Quick answer

Verify an overseas recruitment agency through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW)—not through the agency’s certificate, Facebook page, business permit, or assurances alone.

Before submitting documents or paying anything, confirm all of the following:

The agency’s exact legal name appears in the DMW’s Licensed Recruitment Agencies directory.
Its current status permits recruitment and processing—not suspended, cancelled, expired, or otherwise restricted.
The address and contact details match the DMW record.
The specific position, country, and foreign employer appear under an approved job order.
The person dealing with you is an authorized agency representative.
Any recruitment conducted away from the registered office is covered by the necessary DMW authority.

A genuine agency license does not automatically make every recruiter, branch, social-media account, job advertisement, or job offer connected to that name legitimate.

Use the official DMW agency directory

Open the DMW’s Licensed Recruitment Agencies page and search for the agency.

Use the agency’s full registered name whenever possible. Scammers may use:

A shortened or slightly altered agency name
A name differing by only one word, letter, or punctuation mark
The name and logo of a genuine agency
An old license certificate
A real agency’s license number but a different address, phone number, email address, or bank account

Compare the search result with the information supplied to you. Check the legal name, license status, registered address, telephone numbers, and other displayed details. Do not treat a screenshot or printed list sent by the recruiter as verification; search the live DMW directory yourself.

If the agency does not appear, appears under a materially different name, or has a status you do not understand, stop the transaction and ask the DMW to confirm its authority.

Read the agency’s status carefully

Finding the name is only the first step. The current status matters.

A recruiter should not be treated as cleared merely because the agency was licensed in the past. A license may expire, be suspended, be cancelled, or become subject to restrictions. Republic Act No. 10022 expressly prohibits a suspended recruitment or manning agency from engaging in recruitment activity, including processing pending applications.

If the directory does not clearly show that the agency may presently recruit and process workers, do not assume that “renewal pending,” “system update,” or a certificate showing an earlier validity period is enough. Confirm directly with the DMW through its official contact page or Hotline 1348.

Because online records can change, repeat the check immediately before making a significant payment, surrendering original documents, signing the final contract, or departing.

Verify the approved job order separately

A valid license authorizes an agency to engage in recruitment generally. It does not prove that the agency may recruit for every advertised job.

Search the DMW’s Approved Job Orders database. Match the offer against:

The recruitment agency
The foreign principal or employer
The destination country
The position or job category
The number of available positions, when displayed

The DMW page itself instructs applicants to verify with the agency whether a listed job order is still active. A job order may have been filled, withdrawn, expired, suspended, or exhausted even if it remains visible in a search result.

Ask the agency for the job-order details in writing. If the employer, country, or position differs from the approved record, do not accept an explanation that the papers will simply be “fixed later.” Republic Act No. 8042, as amended by Republic Act No. 10022, treats false recruitment information and the use of a job order for nonexistent work, different work, or a different employer as illegal recruitment.

Confirm the office, branch, and representative

Deal directly with the agency at the address registered with the DMW. Independently obtain its official contact information from the DMW record and ask the main office to confirm:

The recruiter’s full name and position
The recruiter’s authority to handle your application
The job order and foreign employer
The interview or recruitment venue
The agency’s official payment instructions

Do not rely on a mobile number, messaging-app profile, identification card, authorization letter, or social-media account supplied by the recruiter without independent confirmation.

A licensed agency may need separate authority to recruit outside its registered office. If recruitment takes place in a hotel, restaurant, private residence, coworking space, provincial venue, or temporary office, ask for the applicable Special Recruitment Authority or other DMW authorization and verify it with the DMW or the relevant regional office. The authority should cover the actual date, venue, agency, and activity.

Participation in a local job fair or coordination with a barangay, local government unit, or Public Employment Service Office does not by itself replace DMW licensing and job-order requirements.

Check online and social-media offers with extra care

A Facebook page, group chat, TikTok account, website, or messaging-app profile can impersonate a real agency within minutes.

Before responding to an online offer:

Navigate to the DMW website yourself instead of using a link sent by the recruiter.
Call the agency through a number shown in the DMW record.
Ask the registered office to confirm the specific account, recruiter, vacancy, and payment channel.
Examine the account’s history, recent name changes, spelling, and contact details.
Be cautious if communication moves immediately to an encrypted or private messaging app.
Do not send passport scans, selfies with identification cards, banking credentials, one-time passwords, or sensitive personal data until the recipient and purpose are verified.

The DMW has required licensed recruitment and manning agencies to submit their official social-media accounts for verification and monitoring. Even so, the appearance of an agency’s name or logo online is not proof that the particular account is official.

A license certificate is not enough

Documents shown by a recruiter can be altered, expired, borrowed, or copied from a genuine agency. Independently verify any claimed license number and compare all details with the live DMW directory.

The following do not substitute for a DMW license and approved job order:

SEC registration
A mayor’s or business permit
BIR registration
A travel-agency license
A training-center accreditation
A foreign-company registration
A visa-consultancy certificate
A notarized agreement
A foreign employer’s invitation
A testimonial from a previously deployed worker

A legitimate-looking visa also does not prove lawful overseas recruitment. Do not agree to work abroad using a tourist or visit visa when the arrangement requires lawful work authorization and DMW processing.

Payment checks before handing over money

Do not pay merely to reserve an interview slot, activate a job order, secure a guaranteed visa, or obtain a supposed DMW approval.

Before any payment:

Confirm the agency, job order, representative, and payment purpose.
Ask for a written breakdown identifying the legal basis for each charge.
Check whether the destination country, occupation, recruitment arrangement, or applicable government policy requires no placement fee.
Pay only through the agency’s verified official channel.
Obtain an official receipt showing the agency’s registered name, amount, date, purpose, and recipient.

The allowable-fee rules depend on the worker’s category, destination-country law or policy, and the governing recruitment arrangement. Do not assume that one month’s salary is always collectible. A lower limit or a no-placement-fee rule may apply, and some recruitment and deployment expenses are chargeable to the principal or employer rather than the worker.

Never pay into a recruiter’s personal bank account, e-wallet, cryptocurrency wallet, or remittance account unless the registered agency and the DMW have independently confirmed that the particular arrangement is lawful. A promise to issue the receipt later is a serious warning sign.

Warning signs that require you to stop

Pause the application and verify directly with the DMW if the recruiter:

Cannot be found in the official directory
Uses a genuine agency’s name but different contact details
Says the license is “borrowed,” “under renewal,” or unnecessary
Offers a position or employer absent from the approved job-order database
Promises departure within days without normal documentation
Guarantees visa approval or deployment
Recruits only through private messages
Refuses to let you contact the registered main office
Conducts recruitment at an unverified location
Requests payment before explaining the job and contract
Demands payment to a personal account
Refuses or delays an official receipt
Asks you to sign blank, incomplete, or inconsistent documents
Changes the employer, country, salary, or position after you sign
Withholds your passport or other original documents
Instructs you to leave as a tourist
Pressures you to recruit relatives or friends
Claims that a “backdoor,” “escort,” or airport contact will ensure departure

A licensed agency can still commit recruitment violations or illegal recruitment. Under the Migrant Workers Act, certain prohibited acts apply whether committed by an unlicensed person or by a license holder.

Evidence to preserve

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

Screenshots showing the full page, account name, username, URL, date, and time
Original advertisements, posts, emails, and chat histories
Voice messages and call logs
The recruiter’s name, photograph, phone number, email address, and claimed position
Copies of identification cards, business cards, and authorization letters presented
Bank-transfer records, deposit slips, e-wallet transaction numbers, and account-holder names
Official and unofficial receipts
Contracts, application forms, job offers, and job-order details
Passport or visa copies supplied or retained by the recruiter
The address, date, and photographs of the recruitment venue
Names and contact information of witnesses and other applicants
Notes of what was promised, when it was promised, and who was present

Keep the original electronic files when possible. Do not crop away usernames, timestamps, URLs, transaction references, or surrounding conversation. Back up the evidence somewhere the recruiter cannot access.

What to do if the details do not match

Do not pay more money, submit additional originals, or confront the suspected recruiter alone.

Contact the DMW through its official contact directory or Hotline 1348 and request confirmation of:

The agency’s present license status
Its registered address and official contact details
The representative’s authority
The approved job order
Any authority for recruitment outside the registered office

If you already paid, clearly state the amount, date, recipient, purpose, and payment method. Ask where to submit a formal complaint and supporting evidence. The DMW is authorized to regulate overseas recruitment and to investigate and help prosecute illegal recruitment under Republic Act No. 11641.

Depending on the facts, a victim may also be directed to the appropriate prosecution office, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine National Police, or another competent authority. Filing routes and the correct legal case depend on whether the respondent is licensed, what conduct occurred, where it occurred, and whether money or documents were taken.

When help is urgent

Seek immediate DMW and law-enforcement assistance if:

Departure is imminent under a tourist or questionable visa
The recruiter is currently collecting money from multiple applicants
Your passport or original documents are being withheld
You are being threatened, confined, followed, or coerced
You suspect trafficking, forced labor, or document falsification
The recruiter is about to close the office or disappear
Other applicants may be in immediate danger

Call 911 for an immediate threat to safety. For migration-related assistance, contact the DMW through Hotline 1348 or the current numbers listed on its Contact Us page.

Do not attempt an entrapment, recovery of documents, or physical confrontation without guidance from the authorities.

Common verification mistakes

Checking only the agency name

Scammers copy real names. Match the legal name, status, address, contact details, representative, and job order.

Treating “licensed” as approval of every vacancy

A license and a job order answer different questions. Verify both.

Calling the number in the advertisement

That may connect you to the impersonator. Use contact details independently obtained from the DMW record.

Trusting a certificate photograph

A certificate may be expired or copied. The current DMW database is the better starting point.

Assuming a successful visa proves legitimacy

Visa issuance does not establish that Philippine recruitment and deployment requirements were followed.

Paying first because the offer is “limited”

Urgency is not verification. Legitimate processing should withstand a direct check with the agency and the DMW.

Ignoring small discrepancies

A different middle initial, office unit, email domain, employer name, position, or destination may be evidence of impersonation or unauthorized recruitment.

Frequently asked questions

Is a DMW-listed agency automatically safe?

No. Listing confirms licensing information at the time reflected in the database. You must still check the current status, approved job order, representative, address, contract, payment request, and recruitment venue.

What if the agency says its license renewal is pending?

Do not assume it may continue recruiting. Ask the DMW whether its present status authorizes the specific recruitment or processing activity.

What if the recruiter works for a licensed agency but meets me elsewhere?

Verify the person with the registered main office and ask the DMW whether the off-site activity has the required authority for that date and venue.

What if the job is advertised by the foreign employer directly?

Direct hiring is generally restricted and is subject to statutory exceptions and DMW processing. A foreign employer’s invitation does not, by itself, authorize a Filipino worker to bypass DMW requirements. Confirm the proper hiring route with the DMW before proceeding.

Is an approved job order a guarantee that I will be hired?

No. It shows DMW approval associated with the agency, employer, country, and position, subject to its status and remaining availability. It does not guarantee selection, visa issuance, deployment, or the employer’s future performance.

Can a licensed agency commit illegal recruitment?

Yes. Republic Act No. 10022 identifies acts that may constitute illegal recruitment even when committed by a licensee or holder of authority.

Should I surrender my original passport?

An agency may need to process legitimate documents, but you should first verify the agency, representative, job order, and purpose. Obtain a written acknowledgment identifying every original document surrendered. Report unexplained withholding or demands for money in exchange for return of documents.

Where can I confirm information if the website is unavailable?

Use the DMW’s current Contact Us directory or Hotline 1348. Do not rely on unofficial mirror sites or social-media commenters.

Official sources

This article provides general legal information, not legal advice for a particular case. Agency status, job orders, procedures, and DMW issuances can change. Verify the live official records and obtain advice based on your documents and circumstances. Sources last checked: 26 August 2026.