Travel Advices for the Philippines – international and domestic

Travel Advices for the Philippines in a compact form. Every day new information appear in the press and on websites. We try to give you a compact overview. We also list addresses, where you can find the latest information.

Caution this information is verified on February 08, 2021 at 6:30 PM!

Information is changing almost daily. Sometimes an announcement in the morning is revoked in the evening of the same day. We strongly recommend to verify the source of the information and the date/time of publication. 

Travel Advices Philippines for international flights

IMPORTANT: Travel Advices Philippines by BI – You can not get a “Visa on Arrival” or a “Visa Waiver” in the Philippines. You need to have a valid visa from a Philippine embassy in your passport.
Please refer to the facebook page of the Bureau of Immigration. Here you find the newest list of allowed travelers.
Date of publication is January 28, 2021, source: Bureau of Immigration
You do not need to have a facebook account to read this pages.

UPDATE:  On February 5, 2021 the Philippine News Agency (PNA) updated above list with an important sentence:
Travelers with “valid and existing” Special Resident and Retirees Visa (SRRV) and Section 9a or temporary visa can also go to the Philippines. They need to present an entry exemption document to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) upon arrival. This shall take effect on February 16, 2021 and shall be subject to [certain] conditions.
Date of publication: February 5, 2021, source: Philippine News Agency

REMARK: We did inquire but did not yet get answer of who will establish this entry exemption document. Please inquire at the Philippine embassy in your country.

 No, you aren’t in a hospital. This is the “new normal” flying! 

Travel Advices Philippines for domestic flights

While international travel is regulated by the national government of the Philippines, domestic flights depend on the Local Government Units (LGU). At least 2 LGUs dictate the rules for your journey. Hence the government of your place of departure establishes the rule for leaving. So does the government of your destination. 

On February 7,2021 CAAP published the list of allowed airports. 47 airports are allowed to fly to and from. 2 airports are still locked by local governments. Unfortunately for us, Camiguin is one of this forbidden places.

Date of publication: 7 February 2021. Source: CAAP, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

Of the allowed 47 airports, only 17 do have currently scheduled flights. The other airports are open for charter flights. 
In the list below you find the required tests and documents marked by a red check sign. The grey dots mean “not required”. Do not let you lure by the fewer check marks. In fact you can only travel to Manila, if your company needs you to come.

The origin of above table is not confirmed. Sorry, we found it on facebook 🙁

Travel abroad

If you need to leave the Philippines, contact your embassy or consulate. But please read first their website, if available. 
Your embassy or consulate may establish for you a “Laissez passer” document. This paper usually convinces local government employees that they should provide you with the requested certificates.

Another good source for help and information are the provincial/regional offices of the Department of Tourism. Do not hesitate to contact them. They helped us very much last year during the panic period.

FINAL REMARK: We are avid travelers. Before COVID-19 we stayed rarely a month at home. But now running after papers, certificates and tests despises us extremely. While the paperwork stresses your patience, the COVID tests may really disgust you. But there is hope. Therefore let us share our hope of a normal traveler’s life with yours.