We compiled a list of the most common questions people have about getting a working permit in the Philippines. This list should give you an overview of how to hire foreigners to legally work and do business in the Philippines.
Yes, foreigners can work in the Philippines as long as they are able to obtain proper work visas and/or permits, through a local petitioner or sponsor. The petitioner must be operating in a nationalized or partly nationalized industry (an industry with limited foreign ownership/control).
Local companies can only employ foreign nationals as technical personnel. If the employer’s industry is only partly nationalized, the Department of Justice must issue an Authority to Employ before they can hire foreigners.
Yes, foreigners need work permits to work in the Philippines. You must have an employer who will petition for your Alien Employment Permit and working visa.
It is a work permit in the Philippines for foreign nationals who will be working in the country for a period not exceeding 6 months. They must also only occupy a temporary position.
Per the Balikbayan Program, a foreign national who comes from one of the countries listed in Executive Order No. 408 (EO 408) who is traveling to the Philippines with his or her Filipino spouse may stay in the Philippines visa-free if his or her spouse meets certain requirements.
The Filipino spouse must be an overseas Filipino worker or a Filipino citizen who has continuously been out of the Philippines for at least 1 year. If the Filipino spouse is not a citizen of the Philippines, he or she must be a former Filipino citizen who has become a naturalized citizen of a country listed in EO 408.
This is also called the pre-arranged employment visa.
This is also called Treaty Trader/Investor visa.
The Alien Certificate of Registration card or ACR I-Card is an identification card issued to all registered aliens whose stay in the Philippines has exceeded 59 days.
There are 2 types of ACR cards, one for tourists traveling in the Philippines which will have the tourist status, and another for employed foreigners which will have the employed status.
Indian nationals with valid USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Schengen, or Japan visas can enter the Philippines visa-free. A valid Singapore visa also allows visa-free entry, but only if used twice before. Otherwise, they will have to apply for a visa.
Visa applicants need to submit a completed application form and a direct contact number. They will also need to submit their passports and photocopies of the first and last pages of the passport. The passport has to be valid for at least 6 months from the travel date.
Aside from these, they will also need to submit a photo taken within a month from the date of the visa application. The applicant should also include their plane tickets, hotel or accommodation reservations, and their day-to-day itinerary.
The applicant must also include bank statements for the last six months with an original bank seal. These bank statements must show a minimum balance of INR 80,000. Applicants may also have to submit their ITRs with a barcode from the last 3 years and payslips from the last 3 months.
If the applicant is traveling for business purposes, he or she must submit a cover letter. The applicant’s employer must write the cover letter on company letterhead with the company seal and address it to the Visa Officer of the Embassy of the Philippines.
The visa applicant must submit these to the Philippine Embassy in India.
Yes, they can work in the Philippines if they have the appropriate work visas and/or permits.
No, dependents are not allowed to work in the Philippines. They need to get their own work permits and visas.
