OEC to merge with e-Travel pass for OFWs

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will soon no longer need to secure an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) before leaving the country, as it will be integrated into the government’s unified e-Travel system.

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac said the OEC will be merged with the e-Travel pass, which is currently undergoing pilot testing.

“It is currently being pilot-run, and hopefully, by the first day of next year, or even possibly earlier, depending on the pilot run, it will be fully implemented for all returning workers and hopefully, also for new-hired workers. That will be the outcome document,” Cacdac said.

He clarified that the move does not abolish the documentation process for OFWs. Instead, it streamlines it, allowing workers to carry a single document.

“It will go directly to having the e-Travel pass so that the person will no longer be holding two documents. Otherwise, there’s the OEC and the e-Travel pass. Now, it will just be one document they need to carry when leaving the Philippines,” he explained.

Around 70,000 OFWs have participated in the pilot run so far. Once the number reaches approximately 200,000, the DMW may fully launch the system.

“We will wait until it reaches the threshold or the critical mass,” the secretary emphasized.

The OEC is a mandatory document for Filipino workers leaving the country for employment abroad, serving as their exit clearance from Philippine immigration.

The integration will be implemented through the eGovPH application, where OFWs can click the DMW icon, register, and automatically receive an e-Travel pass. Registration remains free of charge.