To verify a Philippine recruitment agency, go to dmw.gov.ph and search the agency’s exact name or licence number. Confirm the licence is active, unexpired, and registered to the address where the office actually operates. If the agency will not give you a licence number, that is your answer, and you should stop there.
Why this check matters more than any review
Illegal recruitment is not a rare edge case in the Philippines. It is a recognised crime with its own body of law, and it usually looks nothing like a scam while it is happening: an office, a logo, a friendly recruiter, a real-sounding job in a real country. The only reliable difference between a licensed agency and a convincing one is a record you can look up yourself.
What a DMW licence actually is
The Department of Migrant Workers licenses private recruitment agencies to recruit, process, and deploy landbased Filipino workers. A licence names the corporation, states the address it may operate from, and carries a validity period. It can be renewed, suspended, cancelled, or revoked. It is not a certificate of good behaviour, but it does mean a regulator has a file on that company and that there is somewhere to complain.
The five-minute check
- Get the exact corporate name and licence number. Not the branch name, not the recruiter’s name. FINAS, for example, is FINAS Manpower Recruitment Corporation, licence DMW-705-LB-03262026-R.
- Search on dmw.gov.ph. Use the agency-verification listing on the official site. Type the corporate name or the licence number.
- Check the status. You are looking for an active, unexpired licence. Suspended, cancelled, or delisted all mean stop.
- Check the address matches. A licence states where the agency may operate. If the office you visited is not the address on the record, ask why before you hand over anything.
- Check the job order exists. A licensed agency still has to advertise only roles from approved job orders. Ask which employer and which order your application is for.
The name may still say POEA. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration became part of the Department of Migrant Workers, so older listings, certificates, and search results may still use POEA terminology. A licence issued under the old name is not automatically invalid: check the validity dates.
What the warning signs look like
- Payment demanded before a job order exists
- A guaranteed visa, salary, or departure date
- Recruitment conducted only through a personal social media account
- No office you can visit, or an address that does not match the licence
- Pressure to decide today
- Refusal to put terms in writing
- A medical at a clinic the recruiter insists on, before you are matched to a job order
What to do if it does not check out
Do not send documents, do not send money, and do not let anyone keep your passport. Report the agency or individual to the Department of Migrant Workers. If you have already paid, report it anyway: records matter, and you will not be the only one.
Checking us
We would rather you checked. FINAS Manpower Recruitment Corporation, licence DMW-705-LB-03262026-R, valid 8 September 2025 to 7 September 2031, operating from 2275 Interior P. Burgos Street, Pasay City. If anything on this page does not match what you find, tell us.
Questions people ask about this
Is a POEA licence still valid?
The POEA’s functions moved to the Department of Migrant Workers, so older documents may still carry POEA branding. What matters is whether the licence is active and unexpired on the current DMW records.
Can an agency charge me before I have a job order?
No. Payment is tied to a real, approved job order and to what regulations allow for that destination. Being asked to pay to be considered is a warning sign, not a formality.
What if the agency is licensed but the recruiter is not from that agency?
Licences belong to corporations, not individuals. Verify that the person recruiting you actually works for the licensed agency, at the licensed address.
Sources: Department of Migrant Workers, licensing and agency verification; Philippine law on illegal recruitment. Regulations change.
Regulations change. This article was last reviewed on .
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