Work Visa Requirements: What DMW Actually Controls
Department of Migrant Workers · employment
Quick answer
A work visa is issued by the destination country, not by DMW, and DMW publishes no visa requirements per country. What DMW does control and publish is the licensed agency, the approved job order, e-registration and the OEC, which is valid 60 days for a single exit.
Last verified
Where these figures come from
About these figures: the numbers below come from DMW's official published sources: 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); Department of Migrant Workers | Licensed Recruitment Agencies (https://dmw.gov.ph/inquiry/licensed-recruitment-agencies, 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.
There is a clean division here worth stating first: the visa is the host country’s decision, and DMW publishes nothing about it. What DMW publishes, and what this page covers, is everything on the Philippine side of the exit.
DMW does not publish per-country work visa requirements on the pages read for this guide. No country’s visa rules are stated here.
What DMW does control
| Control point | What DMW publishes |
|---|---|
| The agency | A directory of 3,794 licensed recruitment agencies, each with a status of Valid License or Expired, updated every 2 hours |
| The job | 134,072 approved job orders, with jobsite, position, agency, principal, accreditation and workers needed |
| Direct hiring | Lawful only for 4 categories of employer, processed through POPS-Direct |
| Registration | E-registration, which issues the reference number for encoding the OEC |
| The exit document | The OEC, valid 2 months or 60 days, usable once for a single exit |
| Returning workers | POPS-BaM, to secure an OEC and verify employment before going back abroad |
The OEC, in law
Under Section 35 of the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, RA 8042, the OEC serves as:
| # | Function |
|---|---|
| 1 | A travel exit pass |
| 2 | An exemption certificate from travel tax and airport terminal fee |
| 3 | The worker’s guarantee of government protection and benefits |
The OEC guide covers it, and the OEC exemption guide who does not need one.
Who may be hired without an agency
| # | Category |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Cited from Article 18 of the 1974 Philippine Labor Code, reiterated in RA 8042 as amended by RA 10022, the 2016 Revised POEA Landbased Rules, and Memorandum Circular No. 8, Series of 2018. Direct hiring itself is defined under RA 10022, GBR No. 3, Series of 1994 and Memorandum Circular No. 7, Series of 2003.
The Philippine-side cost by route
| 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 documents other agencies charge for
| Document | Published fee | Where it is covered |
|---|---|---|
| Philippine passport, regular | ₱950.00 | New passport |
| Philippine passport, expedite | ₱1,200.00 | Passport renewal |
| NBI clearance | ₱160.00 including the ₱30.00 e-payment fee | NBI clearance requirements |
| NBI clearance from abroad | ₱160.00, about 8 working days | NBI clearance abroad |
| PSA birth certificate, viewable online copy | ₱130.00, valid 60 days | PSA birth certificate |
| PSA marriage certificate | ₱130.00 | PSA marriage certificate |
| PSA CENOMAR | ₱185.00 | PSA CENOMAR |
| DFA apostille, regular | ₱100.00, released after 5 working days | Apostille and red ribbon |
| DFA apostille, expedited | ₱200.00, released after 2 working days | Apostille and red ribbon |
| OWWA membership | USD $25.00, valid until the contract ends or 2 years | OWWA membership |
| BIR TIN | Free; the card free on first issue | TIN registration |
A worker assembling a passport, an NBI clearance and one PSA birth certificate carries ₱1,240.00 before DMW’s own fee. That is arithmetic on three agencies’ published figures.
Documents a foreign employer usually wants authenticated
DFA’s apostille list names the pre-apostille step for each document class, and this is where a work-visa file most often stalls.
| Document | What DFA requires first |
|---|---|
| NBI clearance | The original with dry seal, verifiable online; a personal copy is not accepted |
| PSA birth, marriage, CENOMAR | Ordered through PSA Helpline, with QR entries matching the document |
| Diploma and transcript, private college | Certified true copies plus a CAV from CHED |
| Diploma and transcript, state university | Certified true copies and a CAV from the school itself |
| Technical or vocational certificate | Certified true copies plus a CAV from TESDA |
| PRC documents | Originals, or certified true copies from PRC |
| Medical certificate for employment | A DOH stamp per document |
| Certificate of employment | A notarised affidavit plus a CANA from the Regional Trial Court |
| Driver’s licence | A certification with receipt from LTO |
The apostille guide has all 21 document classes.
Pre-departure training
| Programme | Published total |
|---|---|
| PDOS, in-house | 1 day |
| CPDEP, Comprehensive Pre-Departure Education Program | 16 days |
| Recognition of PDOS providers | 5 days, fee None |
The PDOS guide covers the seminar.
What this page does not cover
DMW does not publish, on the pages read for this guide, work visa requirements for any destination country, embassy contact details for visa applications, visa fees, medical examination requirements or accredited clinics, or the processing time for a foreign work visa. None of those are stated here, and the destination country’s embassy is the authority on all of them.
Related
The recruitment agencies guide covers verifying an agency, the job order guide the vacancy list, and the OEC guide the exit document DMW actually issues.
Frequently asked questions
- Does DMW issue work visas?
- No. A work visa is issued by the destination country. DMW publishes no per-country visa requirement list on the pages read for this guide, so none is stated here. What DMW controls is the Philippine side: the agency licence, the approved job order, e-registration and the OEC.
- What does DMW require before I can leave?
- An Overseas Employment Certificate. It is valid for 2 months or 60 days from the date it was issued and can be used once, for a single exit from the Philippines. Under Section 35 of RA 8042 it is a travel exit pass, an exemption certificate from travel tax and airport terminal fee, and the worker's guarantee of government protection and benefits.
- How do I know an overseas job offer is real?
- Check two DMW directories. Licensed Recruitment Agencies listed 3,794 agencies with a status of Valid License or Expired, updated every 2 hours. Approved Job Orders listed 134,072 job orders. DMW tells applicants in capitals to verify with the agency whether a job order is still active.
- Can I be hired without an agency?
- Only in four cases: 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. Processing runs through POPS-Direct under POEA Advisory No. 33A Series of 2022.
- What does the Philippine side cost?
- By route: direct hire, a DMW processing fee of USD 100 in peso equivalent plus USD 25 OWWA and ₱600.00 HDMF; government-to-government for KSA, Korea or Taiwan, USD 50 plus the same; manual OEC through a landbased agency, ₱200.00 plus the same; and a Balik-Manggagawa OEC at a DMW regional office at a total standard fee of None.
- What documents will I need from other agencies?
- A Philippine passport at ₱950.00 regular or ₱1,200.00 expedite; an NBI clearance at ₱160.00 including the e-payment fee; OWWA membership at USD $25.00; PSA civil registry documents at ₱130.00 for a viewable online copy; and, where a foreign employer wants documents authenticated, a DFA apostille at ₱100.00 regular.
- Do I need a medical examination?
- Employers and destination countries commonly require one, but DMW does not publish a medical examination requirement, clinic list or fee on the pages read for this guide. Nothing about it is stated here.
- What about pre-departure training?
- OWWA runs the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar, published at a total of 1 day, and the Comprehensive Pre-Departure Education Program at 16 days. Both are covered under OWWA membership.