Alien employment permit: Equivalent to a work permit or a mere prerequisite?

IMMIGRATION requirements can be overwhelming for an expatriate, especially for one who has just arrived in a completely new country. But these must- haves and must- dos are manageable if the ground rules are understood.

The Philippine immigration requirements for foreign nationals looking to work in the country have several layers of applications and often involve various government agencies, such as the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE ), which issues the Alien Employment Permit (AEP).

The AEP is a plastic card, much like a credit card, issued by DoLE through its regional offices or

over the intended place of work of the foreign national. Foreign nationals who will be assigned to

joint ventures, and headquarters with oversight functions in any

or projects in the country, may apply for an AEP at any of the that, “…the Alien Employment Permit (AEP) is not an exclusive authority for foreign national to work in the Philippines. It is just one of the requirements in the issuance of a work visa 9(G) to legally engage in gainful employment in the country.”

Gainful employment, as de

Order, refers to “…a state or condition that creates an employeremployee relationship between the Philippine-based employer and the foreign national where the former has the power to hire or dismiss the foreign national from employment, pays the salaries or wages thereof and has authority to control performance or conduct of the tasks and duties.”

stop for foreign nationals who seek long-term employment in the Philippines. Upon arrival, the employee or the employer (in most cases the latter) should apply for an AEP with DoLE . The application will include a