U.S. Embassy in the
Philippines

Question:  How do I apply for a job opening?

Answer:  We no longer accept emailed, faxed, or paper applications. DS-174 Application Form is no longer required. All applications for vacancies at the U.S. Department of State must now be submitted through ERA to be considered. To check our current job vacancies and to apply, please visit our ERA Job Seeker page: https://erajobs.state.gov/dos-era/phl/vacancysearch/searchVacancies.hms

Question: In “OPEN TO” categories, what does All Interested Applicants, Current Employees of the Mission, AEFM, USEFM, EFMs, MOH, NOR and OR applicants mean?

Answer: It means that only those applicants who meet the “Who May Apply” or “Open to” category of each vacancy announcement criteria will be considered:

• All Interested Applicants – ALL applicants who have legal status to work in the Philippines.
• Current Employees of the Mission – Any local employee under the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines currently hired under a personnel service agreement (PSA) or direct-hire appointment.
• Appointment Eligible Family Member (AEFM) – An AEFM for employment purposes is an individual who meets all of the following criteria:
  • U.S. Citizen; and
  • Spouse or same-sex domestic partner (as defined in 3 FAM 1610) of the sponsoring employee; or
  • Child of the sponsoring employee who is unmarried and at least 18 years old; and
  • Listed on the travel orders or approved Form OF-126 of a sponsoring employee, i.e., a direct-hire Foreign Service, Civil Service, or uniformed service member who is permanently assigned to or stationed abroad or, as appropriate, at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT); and
  • Is under chief of mission authority; and
  • Is residing at the sponsoring employee’s post of assignment abroad or, as appropriate, at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; and
  • Does NOT currently receive a U.S. Government retirement annuity or pension from a career in the U.S. Foreign Service or Civil Service.
• U.S. Citizen Eligible Family Member (USEFM) – A USEFM for employment purposes is an individual who meets all of the following criteria:
  • U.S. Citizen; and
  • Spouse or same-sex domestic partner (as defined in 3 FAM 1610) of the sponsoring employee; or
  • Child of the sponsoring employee who is unmarried and at least 18 years old; and
  • Listed on the travel orders or approved Form OF-126 of a sponsoring employee, i.e., a direct-hire Foreign Service, Civil Service, or uniformed service member who is permanently assigned to or stationed abroad or, as appropriate, at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; and resides at the sponsoring employee’s post of assignment abroad, or as appropriate, at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; and is under chief of mission authority; or
  • resides at an Involuntary Separate Maintenance Allowance (ISMA) location authorized under 3 FAM 3232.2; or
  • Currently receives a U.S. Government retirement annuity or pension from a career in the U.S. Foreign Service or Civil Service.
• Eligible Family Members (EFMs) – An EFM for employment purposes is an individual who meets all of the following criteria:
  • U.S. Citizen or not a U.S. Citizen; and
  • Spouse or same-sex domestic partner (as defined in 3 FAM 1610); or
  • Child, who is unmarried and under 21 years of age or, regardless of age, is incapable of self-support; or
  • Parent (including stepparents and legally adoptive parents) of employee, spouse, or same-sex domestic partner, when such parent is at least 51 percent dependent on the employee for support; or
  • Sister or brother (including stepsisters and stepbrothers, or adoptive sisters or brothers) of the employee, spouse, or same-sex domestic partner when such sibling is at least 51 percent dependent on the employee for support, unmarried, and under 21 years of age, or regardless of age, incapable of self-support; and
  • Listed on the travel orders or approved Form OF-126 of a sponsoring employee, i.e., a direct-hire Foreign Service, Civil Service, or uniformed service member who is permanently assigned to or stationed abroad or, as appropriate, at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; and
  • Is under chief of mission authority.
• Member of Household (MOH): An individual who accompanies or joins a sponsoring employee, i.e., sponsor is a direct hire employee under Chief of Mission authority, either Foreign Service, Civil Service, or uniformed service member who is permanently assigned to or stationed abroad at a U.S. mission, or at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan. A MOH is an individual who meets the following criteria:
  • Not an EFM and therefore not on the travel orders or approved through form OF-126 Foreign Service Residence and Dependency Report of the sponsoring employee; and
  • Officially declared by the sponsoring U.S. Government employee to the Chief of Mission (COM) as part of his or her household and approved by the COM; and
  • Is a parent, grandparent, grandchild, unmarried partner, adult child, foreign born child in the process of being adopted, father, mother, brother, sister, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, or half-sister who falls outside the Department’s current definition of Eligible Family Member 14 FAM 511.3. A MOH may or may not be a U.S. Citizen.
• Not Ordinarily Resident (NOR) – An individual who meets the following criteria:
  • An EFM, USEFM or AEFM of a direct-hire Foreign Service, Civil Service, or uniformed service member permanently assigned or stationed abroad, or as appropriate, at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; or
  • Has diplomatic privileges and immunities; and
  • Is eligible for compensation under the FS or GS salary schedule; and
  • Has a U.S. Social Security Number (SSN); and
  • Is not a citizen of the host country; and
  • Does not ordinarily reside in the host country; and
  • Is not subject to host country employment and tax laws.
• Ordinarily Resident (OR) – An individual who meets the following criteria:
  • A citizen of the host country; or
  • A non-citizen of the host country (including a U.S. citizen or a third-country national) who is locally resident and has legal and/or permanent resident status within the host country and/or who is a holder of a non-diplomatic visa/work and/or residency permit; and/or
  • Is subject to host country employment and tax laws.

IMPORTANT: AEFM, US EFM, EFMs, and MOH are required to submit travel order showing that your sponsor has been assigned to the U.S. Mission in the Philippines.

Question:  Can I just walk in and submit my application in person?

Answer:  We do not accept walk-in applicants. We will only accept applications submitted through ERA: https://erajobs.state.gov/dos-era/phl/vacancysearch/searchVacancies.hms

Question:  In what language do I have to fill the ERA application?

Answer:  All applicants are required to submit their application on ERA in English language.

Question:  What should I do if I forgot my ERA account password?

Answer:  In case you forgot your password, the account lock is only TEMPORARY – after 30 minutes, ERA will allow you to log in again. If you can no longer remember your password, the system ONLY allows two options: 1) click the password reset hyperlink or otherwise, 2) create a new account using a new email address.

Question:  If I don’t see an opening that I like, can I just send my resume for any opening?

Answer:  We do not accept applications for possible future vacancies. On our ERA Job Seeker site, you can only apply for all currently available and active vacancies.

Question:  I don’t have the experience or education that the position requires, can I still apply?

Answer:  If you do not have the necessary experience and/or correct education as listed in the requirements of the vacancy announcement then you are not qualified and should not apply.  This policy applies to everyone and there are no exceptions.

Question:  I submitted my application in the mail the day the vacancy closed. Is it still eligible?

Answer:  The ERA system now follows our local time. Vacancy announcements automatically closes at 11:59 PM Philippine Time of the closing date. Late submissions are not eligible. This policy applies to everyone and there are no exceptions.

Question:  I have more than one position that I want to apply for.  Can I just send one application?

Answer:  On our ERA Job Seeker site, you need to apply to each of the active vacancy you are interested in and of which you are qualified. You can send your application to more than one vacancy announcement which you are qualified.

Question:  How should I describe my work experience?

Answer:  Please follow instructions on how to apply and fill out all needed information honestly and completely. It is important to clearly clarify your work responsibility and add all information that are relevant to the position requirements.

Question:  How should I describe my educational background?

Answer:  Please follow instructions on how to apply and fill out all needed information honestly and completely. It is important to clearly state your educational background and provide the specific university study/course/major of study you finished. For the purpose of the filling out application on the system:

Undergraduate – refers to all college degree or university study you have taken (graduate or not)

Graduate – means the Master’s degree you have taken

Doctorate – means the Doctorate degree you have taken

Question: There is no other available document list on the system for my other documents. How do I submit other documents as part of my application?

Answer: For other documents that you wish to upload, you can select ‘Others’ under Document Type, and specify the type of document in the Document Description. You are expected to upload all the required documents as specified on each vacancy announcement. You may disregard other documents on the ‘Document List’ that are not applicable to you. Resumes are no longer required and will NOT be reviewed on the application process. You are expected to provide all of your relevant information to your application when you apply.

Question: Can I make changes on my online application OR add/remove supporting documents?

Answer: Yes, all changes on the application and removing or uploading supporting documents must be done before the announcement closes. Once the vacancy announcement is closed, you can no longer make any changes.

Question: How can I withdraw my application if I do not want to be considered for the position I applied?

Answer:  Prior to the closing date of the vacancy announcement, you can withdraw your application by clicking the ‘Dashboard’ to view all positions that you have applied for and select “Withdraw Application” for the position you wish to withdraw. However, if you wish to withdraw your application after the closing date of the announcement, you will no longer be able to access your online application. You can inform us by sending an email to HRManila@state.gov. Provide your name and the vacancy announcement number of the position you wish to withdraw your application.

Question: How to reapply for the position that I have just withdrawn my application?

Answer:  You can reapply for the position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.  On the ‘Dashboard’ page, click ‘Edit Application’ for the position which you want to reapply.  Then, click ‘Edit’ at the ‘Series, Grade, Location’ section, and click ‘Reapply’ button under ‘Grade’, and click ‘Save’. Please note that once the vacancy announcement is closed, you are no longer allowed to reapply – this policy applies to everyone and there are no exceptions.

Question:  I’m a U.S. citizen.  Can I work at the U.S. Embassy?

Answer:  Yes, provided that you are eligible to work in the country and you meet the qualification requirements for the position.  You MUST send a copy of any of the following documents with your application to be eligible: Dual Citizenship Certificate, Alien Certificate of Registration card, or Immigrant Certificate of Residence.  If you do not have one of these documents, then you are NOT eligible to apply.  Please note that compensation and benefits for these positions are based on local prevailing wage scales and practices, which means that few jobs will pay more than U.S. minimum wage and you will be liable to pay both U.S. and Philippine taxes.

Question:  I’m a Filipino citizen.  Can I work at the U.S. Embassy?

Answer:  Yes, provided that you meet the qualification requirements for the position.

Question:  I used to be a Filipino citizen but I’m now a citizen of another country, am I eligible to apply?

Answer:  If you only have Filipino citizenship, this section does not apply to you. If you have Filipino and foreign citizenship, you MUST submit ONE of the following documents with your application to be eligible: Dual Citizenship Certificate, Alien Certificate of Registration card, or Immigrant Certificate of Residence. If you do not have one of these documents, then you are NOT eligible to apply.

Question:  How do I show proof that I am eligible to work in this country?

Answer:  Naturalized citizens of a country are eligible to work on their country. If you have foreign citizenship, you MUST submit ONE of the following documents with your application to be eligible: Dual Citizenship Certificate, Alien Certificate of Registration card, or Immigrant Certificate of Residence. Documentation must be attached as a part of the application package before HR may screen the application against the requirements of the job as advertised. Otherwise, the application is deemed as “Not Eligible”, regardless of the applicant’s qualifications and skills.

Question:  How do I get a Dual Citizenship Certificate, Alien Certificate of Registration, or Immigrant Certificate of Residence?

Answer:  Contact your nearest Philippine Consulate or the Philippine Bureau of Immigration for more information regarding authorization to work in the Philippines.

Question:  Do I have hiring preference if I am a U.S. Veteran?

Answer:  No, only qualified AEFM/USEFM who is a U.S. Veteran can obtain hiring preference. Hiring preference order will be as below:

(1) AEFM / USEFM who is a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran*

(2) AEFM / USEFM

(3) FS on LWOP**

Definitions of items 1, 2, and 3 are available on every vacancy announcement.

Question:  Will I be paid in U.S. dollars? 

Answer:  Both Philippine and U.S. Citizens who ordinarily reside (see definition for Ordinarily Resident” below) in the Philippines and are thus subject to its labor laws are paid under the local compensation plan which is in Philippine Peso currency. An ordinarily resident is a foreign national or a U.S. citizen who is local resident in the Philippines and has legal, permanent resident status in the Philippines; and is subject to Philippine employment and tax laws.

Question:  How long is the hiring process?

Answer:  We do not review applications until after the vacancy announcement has closed and the amount of time to fill a position varies depending on many factors so we are unable to provide an estimate. Please wait for at least four (4) weeks after the closing date of the vacancy to know if you are shortlisted for the next level. We will contact you if your application has been shortlisted. Follow-up is not needed.

Question:  How soon I will be contacted by the Embassy for a position I have applied?

Answer:  Due to many applications, we are only able to contact those applicants who are shortlisted for examination and interview. Please assume that the position may be filled if you are not contacted within two (2) months after the closing date of each position.

Question:  Do you notify applicants if they don’t get selected for the position?

Answer:  Due to volume of applications and number of vacancy announcements, we usually just notify those applicants who were interviewed. Only the interviewed applicants may contact the Human Resources Office to check the status of their application.