Overseas employment certificate for OFWs now free —DMW

The issuance of Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) for rehires or “balik-manggagawa” is now free of charge, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Tuesday.

In a memorandum dated July 25, the DMW said the waiving of the fee for the OEC is effective July 29, 2023. The issuance of official receipts for the certificates is also no longer mandated.

The OEC — required from all departing overseas Filipino workers to serve as an exit clearance— requires onsite processing with a P100 charge, lasting 60 days. It also serves as an exemption from payment of travel tax and airport terminal fees.

The waiving of the fees for the certificate came after the DMW’s launch of the “OFW Pass” application, which will allow migrant workers to access a “digital and secure” version of the OEC.

The OFW Pass is currently being pilot tested in ten countries such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Hongkong, Singapore, Malaysia, Oman, Japan, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.—LDF, GMA Integrated News