How to check a recruiter's DMW license in 2 minutes

Two minutes on the official DMW list tells you if a recruiter is licensed, expired, or lying. Run the check before a single document or peso changes hands.

• Every legal overseas job runs through a DMW-licensed agency; check the license before anything else
• Search the agency's exact registered name on dmw.gov.ph and look for one word: Valid
• A valid agency still needs an approved job order for your exact role and country
• Placement fees are capped at one month's salary, and many roles carry no fee at all

Every legitimate overseas job offer in the Philippines runs through a DMW-licensed recruitment agency. Every illegal recruiter hopes you never check. The check takes two minutes and costs nothing, and it should happen before you hand over a single document or peso.

1. Get the agency's exact registered name. Not the Facebook page name, not the recruiter's nickname. Ask for the full company name as it appears on their license, plus their office address.
2. Go to dmw.gov.ph. Use the official Department of Migrant Workers website directly. Do not use links a recruiter sends you, and do not trust screenshots of licenses, which are easy to fake.
3. Open the licensed recruitment agencies list and search the agency name.
4. Read the status. You are looking for one word: Valid. Anything else, walk away.

• Valid license: the agency is currently authorized to recruit for overseas work.
• Expired: the authority lapsed. Some agencies renew, but until the status says valid, they cannot legally process you.
• Cancelled or revoked: the DMW pulled the license, often for violations. Treat any activity from these agencies as a red flag.
• Not on the list at all: there is no license. This is the clearest signal you will ever get.

A valid agency license is step one. The specific job also needs an approved job order for the position and country being offered. Ask the agency for the job order details and verify them with the DMW. A licensed agency offering a job that has no approved order is still a problem.

• For most land-based jobs, the placement fee is capped at one month's salary, and many roles, including domestic work, should carry no placement fee at all.
• No legitimate agency asks for payment before you have a signed contract and an approved job order.
• Never leave your original passport with an agency for safekeeping. A legitimate agency copies it and hands it back the same day.

Do not argue with the recruiter, and do not try to get your money back alone. Report to the DMW through their official channels with everything you have: names, receipts, chat screenshots, the job posting. Reports are what turn one near-miss into a case that protects the next applicant.

No license, no deal. It is the same line we print in every issue of Philippines Wins Everyday under our verified apply links, because it never stops being true.

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