Legal work in Philippines — AEP and STP are different doors

In plain termsLaw practice is a regulated profession. DO 248 treats the PRC STP as its own instrument.

Dual gates

AEP covers the employment relationship. STP covers practice of a regulated profession. Neither replaces the other.

AEA

If the employer sits in a nationalised industry, a DOJ AEA may also apply.

Filed cells this page leans on

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• An Alien Employment Permit (AEP) is required before a foreign national starts gainful employment — unless exempted or excluded

  DOLE Department Order No. 248, Series of 2025 — New Rules and Regulations on the Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Philippines (official PDF on dole.gov.ph) — AEP required for foreign nationals in gainful employment unless exempted or excluded
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• AEP coverage is keyed to an employer-employee relationship under Philippine law

  DOLE Department Order No. 248, Series of 2025 — New Rules and Regulations on the Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Philippines (official PDF on dole.gov.ph) — gainful employment defined within an employer-employee relationship
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Permanent, probationary or temporary resident visa holders are exempt from securing an AEP

  DOLE Department Order No. 248, Series of 2025 — New Rules and Regulations on the Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Philippines (official PDF on dole.gov.ph) — Rule V Sec. 1(f): permanent, probationary or temporary resident visa holders are exempt from securing an AEP
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Exempt categories still request a Certificate of Exemption before employment

  DOLE Department Order No. 248, Series of 2025 — New Rules and Regulations on the Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Philippines (official PDF on dole.gov.ph) — Rule V Sec. 2: an exempt foreign national who intends to be employed must request a Certificate of Exemption
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• AEP applications generally require a prior labor-market publication

  DOLE Department Order No. 248, Series of 2025 — New Rules and Regulations on the Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Philippines (official PDF on dole.gov.ph) — Rule II Sec. 1: employer must publish before AEP filing (clarified by DO 248-A Series of 2025: newspaper of general circulation)
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• AEP filing and issuance are centralized at DOLE-BLE (2026)

  DOLE DO 248-B s.2026 — AEP functions centralized under the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE); Philippine Information Agency report 6 Jul 2026 / KPMG Flash Alert 2026-163
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• PRA lists SRRV work/student permit exemption — confirm Certificate of Exemption with DOLE for the specific hire

  PRA SRRV benefits — Exemption from separate work/student visa or permits (pra.gov.ph/SRRVisa); align with DO 248 resident-visa exemption + Certificate of Exemption track
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• A tourist / temporary-visitor stay is not by itself authority to take local employment

  DOLE Department Order No. 248, Series of 2025 — New Rules and Regulations on the Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Philippines (official PDF on dole.gov.ph) — gainful employment requires an AEP unless the foreign national falls under an exempt or excluded category (Rule V); tourist admission is not an exempt category
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Practising a regulated profession needs a PRC Special Temporary Permit (STP), separate from the AEP

  DOLE DO 248 s.2025 Rule I definitions — Special Temporary Permit (STP) issued by PRC to a foreign national to engage in the practice of a regulated profession
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Nationalised / partially nationalised employers also need a DOJ Authority to Employ Alien

  DOLE DO 248 s.2025 Rule I definitions — Authority to Employ Alien (AEA) issued by DOJ where the employer is covered by the Anti-Dummy Law
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Visiting / exchange / adjunct professors under a formal agreement are AEP-exempt

  DOLE DO 248 s.2025 Rule V §1(e) — visiting, exchange or adjunct professor under a formal agreement between institutions or governments
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• The visiting-professor exemption still needs the institutional agreement on the Certificate of Exemption dossier

  DOLE DO 248 s.2025 Rule V §2 — foreign national under §1(e) must submit a copy of the agreement between the involved academic institutions or governments with the Certificate of Exemption request
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Ordinary language-centre / school employment is AEP territory (not the visiting-professor carve-out)

  DOLE DO 248 s.2025 Rule I §3 — gainful employment under an employer-employee relationship needs an AEP unless exempted or excluded; ordinary language-centre hire is not on the Rule V exemption list
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Filed earn-atlas clusters on this destination

  Product atlas — first filed clusters for /philippines/earn (teaching, diving, hospitality, own-business, legal, tech); long tail deferred until primary cells exist
  6 clusterschecked Aug 2026

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