Processing an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC), also known as the Balik-Manggagawa (BM) Certificate, is something that all overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) need to be familiar with. It is, after all, an important document that Filipinos who wish to leave the country to work—whether as a domestic worker, a medical worker, or a construction worker—need to exit the country.
The Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) is a certificate required by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), now renamed as the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), to verify that a person has registered as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) and is allowed to work overseas. It also serves as a clearance presented at immigration to demonstrate that the person is legally leaving the country. In this guide, we took a closer look at the process of acquiring an OEC, including its process, requirements, and exemption, among others.
Table of Contents
OEC stands for the Overseas Employment Certificate. It is also known as the Balik-Manggagawa Certificate. The OEC is an important document meant to prove that the bearer is a legal overseas worker. It is also an identification document that doubles as an exit clearance document proving to the immigration office that an aspiring OFW has been certified legal and free to leave the country and work overseas. It is issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and must be kept around at all times.
Though the DMW (formerly POEA) mandates that all OFWs secure an OEC, there are certain exemptions offered to certain divisions of Balik-Manggagawa (BM) workers. Exemptions from paying some fees, including the terminal fee and travel tax at the airport are also some of the benefits that having an OEC entails, allowing the OFWs to lower the total costs associated with finding jobs abroad.
All issued OECs are only valid for a single-exit within 60 days. Having said that, a worker may not be allowed to complete their check-in at the airport or even exit the country if they don’t bring it with them at all times and use it within the 60-day mark. Note that an OEC may also be issued at the Labor Assistance Counter (LAC) at the NAIA, Cebu-Mactan, or Davao International Airport, but this OEC is only valid for one day.
Getting an OEC requires a certain set of documents, depending on the country of destination. We listed the basic documentary requirements and some of the common country-specific requirements:
If you are either a skilled or professional worker, a low-skilled worker, or a household service worker bound for Canada and the United States, then you will need to submit additional requirements in various phases to secure an OEC:
In this phase, the OFWs who are looking to secure an OEC must submit the following documents to ascertain their skills and qualifications.
Depending on what and where you are applying for, the following documents may be required:
During this phase, the OFW needs to prove local labor law compliance by submitting the following documents:
Processing the OEC or BM Certificate isn’t exactly free. It comes with the following fees, so you will need to prepare some money to complete the process:
For direct hires, the OFW will need to shoulder the full cost as follows:
Note: For those who were hired via a recruitment agency, the agency may be allowed to charge a placement fee equivalent to the OFW’s one-month salary, except in countries that don’t allow fee collection from workers. In some cases, some agencies even collect much more than that, without issuing receipts.
All OFWs are required to apply for an OEC. As such, the following are the types of people who can process one:
There are different processes of securing an OEC. The processes vary depending on whether you are agency-hired, government-hired, or directly hired, or if you are a returning OFW. Regardless, listed below are the steps you can follow when processing your OEC.
If you are hired through a recruitment agency, the agency will take charge and help you process your papers and submit them to POEA. The process goes as follows:
OFWs who were hired by the POEA’s Government Placement Branch (GPB) unit are those who are considered government-hired. They are not required to pay placement fees, only the processing and all the other fees. For government-hired OFWs who wish to secure an OEC, here are the steps to follow:
Recruitment and Documentation Division (RDD)
Government Placement Branch (GPB)
Ground Floor, Philippine Employment Administration (POEA)
Blas F. Ople Building, Ortigas Avenue corner EDSA
Before they can leave the country, Filipino workers who are hired directly by foreign employers may secure an OEC by following these two-phase steps:
After the approval of your POEA Clearance, return to the POEA Office for the OEC application.
Yet another way of acquiring an OEC is to go online via the new POEA Online Processing System for Balik-Manggagawa (POPS-BaM), formerly known as Balik-Manggagawa (BM) Online—a web-based facility designed to let OFWs apply for and access their OECs anytime, anywhere.
Note: There are processing fees you’d need to settle to complete your application.
For some OFWs, it is possible to apply for OEC exemption—and proceed to the airport without getting an OEC. The exemption applies to OFWs who:
For more information about securing an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) for OFWs, we rounded up the most common questions and answers to help you out.
These are workers who are on vacation, but are still under an existing contract. This BM is returning to the same employer for the remaining portion of the contract.
These BMs refer to those whose contract was not processed by POEA, but is verified by POLO and is a worker on leave or a rehire.
When processing an OEC, these are the things that you will be spending for:
The Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) is only valid for single use within a maximum period of 60 days. For OECs secured from the Labor Assistance Counter (LAC) in NAIA, Cebu-Mactan, or Davao International Airports, the validity is only for one day.
For OFW with POPS-BaM accounts who lost their OEC, they can simply check their online account and reprint it. If they can’t, then they will have to go to the nearest POEA office to submit an Affidavit of Loss and get a travel exit clearance. Unfortunately, a lost OEC means they can no longer enjoy the exemption for a travel tax.
That’s okay. You may simply get it replaced by submitting your old one and paying a fee of Php 100.00.
All OFWs and aspiring OFWs who are planning to work abroad are required to secure an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) or Balik-Manggagawa (BM) certificate from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), formerly known as the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). An OEC is a mandatory document that serves as the exit clearance for OFWs, as it proves that the OFW has legally acquired the job and that he or she has met all the requirements of the job. Not only that, the OEC is also an OFWs passport to free terminal fee and travel tax at the airport.
An OEC is also fairly easy to secure with all the different options of doing so, depending upon whether the OFW was agency-, direct-, or government-hired. There’s also the new POEA Online Processing System for Balik-Manggagawa (POPS-BaM) eRegistration which enables OFWs to register, apply, and keep their OEC. There’s also the option to visit any POEA offices or the nearest POLO-OWWA offices, if you are abroad.
Not all Balik-Manggagawa OFWs are required to secure an OEC. Some may apply for an OEC exemption, if they meet the right conditions. In case they don’t, it’s easy enough to secure an OEC, though it’s only valid for single use within a maximum of 60 days. In any case, an OEC is a pretty important document that OFWs need to present at the airport and to the immigration officer. With an OEC, OFWs can enjoy a hassle-free travel experience and can be assured that they are meeting all the legal requirements of their job.
In case you have other concerns or inquiries, you may also reach out to POEA via the following contact information:
Office Address: Blas F. Ople Building, Ortigas Avenue corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City
Hotlines: 8722-11-44, 8722-11-55
Email Address: info@poea.gov.ph