What is a certificate of employment?

A one-page letter from an employer confirming that a person works or worked there, with the dates of employment and the position or type of work. It is not a contract or a payslip, and it states no salary unless the employee asks for a COE with compensation.

What is the purpose of a COE?

It proves employment to someone outside the company: an embassy for a visa, a bank for a loan or credit card, a landlord, a school or a new employer looking at work history. Writing the purpose into the COE tells the reader why it was issued.

Can a COE be issued immediately?

Yes. DOLE sets a maximum of three days from the request, not a waiting period, so many HR teams release a COE on the day it is asked for. With the text ready on a letterhead template, each one takes a few minutes.

Can a current employee ask for a COE?

Yes. DOLE Labor Advisory No. 06, Series of 2020 says that an employee whose employment is not yet terminated may also ask for a certificate of employment. Write 'to present' in place of an end date.

How can HR make COEs for many employees at once?

Keep the COE as a letterhead template in DynaPictures and import a CSV or Excel export with the names, positions and dates. You get one PDF per employee, named after them, ready to print and sign.

Certificate of Employment: Sample & Format

Certificate of employment samples

Six COEs written the way HR teams in the Philippines issue them. The first is the standard format with blanks in square brackets; the others are filled in for a visa, a bank loan, a former employee, an IT professional and a nurse.

Standard COE format

This is to certify that [Mr./Ms.] [Employee's full name] has been employed by [Company name] as [Position] from [Start date] to [End date, or 'present' for a current employee]. In this role, [he/she] is assigned to the [Department] department and is responsible for [main duties]. This certification is issued upon the request of [Mr./Ms.] [Surname] for [purpose, such as a visa application]. Issued this [day] day of [month and year] at [City], Philippines. [Signatory's name] [Signatory's position]

COE for a visa application

This is to certify that Ms. Angelica M. Ramos is a regular employee of Pacific Lantern Outsourcing Corp. and has held the position of Team Leader, Customer Support, since March 4, 2019. Ms. Ramos has been granted vacation leave from December 18, 2026 to January 5, 2027 for a trip to Japan and is expected to report back to work on January 6, 2027. Her position will be kept for her during her leave. This certification is issued upon her request in support of her visa application. Issued this 20th day of October 2026 at Pasig City. Ramon S. Villanueva Human Resources Director

COE for a bank loan

This is to certify that Mr. Jerome P. Bautista has been employed by Kalinaw Digital Corp. since August 1, 2020 and currently holds the position of Senior Accountant with regular status. Mr. Bautista receives a monthly basic salary of PHP 48,500.00 and a monthly rice and transportation allowance of PHP 3,000.00. This certification is issued upon his request for his personal loan application. Issued on October 12, 2026 at Cebu City. Cristina D. Lim HR and Payroll Manager

COE for a former employee

This is to certify that Mr. Mark Anthony L. Garcia was employed by Bluewave Freight Solutions, Inc. from June 15, 2018 to August 31, 2026. He served as Warehouse Supervisor at our Laguna distribution center, where he managed inventory control, dispatch schedules and a team of 14 warehouse staff. Mr. Garcia resigned voluntarily and has been cleared of all accountabilities. This certification is issued upon his request for whatever legal purpose it may serve. Issued this 3rd day of September 2026 at Santa Rosa City, Laguna. Liza C. Mendoza HR Manager

For an IT professional

This is to certify that Ms. Patricia Joy C. Aquino has been employed by Coral Bay Software Corp. as Software Engineer II from February 1, 2021 to present. She is part of our Platform Engineering team, where she builds and maintains payment APIs in Java and Kotlin, reviews code for a team of six developers and supports monthly releases for our banking clients. Ms. Aquino is a regular, full-time employee on a hybrid work arrangement at our Taguig City office. This certification is issued upon her request for her graduate school application. Issued on October 8, 2026 at Taguig City. Jonathan R. Cruz Head of People Operations

For a nurse

This is to certify that Mr. Joshua D. Santiago has been employed by St. Raphael General Hospital as a Staff Nurse from July 1, 2019 to present. He was assigned to the Surgical Ward, a 32-bed unit, until December 2022 and has since worked in the Intensive Care Unit, a 10-bed unit, on rotating eight-hour shifts. His duties include patient assessment, giving medications as ordered, post-operative care and supervising nursing aides. This certification is issued upon his request for his application for a nursing position abroad. Issued this 15th day of October 2026 at Quezon City. Ma. Theresa L. Navarro Chief Nurse

What to include in a certificate of employment

A COE is short: one page on letterhead that a bank, an embassy or a new employer can read in a minute. These seven elements cover what they look for.

Element	What to write
Letterhead	Your company name, logo, address and an HR phone number or email, so the reader can call HR to confirm the details.
Title and salutation	Certificate of Employment as the heading, then 'To whom it may concern' when you do not know who will read it.
Employee's name	Full name with middle initial, exactly as in your HR records, with Mr. or Ms. in front.
Position and type of work	The job title, the department and one line on the work done: the type of work is part of what a COE certifies.
Dates of employment	The start date and the end date, or 'to present' for someone still employed. Spell out the month: October 1, 2026.
Status and pay, if asked	Regular, probationary or project-based status. Add the salary and allowances only when the employee asks for a COE with compensation.
Purpose, date and signatory	Why it was requested, the date and place of issue, and the name and position of the HR head typed under a line they sign by hand.

DOLE Labor Advisory No. 06, Series of 2020 defines the COE as a certificate of the dates of engagement and termination and the type of work, lets an employee who still works for you ask for one, and requires you to issue it within three (3) days of the request.

COE template on a company letterhead

Three letterhead designs for the same COE. Each has your logo, company name and address at the top, a shaded panel with the employee's name, position and dates, and a line for the signature. Open one in the editor and change the colours and fonts to match your brand.

Spreadsheet

COE maker for HR teams

December travel season, a bank's housing loan drive or the end of a project can bring dozens of COE requests in one week. DynaPictures turns your HR export into a COE per employee on your letterhead, each a PDF named after the person, and the editor opens with the COE template when you sign up.

Import names, positions and dates from CSV or Excel
A PDF per employee, named from the name column
Your logo, fonts and colours on the letterhead

A DynaPictures spreadsheet with one row per image, and the image generated from the selected row

Get started Automatic certificate generator

How to make a COE in three steps

1.

Choose the sample that fits

Start from the standard COE or the version for a visa, a loan or a former employee, and set it on your letterhead.

2.

Fill in the details from HR records

Copy the name, position and dates from the employee's file, and the pay from payroll only if the request asks for it.

3.

Sign it and release it on time

Print the COE, sign it by hand and give it to the employee within three days of the request, as DOLE requires.

Certificate of employment FAQ

They ask HR, usually by email, a request form or your HR portal. HR prepares the COE on letterhead from the employee's records, an authorised officer signs it, and it is released within three days of the request under DOLE Labor Advisory No. 06, Series of 2020.

Certificate of employment (COE) samples and format