Licensed Recruitment Agencies: Check Before You Pay
Department of Migrant Workers · employment
Quick answer
DMW publishes a searchable directory of licensed overseas recruitment agencies, listing 3,794 with each one's licence status as Valid or Expired, updated every 2 hours and downloadable as CSV. Direct hiring without an agency is legal only for four categories of employer.
Last verified
Where these figures come from
About these figures: the numbers below come from DMW's official published sources: Department of Migrant Workers | Licensed Recruitment Agencies (https://dmw.gov.ph/inquiry/licensed-recruitment-agencies, retrieved 2026-08-31); Department of Migrant Workers | Frequently Asked Questions (https://dmw.gov.ph/faqs, retrieved 2026-08-31); Department of Migrant Workers | Approved Job Orders (https://dmw.gov.ph/inquiry/approved-job-orders, retrieved 2026-08-31). Agencies change fees and rates without notice, so confirm with DMW before you rely on them. Last verified: 2026-08-31.
Before you pay anyone, check the licence. DMW publishes the whole list, and it is free.
The directory
| What DMW publishes | |
|---|---|
| What it is | A directory of DMW-licensed overseas recruitment agencies authorized to deploy Filipino workers abroad |
| Agencies listed on 31 August 2026 | 3,794 |
| Per-row detail | Agency name and address; contact person and telephone numbers; licence status |
| Status values seen | Valid License, Expired |
| Views | Cards or a table |
| Export | Download CSV |
| Refresh | The licence-status view is stamped with a date and hour and updates every 2 hours |
The status column is the whole point. An agency can be on the list and carry Expired, which is not the same as licensed today.
Job orders
| What DMW publishes | |
|---|---|
| Job orders listed on 31 August 2026 | 134,072 |
| What each row shows | Jobsite; position, agency and principal; accreditation; number of workers needed |
| Browse by | Jobsite, newest first, as cards or a table |
| Export | Download CSV |
DMW’s own caveats, quoted in substance:
| Caveat | Detail |
|---|---|
| Source | Culled from licensed recruitment agencies’ active job orders for the past 2 years |
| Netting | The remaining job orders after deducting workers whose documents were already submitted for processing |
| Status | Job orders are considered active unless cancelled by the employer or recruitment agency |
| Guarantee | DMW cannot guarantee the vacancies are still open, because agencies may already have accepted qualified applicants |
| Instruction | In capitals: verify with the agency whether the job order is still active |
The DMW job order guide covers reading that list.
When there is no agency
DMW defines direct hiring as employing a worker without the assistance of a licensed recruitment agency, citing RA 10022, GBR No. 3, Series of 1994 and Memorandum Circular No. 7, Series of 2003.
| # | Who may directly hire |
|---|---|
| a | Members of the diplomatic corps |
| b | International organizations, for example the United Nations and ASEAN |
| c | Heads of state and government officials with the rank of at least deputy minister |
| d | Other employers as may be allowed by the Administration |
The authorities cited are Article 18 of the 1974 Philippine Labor Code, reiterated in RA 8042 as amended by RA 10022, the 2016 Revised POEA Landbased Rules and Regulations, and Memorandum Circular No. 8, Series of 2018.
If your prospective employer is not in that list and there is no licensed agency, the arrangement does not match what DMW publishes as lawful direct hiring.
Processing a direct hire
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| System | POPS-Direct, the POEA Online Processing System for Direct Hires |
| Authority | POEA Advisory No. 33A, Series of 2022 |
| How | Online evaluation; the OFW chooses a preferred processing site listed in POPS-Direct |
| Where to find it | From the DMW website, dmw.gov.ph |
What deployment costs
| Route | DMW processing fee | OWWA | HDMF, Pag-IBIG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct hire | USD 100 in peso equivalent | USD 25 | ₱600.00 |
| Government-to-government, Triple Win or Germany | USD 100 in peso equivalent | USD 25 | ₱600.00 |
| Government-to-government, KSA, Korea or Taiwan | USD 50 | USD 25 | ₱600.00 |
| Manual OEC through a landbased agency | ₱200.00 | USD 25 | ₱600.00 |
| On-board processing, to engage | ₱200.00 | - | - |
| On-board processing, to re-engage | ₱100.00 | - | - |
| Balik-Manggagawa OEC at a DMW regional office | Total standard fee None | - | - |
The OEC guide and the Balik-Manggagawa OEC guide cover the documentation those fees attach to.
Cross-checking before you commit
| Check | Where |
|---|---|
| Is the agency licensed today? | The Licensed Recruitment Agencies directory, updated every 2 hours |
| Is the job order real and active? | The Approved Job Orders list, then call the agency |
| Is the principal whitelisted? | DMW publishes whitelisted principals and whitelisted agencies inquiry pages |
| Is my OWWA cover in place? | USD $25.00, valid until the contract ends or 2 years from effectivity; see OWWA membership |
| Do I have an OEC? | Valid 2 months or 60 days, single exit; see the OEC guide |
| Am I exempt from an OEC? | See the OEC exemption guide |
The rest of the pre-departure file
| Agency | Figure | Where it is covered |
|---|---|---|
| DFA | Passport ₱950.00 regular, ₱1,200.00 expedite | New passport |
| NBI | Clearance ₱160.00, about 8 working days from abroad | NBI clearance abroad |
| OWWA | Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar, published at 1 day | PDOS |
| SSS | Contributions ₱760.00 to ₱5,280.00 a month | SSS for OFWs |
| Pag-IBIG | ₱200 a month | Pag-IBIG for OFWs |
| PSA | Viewable online copy ₱130.00, valid 60 days | PSA birth certificate |
What this page does not cover
DMW does not publish, on the pages read for this guide, the placement fee an agency may lawfully charge a worker, the penalties for illegal recruitment, the process for filing a complaint against an agency, the criteria for whitelisting a principal, or how to verify an agency’s licence by phone. None of those are stated here.
Related
The DMW job order guide covers the vacancy list, the DMW online services guide the e-registration system, and the OEC guide the exit document every deployment needs.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I check whether an agency is licensed?
- DMW publishes a Licensed Recruitment Agencies directory at dmw.gov.ph, described as a directory of DMW-licensed overseas recruitment agencies authorized to deploy Filipino workers abroad. It listed 3,794 agencies on 31 August 2026, each with a licence status such as Valid License or Expired.
- What does each listing show?
- The agency name and address, a contact person with telephone numbers, and the licence status. Results can be viewed as cards or a table and downloaded as CSV.
- How current is the list?
- The licence-status view is stamped with a date and hour and DMW states it updates every 2 hours.
- Can I be hired without an agency?
- Only in limited cases. DMW defines direct hiring as employing a worker without the assistance of a licensed recruitment agency, citing RA 10022, GBR No. 3 Series of 1994 and Memorandum Circular No. 7 Series of 2003.
- Who is allowed to hire directly?
- Four categories, cited from Article 18 of the 1974 Philippine Labor Code and reiterated in RA 8042 as amended by RA 10022, the 2016 Revised POEA Landbased Rules, and Memorandum Circular No. 8 Series of 2018: members of the diplomatic corps; international organizations such as the United Nations and ASEAN; heads of state and government officials with the rank of at least deputy minister; and other employers as may be allowed by the Administration.
- Where do direct hires process their papers?
- Through the POEA Online Processing System for Direct Hires, POPS-Direct, under POEA Advisory No. 33A Series of 2022. The OFW chooses a preferred processing site listed in POPS-Direct, which is accessible from dmw.gov.ph.
- Does DMW publish job vacancies too?
- Yes. The Approved Job Orders directory listed 134,072 job orders on 31 August 2026, browsable by jobsite and downloadable as CSV. DMW is explicit that it cannot guarantee the vacancies are still open and tells applicants in capitals to verify with the agency.
- What does deployment cost through an agency?
- DMW's published fee schedule for manual OEC payment through a landbased agency is a DMW processing fee of ₱200.00, an OWWA contribution of USD 25 and an HDMF, meaning Pag-IBIG, contribution of ₱600.00. Direct hire processing is a DMW processing fee of USD 100 in peso equivalent, USD 25 OWWA and ₱600.00 HDMF.