The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced that starting June 1, it will no longer allow the entry of foreign nationals who present entry exemption documents (EEDs) issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) before February this year.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the BI will implement the travel guideline pursuant to a communication received from the DFA.
“We were informed by the DFA that entry exemption documents now have a validity of 90 days from the date of issuance. Thus, all issued before Feb 8 are deemed expired by June 1,” he said
The BI chief explained that aliens who are still holding said EEDs that remain unused must enter the country on or before May 31.
Meanwhile, BI port operations chief Carlos Capulong disclosed that entry exemptions issued by the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF) during the travel ban from March 22 to April 30 may still be used until May 31.
He said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), in a resolution passed on earlier this month, ruled that entry exemptions issued by the NTF shall be recognized as valid until May 31.
Capulong reiterated that in compliance with the IATF, all 9(a) visa holders, as well as Special Resident Retirees Visa holders, are required to secure entry exemptions from the DFA in order to be allowed entry to the Philippines.