Where to check a recruitment agency's licence
| Your country | Official register | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| India | eMigrate: List of active RA | Open eMigrate, choose “List of active RA” and search the agent's name or registration number. A registered recruiting agent may charge you at most Rs 30,000 plus 18% GST for its services, and must give you a receipt. |
| Philippines | DMW: licensed recruitment agencies | Search the agency on the DMW list and check that its licence is valid. Ask DMW to confirm the job order too. Where a placement fee is allowed, it may be at most one month's basic salary under your DMW-approved contract. Some jobs and destinations are “no placement fee”, so ask DMW if yours is one. |
| Pakistan | BE&OE: active Overseas Employment Promoters | Find the promoter on the active list and check that its licence (OEPL) number matches the one it gave you. |
| Nigeria | NELEX: Recruiter's Licence | An agent placing workers abroad needs a Recruiter's Licence for international placement. Check the agency on NELEX. |
| Bangladesh | BMET | Check that the recruiting agency holds a valid licence on BMET's site, and that the licence number matches. |
| Kenya | Verify a recruitment agency | Search the agency on the State Department for Diaspora Affairs' verify page or on neaims.go.ke. The record shows if the licence is valid or expired. |
| Nepal | Department of Foreign Employment | Check the agency's licence with DoFE, and ask DoFE what an agency may charge for your job and destination. |
| Sri Lanka | SLBFE | Check that the agency holds a valid SLBFE licence, and register your job with SLBFE before you leave. |
| Ghana | GLMIS: licensed international agencies | Find the agency on Ghana's list of licensed international private employment agencies. |
| Uganda | MGLSD External Employment | Only companies licensed by the External Employment Unit may recruit for jobs abroad. Check the company's licence there. |
A licence number is like a car number plate: anyone can copy it onto another car. That is why the checker asks whether the name, office address and phone on the record match the people you met, not only whether the number exists.
How does the agency checker work?
Each answer is matched against the warning signs that labour ministries and the ILO describe: no licence, details that do not match, fees for the job, deposits, guaranteed visas, tourist visas, a kept passport and no contract before you travel. The score adds them up. It rates the signs, not the agency.
Read which fees are legal in our guide to recruitment agency fees and migration debt, and how to check a migration agent is licensed. Got the offer letter too? Paste it into the offer letter checker.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if an overseas recruitment agency is fake or real?
Find its licence on your own government's register (eMigrate in India, BE&OE in Pakistan, NELEX in Nigeria, DMW in the Philippines, the NEA in Kenya), then check that the name, office address and phone on the record match the people you met. A real licence number copied by someone else is a common trick.
How much can a recruitment agency legally charge?
It depends on your country. In India a registered agent may charge at most Rs 30,000 plus 18% GST, with a receipt. In the Philippines a placement fee, where allowed, is at most one month's basic salary, and some jobs are no placement fee. In Canada, the USA and Australia an employer may not charge you for the job or for sponsorship.
Is there a list of fake recruitment agencies?
Some governments publish lists of cancelled or banned agencies, but a list of fakes can never be complete, because new names appear every week. It is safer to check the other way round: if the agency is not on the official list of licensed agencies, do not pay it.
Should I give my passport to the agency?
Give copies, never your original passport. Keeping a worker's identity documents is one of the ILO's indicators of forced labour.
General information, not legal advice. This checker cannot confirm or rule out fraud. Registers and fee rules checked November 2026; each links to its official source.
