Quick answer

Verify two things before applying, paying, submitting original documents, or resigning from your current job:

The agency has an Active license in the Department of Migrant Workers’ Licensed Recruitment Agencies directory.
The specific land-based job appears in the DMW’s Approved Job Orders directory and matches the agency, foreign employer or principal, country, and position being offered.

An “Active” agency license does not prove that every advertisement, recruiter, or job offer using the agency’s name is genuine. Confirm the recruiter directly with the agency using the contact details in the DMW directory—not the phone number or link supplied in the advertisement.

Stop the transaction and contact the DMW if the agency is missing, expired, suspended, the details do not match, or the job order cannot be verified.

Why the DMW—not POEA—is now the authority

The Department of Migrant Workers absorbed the regulatory functions of the former Philippine Overseas Employment Administration under the Department of Migrant Workers Act, Republic Act No. 11641.

People and advertisements may still use phrases such as “POEA-licensed” or “POEA-approved job order.” For a current transaction, verify the agency and job through the DMW’s official records.

An SEC registration, DTI business name, mayor’s permit, office sign, social-media page, or foreign-company registration is not a substitute for a DMW recruitment license.

Step 1: Search the exact agency name

Open the official DMW agency directory by typing the address yourself or following a link from dmw.gov.ph.

Search the agency’s complete legal name. If the advertisement uses only a shortened name, acronym, or brand, ask for:

Complete registered agency name
DMW license number
Registered business address
Name of the agency representative
Official telephone number and email address

Compare those details with the DMW entry. The directory may display the agency’s license number, status, expiration date, address, representative, and contact information.

A matching name alone is insufficient. Scammers can copy the name, logo, license number, photographs, and job postings of a real agency.

What the license status means for an applicant

Proceed only if the current DMW record says Active and all material details match.

Expired: Do not let the agency recruit or collect money based only on a claim that renewal is pending.
Suspended: Do not transact. Republic Act No. 8042, as amended, expressly prohibits a suspended recruitment or manning agency from conducting recruitment activities, including processing pending applications.
Missing or unknown: Treat the offer as unverified. Try the exact legal name and license number, then ask the DMW to confirm.
Active but inconsistent details: Call the agency using the number in the DMW record. Do not use the number supplied by the recruiter.

Save a dated screenshot or PDF of the result, including the page address. Recheck the status immediately before paying any lawful charge and again before departure because a license can expire, be suspended, or be cancelled.

Step 2: Verify the land-based job order

An agency license authorizes the agency to operate; it does not automatically authorize every job it advertises.

Use the DMW’s Approved Job Orders directory. Search separately by:

Agency
Jobsite or destination
Position
Foreign principal or employer

The agency, employer, destination, and position should all match the offer. A job order for a different employer, occupation, or country cannot safely be treated as authority for the job being offered.

The DMW explains that its public list is drawn from remaining active job orders from the preceding two years. A listed order may later be cancelled or its vacancies may already have been filled. Therefore, confirm with the agency—and, when in doubt, the DMW—that the vacancy remains open.

If the job order is absent or materially different, do not pay or surrender original documents merely because the recruiter says that approval is “to follow,” “confidential,” or being processed under another agency.

For seafarers

A seafarer should verify that the manning agency is actively licensed and ask the DMW to confirm the relevant principal, vessel, crew requirement, and deployment processing. The land-based Approved Job Orders page may not establish a seafarer’s crew authority.

Under the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, Republic Act No. 12021, only duly licensed manning agencies may recruit or place seafarers.

Step 3: Confirm that the recruiter is authorized

Call or email the agency through the contact information shown in the DMW directory. Ask the agency to confirm in writing:

The recruiter’s full name and position
Whether that person is an employee or authorized representative
The job order involved
The official application channel
Where interviews, examinations, and payments will occur

Do not rely on a recruiter’s ID card alone. It can be fabricated or may belong to a former employee.

Recruitment should normally occur at the agency’s registered business address. Under the 2023 DMW Rules for land-based OFWs, recruitment outside that address requires the appropriate DMW authority, such as a Special Recruitment Authority or Jobs Fair Authority, depending on the activity.

For provincial recruitment, ask to see the authority and check that its:

Agency name
Date
Venue
Authorized representatives
Positions or participating employers

match the actual event. Verify it with the DMW regional office or the local Public Employment Service Office rather than accepting a photograph sent by the recruiter.

Step 4: Check the employment documents and travel plan

Before paying a placement fee that is legally chargeable, insist on a copy of the DMW-approved employment contract. Check the:

Foreign employer’s complete name
Country and exact worksite
Position and duties
Basic salary and currency
Contract duration
Work hours and rest days
Benefits, deductions, accommodation, and transportation
Termination and repatriation provisions

Do not sign blank forms or a second contract with poorer terms. Republic Act No. 8042, as amended by Republic Act No. 10022, prohibits false recruitment information, job-order reprocessing for nonexistent or different work, and contract substitution prejudicial to the worker.

Do not agree to leave on a tourist or visit visa when the real purpose is employment. A lawful direct hire, government-to-government placement, or other special program may follow a different process, but the exemption or clearance must be confirmed through the DMW. It should not rest on the recruiter’s assurance alone.

Check every payment demand

Land-based workers

Under the 2023 DMW Rules, a placement fee may generally be charged only:

In an amount equivalent to one month’s basic salary stated in the DMW-approved contract;
After the worker signs that approved contract; and
Against a BIR-registered receipt stating the date, purpose, and exact amount paid.

No placement fee may be charged to:

Domestic workers; or
Workers going to destinations where the prevailing law, policy, or practice prohibits recruitment or placement fees.

The foreign principal or employer is responsible under the rules for specified deployment costs, including the visa and stamping fee, work and residence permits, round-trip airfare, airport-to-jobsite transportation, DMW processing fee, OWWA membership fee, and any additional trade test required by the employer.

Policies may vary by worker category and destination. Ask for a written, itemized legal basis before paying anything. A “reservation,” “slot,” “processing,” “assistance,” “training package,” or “cash bond” does not become lawful merely because it is given another name.

Seafarers

Republic Act No. 12021 prohibits directly or indirectly collecting recruitment or placement fees, visa expenses, and related costs from seafarers or their families. Only limited personal-document costs identified by the law—such as a medical certificate, seafarer’s record book, passport, or similar travel document—may be charged to the seafarer.

Safe payment practices

If a payment is legally due:

Pay only to the licensed agency through its documented official channel.
Avoid personal bank accounts, personal e-wallets, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or cash delivered to an individual.
Obtain the required official receipt immediately.
Check that the receipt bears the agency’s registered name and accurately states the amount and purpose.
Keep the original receipt and a digital copy.

Red flags that should stop the transaction

Treat the offer as high-risk if any of these occurs:

The agency is absent, expired, or suspended in the DMW directory.
The job order is missing or belongs to another agency, employer, position, or country.
The recruiter refuses verification through the agency’s official DMW-listed contact details.
Recruitment occurs in a house, hotel, café, mall, or province without verifiable authority.
A travel agency, training center, immigration consultant, or informal group promises guaranteed overseas work.
The recruiter communicates only through a newly created social-media profile or encrypted messaging account.
Payment is demanded before a DMW-approved contract is signed.
Payment must be sent to a personal account or no official receipt will be issued.
The offer promises unusually high pay but gives vague duties or no identifiable employer.
The recruiter pressures you to pay immediately because a “slot” will disappear.
You are told to travel as a tourist, hide the purpose of travel, or give false answers to immigration officers.
The recruiter asks for your passport and refuses to return it.
The contract is blank, incomplete, or different from the advertised job.
The recruiter says DMW verification is unnecessary because the employer is “VIP,” “direct,” or “already abroad.”

Evidence to preserve

If something appears wrong, preserve evidence before posts, accounts, or messages disappear:

Screenshots showing the complete profile name, account URL, post date, and advertisement
Chat exports, text messages, emails, and email headers
Call logs and any lawful recordings
Agency and recruiter names, claimed license numbers, IDs, and business cards
Job-order documents and employment contracts
Receipts, deposit slips, bank or e-wallet references, and account names
Photographs of the office, interview venue, and signage
Copies of passports or documents surrendered
Names and contact details of witnesses or other applicants
A written timeline identifying dates, places, promises, payments, and people involved

Keep originals, create backups, and do not edit the source files. Do not surrender your only copy of evidence without a receiving acknowledgment.

How to report a suspicious agency or offer

Contact the DMW before sending more money or traveling. Its official contact page lists Hotline 1348 and current office information.

The DMW’s February 2026 public warning also identifies these Anti-Illegal Recruitment and Trafficking in Persons channels:

(02) 8722-1144
(02) 8722-1155
(02) 8721-0619
airtipinfo@dmw.gov.ph
The official DMW Anti-Illegal Recruitment and Trafficking in Persons Program Facebook page

If money was just transferred, immediately ask the bank or e-wallet provider to flag the transaction and preserve the account records. Report threats, detention, document confiscation, trafficking, or immediate danger to law enforcement. If already abroad, contact the nearest Migrant Workers Office, Philippine Embassy, or Consulate.

A hotline call or email report may not by itself commence a formal administrative or criminal case. Ask the receiving office whether you must file a Request for Assistance, undergo conciliation, submit a sworn complaint, or make a separate report to prosecutors or law enforcement.

Under the 2026 DMW Rules of Procedure, covered administrative cases generally must be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrued. Under Republic Act No. 8042, illegal-recruitment crimes generally prescribe in five years, or twenty years when economic sabotage is involved. Other claims or offenses may have different deadlines, so report promptly and obtain advice based on the documents and dates.

Why an active license does not excuse illegal conduct

Illegal recruitment and prohibited recruitment practices may be committed by an unlicensed person or by a licensed agency. An active license is therefore the beginning—not the end—of verification.

Under Republic Act No. 8042 as amended by Republic Act No. 10022:

Ordinary illegal recruitment is punishable by imprisonment of 12 years and one day to 20 years and a fine of ₱1 million to ₱2 million.
Illegal recruitment constituting economic sabotage is punishable by life imprisonment and a fine of ₱2 million to ₱5 million.
Other prohibited acts specified by the law are punishable by imprisonment of six years and one day to 12 years and a fine of ₱500,000 to ₱1 million.

Illegal recruitment is considered economic sabotage when committed by a syndicate of at least three conspirators or in large scale against at least three victims. Criminal liability and the applicable penalty must still be established through the proper legal process.

When help is urgent

Seek immediate DMW and law-enforcement assistance when:

Departure on a tourist visa is imminent;
Your passport or other original documents are being withheld;
You are threatened, confined, monitored, or prevented from leaving;
A child or person under 18 is being recruited;
Several applicants appear to be victims of the same operation;
You are being transported to an undisclosed location;
The actual employer, country, or job suddenly changes;
You are instructed to lie to immigration authorities; or
The recruiter is demanding an immediate transfer that may be difficult to recover.

Your safety is more important than confronting the recruiter or attempting to gather additional evidence alone.

Frequently asked questions

Is a screenshot of an agency’s license enough?

No. Verify the agency directly in the live DMW directory. A screenshot may be old, altered, or copied from a legitimate agency.

Is an Active license enough to prove the job is legitimate?

No. Verify the job order, foreign employer, destination, position, recruiter, contract, and travel documentation separately.

What if the agency is Active but the job order is not listed?

Do not pay or proceed until the agency and the DMW confirm the legal basis for the recruitment. A claimed pending approval is not the same as an approved job order.

Can a recruiter collect a reservation fee before contract signing?

A charge cannot evade the rules merely by being called a reservation fee. For land-based workers, any lawful placement fee may be collected only after signing the DMW-approved contract and must comply with the fee ceiling, exceptions, and receipt requirement.

Can a licensed agency recruit through Facebook or messaging apps?

An agency may advertise or communicate online, but the account itself proves nothing. Confirm the post and recruiter using the contact information in the DMW directory, then verify the job order.

Is a direct-hire offer automatically illegal?

Not necessarily. Some direct hires are exempted or otherwise processed under DMW rules, and government-to-government programs do not depend on a private recruitment agency. Ask the DMW to verify the applicable exemption, clearance, employer, contract, and deployment process.

What if the agency says its license renewal is pending?

Do not treat a pending renewal as an Active license. Wait for the official DMW record or obtain direct written confirmation from the DMW before transacting.

Should I give the agency my original passport?

An agency may need to inspect or process documents at appropriate stages, but obtain a written acknowledgment for any original surrendered. Withholding travel documents for unauthorized reasons or monetary pressure is prohibited. Report a refusal to return your passport immediately.

Official sources

This article provides general legal information, not advice for a particular case. Agency status, job orders, destination rules, and procedures can change; verify current records directly with the DMW. Sources checked as of August 2, 2026.