Employment in the Philippines for Ukrainians

Business visa

For business owners

• Appearance of the visa applicant
• Duly completed visa application in the Philippine Online Visa Application System (OVAS)
• Passport valid for at least six (6) months beyond the authorized period of stay in the Philippines - original and 1 photocopy of the data and signature page(s).
• Itinerary or plane ticket/booking (entry and exit); please, don’t book the ticket yet.
• Letter of invitation from the Philippine government or private organization or endorsement from the chamber of commerce (recognized by the host government) in the country where the business is located – original
• Proof of business or income: business permit, license or registration, and bank statement for the last six (6) months or tax payments.
• Hotel room reservation or any proof of hotel stay

For employees

• Appearance of the visa applicant
• Duly completed visa application in the Philippine Online Visa Application System (OVAS).
• Passport valid for at least six (6) months beyond the authorized period of stay in the Philippines
• Itinerary or plane ticket/booking (entry and exit); please, don’t book the ticket yet.
• A certificate from the place of work indicating the amount of the reward OR a letter of guarantee from the company or sponsor
• Letter of approval from the applicant's company
• Hotel reservation or any proof of stay

💡 Advice from Visit Ukraine for Ukrainians traveling abroad!

Planning a trip can be a daunting task. Where to start? What's the first step to getting a visa? It's easy to get confused at the beginning - especially if you've never done anything like this before.

That's why we recommend using Visit World's work guide - a detailed step-by-step checklist on how to get a work visa and work permit in the Philippines, which contains information on the required documents, criteria and stages of obtaining a work visa and work permit. For more details, please follow the link.

Foreign journalists, correspondents and film/television crews

Foreign journalists and correspondents visiting the Philippines as part of their professional activities must apply for a temporary visa.

Below are additional visa requirements for foreign journalists, correspondents, and film/television crews:

• Biographical information of the journalist/correspondent;
• A short list of credited works;
• A copy of one (1) sample article written by the applicant;
• Media organization biography, including target market/audience, circulation, format; and
• The administrative measures for working in the Philippines are as follows:
• List of members of the reporter's team, citizenship, and passport data;
• The planned itinerary and activities, as well as the plot for any films to be filmed;
• A list of equipment to be brought by each team member, with an assurance from the media organization that this equipment will be re-exported after the trip to the Philippines;
• Flight information (arrival and departure); and
• One photograph per team member to submit to the International Press Center (IPC) for issuance of the accreditation card.

Upon arrival in the Philippines, journalists will be required to report to the IPC for accreditation.

Foreign citizens on board private yachts or sailboats

A temporary visitor visa is required for foreign nationals traveling to the Philippines aboard private yachts and sailboats. When applying for a visa, applicants will be required to provide the following information about the yacht/sailboat and crew members:

• Crew list;
• Nationality/citizenship;
• Passport data of crew members;
• Vessel to be used for entry: type, name, registration, call sign and other data;
• Estimated date of entry into the territory of the Philippines;
• Port/area of entry (Philippine waters);
• Intended period of stay in the Philippines;
• Character/shipping agent in the Philippines (if applicable); and
• The purpose of the visit

When entering the Philippines, yacht and sailboat crew are required to immediately register at the nearest Coast Guard post and submit the yacht/sailboat for customs, immigration, and quarantine inspection.

Work visa 9G

The 9G work visa is intended for any foreign national who will work in the Philippines and hold a technical, executive, managerial or highly confidential position in a company for at least one year.

Requirements for a 9G visa:

• Request letter from the applicant company;
• Completed and duly certified application form (form MCL-07-01);
• Alien Employment Permit (AEP);
• Certificate of Authorization issued by the Bureau of Immigration (BI);
• Any other documents that will help in the evaluation process;
• A certified copy of the passport showing a valid visa; and
• Certified copies of the marriage contract, birth certificate (attested by Philippine Embassy if issued abroad) if accompanied by a spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age.

Registration process

• Obtain an Alien Employment Permit (AEP) from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and establish that no person in the Philippines is willing or able to fulfill the position and function for which the foreigner is being employed;
• Submit a letter to the BI stating that the admission of the alien(s) would be beneficial to the public interest; and
• During the approval process, the proposed alien may apply for a Special Work Permit (SWP), which is issued for 3 months while the 9G visa is issued.
• 9G visas are only valid for the duration of the AEP or current employment contract (whichever is shorter), and similar visas issued to dependents are valid concurrently with the duration of the principal visa. Foreign nationals with companies registered in the Board of Investments (BOI), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and Top 1000 Corporations are given priority.

👇🏼 Please note!

You may need health insurance to travel safely to the Philippines. You can apply for insurance on our website by clicking here.

9D Treaty Trader visa

Under Section 9D of the Philippine Immigration Act, a foreign investor is eligible to enter the Philippines as a treaty trader if they are a national of a country with which the Philippines has an agreement on the admission of treaty traders or investors. Currently, the Philippines has such an agreement with the US, Japan, and Germany. The term "treaty trader" includes any contract investor or foreigner working for the contract investor in a supervisory or executive capacity. An employee seeking a 9D visa must be of the same nationality as the major shareholder of the sponsoring firm.

In addition to these requirements, the foreign investor must prove that: they or their employer intends to carry on "substantial trade" between the Philippines and their home country, or they intend to develop and manage an enterprise in which they or their employer have invested or are in the process of investing a substantial amount of capital. Substantial trade refers to a non-nationalized business with an investment of at least 120,000 dollars and an equally important factor in the volume of business carried on.

Requirements for obtaining a 9D visa:

• A letter of request from the petitioning company;
• completed and duly notarized application form (form MCL-07-01);
• Alien Employment Permit (AEP);
• Clearance certificate issued by the Bureau of Immigration (BI);
• Any other documents that will help in the evaluation process;
• A certified copy of a passport with a valid visa; and
• Certified copies of the marriage contract, birth certificate (attested by Philippine Embassy if issued abroad) if accompanied by a spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age.

Procedure:

• Obtain an AEP from ​​DOLE and establish that no person residing in the Philippines is willing or able to fulfill the position and services for which the foreigner is hired;
• Submit a letter to the BI stating that the alien's admission will be beneficial to the public interest; 
• During the approval process, the prospective foreign national may apply for a Special Work Permit (SWP), which is issued for 3 months while the visa is being processed.

Special Employment Generation Visa (SVEG)

This is a special visa issued to a qualified non-immigrant alien who factually employs at least 10 Filipinos in a legitimate and sustainable enterprise, trade, or industry. Qualified aliens granted SVEG are considered special non-immigrants with multiple entries and conditional long-term stay privileges without the need to first leave the Philippines.

SVEG benefits apply to the qualifying alien, their spouse, and dependent unmarried child/children under the age of 18, whether legitimate, illegitimate or adopted.

SVEG requirements.

• Non-immigrant aliens who wish to receive SVEG must meet the following conditions:
• The foreigner must be factually, directly, or exclusively engaged in a viable and sustainable commercial investment/business in the Philippines, perform supervisory functions or have the authority to hire, promote and fire employees;
• They demonstrate a sincere intention to remain in the Philippines indefinitely;
• They do not pose a risk to the national security of the Philippines, and
• The foreigner's commercial investment or enterprise must provide factual employment to at least 10 Filipinos in accordance with Philippine labor laws and other applicable special laws. 

These requirements must be met by the foreigner every year for them to remain an SVEG owner.

SVEG application process

• Upon payment of the prescribed fees, the Commissioner of Immigration accepts and processes SVEG applications within 15 days of submission.
• After a positive decision, the Commissioner of Immigration issues a Notice of Approval, which directs the foreign applicant to appear at the Bureau of Immigration for registration and processing of documents. After payment of the relevant fees, an Alien Registration Certificate I-card (ACR) and an Identification Card (IC) are issued.
• If the application is rejected, the Commission issues a rejection notice informing the foreign applicant of the rejection of the application. The applicant can submit a request for review of the case within 15 days after receiving the refusal.

The Commissioner of Immigration must monitor foreigners' continued compliance with the SVEG requirements.

PEZA Visa 

According to Section 47A2 of the Immigration Law of the Philippines, a PEZA visa may be issued to foreign investors by the Secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ) based on public interest or public policy. This visa is usually issued to foreign employees of regional headquarters, regional operational headquarters, or those working on special projects in economic zones.

Examples of public interest investing industries include oil exploration, power generation, infrastructure, and companies registered with the Philippine Economic Zones Authority (PEZA) and the Board of Investments (BOI).

Requirements:

BOI

• BOI application form;
• A duly signed undertaking in the form of a resolution of the board of directors;
• Student information sheet, student designation, and student program of study (if applicable);
• Certified passport with a valid visa;
• A Secretary’s Certificate that allows the application of a Special Non-Immigrant Visa (for elected officials);
• Affidavit of Support from a BOI registered company;
• Organizational chart of the company; and
• Resume and biographical data of a foreigner applying for a visa.

PEZA

• Request letter to PEZA on behalf of the company;
• Certified passport with a valid visa;
• Secretary's Certificate authorizing application for a Special Non-Immigrant Visa (for elected officials);
• Current service contract;
• Resume and biographical certificate of a foreigner applying for a visa.

Department of Justice

• DOJ application form;
• Certificate of BOI/PEZA Registration and the terms and conditions;
• Passport with a valid visa;
• A Secretary’s Certificate authorizing application for a Special Non-Immigrant Visa (for elected officials);
• Current service contract (for non-elected positions); and
• Affidavit of Support from a BOI/PEZA registered company.

Procedure:

• Apply to the relevant government agency (e.g. BOI, PEZA, DOA);
• The government agency approves the application at the Ministry of Justice, and
• DOJ approves the application and forwards it to BI for implementation.