Guides · For employers
Hiring a Filipino domestic worker in Singapore
Direct hiring of Filipino domestic workers is prohibited by Philippine law. What you must comply with, and what you still do yourself.
3A — Philippines
The position
Direct hiring of Filipino domestic workers is prohibited by Philippine law.
This is governed by Article 18 of the Labor Code of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 10022, DOLE Administrative Order No. 196 (2018), and the POEA/DMW rules of 2016. Any employer hiring a Filipino worker must recruit through a DMW-accredited Philippine Recruitment Agency.
The narrow exemptions — members of the diplomatic corps, heads of state, government officials of at least deputy-minister rank, and lower-ranking officials endorsed by the Migrant Workers Office — do not apply to an ordinary Singapore household.
The Migrant Workers Office in Singapore states this directly: to legally deploy a domestic worker, you must coordinate with a licensed and accredited agency.
- MWO Singapore, direct hiring of domestic workers: mwosingapore.dmw.gov.ph/…/direct-hiring-of-domestic-worker
- MWO Singapore employer guide: services.mwosingapore.online/…/158000443200-hiring-filipino-domestic-workers-in-singapore
What you must comply with even via an agency
Minimum salary: USD 500 per month, applied as SGD 650 in Singapore. Set by DMW Advisory No. 25, Series of 2025, effective 22 August 2025, applying to all new contracts entered into from 21 October 2025 onward, and to renewals of vacationing or returning workers from that date. It replaced the previous USD 400 floor.
No placement fees or salary deductions. Under R.A. 10022 and DMW regulations, Filipino domestic workers are classified as household service workers and are exempt from any placement fee. If anyone proposes deducting recruitment costs from her salary, that is illegal.
Required before she can leave the Philippines:
- Standard Employment Contract for domestic workers, verified by the Migrant Workers Office at the Philippine Embassy in Singapore
- Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) — the exit clearance issued by DMW
- OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) membership
- PDOS (Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar) attendance certificate
- TESDA NC II domestic work certification for first-time overseas workers
- NBI clearance
The S$7,000 Philippine Embassy performance bond was abolished by DMW in September 2022 and is no longer required. If anyone asks you for it, question it.
What you still do yourself
You choose the helper. You complete the entire MOM process in Part 3.2 yourself — application, IPA, security bond, insurance, SIP registration, medical, issuance, levy. The agency's role is confined to the Philippine deployment paperwork.
Contacts
Migrant Workers Office (MWO), Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore
Support portal: https://services.mwosingapore.online
Direct hiring information: mwosingapore.dmw.gov.ph/…/direct-hiring-of-domestic-worker
Verify any Singapore agency's MOM Employment Agency licence before engaging them, and verify their MWO accreditation separately with the Embassy. Both matter.
Pitfalls
| Pitfall | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Believing a "direct hire, no agency" offer for a fresh Filipina | Months lost. She cannot get an OEC and will not be allowed to depart. |
| Agreeing a salary below SGD 650 | Contract will not be verified at MWO. Renegotiate or the deployment stops. |
| Agency proposing salary deductions for placement costs | Illegal. Walk away and report it. |
| Skipping MWO contract verification | She will be blocked at Philippine immigration even with a valid Singapore IPA. |
| Assuming the MOM IPA means she can travel | It does not. The IPA is the Singapore permission. The OEC is the Philippine permission. You need both. |
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