The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has issued Administrative Order No. 199, Series of 2026, which fundamentally alters the jurisdiction and procedure for the issuance of Alien Employment Permits (AEP) in the Philippines.
Effective immediately, the processing, evaluation, and issuance of all AEP applications have been completely transferred from DOLE Regional Offices to the DOLE Central Office, specifically through the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE).
Key Implications for Employers and Foreign Nationals
To ensure your organization remains compliant and to prevent unnecessary delays in your foreign workforce onboarding, please take note of the following critical updates:
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Immediate Cessation of Regional Processing: All DOLE Regional Offices have entirely ceased the processing, evaluation, and releasing of AEPs.
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Active Transition Period: Regional offices (including high-volume hubs like DOLE CALABARZON) are currently facilitating a direct handover of all pending applications, physical records, and inventories to the BLE Central Authority.
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Centralized Filing and Updates: All new AEP applications, renewals, and status inquiries must now be coordinated and filed directly with the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) at the DOLE Central Office.
⚖️ Avenida Law Note for Clients
If your company currently has pending AEP applications lodged with a regional office, please anticipate temporary administrative bottlenecks as the physical and digital transfer of files takes place.
Our immigration team is actively monitoring the transition protocols at the BLE to ensure our clients’ applications are tracked, mapped, and processed with minimal disruption.