Working Abroad: Checking Agencies, the OFW Pass, and Fake Recruiters

Who Does What

Before You Sign: Check the Agency

1. Check the license. The DMW publishes a list of licensed agencies on its website. Search the exact registered name, and check that the license is valid and not suspended, cancelled or revoked. A Facebook page, a "branch" or a person using an agency's name is not proof.
2. Check the job order. Ask the agency for the job order or the approved position, and check it with the DMW. A real agency recruits only for jobs it has approved orders for.
3. Deal at the agency's registered office. Be careful with recruiters who meet you only in malls, coffee shops or chat apps.
4. Get Official Receipts for every payment, showing what it was for.
5. Read the contract before departure. It should match what you were promised: employer, job, salary, hours and benefits. Keep your own copy.

Rules on placement fees depend on the job and the country. For some workers, including household service workers, the rules say the agency may not charge a placement fee at all. Ask the DMW what your agency may lawfully charge before you pay.

The Exit Clearance: OEC and the OFW Pass

The Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) is the DMW's exit clearance. It shows that your overseas job is properly registered. You present it to immigration when you leave. The OEC also exempts OFWs from the travel tax and the airport terminal fee.

• New hires deployed through an agency get their exit clearance through the agency after the contract is processed and the required seminars are done.
• Returning workers (Balik-Manggagawa) now use the OFW Pass, the DMW's digital exit clearance. The DMW announced in 2025 that it is generated in the government's eGovPH app: register, go to the national government agencies section, choose DMW, then Balik-Manggagawa, and generate the Pass. It shows a QR code you present on departure.
• The DMW said in 2023 that OECs for Balik-Manggagawa workers are free.

The DMW's systems have changed several times since 2023, from the old BM Online to the DMW Mobile App to eGovPH. Check the DMW's latest advisory before your flight, and if the app fails, the DMW and MWO offices can still help you in person.

Balik-Manggagawa: Returning Workers

A Balik-Manggagawa (BM) is an OFW who has served or is serving an overseas contract and is going back to work, usually to the same employer. BM workers do not go through an agency again for the same employer. If your contract has ended or you have a new employer, update your employer and job site details in the system first. A new employer may also need to have the contract verified by the MWO.

If you are switching to a new employer you found yourself (a "direct hire" or "name hire"), different rules apply, and direct hiring is limited by law. Ask the DMW before you resign from your current job.

OWWA Membership

Under the OWWA Act, Republic Act No. 10801 (RA 10801):

• You become a member when your contract is processed by the DMW, or by registering voluntarily at the job site or online.
• The contribution is US$25 (or its peso equivalent), and the law says it must be paid by the employer or principal (the foreign employer the agency recruits for), not the worker.
• Membership lasts until your contract ends or two years, whichever comes first. Renew it when you sign a new contract.

Active members and their families can use OWWA's welfare programs, such as help getting home, insurance, and education and livelihood programs. Check OWWA for the current list.

Illegal Recruitment: Red Flags and Where to Report

Under the Migrant Workers Act, Republic Act No. 8042 as amended by RA 10022, illegal recruitment includes any recruiting, promising or advertising of jobs abroad by someone without a license. It also covers acts by licensed agencies, such as charging more than the allowed fees, giving false information or documents, or withholding your passport for money. Done by a group of three or more, or against three or more people, it is treated as economic sabotage (a more serious crime) with heavier penalties.

Red flags:

• the recruiter or agency is not on the DMW's list of licensed agencies;
• you are asked to pay large fees before any contract, job order or medical exam, or to pay into a personal account;
• you are told to leave on a tourist visa and "convert" it to a work visa abroad;
• you are asked to say you are a tourist at the airport, or to leave through a "backdoor" route;
• the job offer is too good: high pay, no experience needed, departure within days; and
• the recruiter keeps your passport.

Where to report: the DMW (its anti-illegal recruitment unit and hotline), any DMW or DOLE regional office, the police or the NBI. Keep every receipt, message and name. Victims can also file a criminal complaint with the prosecutor. The Public Attorney's Office helps people who qualify.