Quick answer

Verify the agency directly in the Department of Migrant Workers’ Licensed Recruitment Agencies directory. Search the agency’s exact legal name and confirm that its current status is “Valid License” or another status that the DMW expressly confirms as presently authorized.

Then separately check the specific position, employer, and destination in the DMW’s Approved Job Orders database. A valid agency license does not automatically make every job advertisement, recruiter, social-media account, or payment request legitimate.

Stop and contact the DMW before paying, submitting original documents, or arranging travel if:

The agency is not found.
Its status is expired, suspended, cancelled, revoked, or otherwise not currently valid.
The address, contact person, employer, country, or position does not match the DMW record.
The specific job order cannot be confirmed.
The recruiter wants payment through a personal bank account, e-wallet, remittance service, cryptocurrency wallet, or informal meetup.

A photograph or photocopy of a license is not sufficient. Verify against the live DMW record yourself.

Who licenses overseas recruitment agencies?

The DMW regulates recruitment, employment, and deployment of overseas Filipino workers. It absorbed the regulatory functions formerly exercised by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration under Republic Act No. 11641.

For land-based OFWs, a recruitment agency must have authority from the DMW. Seafarers are ordinarily recruited through licensed manning agencies under separate sea-based rules. Government-to-government hiring and authorized direct hiring follow different DMW procedures.

A business registration from the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Trade and Industry, local government, or Bureau of Internal Revenue is not a substitute for a DMW recruitment license.

Step-by-step verification

1. Search the official DMW directory

Go directly to:

DMW Licensed Recruitment Agencies

Avoid search-engine advertisements or links sent by the recruiter. Check that the web address ends in dmw.gov.ph.

Search the agency’s complete corporate or business name. Compare the result with the advertisement, contract, receipt, email signature, and social-media page. Small differences matter because scammers may imitate a licensed agency’s name, logo, or license details.

Check all information displayed, including:

Exact agency name
Current license status
License expiration date
Registered office address
Authorized representative or contact person
Official telephone numbers and email address
Agency classification or services
License number, if displayed

The mere appearance of a name in the directory is not enough because the database may also contain agencies with expired or adverse statuses. The decisive point is whether the DMW currently identifies the agency as authorized.

If the listing says “Valid License – Provisional” or similar, verify the scope of that authority. Under the 2023 DMW Rules for land-based OFWs, an agency holding only a provisional license may not deploy domestic workers during the provisional period.

2. Verify the person contacting you

Call or email the agency using the contact details in the DMW directory—not the number or email supplied by the recruiter.

Ask the agency to confirm in writing:

The recruiter’s full name and position
The recruiter’s mobile number and email address
The social-media page or messaging account being used
The foreign employer or principal
The country and jobsite
The position offered
Whether the agency has an active job order
Where applications and payments, if any, must be submitted

A licensed agency’s identity can be stolen. Confirmation must come through an independently obtained official channel.

A license also cannot simply be “borrowed” by another company, travel agency, consultancy, training center, or individual recruiter. The authority belongs to the named license holder and is subject to its approved address, personnel, and activities.

3. Check the approved job order

Use the official:

DMW Approved Job Orders database

Search by agency, foreign principal or employer, country or jobsite, and position. The details should match the offer being made to you.

The DMW explains that its public list is drawn from active job orders from the preceding two years and reflects remaining positions after workers already submitted for processing are deducted. A listed job may already have been filled, while the absence of a result may require further DMW verification rather than an immediate conclusion.

Accordingly:

A listed job order does not guarantee that a vacancy remains open.
A valid agency cannot use one employer’s job order to recruit for a different employer or job.
A job-order number or screenshot supplied by a recruiter must still be independently checked.
If the offer does not appear, do not pay or travel until the DMW confirms it.

Under the 2023 rules, an approved land-based job order is generally valid for three years. Its continued existence does not necessarily mean that positions are still available.

4. Confirm the recruitment location

Recruitment should ordinarily occur at the agency’s registered office or authorized branch.

For recruitment elsewhere, the agency may need:

A Special Recruitment Authority for recruitment outside its registered address
A Job Fair Authority for an authorized jobs fair
A Letter of Authority when the foreign principal, employer, or representative participates in screening or selection

The authority is limited to the approved date, venue, and activity. Ask to see it and confirm it with the DMW or the relevant DMW regional office. A meeting at a hotel, restaurant, private residence, coworking space, or provincial venue is not automatically legitimate merely because the recruiter names a licensed agency.

5. Examine the advertisement and contract

The foreign employer should recruit through a licensed agency or an authorized DMW channel. Before paying anything, obtain a readable employment contract and check that it identifies:

The actual foreign employer
Worksite and destination country
Position and duties
Basic salary and benefits
Contract period
Working hours and rest days
Accommodation and transportation arrangements
Grounds and procedures for termination
Repatriation obligations

The contract offered to you should be the contract approved or processed by the DMW. Do not sign blank pages, incomplete forms, or a second contract containing less favorable terms.

An advertisement marked “for manpower pooling only” does not represent a confirmed current vacancy. Under the DMW rules, an approved manpower-pooling advertisement must state that no fee will be collected from applicants and must identify the agency, prospective or accredited employer, worksite, and qualifications.

6. Check whether the requested fees are lawful

For land-based agency hires, the general rule under the 2023 DMW Rules is:

When a placement fee is legally allowed, it cannot exceed one month’s basic salary stated in the DMW-approved contract.
It may be collected only after the worker signs the DMW-approved contract.
The agency must issue a BIR-registered receipt showing the date, purpose, and exact amount.
No placement fee may be charged to domestic workers.
No placement fee may be charged for destinations where the applicable law, policy, or established practice prohibits it.
Compulsory insurance premiums must be paid by the recruitment agency, not passed on to the agency-hired worker.

Employer-paid items generally include the visa, work and residence permits, round-trip airfare, transportation from the airport to the jobsite, DMW processing fee, OWWA membership fee, and any additional trade assessment required by the employer.

Rules may vary because of destination-country laws, bilateral arrangements, or worker category. If the agency claims an exception, ask the DMW to confirm it before paying.

Payment through a personal account or informal channel is a serious warning sign. Legitimate payments should be traceable to the licensed agency and supported by the proper receipt.

7. Verify the migration process

A legitimate overseas job should follow the DMW documentation process. Be especially cautious if instructed to:

Leave on a tourist or visit visa and “convert it later”
Bypass DMW processing
Depart without the required Overseas Employment Certificate or OFW clearance
Misstate the purpose of travel to immigration authorities
Use documents naming a different employer, position, or country
Surrender a passport as security for payment

The required visa and processing route depend on the country and worker category. Ask the DMW to verify the route when anything is unclear.

Common red flags

Pause the transaction if you encounter any of these signs:

“Guaranteed” deployment without a proper application or interview
Pressure to pay immediately because only a few slots allegedly remain
A recruiter who refuses to provide the agency’s exact legal name
An agency name that is merely similar to a licensed agency
An expired or suspended agency claiming that renewal is “already being processed”
A copied license, job order, contract, or DMW logo
Communication conducted only through a newly created social-media profile
Requests for payment to an individual rather than the licensed agency
Recruitment at an unregistered venue without verifiable authority
A position or employer different from the approved job order
Fees collected before a DMW-approved contract is signed
Refusal to issue a BIR-registered receipt
Forced use of a particular lender, clinic, or training provider
Withholding of a passport or other travel documents
Contract substitution after signing
Instructions to travel as a tourist or conceal the planned employment

One irregularity does not automatically establish a crime, but it is enough reason to stop and seek official verification.

What to preserve if you suspect a scam

Keep the original evidence in its existing form. Preserve:

Advertisement URLs and screenshots showing the date and account name
Complete chat histories, emails, voice messages, and call logs
Social-media profile links and usernames
Telephone numbers and email addresses
Contracts, application forms, licenses, job-order documents, and identification shown
Receipts, deposit slips, bank records, e-wallet transaction numbers, and account details
Names and descriptions of the people involved
Meeting dates, locations, and witnesses
Passport or document handover records
A chronological written account of what happened

Do not edit screenshots or delete messages. Back up the evidence in a secure location. If money was transferred, immediately notify the bank, e-wallet provider, or remittance company and request preservation or possible restriction of the transaction.

How to ask the DMW for confirmation or report a recruiter

For general verification, use the DMW contact page, call the DMW hotline at 1348, or contact the appropriate DMW regional office.

For suspected illegal recruitment or assistance with filing a case, contact the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau:

Telephone: (02) 8721-0619
Email: mwpb@dmw.gov.ph
Anti-illegal recruitment reports: airtipinfo@dmw.gov.ph

The DMW may receive a written, sworn report or complaint and provides free legal assistance to victims, including advice and help preparing complaints and supporting documents.

Seek help urgently if money has already been transferred, your passport is being withheld, departure is imminent, you are being told to use a tourist visa, several applicants appear to be affected, or threats, coercion, confinement, or possible trafficking are involved. If there is immediate danger, contact local law enforcement in addition to the DMW.

Why verification matters legally

Under Republic Act No. 8042, as amended by Republic Act No. 10022, recruiting or promising overseas employment without the required license or authority may constitute illegal recruitment.

A licensed agency or its personnel may also incur liability for specified acts, including excessive fees, false job information, misuse of job orders, prejudicial contract substitution, withholding travel documents, unjustified non-deployment, or failure to reimburse applicable expenses when deployment fails without the worker’s fault.

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 involving economic sabotage carries life imprisonment and a fine of ₱2 million to ₱5 million. It constitutes economic sabotage when committed by a syndicate of three or more cooperating offenders or in large scale against three or more victims.

Illegal-recruitment cases generally prescribe in five years; cases involving economic sabotage prescribe in 20 years. Other criminal, administrative, labor, civil, or trafficking claims may have different deadlines, so victims should obtain advice promptly rather than rely on the longest possible period.

Important exceptions

Direct hires

The absence of a recruitment agency does not necessarily mean an offer is illegal. Certain workers may be processed as authorized direct hires, including workers hired by international organizations, members of the diplomatic corps, name hires, and other categories allowed by the DMW.

Direct hiring is generally restricted, however. A claimed exemption must still be confirmed and processed through the DMW. An employer’s statement that “no agency is needed” is not enough.

Government-to-government hiring

Some workers are recruited directly through official DMW government-placement programs. Verify the program and vacancy through the DMW rather than looking for a private-agency license.

Seafarers

Seafarers should verify the licensed manning agency, foreign principal or shipowner, enrolled vessel, and applicable crew order with the DMW. Sea-based recruitment is governed by the 2026 DMW Rules for Sea-Based OFWs, effective 2 July 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is an agency safe simply because its name appears in the DMW directory?

No. Check the current status, expiration date, address, representative, and specific job order. Scammers may impersonate a valid agency, and licensed agencies can still commit prohibited acts.

What if the agency says its expired license is being renewed?

Do not rely on that statement. Pause all transactions until the live DMW record shows current authority or the DMW directly confirms a valid extension applicable to the agency.

Is a Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp, or Messenger offer valid?

The platform does not determine validity. Independently contact the agency through the telephone number or email in the DMW record and confirm the account, recruiter, and job order.

What if the job order is not shown online?

Do not pay or arrange travel. Because the public database may not resolve every timing or data issue, ask the DMW to confirm the employer, position, jobsite, and available job-order balance.

Can the agency collect an application or reservation fee?

The DMW rules do not allow agencies to invent fees. A lawful placement fee, where permitted, is subject to the one-month limit, timing rules, and receipt requirement. Manpower-pooling applicants must not be charged a fee.

Is a license certificate sent by the recruiter enough?

No. Certificates and screenshots can be outdated or altered. Verify the live DMW record and independently contact the agency and DMW.

Can a licensed agency commit illegal recruitment?

Yes. The law covers specified unlawful acts by licensees as well as recruitment by unlicensed persons. Whether particular conduct is criminal, administrative, or both depends on the evidence and applicable proceedings.

Official references

This article provides general legal information, not individualized legal advice. Agency status, job orders, deployment rules, and official contact channels can change. Sources and procedures were checked as of 7 August 2026; verify the live DMW records before acting.