(Eagle News) — Those who wish to enter the Philippines need to present proof of their booked quarantine accommodation before being allowed entry, the Bureau of Immigration said.
In a statement, bureau Port Operations Division Chief Carlos Capulong said those who fail to present their quarantine arrangements “shall be denied entry and shall be boarded immediately on the next available flight back to their port of origin.”
Arriving passengers are required to present a pre-booked accommodation for at least seven nights in an accredited quarantine hotel of facility, and are subject to COVID-19 testing at the quarantine facility on the sixth day from date of arrival.
The only exemptions are diplomats and members of international organizations holding Section 9(e) visas.
Capulong made the statement as the bureau announced foreign nationals with valid and existing visas who were allowed entry into the Philippines prior to the travel ban imposed in March are now allowed to enter the country anew.
According to the bureau, this includes aliens with existing immigrant and non-immigrant visas.
“In compliance to the IATF ruling, foreign residents, students, investors, and workers who are holding valid and existing visas may now return to the Philippines,” bureau chief Jaime Morente said.
Morente added that foreign nationals who are holders of valid and existing Special Resident and Retirees Visa (SRRV) or Section 9(a) temporary visitors’ visas, may be allowed entry provided they present an entry exemption document issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs upon arrival.
The bureau said foreign nationals qualified under the government’s Republic Act No. 6768 or the Balikbayan Program may be allowed to enter visa-free.
“The said program allows the spouse and the children of a Filipino national traveling with the Filipino spouse or parent, or a former Filipino who has acquired the citizenship of another country, to enter visa free if part of the 157 countries covered by EO 408,” the bureau said.
The bureau said those coming from India or have a travel history to India within the last 14 days preceding arrival are still barred from entering the Philippines until May 14.
