The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said foreigners with expired reentry permits may now enter the country upon payment of the required fees at the airport.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the new rules apply to foreigners who have been issued immigrant and non-immigrant visas and who are returning to the Philippines after being stranded abroad due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Morente said the new rules were based on instructions of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra to allow the reentry of aliens with expired reentry permits (RPs) and special return certificates (SRCs) instead of sending them back to their port of origin.
An RP is issued to a holder of an immigrant visa who also happens to be a permanent resident here, while the SRC is obtained by a non-immigrant such as holders of 9(g) working visa and 9(f) student visa.
Said aliens cannot leave the country unless they have secured their RP or SRC as well as their emigration clearance certificate (ECC).
The BI chief said that the move will facilitate the unhampered entry of foreigners with existing valid visas who were not permitted to enter the Philippines when the pandemic hit the world last year.
“Many of these foreign nationals have already expired RPs and SRCs, and the new procedure will allow them to renew this at the airport upon arrival,” said Morente.