How to Check a Philippine 9(g) Visa and AEP Online: The Official Pages That Actually Work, and How to Spot a Fake or Borrowed Work Permit

The short answer: two official online checks for a 9(g), and no public lookup for an AEP

A 9(g) can be checked on the Bureau of Immigration's published agenda lists and on the Visa Approval Verification page of its eServices portal, both using the number on your official receipt; there is currently no public online lookup or verification system for an Alien Employment Permit (AEP). Every address below is an official page we opened and confirmed in September 2026.

Keep three points in mind. First, check the domain. The Bureau of Immigration is immigration.gov.ph, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is dole.gov.ph, and its Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) is ble.dole.gov.ph; Philippine government sites end in gov.ph. Second, the key is the number on your official receipt. For data privacy the Bureau does not publish applicants' names online, so every online 9(g) check runs on a receipt or application number. If you cannot get that number, you cannot check anything, and that alone should worry you. Third, any site that claims to look up work visas by name or passport number, any paid lookup service, and any "internal system screenshot" sent privately are not official channels. Handing your passport number to such a service creates a new risk of its own.

This article covers only how to check these two documents and how to read what you find. For the general three-step check of any visa and how to examine an ACR I-Card, see how to verify a Philippine visa is genuine. If you filed long ago and heard nothing, or need a written follow-up, see how to check a Philippine visa application status. For how the AEP and the 9(g) relate and which comes first, see the AEP guide.

Bureau of Immigration check 1: reading the agenda lists, where finding your number is not the same as approval

The agenda lists show whether an application has been tabled, but each list contains approvals and denials alike, so once you find your number you must read the rest of that line.

The notice at the top of the Bureau's Visa Application Status page says that, in the interest of data privacy, applicants should verify approval by comparing the application number in the agenda list against the number on their official receipt. The page lists agenda dates by year, each linking to a PDF. On a computer, open the date, press Ctrl+F (Command+F on a Mac) and search for the application number on your receipt. When we checked, the 2026 agenda dates ran from January to September, one or two a month rather than weekly, and the latest was 1 September. The same page lists what to bring for visa implementation after approval: a passport valid for at least six months, the official receipt, an updated tourist visa extension for conversion visas, and re-stamping, revalidation or special power of attorney documents where applicable.

What a list looks like. In the 1 September 2026 agenda, the columns are APPLIC_NO (application number), NO_DEP (number of dependants), VISA_TYPE, VALIDITY and folder numbers, with no names. 9(g) entries appear as "9G COMMERCIAL" followed by the transaction in brackets: CONVERSION for a first-time grant, EXTENSION for a renewal and INCLUSION for adding a dependant. Some entries also carry "TOP 1000"; the Bureau's 9(g) fee tables are likewise split by whether the employer is among the "Top 1,000 Corporations." For approved entries, the VALIDITY column shows an expiry date.

The easiest thing to misread. Further down the same PDF is a "DENIAL/DISAPPROVAL" section, where entries appear as "9GCOMM CONV" or "9GCOMM EXT" and the VALIDITY column reads DENIED or DISAPPROVED. Finding your number is therefore not enough to relax. Confirm three things: which section the number sits in, whether VALIDITY shows a date or a denial, and whether VISA_TYPE is the visa you believe you applied for.

Search the full number. Application numbers in the lists appear in both 10-digit and 14-digit forms. Use exactly what is printed on your receipt and paste the whole string, rather than searching the last few digits and landing on someone else's entry.

If you cannot find it. Agendas only include applications that have been tabled, so a missing number may mean it has not been scheduled yet, that the number was copied wrongly, or that nothing was ever filed. Check that you actually hold a receipt and a number, then cross-check with the eServices search in the next section; if it stays missing, follow the status check and written follow-up steps. Remember too that approval is only half the process. The Bureau's directory states that the Board of Commissioners Implementation Unit handles implementation of visas applied for and approved at the main office. A number on a list without implementation in your passport means the process is not finished.

Bureau of Immigration check 2: eServices Visa Approval Verification and Online Verification

The Visa Approval Verification page on the eServices portal lets you search approval records directly by receipt or application number, which is quicker than paging through PDFs; the separate Online Verification page covers transactions made through eServices itself.

On the Bureau's eServices portal, the left-hand menu has an "Online Verification" heading with Visa Approval Verification beneath it. When we opened it, the page did not require a login and offered a single required field, "OR/APPLIC ID," with a SEARCH button. The results table has columns for Applic ID, OR Number, Name, Petitioner, Visa Type, Status and Office. The Petitioner column is especially useful for a 9(g): the employer files the 9(g) as petitioner, so the name shown there should be the company sponsoring your work visa. We did not test the search with anyone else's number, so rely on what the system actually returns. If nothing comes up, do not jump to conclusions; check the number for typos, then cross-check against the agenda lists.

The "Check Application Status" shortcut on the portal's home page leads to a different page, Online Verification, which searches by "Reference Number" and returns location, transaction, status and the dates created and updated. It relates to transactions registered or processed online through eServices. The portal's list of online services currently includes the annual report, tourist visa extension, visa waiver, student visa conversion, special study permit, ECC-B and retention or re-acquisition of Philippine citizenship, among others. The 9(g) is not one of them, so for a 9(g) the approval search and the agenda lists are the tools that matter. You can, however, use the reference number from your online annual report registration to confirm that the registration went through.

After approval, two more documents need to match. One is the 9(g) implementation in your passport; the other is your ACR I-Card. The Bureau's 9(g) page lists, among the first-time steps, having your image and fingerprints captured at the Alien Registration Division (ARD) counter and later claiming the ACR I-Card, and the Bureau's directory lists ARD as the unit that approves and releases ACR I-Cards. If you hold a card but never had your fingerprints and photo taken at the Bureau, check it immediately; see how to examine an ACR I-Card.

When you need something in writing. The Bureau's ACR I-Card Certification service is described as being for an individual certifying that he has either registered or not yet registered, and it is handled at the main office. If you are unsure of your registration status and need it on paper, this is the route. Use the contact details on the Bureau's directory page, which lists official addresses including [email protected] alongside division-specific mailboxes.

On the DOLE side: no online AEP lookup, so verification goes through a written inquiry to the BLE

We found no public online lookup or authenticity check for AEPs on the DOLE or BLE websites; the official route for verification is the BLE's AEP Inquiry Form and written contact.

Where we looked. The DOLE e-Services page lists its online services, including the online compliance portal, union registration, SEnA conciliation, the PhilJobNet job portal, and attached agencies' case trackers and professional licence verification. There is no AEP lookup. The BLE's Alien Employment Permit page provides application entry points and forms: buttons for new and renewal applications, exclusion and exemption, which linked to Google Forms when we checked, and downloads including the AEP application form, checklist, cancellation form and notice of change of information. The BLE's Alien Employment Regulation page carries the rules, including Department Order 248-25, and states that for inquiries on AEPs you may use the Bureau's AEP Inquiry Form. That form asks for your name, nationality, contact number, email address, the subject and details of your inquiry. It is a way to submit a question, not a search that returns an instant result.

How DOLE has answered a request to verify an AEP. On the government's Freedom of Information portal, foi.gov.ph, a 2024 request asked DOLE to check whether an AEP card was genuine. DOLE's written reply pointed to this same AEP Inquiry Form and directed the requester to contact the BLE or the then regional office. So far, then, the official approach is a case-by-case inquiry rather than a public search.

What changed in 2026. A DOLE news release of 10 June 2026 states that under Administrative Order No. 199, series of 2026, all new and renewal AEP applications have been received, evaluated and issued only by the DOLE Central Office since 9 June, with regional offices ceasing to accept them, and that the BLE now administers job publication and the labour market test through a digital platform. For the online-only filing and designated inquiry channels introduced from September, see AEP online filing in 2026, and rely on the BLE's own announcements for current links and addresses. Search results still show online entry points from the regional office era; regional offices no longer accept AEP applications, so do not use those old pages to file or to check.

What to check on an AEP you hold. Under DO 248-25, an AEP is issued in the foreign national's name and is non-transferable; only one may be held at a time; it applies only to the position for which it was issued; and the holder must work at the published place of work and perform the published functions. So check four things first: the name matches your passport, the employer is the company you actually work for, the position matches the job you actually do, and the validity covers your employment. If any of these fails, that is a more pressing question than whether the card itself is genuine.

Warning signs of a fake or borrowed 9(g) or AEP: look for documents that do not match

The most reliable way to judge a 9(g) or AEP is not to study the card but to check whether your documents agree with each other. Any one of the eight signs below is a reason to stop and verify.

1. No official receipt or application number. The Bureau's 9(g) page lists submitting a copy of the official receipt after payment as a step, and every genuine filing leaves a receipt and a number behind. If all you have is an agent's own receipt or a chat screenshot, you cannot check anything, and nothing proves a filing was made.
2. A number that cannot be found, or that sits in the denial section. The number never appears in the agenda lists or the approval search, or appears as DENIED or DISAPPROVED, while you are still told the visa "has been approved."
3. The wrong visa type. The type shown is not 9G COMMERCIAL, or what you actually hold is a Special Work Permit or Provisional Work Permit presented as a work visa; see SWP and PWP explained.
4. Missing personal steps. The Bureau's first-time 9(g) process includes attending a hearing and having your image and fingerprints captured at ARD. If you never went to the Bureau, yet the visa and card are "done," something is wrong.
5. A petitioner who is not your employer. The petitioner shown in the approval search, or the employer named on the AEP, is not the company that actually pays you and where you actually work. That is the typical sign of a borrowed sponsorship; see the risks of 9(g) affiliation.
6. The wrong role or workplace. The AEP names one position while you do a different job, or you regularly work away from the published place of work. Under DO 248-25, violating the order's provisions can itself be a ground for revoking the AEP.
7. Links from unknown sources, or requests to pay or send your passport number to an individual. Note that the BLE's own AEP entry points are Google Forms, so a Google Form is not proof of a fake. What matters is whether you reached the link from a ble.dole.gov.ph page or were sent it privately.
8. A 9(g) in a passport that was never handed in for implementation. The Bureau requires the passport to be submitted for implementation after approval. If your passport never left your hands but the visa is supposedly in it, check at once.

The consequences do not fall on the agent alone. DO 248-25 provides that misrepresentation, false statements, tampering or fraud can lead to denial of the application or revocation of the AEP. Its prohibited acts carry different bars: such acts that are grounds for denying an application bar both the employer and the foreign national from applying for an AEP for five years, while acts that are grounds for revoking an AEP, and deliberate non-compliance with the order, carry a ten-year bar. Each prohibited act also attracts an administrative fine on each party under DOLE's current rules. In other words, a foreign national who uses a defective document shares the consequences. If you have already found a problem, follow the order in the next section; if an agent took your money, see what to do after a visa agent scam.

If nothing checks out: a four-step order of action, and what Yixing can do

Work through four steps in order: gather the documents, check online, make written inquiries, and stop using anything doubtful. Do not test a questionable visa at the airport.

1. Gather the documents. Collect the Bureau's official receipt, the application number, the 9(g) approval, the visa page in your passport, your ACR I-Card, and the AEP card or approval notice. Ask your employer or agent in writing for anything missing, so there is a record.
2. Check online. Search the agenda lists with your application number, then search the eServices Visa Approval Verification page with your receipt or application number, and compare visa type, petitioner, status and validity line by line.
3. Make written inquiries. On the immigration side, contact the relevant division through the Bureau's directory, and apply for an ACR I-Card Certification if you need formal proof. On the DOLE side, submit an inquiry through the BLE's AEP Inquiry Form or the channel its announcements designate, giving your name, nationality, employer, position and AEP number if you have one, and keep a record of what you sent.
4. Stop using doubtful documents until you have an answer. Do not use them to leave the country, open a bank account, renew a lease or complete any other transaction. If a problem is confirmed, go to the Bureau voluntarily with a lawyer or a legitimate adviser to clarify your status and deal with any overstay; for finding a lawyer, see how foreigners find a lawyer in the Philippines, and for checking whether you have been listed, see how to check whether you are blacklisted.

Why not simply try the airport? The Bureau reads your record when you leave. If it does not match, you are stopped airside, in a far weaker position than if you had gone to a counter yourself. Coming forward and being caught are treated very differently.

Once things are clear, make the check a habit. After every renewal and every AEP renewal, run the same checks and file the screenshots, receipts and approvals by year. If you have held a 9(g) for several years and want to know what the renewal milestones and the so-called annual review involve, see what changes after five years on a 9(g); for how long each stage usually takes, see the 9(g) processing timeline. If the root problem is that your employer has closed or been deregistered, start with whether a 9(g) survives the employer's closure.

Cases involving forged documents, lapsed status or possible criminal exposure should go to a practising Philippine lawyer; this article is not legal advice.

Yixing is a private consultancy registered in the Philippines (SEC registration CS202009551), accredited by the Bureau of Immigration (Accreditation No. CA-202624381-1, valid until 30 June 2027), by the Department of Labor and Employment and by the Philippine Retirement Authority. We are not affiliated with the Bureau or DOLE and have no "internal lookup" of any kind. We can help you organise your documents, accompany you to the counter, draft written inquiries and, if a problem is confirmed, assess the compliant way to put things right. Verification findings and approvals are for the authorities alone, and we do not promise outcomes. To reach us, use our visa and HR advisory service.