Philippines 9G Visa Explained: What It Is, Who Files, and Which Case You Are In

What the 9G visa actually is

The 9G is a non-immigrant, pre-arranged employment visa issued by BI. Its legal source is Section 9(g) of the 1940 Philippine Immigration Act (Commonwealth Act No. 613). In plain terms, you have a definite job and a sponsoring employer first, and the residence status follows from that job.

The key difference from a visitor status is that 9G status follows the employer. The company applies as sponsor, and your lawful stay is tied to that employment relationship. Changing jobs, leaving a job, or a problem at the company therefore affects the visa directly.

This page covers the commercial category, meaning a foreign employee hired by a business operating in the Philippines. Religious and missionary pre-arranged employment is a separate item in the BI Citizen's Charter and is outside this page.

The BI 2026 Citizen's Charter places commercial 9G with the Visa Processing Center and grades it Highly Technical, a higher grade than downgrading of visas, which the same charter grades Complex. That is why nobody should plan around same-day results.

Two permits, two agencies

Two documents are involved and they are not interchangeable. The Alien Employment Permit (AEP) is issued by DOLE, based on Section 40 of the Labor Code (Presidential Decree No. 442). The 9G visa is issued by BI. Neither can stand in for the other.

A simple way to remember it: the AEP answers “may this employer hire you?”, while the 9G answers “may you live here long term to do this job?” DOLE first asks whether the position should go to a foreigner at all, and BI then asks whether this person should receive resident status. If the first question has no answer, the second never arises, which is why the order is AEP first, then 9G. The order comes from the division of work between the two agencies, not from industry habit. See which comes first, AEP or 9G and our AEP guide.

Both permits are tied to employer and position. An AEP is issued for one person doing one job at one company, so a change in any of the three is a reason to stop and check. The validity of the AEP also effectively decides how long the 9G can be approved for, which many people only notice at renewal.

Who files: the employer is the petitioner

In BI's case file the employer is the petitioner and the foreign employee is only the beneficiary. Most of the paperwork therefore sits with the company: registration and tax documents, a job description, an employment contract and a certified headcount of foreign and local staff. These are the base documents both agencies read, and the employee can usually supply only a small part of them.

By issuer, the documents fall into four groups: those from the applicant personally, those from the employer, the AEP from DOLE, and the BI application forms. The itemised list is in our 9G documents checklist.

The overall route is: the employer sorts out its company documents, obtains the AEP, then files the 9G with BI, which involves pre-screening at the central receiving unit, payment, a hearing, and capture of photo and fingerprints. Once approved, the visa is implemented in the passport and an ACR I-Card is issued, with an annual report every year after that. Extensions, re-stamping after a passport change and downgrading on leaving the job sit on the same line. Every step is covered in the full 9G process guide.

Which case are you in?

The same phrase, “applying for 9G”, covers different starting points. Find yours first.

• You are in the Philippines on a visitor status and the company has decided to hire you: this is a first conversion, listed under BI Form V-NI-007 Rev 1. The AEP is new, and your authorized stay must still have enough margin when fees are assessed.
• You already hold a 9G that is about to expire: this is an extension, listed under BI Form V-NI-008 Rev 1. Company documents are reissued for the current year and the AEP is renewed alongside. See validity and renewal.
• You are moving to another employer: the 9G and AEP are tied to the employer, there is no transfer, and the new company is a new petitioner who prepares it as a first conversion. See whether you can apply yourself or change employer.
• Same employer, different role: how much changed decides how it is handled. See role changes and the AEP.
• Directors and seconded staff: an AEP may not be needed, but you need proof of exclusion or exemption, so “exempt” does not mean “no paper”.
• You want to start work before the 9G arrives: an AEP alone does not make you legal to work, and the proper bridging route is applied for separately. See legal ways to work in the Philippines.
• Spouse and minor children: each dependant needs a separate set of documents.

Things often confused with 9G

• ACR I-Card: the registration card issued after 9G approval, collected after biometrics are taken at the Alien Registration Division (ARD). The AEP is a physical card with a photo, while the 9G is a visa page in the passport. They are three separate items.
• SWP and PWP: both are short-term work permits from BI. They are not visas and cannot replace an AEP; they only let you start work lawfully in specific situations.
• Downgrading: the 9G is tied to one employer, so when you resign, are dismissed or the employment ends, it does not simply disappear. A formal procedure returns you to visitor status 9a, usually started with the former employer's cooperation. See our downgrading guide.
• Replacement and departure: lost or damaged cards, temporary trips out and leaving for good each have their own procedures, covered in 9G replacement and 9G departure.

The downsides you should know about

• You cannot do it alone: the petitioner is the employer, so without a sponsoring employer there is no 9G, and much of the pace is in the company's hands.
• It is slow and has no fixed number of days: the AEP and 9G together usually run in months, and the publication period, company follow-ups and agency queues all stretch it. Actual timing depends on the agency's current processing.
• Filing in the wrong order wastes a trip: without an issued AEP the counter rejects the filing on the spot, with no receipt. Your passport also needs at least 30 days of authorized stay when fees are assessed, or the stay must be extended first. A branch office that can “accept” a filing may not be able to “finish” it, so ask before you go.
• A valid 9G does not mean you may work: when an AEP lapses the 9G does not fall away automatically, but continuing to work is a violation, and DOLE and BI exchange data. For an individual case, consult a practising lawyer; this page is not legal advice.
• Finding a number is not approval: BI's agenda lists contain both approvals and denials, so read the whole row. Approval rests with the authorities, and nobody can promise you an outcome.
• Not a good fit yet: if the company is still being set up or its compliance documents are chronically incomplete, fix compliance first; see our company setup service.

Official sources

BI handles the 9G and DOLE handles the AEP. The BI site Bureau of Immigration has a 9G page and the agenda lists; the Department of Labor and Employment and its Bureau of Local Employment (ble.dole.gov.ph) host the AEP pages. Government sites end in gov.ph. Any site claiming to check a work visa from a name or passport number is not an official channel. If you want someone to run both tracks together, see our visa and HR service. Forms and processing times are subject to the current official announcements.

About this guide and Yixing

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Yixing is a private consulting company registered in the Philippines (SEC Reg. No. CS202009551; BI Accreditation No. CA-202624381-1). This guide does not name or rate other providers and does not promise any outcome; approval rests with the competent authority, and the rules in force are those it currently publishes. For legal disputes or case-specific judgments, consult a practising lawyer — this is not legal advice.