The key facts

  • The new Migration Law was published on October 23 in the newspaper Sadoi Mardum
  • A minimum age for labor migration has been established for the first time — 18 years
  • The restriction also applies to foreigners working in Tajikistan

Age requirement established for the first time

Citizens of Tajikistan may now only go abroad for work starting at age 18. This minimum age has been established for the first time in the new Migration Law, which was published on October 23 in the official newspaper Sadoi Mardum. This was reported by Gazeta.uz.

What else the law contains

According to Article 16 of the law, labor migration is permitted only to countries where migrants' rights are protected. According to the publication Asia-Plus, the age restriction also applies to foreign citizens coming to work in Tajikistan itself.

Two ways to find employment abroad

The law provides for two main ways for citizens of Tajikistan to find employment abroad: independently searching for a job and organized recruitment through agencies and other entities authorized to employ citizens abroad. When searching independently, the authorized migration authority must provide citizens with free information about vacancies, salary levels, working conditions, employer requirements, as well as the rules and legislation of the intended destination country.

Scale and difference from the previous law

Currently, about 350,000 citizens of Tajikistan are in labor migration; most of them work in Russia, Kazakhstan, and other CIS countries. For comparison: the previous Migration Law, adopted in 1999, did not set a minimum age for labor migrants — this issue was regulated by the legislation of host countries and relevant agreements. Thus, the new rule introduces a single age requirement at the level of Tajikistan itself for the first time, affecting both citizens leaving the country and foreigners arriving in it.