Quick answer

Verify the agency directly through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW)—not through a license image, social-media badge, SEC registration, or the recruiter’s assurances.

Before submitting sensitive documents, signing a contract, or paying anything:

Search the agency’s exact legal name in the DMW’s Licensed Recruitment Agencies directory.
Proceed only if the current status is Valid License.
Match the listed address, contact details, and responsible officer with the people and office handling your application.
Independently call the agency using the number in the DMW directory and ask whether the recruiter, social-media account, branch, and job advertisement are genuinely theirs.
For a land-based position, check the DMW’s Approved Job Orders and confirm with the agency that the order remains active.
Verify the contract, employer, work visa, fees, and payment instructions before proceeding.

A valid agency license is only the first check. It does not prove that every advertisement, recruiter, Facebook page, payment request, or job supposedly connected with that agency is legitimate.

Why the DMW record controls

Under Republic Act No. 11641, a recruitment agency is an entity licensed by the DMW to recruit and place land-based overseas Filipino workers. A manning agency is similarly licensed to recruit and place seafarers.

The following are not substitutes for a DMW license:

SEC incorporation or partnership papers
DTI business-name registration
A mayor’s or barangay permit
BIR registration
A website or verified social-media page
Membership in an industry association
A photograph or photocopy of a license
A foreign recruitment or immigration-consultancy license

Those documents may show that a business exists, but they do not by themselves authorize overseas recruitment in the Philippines.

Under the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act, as amended by Republic Act No. 10022, illegal recruitment can include advertising, referring, promising, or procuring overseas employment by a non-licensee. Certain acts—such as false job information, excessive charges, contract substitution, or recruitment by a suspended agency—may also be unlawful when committed by a licensed agency or its personnel.

Step 1: Search the exact legal name

Open the DMW’s Licensed Recruitment Agencies directory and enter the agency’s full name.

Be exact. Scammers often use:

A name differing by one word, letter, or punctuation mark
An old name previously used by a legitimate agency
The name of a canceled or expired agency
A “sister company,” affiliate, or supposed provincial partner
A logo copied from a real agency
A shortened trade name that conceals the legal entity receiving payment

If several similar names appear, compare every identifying detail. Do not assume that the first result is the business contacting you.

Step 2: Read the current status—not merely the fact that a record exists

The DMW directory includes agencies whose current status may not permit recruitment. Finding the name is therefore not enough.

Proceed only when the live DMW record shows Valid License. Stop and seek direct DMW confirmation if the status is:

Expired
Canceled or revoked
Suspended or preventively suspended
Otherwise restricted
Missing, unclear, or inconsistent with the recruiter’s claim

A suspended agency is prohibited from continuing recruitment activities, including processing pending applications. Do not accept “renewal is pending,” “the website has not been updated,” or “we are using another company’s license” as an explanation. Ask the DMW to confirm the agency’s present authority.

Take a screenshot showing the result, page address, status, and date checked. Because status can change, repeat the check before paying, signing the final contract, and departing.

Step 3: Match the agency’s identity and office

Compare the DMW record with the recruiter’s information:

Exact agency name
Registered address
Telephone numbers
Email address, if listed
Proprietor, president, or responsible officer
License status

A DMW license is not freely transferable. Another business, recruiter, travel agency, or “partner” cannot lawfully borrow it.

Transactions should ordinarily take place at the agency’s registered office or an authorized branch. If recruitment is happening at a hotel, mall, café, rented room, school, local-government venue, job fair, or provincial site, ask for the applicable DMW authority, such as authority for the branch or special recruitment activity. Verify that authority directly with the DMW; do not rely only on a document shown by the organizer.

If the address differs from the DMW listing, pause the transaction even if the office displays the agency’s logo.

Step 4: Verify the individual recruiter and online account

A scammer can impersonate a legitimate agency or employee. The agency’s valid license does not automatically authorize everyone who claims to represent it.

Use the telephone number published in the DMW directory—not the number supplied in the advertisement—to ask:

Is this person an acknowledged officer, employee, or authorized representative?
Is this mobile number or email address used by the agency?
Is the Facebook, TikTok, Messenger, Telegram, WhatsApp, or Viber account official?
Did the agency publish the particular advertisement?
Is the meeting place an authorized office or recruitment venue?
Is the stated payment channel owned or officially used by the agency?
Is the position still available?

Ask for confirmation in writing when possible. A social-media verification badge only concerns the platform’s account; it is not a DMW license and does not establish that a particular job offer is approved.

Never give an OTP, banking password, e-wallet PIN, or remote access to your phone. Avoid sending a complete passport scan, birth certificate, government IDs, or a signature specimen until the recipient has been independently verified and the documents are genuinely required.

Step 5: Verify the actual job—not just the agency

For land-based work

Search the DMW’s Approved Job Orders. Match the following:

Recruitment agency
Foreign principal or employer
Country of destination
Position or job category
Number of workers requested, where shown

The DMW portal itself advises applicants to confirm with the agency whether a listed job order is still active. An approved order may already be filled, withdrawn, expired, or unavailable even though it remains visible in a record.

A licensed agency should not recruit you for a land-based position for which it has no applicable job order or authority. Treat explanations such as “the order will follow after payment” or “we will use another position for documentation” as serious warning signs. Republic Act No. 10022 specifically addresses reprocessing through nonexistent, different, or mismatched job orders.

For sea-based work

Confirm that the company is a licensed manning agency. Ask the DMW to verify the relevant principal or shipowner, vessel enrollment, position, and processing authority under the 2026 DMW Rules for Sea-Based OFWs.

Under the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, only duly licensed manning agencies may recruit and place overseas seafarers.

Step 6: Check the contract, visa, and payment demand

Before paying:

Obtain a readable employment contract identifying the real foreign employer, position, workplace, salary, benefits, contract period, and other material terms.
Compare the contract with the advertisement and job order.
Confirm that the visa is appropriate for employment—not a tourist or visit visa.
Ask for an itemized, written explanation of every amount demanded.
Pay only through an independently verified agency channel.
Obtain an official receipt issued in the agency’s exact licensed name.
Keep your own copy of everything you sign.

Do not sign blank forms, incomplete contracts, undated acknowledgments, or documents describing a payment as a “loan” when it is really a recruitment charge. Never agree to a different job title merely to obtain documents more quickly.

Allowable charges for land-based workers depend on the worker’s category, destination-country rules, applicable agreements, and DMW regulations. Some workers may not lawfully be charged a placement fee. Confirm the rule for your case with the DMW rather than accepting a recruiter’s one-month-salary formula as universally applicable.

For overseas seafarers, Republic Act No. 12021 prohibits recruitment or placement fees and visa-related costs from being charged directly or indirectly to the seafarer or the family. The law permits the seafarer to bear only specified personal-document costs, such as a medical certificate, seafarer’s record book, passport, or similar travel documents.

Even a legally chargeable amount should not be paid without the required contract and an official receipt.

What a valid license does—and does not—prove

Check	What it establishes	What it does not establish
DMW status is Valid License	The named entity presently appears authorized to operate	That the person contacting you represents it
Address matches	You may be dealing with the registered office	That an outside meeting or provincial activity is authorized
Recruiter is confirmed by the agency	The individual is connected with the agency	That the particular job is approved and available
Job order matches	The agency has DMW authority connected with the stated land-based job	That the vacancy remains active or that you have been selected
Contract matches the offer	The written terms reflect the represented job	That the visa and deployment documents are already approved
Official receipt is issued	There is evidence of payment to the named entity	That the charge itself was legally allowable

Complete all applicable checks. One positive result does not cure a failure in another.

Warning signs that justify stopping immediately

Be especially cautious when:

The agency cannot be found in the DMW directory.
Its status is not Valid License.
The recruiter refuses independent confirmation through the listed office.
The advertisement uses a slightly altered agency name.
The position or employer does not match an approved job order.
Payment is demanded before a valid contract is provided.
Money must be sent to a recruiter’s personal bank or e-wallet account.
No official receipt will be issued.
Recruitment happens entirely through private messages.
You are told to leave using a tourist or visit visa.
The recruiter guarantees a visa, departure date, or employment without normal processing.
You are told not to contact the DMW, embassy, employer, or agency head office.
Your passport or original documents are withheld.
The contract changes after signing.
You are pressured to pay immediately because the “slot closes today.”
A travel agency, training center, language school, or visa consultant promises employment without showing its own DMW recruitment authority.
You are instructed to recruit relatives or friends as a condition of receiving a job.

A low fee—or no immediate fee—does not prove legitimacy. Some schemes first collect personal information, recruit additional victims, or wait until travel is imminent before demanding money.

Evidence to preserve

If anything appears suspicious, save evidence before blocking the account or confronting the recruiter:

Screenshots of advertisements, profiles, posts, comments, and messages
Full page links, usernames, account IDs, and dates
Email messages with header information
Mobile numbers and call logs
Names, photographs, identification cards, and business cards used by recruiters
Bank-account and e-wallet names, numbers, QR codes, and transaction references
Receipts and written payment instructions
Contracts, application forms, job offers, visas, itineraries, and medical or training referrals
The address and photographs of the recruitment site
Copies of the displayed license or authority
Names and contact details of other applicants or witnesses
A chronological account of what was promised, paid, signed, and surrendered

Keep original electronic files when possible. Do not edit screenshots. Store a backup somewhere the recruiter cannot access. Avoid publicly posting unredacted passports, addresses, signatures, or financial information.

What to do if the information does not match

Stop paying and do not surrender additional documents.
Contact the legitimate agency through the number in the DMW directory to report possible impersonation.
Ask the DMW to verify the agency, recruiter, venue, job order, and payment request.
If money was transferred, immediately notify the bank or e-wallet provider, give the transaction reference, and ask what fraud-preservation or recovery measures remain available.
Preserve all evidence and prepare a written chronology.
Report the matter promptly to the DMW Migrant Workers Protection Bureau or the nearest DMW regional office.

The DMW’s current Contact Us page lists the emergency hotline 1348. The Migrant Workers Protection Bureau may also be contacted at (+63 2) 8721-0619 or mwpb@dmw.gov.ph for legal assistance and case-filing support. Consult the current contact page before relying on a number copied elsewhere.

Victims may file a written, sworn report or complaint, and DMW rules provide for legal assistance in preparing complaints and supporting documents. The appropriate criminal, administrative, labor, civil, cybercrime, or trafficking remedy depends on what occurred, who was involved, and whether money, documents, travel, or employment were already affected.

Illegal-recruitment cases generally prescribe in five years, while cases involving economic sabotage generally prescribe in twenty years. Do not treat those periods as reasons to wait: evidence, accounts, funds, and witnesses can disappear quickly, and the computation of a legal deadline may depend on the facts.

If departure is imminent, a passport is being withheld, threats or coercion are involved, or the proposed trip may involve trafficking or forced labor, seek urgent assistance. Contact DMW at 1348, the nearest law-enforcement office, or the 1343 Actionline Against Human Trafficking. If already overseas, contact the Philippine embassy, consulate, or the appropriate office in the DMW’s Migrant Workers Office directory.

Legitimate arrangements that may not use a private agency

The absence of a private recruitment agency does not always mean an offer is illegal. Recognized arrangements may include:

Government-to-government recruitment administered through the DMW’s Government Placement services
Direct hiring by an employer legally exempted or cleared under the applicable DMW rules
Other specifically authorized arrangements

Direct hiring is generally restricted, however. A claim that a job is “direct hire” is not a shortcut around DMW processing. A worker covered by a lawful exception must still complete the required documentation and obtain the appropriate DMW clearance or overseas-employment documentation before departure.

A private travel agency, training center, visa consultant, or informal recruiter cannot create a direct-hire exception merely by using that label.

Frequently asked questions

Is an SEC- or DTI-registered company automatically allowed to recruit OFWs?

No. SEC or DTI registration concerns the existence or business name of an entity. Overseas recruitment requires the applicable DMW license or authority.

The agency is licensed, but I cannot find the job order. Should I continue?

Not until the discrepancy is resolved. For a land-based agency-hired position, ask the agency for the job-order details and verify them with the DMW. Do not pay on the promise that approval will be obtained later.

Is a photograph of the agency’s license sufficient?

No. It may be outdated, altered, stolen, or issued to another entity or address. Check the live DMW directory and independently contact the listed office.

Can a legitimate agency recruit through Facebook or another platform?

It may advertise or communicate online, but you should verify the account and recruiter through the agency’s DMW-listed contact information. A copied logo or platform badge does not establish authority.

What if the agency says its license is under renewal?

Rely on the current DMW status or direct written confirmation from the DMW. Do not let the agency interpret its own authority for you.

Can a licensed agency collect money through an employee’s personal account?

Treat that request as a serious warning sign. Independently call the agency using the DMW-listed number. Pay only through a confirmed official channel and obtain an official receipt in the licensed agency’s name.

Does a valid job order guarantee that I will be deployed?

No. It does not guarantee selection, visa issuance, continuing availability, or departure. Confirm that the order is still active and require the rest of the documentation to match.

Is direct hiring always illegal?

No, but it is generally restricted. Certain employers and government-recognized arrangements may qualify for an exemption or clearance. The worker must follow the applicable DMW process rather than travel informally.

Should I hand over my original passport?

Do not surrender an original passport without a legitimate, documented processing purpose, a verified recipient, and a proper acknowledgment. If anyone refuses to return it, seek DMW or legal assistance promptly.

Official sources

This article provides general Philippine legal information, not legal advice for a specific application, payment, complaint, or case. Agency status, job orders, procedures, and contact details can change; verify them directly with the DMW. Official sources were last checked on 7 August 2026.