As a 56 year old looking at work abroad job advertisements the same no older than 40 or, 50, 60 is listed. Work visa age limits countries & residency permit listings below to see if you can qualify for a job overseas.
Countries working holiday visa is available for 60 nations for people from certain countries, although this is one type of visa available.
Minimum work visa age is generally 18 for most countries or 21 years old for some. You also need to apply separately for a residency permit which is issued to people at least 18 years old in a majority of countries, or for Dubai/United Arab Emirates, without parent/guardian consent is 21 years old.
European Union countries minimum working visa age is 16 years old (without restrictions), 15 years and above age to start work officially in some African, Asian and South American countries.
Work visa age limit for jobs abroad
Work permit age requirements; forget countries Saudi Arabia, Brunei or a job in South Korea after a successful career in your home country.
You are already too old: at 61 for these 3 countries to obtain a work permit or to reside legally for the duration of your contract.
UAE
Minimum age work visa United Arab Emirates 18 years old. Residencies permit 21 years for a person alone in some cases; for example heavy lifting and night working jobs.
United Arab Emirates does not have an official work visa age limit, although difficult to obtain once you reach 65 years old.
The UAE’s Labour Law No. 8 of 1980, as amended doesn’t state a certain age limit to cancel a work contract or hire a foreign employee in relation to what they call “age or seniority! when applying for a UAE work permit. Source: Official UAE government website.
Reported in a gulf regional newspaper The National, since January 2011 the Ministry of Labour in United Arab Emirates schools can request an over 60 year old worker be given a work related residency.
- Private sector workers in UAE, retirement age is 65 years in 2020, such as commercial companies.
After 65 one year work visa, case by case on need, qualifications, skills and experience. You would receive a 12 months visa, this is for example; senior, management positions or a university lecturer.
Some other types of jobs in UAE for a working visa would be maximum age 60, including manual labour, house maids, guards, drivers and store assistants. Although over 60 years old domestic workers in Dubai/UAE can renew their work permit under certain conditions.
India national Maid’s 30 at least years old for UAE work. Indian Consulate ruling that helps to protect you. Dubai housemaid visa only for Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Philippines and India nationals.
“Female Sri Lankan domestic workers must be aged 23 to accept employment abroad, according to the Sri Lankan government” Source
Saudi Arabia
Work visa age limit in Saudi Arabia 60 years old maximum for public sector jobs. Private sector company jobs overseas workers gain work permits and residence in their mid 60’s. Foreign workers under 58 years old and for some work 55 depends if manual work or highly skilled and shortage occupation.
Minimum age work visa in Saudi Arabia 21 years old. Residency permit around same age.
Working age in KSA starts at 16 and official retirement in public sector jobs at 60 years old.
Qatar
Minimum age Qatar work visa 21 years old.
Qatar work visa age limit 60 years old officially. Some manual workers and other types of jobs 50 years old. Older than 50? employers are finding it much more difficult to obtain a work visa for a foreigner, as the Qatar government are looking for a younger skilled and qualified work force.
Some employers and international schools can only get you a work visa if you are under 50 years old.
Kuwait
Kuwait work visa maximum age limit under 60 years old for foreign employees. Some job industries 50 years old, such as domestic foreign workers. Expat workers will not receive a work visa or residency permit at age 60 years or above.
Kuwait has no official working age limit, although they do have a hiring limit to age under 60 years old for foreign employees. You must be under 60 years old.
Minimum age Kuwait work permit is 21 years old. Kuwait labor law.
Unskilled minimum age work in Kuwait 18 years old in theory. Employees must be 18 and over to start work.
Professional/skilled workers minimum age work visa in Kuwait 30 years old (degree holders). Recommended (Not law yet).
Bahrain
Working age visa Bahrain work permit 20 years old minimum, 65 maximum years old with over 60 years old requiring to apply or renew online.
Oman
21 years old work visa minimum age & officially maximum 60 years old for foreigner work visa.
Minimum and maximum age for work visa by country guides only as laws change all the time
Middle East
Jordan No age limit for a foreigner working visa issue
Lebanon Work visa for foreign workers age limit is none
Palestine ?
Egypt ?
Africa
Algeria Any age limit work visa Legal working minimum age Algeria 16 years old, must be skilled foreign worker with certification. Retirement age 60 years old, more difficult for a work permit after 60.
Benin Any
Botswana Any
Burundi ?
Cameron ?
Djibouti Any
Egypt 70+ Possible issues with health insurance 65+
Kenya (Only for skilled workers) minimum age 18 years old work visa and maximum age around 55 (Few people up to 60 years old) years for work permit & residency. Kenya retirement age 60 for government employees.
Ethiopia 60-65
Gabon Early 60s
Gambia ?
Ghana 60
Guinea ?
Madagascar ?
Malawi 60 Case by case when 60+
Mauritania ?
Morocco 60
Mozambique No limit
Namibia No limit
Niger ?
Nigeria No limit Case by case after 60
Seychelles ?
South Africa No limit
Swaziland No limit
Tanzania 55
Togo No limit
Tunisia ?
Uganda No age limit
Zambia No age limit, although they look at shortage and what you offer
Saint Helena At least early 60s possible
Asia
Armenia ?
Azerbaijan No limit
Bangladesh No limit
Bhutan No limit
Brunei 54 – Enter & start job before 55. Work until 60
Cambodia 65, Expect to get lower soon
China Minimum age 18 – Maximum age 57 years, With foreign expert certificate to late 60s. 1st August 2018 57 age limit?
Cyprus Any age
Georgia No limit
India No limit
Indonesia Minimum 27 years state school, max age 60 years old, None officially, not easy after 60
Israel 60s
Japan 65
Kazakhstan No limit, They look at what offer against requirements
Laos ?
Malaysia Minimum age 18 depends on visa type, 60 max
Maldives ?
Mongolia 60, Visa & residency for a few older with right skills
Myanmar (Burma) 62, Depends on you, skills and shortage if older
Nepal ?
Pakistan 60
Philippines 60
Singapore Min age 18 years, maximum age under 50 (Malaysians 58 max age) service SG pass work permit. Depends on visa type, Highly skilled 60 + max skilled (Very few)
South Korea 60 max (Difficult older)
Sri Lanka 60?
Taiwan Min age 18 visa/residency, 60+ No official age limit, Labour Standards Act Taiwan employer can refuse work 60 yrs+
Thailand No limit, Age 60 countries official retirement. Difficult after 60 to obtain a work visa
Turkey 60
Uzbekistan No age limit
Vietnam Min 18 years of age, under 60 years old visa issued
Hong Kong Min 18, 60 years old max, 65 for private schools. Possible benefits loss
Europe
Albania Not official limit of work visa
Andorra ?
Austria No limit for work visa
Azerbaijan Any age, depends on skills and shortage
Belgium No age limit
Bulgaria None, Retirement at 65, Difficult after this
Croatia 65, not easy after retirement age
Czech Republic No upper age limit for a work visa
Denmark None
Estonia Possible up to 63 for a work visa
Finland Maximum limit of 68, case by case
France No working visa age upper limit
Georgia None
Germany No limit on age
Greece No limit
Hungary Any age
Iceland Any workers age
Italy No workers age limit
Kazakhstan Cut off appears to by late 60s
Latvia Any age
Liechtenstein No official age limit
Lithuania Any age
Luxembourg No upper limit on age for a work visa
Macedonia Mid 60s for a visa for work
Malta Appears to be 65
Moldova Any age
Monaco No limit on a workers visa age
Montenegro Not official, although late 60s possible depends
Netherlands Mid 40’s, loss of medical and work age benefits after
Norway None, any age
Poland No official work visa limit
Portugal No limit, country retirement age men around 66
Romania No upper age worker limit
Russia Any age
Slovakia No age limit, state pension 62, work visa around same age
Slovenia Any, retire around 64, no visa after late 60s
Spain No upper age for a work visa
Sweden Any age
Switzerland No work permit age limit
Turkey Difficult after 60 retirement age, 65 maybe
Ukraine Possible to mid 60s with right skills
United Kingdom There is no official age restriction for a work permit in the UK
South America
Argentina None
Bolivia None
Brazil None
Chile None
Colombia 62
Ecuador No limit
Falkland Islands No limit
Paraguay None
Peru None
Uruguay No age limit
Central America
Belize No limit on age
Costa Rica No age limit for worker
Honduras Any age
Nicaragua No limit on age
Panama Any age limit
North America
Canada No age limit
United States No upper jobs age limit
Mexico No limit on workers age
Australasia
Australia Maximum age permanent skills visa Australia 44 years old, Employer sponsor temporary visa (Subclass 482) No official age limit
Fiji None Committee meets weekly case by case for any visa
New Caledonia No limit Difficult at any age
New Zealand 50 50 work visa, 55 for residency!!
Solomon Islands No limit Depends on skills and island requirements
Work visa and residency permit
Not everyone will be issued with the required paperwork to legally enter a country and be employed as a foreign worker.
For a good number of countries before you can work you require your qualifications certified and medical check up before taking up a job.
Always leave plenty time to process a visa, permit or obtain all the required documents.
Typical documents required for a visa to work in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Dubai/UAE, plus many other countries
- Police clearance check can take 30 days + to process, then it requires to be authenticated and then legalised.
- Full medical check with blood test and possible chest x ray
- Colour passport scan & copy
- Employer reference
- Signed offer of employment and contract from the proposed sponsor company in the country you are going
- Qualifications & certification qualifications and transcripts colour copy & scan
- Documents (Police certificate, qualifications, medical record) authenticated and legalised at the countries embassy
- 5 plus colour photographs
Country age restrictions for foreign workers
Not all employers and countries governments welcome workers in their 50s or 60s. I know, I’m in my middle 50s.
You’ll not be offered so many jobs. Why, more expensive to employ you and medical insurance cost are far higher than a younger employee. Over 60 years old medical cover for employees may not be offered by insurance companies.
When you reach 60 years old Europe, North & South America and a few other countries are you’re only option for employment.
Higher insurance costs and possible medical costs, hence fewer job offers.
There are countries that restrict work and residency visa permission after a certain age, effectively imposing an age limit.
Age limit for a working abroad visa
Yes, it’s good you are offered a job and told to start the paperwork, medical, arrive by a certain date. Some things are out of an employers control, namely obtaining a work & residency permit for the country you have been offered a job.
How to search for jobs overseas
This guidance is from my personal experience teaching overseas. Can be for any job working abroad:
- Conduct through research on the legal requirements to work and stay in the country you wish. You could contact the embassy, look/ask questions on forums
- Be realistic of what you can achieve. Some countries give older people permission to work case by case, for example you have specialist/shortage skills, no younger person applied to fill the post.
- Make a list of countries to work where age is not an issue for a younger or older worker, see if one or more fits in with what you are looking for.
- Do not be tempted to work on a visit or business visa. You would not be legal.
- Look at paying for your own medical insurance or top up. Employers in some countries can not get insurance to cover you for accident or other eventualities over a certain age, as it is much more expensive.
- Apply for jobs in countries and areas where there is a greater need for your skills. Maybe you wish to spend time working in China, but you are too old for Beijing, Shanghai or Chengdu. Why not look to experience other provinces in China that older teachers are readily accepted by schools and issued legal Z visa’s by the immigration department. You can then visit the area during holidays or when you complete your contract.
- Don’t apply, or at least expect to be offered a job during peak recruitment time of January to April. Wait until May on wards or even until just before schools start. A school can ask immigration in certain countries, such as Oman for permission to sponsor a teacher above the standard age limit. Oman is always looking for English teachers to work in government training colleges.
- State your specialist knowledge, skills, experience, and cultural awareness, up to date.
- Ask an employer or recruitment agent if they have obtained or been denied a working visa for foreigners over the standard age limit requirement.
Think very carefully before flying off to a country, starting or looking for a job, completing all paperwork and medical in that foreign country.
Recruiters and some employers are looking to fill a post and may not have your best interests to mind.
Do you wish to fly out to Qatar or Taiwan on a tourist visa, as you can, arriving and finding out you can not obtain a work permit?
This happened to me for Qatar. I was informed a 12 week wait before the school can start the process for my paperwork.
The school had used up it’s allocation of British people for visas.
Was I happy after giving notice on my house rental and giving away most of my possessions to start a new chapter in my life?
Good evening sir.
At Present I am 60 years of Age. I Am HSE Professional. i can eligibility to work in Ireland. Please Specify.
People are in Ireland right now that are over 60 years old and working, no discrimination. People that have the right to live and work in Ireland can be employed. You require to look at the Irish government official website if you require a work visa.
is it truth that the working visa limit in kuwait is 65 above
Kuwait changed the work visa and residency permit rules in January 2021. They implemented a maximum age of under 60 years old for new and existing foreign employees applying or renewing a Kuwait residency permit or work visa.