As advised by the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Filipinos who plan on leaving the Philippines to either travel or work abroad must fully comply with the requirements that the government has set forth.
“We will be very strict in seeing to it that these requirements are fully complied with, otherwise we will not allow them to leave,” BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said.
Morente emphasized that the lifting of restrictions on non-essential travel of outbound Filipinos does not mean that anyone can simply leave the country at anytime as they deem necessary.
Further, Morente said that no one is exempt from complying with the conditions imposed on all outbound Filipinos, unless they are permanent residents, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), or holders of a study visa in their country of destination.
Morente also cautioned Filipino-would-be-travelers that “unless your purpose in going abroad is really very important that you cannot forego, we advise you to stay until this pandemic is over as the risk of you getting infected by the virus is still very serious.”
BI personnel in different international ports were already instructed to strictly implement the resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on the requirements for outbound Filipino travelers, according to BI Port Operations Acting Chief Grifton Medina,
Such requirements include:
1) The presentation of a confirmed return ticket for those traveling on tourist visas;
2) Adequate travel and health insurance to cover rebooking;
3) If infected, accommodation expenses if stranded and hospitalization.
In order to avoid the major inconvenience of being turned away and sent back to the Philippines, Medina advised the importance for travelers to make preliminary confirmations if the country of their destination has not imposed restrictions on the entry of Filipinos.
“They are also required to sign, by their airlines, a declaration acknowledging the risks involved in their travel. They will be informed that upon their return, they will be swab tested for COVID-19 and undergo hotel quarantine,” Medina added.
He further stressed that even passengers who comply with the requirements will still be subjected to rigid inspection to make sure that these travelers are not victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment.
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Stay updated with news and information from the Bureau of Immigration by visiting their website at immigration.gov.ph.
