The Commission on Filipinos Overseas or the CFO is a government agency attached to the Office of the President of the Philippines tasked to promote the welfare and interests of Filipinos overseas. The CFO was created on 16 June 1980 through Batas Pambansa Bilang 79 and is mandated to register all Filipinos leaving the country as emigrants or permanent residents abroad. The CFO provides mandatory Pre-departure Orientation Seminar or the PDOS for emigrants 20 to 59 years of age. The CFO also have a special seminar for youth migrants 13 to 19 years called the Peer Counseling Program to address their concerns about cultural adjustments, peer pressure, long distance relationships bullying and others. All emigrants who completed the registration process including attendance to the mandatory seminar with the CFO will receive the CFO Emigrant Registration Sticker. This document will be affixed to their passport as proof of registration.
For Filipinos in intermarriage they are required to attend the CFO’s Guidance and Counseling Program or the GCP in compliance with R.A. 10364 or otherwise known as the “Expanded Anti Trafficking in Persons Law.” Counselees who satisfactorily complied with the guidance and counseling requirements will be issued a “Guidance and Counseling Certificate” which will be presented to the Department of Foreign Affairs or DFA for application of passport or to the authorities of the Bureau of Immigration at the port of exit as one of the travel documents.
As an emigrant, you are required to register with the CFO and attend the PDOS as a requirement for Filipinos leaving the country with immigrant visas. This is in compliance with the Philippine Bureau of Immigration’s “Guidelines on Departure Formalities for International-bound Passengers.” You need to present the CFO emigrant registration sticker to the authorities of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration before your departure for the United States. If you have dependents migrating with you in the United States, who are 12 years old and below, they are already exempted from attending the seminar. However, they are still required to register with the CFO. Registration can be done through the R&R PDOS at the CFO website, www.cfo.gov.ph. Bring the barcoded online registration form at the CFO Manila together with the complete registration requirements to register. Emigrants 60 years old and older have the option to attend the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar or PDOS. Emigrants who are exempted from attending the seminar may also register at the CFO offices in Cebu, Clark or Davao.