9(g) Work Visa

Overview

Can I get this myself? No. Your Philippine employer files it: the company applies for your DOLE work permit first, then petitions the Bureau of Immigration (BI) with you. If you're still abroad, DOLE can process that application but only releases the permit once you've entered on a 9(g) or other working visa. BI's published fee for the principal applicant runs from Php 10,130 for one year to Php 24,210 for three, plus US$50 a year for the ACR I-Card, from a fee table dated 06 March 2014. Working remotely for a foreign company instead? Look at the Digital Nomad Visa. Married to a Filipino? Start with the 13(a) visa.

Your next step is simple: ask your employer who is handling the DOLE publication and the BI filing, and get a timeline in writing.

The 9(g) Pre-Arranged Employment Visa is the standard work visa for foreigners hired by Philippine-registered companies, and two agencies are involved. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issues an Alien Employment Permit (AEP) after the employer advertises the job.

Who This Visa Is For

The 9(g) is for foreigners with an actual job offer from a Philippine company, not a foreign company paying you offshore. Corporate officers named in the company's Articles of Incorporation, By-laws or General Information Sheet skip the job-ad step at DOLE, under Rule II of DOLE Department Order No. 248, series of 2025.

One clarification worth making: if you're working remotely for a foreign company while living in the Philippines, the 9(g) does not apply to you. That scenario is what the Digital Nomad Visa is meant for — it's authorized by EO 86 but still not open for applications as of November 2026.

Requirements

Use the BI commercial-conversion checklist. It starts with a joint letter request from you and the company, and asks for:

• your passport bio-page and latest admission, showing a valid authorized stay
• the employment contract or appointment, with exact pay, duration and a description of the role
• the company's latest income tax return and its SEC or DTI registration papers
• the DOLE AEP, plus the actual publication of the approved AEP or a certificate of publication
• a notarized count of the company's foreign and Filipino employees
• a BI Clearance Certificate
• a PRC Special Temporary Permit if you'll practice a regulated profession, and a Bureau of Quarantine medical clearance only for nationals of the countries BI lists

Foreign documents must be authenticated, with an English translation where needed.

Step-by-Step Application Process

Step 1: Employer Applies for the AEP at DOLE

Your employer runs this step, under DO 248-25, in force since February 2025:

• Publish the job first. The company publishes the vacancy and your name in a newspaper of general circulation. Since DOLE's supplemental order 248-A took effect on 27 August 2025, the newspaper is the only required channel; PhilJobNet and the local PESO are encouraged but optional. A publication stays valid for 45 days.
• File in the right window. The application goes to DOLE's Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) in Manila, which took over AEP filing and processing from the regional offices from 9 June 2026 (DOLE advisory; the rules were amended to match by DO 248-B, issued 11 June 2026), no earlier than 15 calendar days after publication and within 15 calendar days of signing your contract. Your contract only takes effect once the AEP is issued. DOLE can process the application while you're still abroad, but won't release the AEP until you've entered the Philippines on a 9(g) or other working visa, which you present to the BLE, so ask your employer which route applies to you.
• File online. Since 3 September 2026, DOLE says AEP and Certificate of Exemption applications go through its online portal only, not by email or walk-in (Berry Appleman & Leiden).
• Pay the fee. The order sets PHP 6,000 for a one-year AEP, plus PHP 5,000 for each additional year or part of a year.
• Wait for a decision. The BLE has 15 working days from payment to approve or deny, and issues the AEP within one working day of approval.
• Know the term. An AEP runs for one year unless your contract sets a different period, never more than three years. It's in your name, can't be transferred, and covers only the position it was issued for.

Step 2: Gather Your Personal Documents

Prepare your identity and admission records from the BI checklist while your employer pulls together the company records.

Step 3: File the 9(g) Application at BI

Once the AEP is in hand, the company's officer or authorized representative files at the BI Main Office or another office that handles the transaction. BI's own steps are: pre-screening of the documents, paying the fees, attending a hearing, and image and fingerprint capture for the ACR I-Card.

Step 4: Wait for BI Processing

The BI Citizen's Charter 2026 lists the Visa Processing Center's own steps for a 9(g) conversion at 1 working day and 34 minutes. The same entry says the application then goes to the Board of Commissioners and "will undergo further evaluation/investigation before implementing the visa." It's a service standard for one stage, not a promise of when you'll have a visa.

Step 5: Pick Up Your Visa and ACR I-Card

BI posts approvals on its website. Once approved, you submit your passport for the visa to be implemented and claim your ACR I-Card.

Step 6: Annual Report to BI

Every year you file BI's Annual Report. The BI Citizen's Charter 2026 says 9(g) holders must report "within the first 60 days of every calendar year," the same window set by Section 10 of the Alien Registration Act. It applies to all registered foreigners and ACR I-Card holders except tourist and temporary visitor visa holders.

On BI's Annual Report page, you register online for a reference number, then bring it with your ACR I-Card and passport to a participating BI office. The fee is PHP 300 plus a PHP 10 Legal Research Fee, PHP 310 in all. File late and BI charges PHP 200 for each month of delay (a part-month counts as a full month; BI's page counts it from March 2), capped at PHP 2,000 a year, plus a PHP 1,510 Motion for Reconsideration fee, per BI's 2026 Annual Report guidelines (Operations Order 2025-007).

Costs Breakdown

The BI's published 9(g) fees (new application, principal and dependents):

Employers on BI's Top 1,000 Corporations list pay a slightly higher schedule (principal Php 10,630 / 18,170 / 25,710 for 1 / 2 / 3 years). Add the ACR I-Card at US$50 per year of validity. BI says these figures were "updated as of 06 March 2014 and may change without prior notice," so treat them as a rough guide for budgeting and use the Order of Payment as the real number. DOLE's AEP fee is separate.

Processing Time

I couldn't find a published end-to-end time for either agency as of November 2026, so I'd plan the two stages separately:

• DOLE: at least 15 calendar days of publication before filing, then up to 15 working days from fee payment for a decision, plus one working day to issue the AEP, under DO 248-25.
• BI: the BI Citizen's Charter 2026 lists 1 working day and 34 minutes for the Visa Processing Center's steps, followed by further evaluation with no published time limit before the visa is implemented.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Letting your authorized stay lapse. BI's checklist asks for a valid authorized stay. If you're here as a tourist while the 9(g) is pending, keep your stay extended. Check the BI waiver and extension fees for your transaction.

Starting work too early. BI issues a Provisional Work Permit (PWP) if you start working while your AEP or 9(g) application is still pending. A PWP is valid for up to six months and can't be renewed: an initial period of up to three months, plus a final three-month period if it's applied for (BI Operations Order JHM-2019-008). DOLE's own rule is that the employer secures the AEP before your employment starts (DO 248-25, Rule I), so don't assume a pending application lets you start. Confirm with your employer and BI first.

Changing jobs without telling anyone. Talk to DOLE and BI before you switch.

Renewal & Maintenance

When your contract is up for renewal, your employer renews the AEP with DOLE (PHP 6,000 for the first year plus PHP 5,000 per extra year, under Rule III of DO 248-25) and files a 9(g) extension at BI, whose published extension fees for a principal (non-Top 1,000 employer) are Php 7,060, Php 13,100 and Php 19,140 for one, two and three years, from the same 2014-dated table. Renewal fees: confirm the assessment with the BLE. Renewals can be filed up to 60 calendar days before the AEP expires (DO 248-25, Rule III §2). Confirm the current renewal paperwork with both agencies before the visa expires.

If you lose your job while you're in the Philippines, go to BI promptly and ask about downgrading your visa to temporary-visitor status. BI doesn't cancel or downgrade a visa automatically (BI Memorandum Order RADJR-12-007 §3; the only automatic cancellations are death or a visa that expires while you're abroad), and for a 9(g) the downgrade request asks for a certificate of employment from your employer (BI Citizen's Charter, Downgrading of Visa). Your employer must report your separation to DOLE's Bureau of Local Employment within 10 calendar days (DO 248-25, Rule VI §2, with DOLE's regional-office role moved to the BLE by DO 248-B), and the AEP is cancelled on the employer's request.

Comparison to Alternatives

9(g) vs. Digital Nomad Visa: The 9(g) is only for Philippine employers; for remote work for a foreign company, see the digital nomad guide.

9(g) vs. Provisional and Special Work Permits: Neither replaces the 9(g). BI issues a Provisional Work Permit while a 9(g) application is pending. BI's published fees total PHP 4,040 (table dated 2014), and the permit runs up to six months, non-renewable, per BI Operations Order JHM-2019-008 and BI's 2026 Citizen's Charter. Field offices may assess different fees. A Special Work Permit is a separate permit for short-term work outside an employment arrangement, up to six months, at PHP 6,440, plus US$50 if an ACR I-Card is issued (also 2014-dated). Ask BI which one fits your situation.

9(g) vs. 13(a): If you're married to a Filipino and hold a 13(a) resident visa, you don't need an AEP, because DO 248-25 (Rule V) exempts permanent, probationary and temporary resident visa holders. You must still request a Certificate of Exemption from DOLE's Bureau of Local Employment before you start the job (PHP 2,000 processing fee under DO 248-25, as moved to the BLE by DO 248-B).

9(g) vs. SIRV: The Special Investor's Resident Visa grants residency through investment, not employment. Completely different eligibility and use case.