9(g) Work Visa: What the Employer Pays
Bureau of Immigration · immigration
Quick answer
The 9(g) visa covers pre-arranged employment, plus spouse and unmarried children under 21. The visa fee runs ₱10,130.00 for 1 year to ₱25,710.00 for 3 years depending on employer size, plus the ACR I-Card in dollars. You must be inside the country to file.
Last verified
Where these figures come from
About these figures: the numbers below come from Bureau of Immigration's official published sources: Bureau of Immigration | Citizen's Charter 2025, 1st Edition (https://immigration.gov.ph/citizens-charter/, retrieved 2026-09-01). Agencies change fees and rates without notice, so confirm with Bureau of Immigration before you rely on them. Last verified: 2026-09-01.
What it is
The 9(g) pre-arranged employee visa is the standard work visa, granted under Section 9(g) of Commonwealth Act No. 613, the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, to a foreign national coming to pre-arranged employment authorised under section twenty of that Act.
It covers the worker and the family: the spouse, and unmarried children below 21 years old.
That 21 is worth noting against the other age thresholds in Philippine immigration. Dual citizenship under RA 9225 includes children below 18, and the visa fee schedule itself bands dependants at under 14 and under 16. The 9(g) dependency age is the most generous of them.
You have to be here already
The charter marks this in capitals on both the conversion and the extension service: the applicant should be IN the country at the time of filing.
This is a conversion, not an application made from abroad. You enter on another admission, usually as a temporary visitor, and convert from inside. The Bureau also requires that the authorized stay be valid for at least 20 days at the time the fees are assessed.
The fees depend on your employer
The visa fee is set by two things: the term you apply for, and whether your employer is a Top 1000 Corporation or not.
Top 1000 Corporation:
| Term | Principal | Spouse | Dependent under 16 | Dependent under 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | ₱10,630.00 | ₱8,620.00 | ₱8,370.00 | ₱7,870.00 |
| 2 years | ₱18,170.00 | ₱14,960.00 | ₱14,710.00 | ₱14,210.00 |
| 3 years | ₱25,710.00 | ₱21,300.00 | ₱21,050.00 | ₱20,550.00 |
Other corporation:
| Term | Principal | Spouse | Dependent under 16 | Dependent under 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | ₱10,130.00 | ₱8,120.00 | ₱7,870.00 | ₱7,370.00 |
| 2 years | ₱17,170.00 | ₱13,960.00 | ₱13,710.00 | ₱13,210.00 |
| 3 years | ₱24,210.00 | ₱19,800.00 | ₱19,550.00 | ₱19,050.00 |
On top of every one of those sits the ACR I-Card at US $50.00 for 1 year, US $100.00 for 2 years and US $150.00 for 3 years, converted at the BSP rate on the day of assessment. The mechanics of that dollar pricing are in our ACR I-Card guide.
What a family actually pays. A principal with a spouse and two children under 14, on a 3-year visa at an other-corporation employer:
| Person | Visa fee |
|---|---|
| Principal | ₱24,210.00 |
| Spouse | ₱19,800.00 |
| Child under 14 | ₱19,050.00 |
| Child under 14 | ₱19,050.00 |
| Total, visa fees only | ₱82,110.00 |
Plus four ACR I-Cards at US $150.00 each.
Longer terms cost less per year
| Term | Principal, other corporation | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | ₱10,130.00 | ₱10,130.00 |
| 2 years | ₱17,170.00 | ₱8,585.00 |
| 3 years | ₱24,210.00 | ₱8,070.00 |
Three one-year visas cost ₱30,390.00 against ₱24,210.00 for a single three-year one, so the longer term saves ₱6,180.00 on the principal alone, before counting two avoided rounds of paperwork.
The 9(g) visa cost calculator totals the visa and the ACR I-Card for a worker and any dependants, which is where employer size and a dependant’s age change the figure.
Who may sign for the company
The application is filed jointly by the worker and the employer, and the charter is specific about who may sign for the employer.
| Signatory | Authority required |
|---|---|
| Executive officers of the corporation or partnership | As named in the Articles of Incorporation or Partnership, or the latest General Information Sheet from the SEC |
| Registered owner of a sole proprietorship | As named in the DTI Certificate of Business Name Registration |
| Other officers of the corporation | A Board Resolution, Corporate Secretary’s Certificate or Special Power of Attorney |
| Legal counsel | The same, authorised by those above |
| Liaison officers | Must be duly accredited by the Bureau of Immigration |
Getting this wrong is a common rejection: a signature from an officer who is not on the GIS and holds no board authority stops the folder.
Two formatting rules also bite. The documents must be arranged in the order listed and fastened in a legal size folder, 8½ by 14 inches. And the Consolidated General Application Form, BI Form CGAF-002-Rev 3, must be completed in capital letters using English characters only.
The missionary variant, and its 10-year ceiling
Section 9(g) also covers non-commercial work: missionary, social or rehabilitation activities with a church, religious congregation or charitable organisation. It is granted under Section 9(g) in relation to Sections 20(a) and 42(a) of CA 613.
The eligibility is the same shape, spouse and unmarried children under 21 included. One condition is not:
This visa shall in no case exceed a total of ten (10) years from the date of Order of Approval for conversion.
The commercial 9(g) has no equivalent ceiling in the charter. A missionary visa holder approaching ten years is approaching the end of that route, not a renewal.
How long it takes
For a conversion carrying an ACR I-Card, the published total is 54 days, 6 hours and 22 minutes, and one step dominates:
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Interview of applicant and petitioner | 1 hour |
| Process and evaluate the visa application | 1 day |
| Draft the order for the Board of Commissioners | 4 days |
| Transmit the visa and ACR I-Card application | 5 days |
| Board of Commissioners deliberation | 39 days, 4 hours and 37 minutes |
| Transmit the signed order back | 5 days |
| Inform the client | 5 minutes |
The Board of Commissioners accounts for roughly 72% of the wait. Both the commercial extension and the conversion are classified Highly Technical, which is the charter’s heaviest ordinary category.
The charter notes the extension is qualified for multistage processing, so parts of it can run in parallel rather than strictly in sequence.
The other permit you need
A 9(g) visa is immigration permission. It is not permission to work. That comes from a different department: an Alien Employment Permit issued by DOLE, with its own fees, its own validity and its own publication requirement.
Earning income here also brings a tax registration obligation, covered in TIN registration.
Where this goes wrong
Applying from abroad. Both the conversion and the extension require you to be inside the country when you file.
Arriving with under 20 days of authorized stay. The fees cannot be assessed.
Assuming all employers pay the same. A Top 1000 Corporation employer costs ₱500.00 to ₱1,500.00 more for the identical visa.
Signing with the wrong officer. The signatory must appear on the GIS or the DTI registration, or hold a board authority or SPA.
Treating the missionary visa as indefinitely renewable. It cannot exceed 10 years from the Order of Approval for conversion.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is a 9(g) visa?
- For the principal, ₱10,130.00 for 1 year, ₱17,170.00 for 2 years and ₱24,210.00 for 3 years at an ordinary employer. A Top 1000 Corporation employer pays ₱10,630.00, ₱18,170.00 and ₱25,710.00 for the same terms. The ACR I-Card is charged separately in dollars.
- Can I apply from my home country?
- No. The charter marks it in capitals on both the conversion and the extension service: the applicant should be in the country at the time of filing. You enter on another admission and convert from inside.
- Can my family be included?
- Yes. The visa covers the spouse and unmarried children below 21 years old. Each family member pays their own visa fee and needs their own ACR I-Card, so a family of four on a 3-year visa at an ordinary employer pays ₱82,110.00 in visa fees alone.
- Why does my employer's size change the fee?
- The charter publishes two schedules, one for Top 1000 Corporations and one for other corporations, without explaining the distinction. The difference is ₱500.00 on a 1-year visa and ₱1,500.00 on a 3-year one, for an identical visa.
- Is a longer visa cheaper?
- Per year, yes. Three consecutive 1-year visas cost ₱30,390.00 for the principal at an ordinary employer, against ₱24,210.00 for a single 3-year visa. That is ₱6,180.00 saved, plus two rounds of paperwork avoided.
- Does the 9(g) let me work?
- Not on its own. The 9(g) is immigration permission. Permission to work is an Alien Employment Permit from DOLE, a separate document from a separate department with its own fees and validity.
- How long does approval take?
- The published total for a conversion is 54 days, 6 hours and 22 minutes. Around 72% of that is a single step: the Board of Commissioners deliberation, at 39 days, 4 hours and 37 minutes.
- Is the missionary visa different?
- It shares the section and the family coverage but carries a ceiling the commercial visa does not. The charter states the non-commercial or missionary 9(g) shall in no case exceed a total of ten years from the date of the Order of Approval for conversion.