As part of the standard immigration process, Filipino nationals who have landed a job opportunity abroad and have successfully obtained a work visa, will first need to secure a travel exit certificate before they can travel.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration is the main government agency assigned to monitor and supervise overseas recruitment and issues said (single) exit certificate. The idea is that Filipino nationals working abroad are perceived as a vulnerable and disadvantaged group and therefore must be given full protection by the State.

The exit clearance document serves as a record of the overseas workers and verifies them as legal workers. In addition, it exempts them from paying terminal fees and travel tax at the airport. As such, their overall cost for getting employed is lowered. The exit certificate also increases the chances of the overseas working receiving a loan in their home country.

To apply for the exit certificate, the overseas worker should schedule an appointment with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). They will require a number of documents, including a notarized and authenticated employment contract. In addition, during this process, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) is involved as the overseas operating arm in the implementation of the Philippine labor policies. Their main objective is to ensure the protection of the rights of Filipino national working abroad. Once the employment contract has been notarized, it will therefore also need to be authenticated by the designated POLO in order to ensure that its’ contents are consistent with the prevailing employment laws, standards and practices in both the Philippines and the host country.

We would kindly like to point out that these additional steps in the immigration process for a Filipino national may significantly impact overall processing times and we advise to take this into account when setting the formal start date for a new hire. It is also important to keep in mind that there is no designated POLO available in the Netherlands. As such, all communication as well as sharing hardcopies of required documentation, will need to go through the Berlin office.

Expat Management Group is happy to provide more information in this respect, so please feel free to reach to us with any queries you may have info@expatmanagementgroup.com