The 9G Visa and the Employer of Record: How to Work Legally in the Philippines

The 9G Pre-Arranged Employment Visa is the standard work visa for foreign nationals employed by a Philippine company. It is what allows a foreigner to legally work in the Philippines.

The practical challenge: most of our clients do not have a Philippine employer. They work for international clients, run their own companies, or manage their own investment portfolios. The traditional 9G route — an offer of employment from a Philippine company — does not apply to them.

The Employer of Record arrangement solves this.

What an Employer of Record does

An Employer of Record (EOR) is a Philippine company that formally employs you on paper. It handles your local payroll compliance, files the associated paperwork with the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and sponsors your 9G visa application. You pay a modest local salary through the EOR, which you declare and pay Philippine tax on.

Your actual work — for international clients, for your own company, for whatever you do — continues exactly as before. The EOR provides the legal employment structure that the 9G requires. Nothing about how you actually work changes.

Who benefits from the 9G

The 9G is appropriate for clients who: - Invoice Philippine clients or Philippine entities and need a formal work authorisation - Want a clean, compliant employment structure for banking or official documentation purposes - Prefer the Resident Alien tax status that comes automatically with a 9G visa without relying on day-counting - Need a work visa for professional or regulatory reasons in their field

It is also a practical option for clients who do not meet the age or deposit requirements for an SRRV, or who want to work locally in addition to their international activities.

What we manage

We act as the Employer of Record for qualifying clients. We handle the employment contract, BIR registration of the employment relationship, and the full 9G application to the Bureau of Immigration. We manage annual renewals.