9(g) Work Visa in the Philippines (Pre-Arranged Employment)

TL;DR: The 9(g) is the standard long-term work visa for a foreigner employed by a Philippine company. The employer sponsors it, the AEP comes first, a PWP can bridge early start dates, and the final visa is usually valid for one to three years with an ACR I-Card.

The 9(g) pre-arranged employment visa is the standard long-term work visa for a foreign national employed by a Philippine company. It is employer-sponsored: the visa is petitioned by the employer, tied to a specific role, and valid only while that employment continues. If you are being hired by — or hiring into — a local entity, this is almost always the correct visa.

Who needs a 9(g)

You need a 9(g) if you will hold a genuine, ongoing role on the payroll of a Philippine company. That covers two common situations for the founders and employers Chamberlain works with: a foreign founder placing themselves on staff of the company they have set up, and the foreign specialists or managers that company hires. A tourist visa does not permit employment, and short-term arrangements are not a substitute for proper work authorisation — engaging a foreign national in a real role without it exposes both the worker and the employer to penalties.

Employer sponsorship and the AEP

Because the 9(g) is sponsored, the employer drives the process, not the individual. The first formal step is the Alien Employment Permit (AEP) from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). The AEP certifies the position and the foreign hire, and it is a hard prerequisite — the Bureau of Immigration will not act on a 9(g) petition without it. See our Alien Employment Permit (AEP) page for what the permit covers and how it is obtained.

Starting work sooner with a PWP

The full AEP-and-9(g) cycle commonly takes around two to three months. When a hire needs to begin before the visa is implemented, a Provisional Work Permit (PWP) can bridge the gap, authorising lawful work while the petition is in process. It is the usual tool for getting a new hire — or a founder — productive without waiting out the whole timeline. Our Provisional Work Permit page explains how the PWP fits alongside the 9(g).

How the petition is filed

With the AEP secured, the employer files the 9(g) petition with the Bureau of Immigration (BI). Once the petition is approved, the visa is implemented in the passport and the foreign national is issued an ACR I-Card — the immigration registration card that serves as official proof of status and is routinely required for banking, renewals, and exit and re-entry.

Validity, renewal, and the ACR I-Card

A 9(g) is commonly granted for one to three years, set against the employment, and is renewable for as long as the role continues. The ACR I-Card is issued on the same validity. Because the visa is bound to the employer, a change of employer generally means a fresh petition rather than a simple transfer — something worth planning for if a hire’s role is expected to move. Holding a 9(g) also brings the employee into the company’s normal Philippine obligations, including statutory payroll contributions.

Bringing dependants

A 9(g) principal can usually bring immediate family on 9(g) derivative visas — typically a spouse and unmarried minor children. The dependants’ visas mirror the principal’s validity and are tied to the same employment, so the family’s status moves together. Chamberlain files these alongside the principal’s petition so the whole household is covered in one coordinated process.

Is the 9(g) the right visa?

The 9(g) suits a foreign national in a real employment relationship with a Philippine company. Founders who would rather qualify on investment than employment sometimes weigh the Special Investor’s Resident Visa instead — see our SIRV page and the comparison in 9(g) vs SIRV: which visa for a foreign founder.

How Chamberlain handles it for employers

Chamberlain runs the AEP and 9(g) end to end so the employer does not have to manage DOLE and the Bureau of Immigration directly. We prepare and lodge the AEP, arrange a PWP where a hire needs to start early, file the 9(g) petition, see the visa implemented and the ACR I-Card issued, and petition for dependants in the same pass — then track renewals before they lapse. It is the same service whether you are a founder putting yourself on the payroll or an employer onboarding a foreign team. ₱40,000–₱120,000 per applicant. Start your application.