For Filipinos and many countries abroad, the passport serves as one of the main requirement to travel across countries. Once you have it, this should remain in your possession without further explanation.
There are already a lot of issues, especially to OFW’s, involving the employer and employee as to who will hold their employees passport. But actually, there’s no question to that. A passport should be in the possession of the person whose name and image is attached to it.
Sadly, this rule is not practiced by all employers especially with OFWs working in Middle East countries.
SAUDI ARABIA
The Labor Ministry has reiterated that it is the right of foreign workers to keep their passports and official documents.
“Anybody violating this rule will face serious penalties,” said Taysir Al-Mofraj, the ministry’s spokesman.
– Arab News
KUWAIT
“Companies in Kuwait will no longer be allowed to withhold employees’ passports under new labour laws being written, according to Arabic daily Al Shahed. A draft resolution is expected to be submitted to the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of Planning and Development Hind Al- Subaih before the end of this month, the daily said, quoting ministry sources.”
– Arabian Business
“It [new law on domestic helpers] prohibits employers from confiscating workers’ passports, a common abuse, but fails to specify penalties.”
– Human Rights Watch
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on the Abolition of Forced Labour
“Retaining workers’ passport also amounts to forcible work in violation of International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on the Abolition of Forced Labour – to which the UAE is a signatory. Employers who fail to give workers their passports on request are in breach of trust. The offence carries imprisonment of upto three years and/or fine amounting to AED20,000 or more,” quotes UAE Ministry of Labour Legal Department.
– ILO
“It was stated in a decree by the Ministry of Interior (in December 2002) that it will be considered as an illegal action to retain the passports except by governmental parties. It is a personal travel document that proves the identity of the holder, and the laws stipulate that the bearer must keep his or her passport and present it to the government authorities upon request. In case of holding of passports by anyone without a court order, there will be a suitable punishment by the law.”
– Jamie Liddington, head of employment at law firm Hadef & Partners
BAHRAIN
“No person shall be arrested, detained, imprisoned, searched or compelled to reside in a specified place, nor shall the residence of any person or his liberty to choose his place of residence or his liberty of movement be restricted, except in accordance with the law and under the supervision of the judicial authorities.”
– Constitution of Bahrain Article 19 Section b
OMAN
“It is illegal to keep the passport of the employee as it is a personal document and legally, the property of the government issuing it. In Oman, normally a passport is handed over by the expat only to get a residence visa stamped on it and as per the rules, it should be returned after the stamping.”
– Moath Al Ghilani, an Omani lawyer
QATAR
Qatar Labor Law – #4 of 2009 Regulating The Entry And Exit Of Expatriates In Qatar And Their Residence And Sponsorship
Article 9: The sponsor shall deliver the passport or travel document to the sponsored person once the procedures for issuing or renewing the residence permit are accomplished.
– BrasemDoha
“The Law 4/2009 regulates the entry, exit and residency of the country’s foreign workers (expatriates) and it gives adequate protection to the foreigners and guarantees their right to keep passports in their possession.. Violation of the law could amount to a penalty of not less than QR10,000 to the sponsor or his representative for every passports that he keeps in his illegal custody.”
– Doha legal activist and Migrant Asia regional co-ordinator Nizar Kochery
Octavio Goetsch
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Lj flores
Kasama po ba ang singapore ..?kc nsa kanila po passport q eh!
sophia power
meron akong sister in law na nasa saudi…ung employer nya hindi cya pinapasweldo monthly tapos nasa kanila pa ung passport nya… hindi pa cya pinapakain ng maayos.. saan po bh tayo pwede humingi ng tulong.. gusto na niyang umalis sa amo nya hindi cya makaalis kasi nasa kanila passport nya.. at baka gawan pa cya ng kwento para ipakulong
Lene may
Nkikita ko lng yung. Passport at iqama ko sa cabinet sa sala.. Pero. D ko knukuha kc wait ko sbhin nla ng kusa.. Gsto ko kc maayos na usapn.. Kya ayw kong bsta bsta kna lng kukunin
julibeth Acol Namuag
Sana nga ibigay nila pero hindi naman nasusunod yang mga sinasabi nyo na yan dapat mga employer ang pinagsasabihan nyo Hindi miming mag ofw kasi wala naman kami magagawa kung ayaw ibigay samin ang passport namin.
Nerisa
Pano yan,ako nasa saudi ako bawal ang simcard tapos mga gamit sakin at all around ako sa bahay at tatlong bata hnd ako free sa mga gamit gusto kung umalis kaso nasa kanila ang pasport k.
Sweetlove abuel
Ako po ay nandito sa saudi ngayon..sa airport pa lng kinuha na passport ko..pti iqama ko ndi ko po hawak.lahat nang nakasaad sa kontrata ay ndi sinusunod nang mga employer..
ANALINE
Ako hndi rin binigay last year,
I try to talked my employer regarding this issue but he refused to give our passport bcoz he told me no its should be keep by him not me even if I try to explain and I told him employer’s still keeping employees passport had penalty if it caught by police or ministry of labor incharged and he ask me where I know this laws and I told him I read it from the news and I have also link for this from the ministry of labor here included also our salary but he never give it to us the passport until now. Although, he is a good employer and his family but as a filipino also I try to fight our right being foreign her to keep our documents as our personal property being filipino OFW here in Saudi Arabia.
william hoffarth
Good for you, send me the link , my gf od in kuwait with same problem,
do you know if a pinay can travel to usa from kuwait, for vacation without visa?
Lorena G. Antifona
Ang passport q hawak ng employer q 4yrs nq dto ni anino ng passport q dq nkita dhil dpq nauwi dto poh aq sa oman mgknu poh ba penalty dto sa oman pg d nla bngay passport?
frankie alcantara
Pano b mg complain sa labour itong company q hind sinunod contract q. 12 hrs duty q araw araw no over time pay. Hawak din nila passport q. Jubail ksa q. Saan b poyd I reklamo company q.
gloria
Wala naman po tayong magagawa kung hawakan ng employer mga passport natin basta nagwowork tayo n ok sa atin.ung may mga reklamo sa work tawag n lng sa embasy para magpalipat o iwan mga amo nila.ganun lang namn po yan.ung mga gusto umalis sa amo n di mkatawag…magpost n kyo sa fb o humnap n kyo ng paraan para makaalis dyn.ingatan nyo lng sarili nyo at wag magtiwala s ibng lahi.
Regin F. Camarillo
Himala kong susunod ang mga arab people mga. Kahit nga sahod na paka halos dipa ibigay maliban nalang sa mga amo na mababait.
jean
How about in lebanon the employers also keep the pastport of employees
irish
Bkit yung skin poh hndi nla binibigay…andun po sa knila ang passport ko…andito po ako sa saudi ngaun…
Jose Jeron PAUNEL
This law is not implemented. all companies not follow.
olivia
Ganun din po sa akin. Hwak po nila passport ko. Sa airport pa lang hwak na nila passport. Dito po ako ngaun sa jezan Saudi arabia
Naomiproud
For me my employer keep my passport n also resident id……..no off day n salary is only Allah who know. Allah only to b with us
Kelvin
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Leonel A. Capuyan
Anung Laban nmin sa employer kung sakali kunin nmin ang passport?
Tas Hindi nila ibigay!
Pwd ba nmin ehain sa POLO ang complàin nmin!
Tas ngaun nong nsa polo na kme mismo encharge officer sa complain ang ngsabi na okey lng daw na nsa employer ang passport nmin! Yun ang pagkasabi sa amin ng taga POLO staff,
So parang wala lng palang kwenta ang Saudi law nila at mismo office ng POLO natin!
Johnatan sosa
My company still not yet fallow saudi labor law regarding issuing employee passport .
Eden de castro
Bc8 nd ksm a jeddah s Hold of your passport ung passport q kc kunuh ng amo q tpoz ung igama q hnggng ngyn sbi wl p eh 5mnths n q d2
elpidio sabigan de leon
ang passport ko nasa kompanya ko may pinapirmahan sila na sa katunayan ay hawak nila ang passport pero di naman ako pumirma dahil para ibigay sa akin ang passport ko pero more than one year laters dipa binibigay….
Jane Tejo
Nandito po ako sa Qatar ngayon, sila po ang may hawak ng passport ko at Iqama or residence work Identification Card. Ano po ba ang dapat kung gawin di nila binibigay ang passport ko… paano po ito masolve ang problem na ito. Di lang po ako marami pa ang tulad ko na di hawak ang passport namin.
Nawa’y masagot sa katanungan ko.
william hoffarth
Does the pi embassy in kuwait help domestic helpers get thier passports and id from employers? And what about the long hours, that is slavery, know wonder they keep passport so they cantt leave, if as ny one canhelp pplease e mail me, this shit must stop
Julie tolero
Ako po si julie tolero 6mont na aq sa amo q..mula ng dumating aq dto di q na nkita ang passport q pati Qid q..at wla din po aq health card. Sa ngaun po nkaadmitt aq dto sa hamad hospital sa sakit na apendix hinahanapan nla aq ng healtcard wala aq maibigay.ano po ba ang gagawin q. Mgkanong penalty b ang nrarapat dto..
Darry
Walang magagawa govt,natin d2 o kahit govt nang Saudi.d2 sa companya namin dami nilang linabag wala mangyayari sa post na ito useless,pagnagka problima nga d2 kahit mali nang I bang lahing Arab pag dating sa Pinoy kawawa babaliktarin ka lang nila.
Jenicelyn manurac
Aq poh ay mag 4 n taon n aq dto s uae pro hawak paren ang aking amo ang passport q .aq pla c jenicelyn manurac pauwi n aq s may pro ndi q p nhahawakan passport q
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Virginia W.Tanalgo
But why no Malaysia??in Malaysia country the domestic cannot hold there passport??the employer holding the passport of the Domestic,,not only passport but also the salary of the ofw..if i talking about passport @money.we just arguing..they are not following the signing contract..
Virginia Tanalgo
But why no Malaysia??in Malaysia country the domestic cannot hold there passport??the employer holding the passport of the Domestic,,not only passport but also the salary of the ofw..if i talking about passport @money.we just arguing..they are not following the signing contract..
Riyal
Dear Phil Embassy in Saudi Arabia,
We have 365 days for you to check each office if they follow the rule. If you dont work, better you resign. Many people are jobless and willing to take your place.
From,
OFW
Nesstie
Hello Dapat sa bawat bahay ng mga employer nmin n may mga kadama dapt binibisita ng mga taga embassy para malaman nila lagay ng bawat Pinay s puder ng employer kmi kc Dito till now hnd nmin hawak passport , visa Emirates I’d ,at health id nmin mahawakan lang nmin pag magpapacheckup kmi,,wla nmn kmi reklamo sa amo nmin kc mababait cla,,un nga Lang sana bigyan din kmi ng chance n mkapasyal n kmi lang haaaayyyys hirap Buhay katulong