The use of etravel registration -- https://etravel.gov.ph. -- is absolutely free of charge, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Wednesday, Feb. 4.

Thus, the BI warned the public not to fall prey to scams that seek payment for the etravel registration "since the process is absolutely free of charge."

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco issued the warning after receiving reports that passengers at the airports claim that they paid and registered in the etravel platform.

“It is only when they encounter our officers at the airport that these passengers would realize they have been duped by these fraudsters and scammers in the internet,” he lamented. 

Tansingco explained that etravel, which was launched earlier this year, “serves as the single data collection platform for arriving and departing passengers” and “establishes an integrated border control, health surveillance, and economic data analysis.”

“The project abolished the paper-based arrival and departure cards, as well as the quarantine form.  It was hailed for lessening paper-based requirements for travelers, using a system similar to that used by other advanced countries,” he said.

The BI said that some passengers who were duped into paying for the etravel registration paid “ between P3,000 to P5,000, when converted to peso as the fees charged by the scammers are usually in US dollars.”