The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said fully-vaccinated clients will be exempted from securing an online appointment schedule at its head office in Intramuros, Manila.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said that individuals who are able to present their vaccination cards or certifications showing that they are already fully vaccinated may be allowed entry to process their immigration-related documents, without the need of prior online appointment.
An individual is considered fully-vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine.
The BI chief said unvaccinated clients or those who are unable to show proof of their vaccination would still be required to book through the BI’s appointment system through the website e-services.immigration.gov.ph.
He said the move was in relation to the de-escalation of the National Capital Region (NCR) to Alert Level 2, as recommended by health officials.
“This would allow us to provide services to more clients, while still ensuring that strict health protocols remain in place,” Morente stated.
The BI earlier announced the extension of work hours in NCR offices, reverting to their regular 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. schedule.