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Updated January 2023

After months of dormancy due to the raging pandemic, the travel industry is gearing up for a return to small normalcy with borders reopening, and easing of quarantine requirements. Travellers around the world are now keen to find out if, when, and where they can travel abroad.

One country that’s been on many travel wish lists is the Philippines. Can anyone travel to the Philippines now?

Table of Contents

Who can travel to the Philippines?

All foreign nationals may enter the Philippines provided they comply with the applicable visa requirements and immigration entry and departure formalities; provided further that they are:

Are fully vaccinated against COVID‑19, except only for minors/children below 12 years of age travelling with their fully vaccinated foreign parents.
Have passports valid for a period of 6 months at the time of their arrival in the Philippines.
Are carrying acceptable proof of COVID‑19 vaccination, to present at check‑in and upon arrival in the Philippines.
Present the required pre‑departure testing certificate ( a negative RT‑PCR or antigen result) except for:

Foreign nationals 18 years and above who have received the primary COVID‑19 vaccine and at least one (1) booster shot.
Foreign nationals 12 to 17 years of age who have received their primary COVID‑19 vaccine.
Foreign nationals below 12 years old, regardless of their vaccination status, who are accompanied by their parents or guardians.

Removal of eArrival card requirement

Earlier the Philippine government had announced that One Health Pass no longer applies in lieu of the eArrival card. However, as of now, the authorities have now ruled out the requirement to fill out the eArrival card before boarding a flight to the Philippines as a “scan-and-go” system will instead be implemented. However, the government would set up special lanes in the country’s gateways for those who want to comply with the eArrival card. Please do refer to our eArrival Card article below for the latest development.

https://blog.wego.com/earrival-card/

Vaccination criteria

Filipino nationals may travel to the Philippines without any restrictions on their vaccination status. Unvaccinated foreign nationals will not be accepted for travel to the Philippines.

Travellers are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 under the following conditions:

Received the complete dose of a vaccine at least 14 days before travel
The vaccine administered was included in any of the following: Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) List, Compassionate Special Permit (CSP) issued by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration or Emergency Use Listing of the World Health Organization

Exemptions:

The following categories of passengers are exempt from the vaccination requirement:

Children below 12 years old
Passengers medically unable to receive the vaccine, as certified by a competent public health authority in the country/port of origin
Foreign diplomats and their qualified dependents or 9(e) visa holders

Passengers must present any of the following proof of vaccination at check-in and upon arrival:

World Health Organization International Certificate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis
VaxCertPH
National or state digital certificate of the country/foreign government

Testing requirements

The Philippines authority has taken preemptive action due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in China by tightening health protocols in all borders. There will be a thorough review of all health declaration forms submitted, especially by visitors from China. Symptomatic travellers may be required to undergo a COVID-19 test.

Fully vaccinated travellers

RT PCR or antigen testing is no longer required for all vaccinated and boosted passengers (whether foreign nationals or Filipinos) if they belong to the following criteria:

Passengers 18 years and above who have received their primary COVID‑19 vaccine and at least one (1) booster shot.
Passengers 12 to 17 years of age who have received their primary COVID‑19 vaccine.
Passengers below 12 years old, regardless of their vaccination status, who are accompanied by their parents or guardians.

Unvaccinated/partially vaccinated travellers

All unvaccinated Filipino passengers, including those partially unvaccinated or whose vaccination status cannot be validated, must present a negative RT‑PCR result for a test taken at least 48 hours before departure) or an antigen test taken at least 24 hours before departure). These passengers shall undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of their RT‑PCR test result taken on the fifth day from the date of arrival.

Recovered travellers

Filipino nationals who have recovered from COVID-19 but test positive in the pre-departure RT PCR or antigen test may be accepted for travel if they are able to present the following documents:

A positive RT PCR test certificate for a test taken at least 10 days but not more than 30 days before the date and time of departure from the country of origin/port of embarkation
A positive RT PCR test result for a test taken not more than 48 hours before departure from the country of origin/first port of embarkation in a continuous travel to the Philippines, excluding layovers; provided that they have not left the airport premises or have not been admitted into another country during such a layover
A medical certificate issued by a licensed physician stating that the Filipino national:

was an asymptomatic, mild, moderate, severe or critical case of COVID 19
has completed the mandatory isolation period
is no longer infectious
has been allowed free movement and travel

Quarantine requirements

Fully vaccinated passengers will no longer be required to undergo facility‑based quarantine.

All unvaccinated passengers, including children between 12 and 17 years old, must undergo facility‑based quarantine until the release of a negative COVID‑19 RT‑PCR test result for a test taken on day 5 of quarantine.

Unvaccinated children below 12 years old who are travelling with their Filipino parent must follow the entry, testing, and quarantine protocols that apply to their parents.