The government’s pandemic task force has decided to allow foreign spouses and children of Filipino citizens to enter the Philippines without the need to present the required outbound ticket, Malacañang announced.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles made the statement as the country started to open its borders to fully vaccinated foreigners from non-visa-required countries, the first time since the Philippines went into lockdown in March 2020.
In a virtual briefing, Nograles reiterated that foreigners who want to enter the Philippines for business and tourism purposes must have a return or outbound ticket.
However, he said that the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases decided that foreign spouses and children of Filipino citizens will no longer be required to present an outbound or return ticket when entering the country.
Aside from these people, former Filipino citizens with Balikbayan privilege under Republic Act No. 9174 and their foreign spouses and children are also allowed to enter the Philippines without the said requirement.
Foreign nationals entering the Philippines visa-free must:
- Be fully vaccinated, except for children below 12 years old traveling with fully vaccinated foreign parent/s
- Have acceptable proof of vaccination
- Present a negative RT-PCR test that was taken within 48 hours prior to their flight to the Philippines
- Have a valid passport for a period of at least six months at the time of their arrival
Entry via 9(a) Visa
Meanwhile, foreign nationals entering via a 9(a) Visa or tourist visa and are intending to stay beyond 30 days for purposes other than tourism or leisure may also enter through an entry exemption document (EED) issued under existing IATF rules and regulations provided that:
- They are fully vaccinated, except for children under the age of 12 traveling with their parents
- They carry or possess acceptable proof of vaccination
- They present a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to their flight to the Philippines
Last week, the IATF released a memorandum containing an updated set of arrival protocols for foreign nationals.