Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) implemented a ‘no appointment, no entry’ policy on its offices nationwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to POEA chief Bernard Olalia, the new policy applies to all clients of the agency, including Overseas Filipino Workers and foreign citizens who would visit POEA offices.
“To the greatest extent possible, all routine, regular and ordinary transactions should be conducted using the agency’s online systems,” he said.
The POEA chief said personal appearances before their office should be reserved for transactions that need identity verification and when the document submission is required.
All appointment bookings should be made through the POEA online appointment system.
Those who are visiting POEA offices are also required to declare their current health status to be allowed to enter the premises.
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How to get POEA Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) or Exemption Online
OFWs who want to get an OEC should first visit https://www.bmonline.ph/ to register and follow these steps:
- For New User, register in the system using your personal email account and click the Sign Me Up button. Open your email account to click the confirmation link.
- Log-in as Already Registered user. Enter your last issued OEC number. If no record found, set an Online Appointment.
- If the record is found, update your Personal Data, Contract Particulars, and Beneficiaries, as needed.
- Click Acquire OEC or Exemption for online assessment. Enter the flight date and confirm if returning to the same employer and job site.
- If returning to the same employer and job site, the system will display a confirmation message indicating that you are exempted from securing the OEC and payment of the processing fee.
- If not, you will be redirected to the Appointment Page. Select your preferred POEA office and schedule for the processing of OEC and payment.
According to PSA, the total number of OFWs Estimated at 2.2 Million. Based on the results of the 2019 Survey on Overseas Filipinos, the number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who worked abroad at any time during the period April to September 2019 was estimated at 2.2 million.