassy in Washington provides a Forms & Resources directory linking to a visa application. That linked document contains sections for identity, citizenship, passport details, intended travel, previous visits and accompanying children. It also contains health and criminal-history questions. Preparing accurate answers and supporting records in advance can help a household identify gaps, but the document should not be mistaken for confirmation of the current renewal procedure.

Its declaration includes visitor-oriented undertakings concerning employment, studies and departure, while the form also lists work and other visa categories. Workers should ask Immigration which current form and declarations apply to their category before signing. Do not alter facts to fit a visitor declaration or select a category simply because it appears on an older downloadable form. Ask separately how each accompanying relative is to be included or registered; a principal worker’s approval should not be assumed to resolve every family member’s position.

Resolve missing instructions while permission remains valid

During verification, the Division’s link labelled as the 2025 revised application form returned a missing-page response. Its link labelled as a labour amendment also failed. Those access problems do not establish that an application requirement has been cancelled or that a deadline has been extended. The practical response is to request the current form, checklist and submission channel directly from Immigration and the Labor Division, keeping a copy of the response.

The reviewed materials did not establish a sufficiently reliable current personalised fee total. Ask for the applicable renewal and visa charges, any exemption, bond requirement and payment reference before transferring funds. Keep receipts linked to the correct worker and application, and distinguish an acknowledgement of payment from an approval. If the 30-day advance date has already passed, disclose that immediately rather than assuming a late application will preserve permission.

Create a shared employer-worker record containing the permit expiry, immigration expiry, calculated filing date, application reference and official correspondence. Check both permissions when a contract changes, employment ends or travel is planned. The immediate next action is a complete, correctly categorised submission to the responsible authorities; an unresolved online link or an employer’s intention to renew is not evidence of an extension.