ADVISORY BN-2022-015

ENTRY, TESTING, AND QUARANTINE PROTOCOLS FOR PASSENGERS ARRIVING FROM ABROAD PURSUANT TO IATF RESOLUTION NO. 168

(Effective 0001H, 30 May 2022)

Pursuant to the Resolution No. 168, Series of 2022, of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) dated 26 May 2022, the public is informed that the entry, testing and quarantine protocols for foreign nationals and Filipino nationals arriving from abroad beginning 30 May 2022 shall be as follows:

FOREIGN NATIONALS

1. FOREIGN NATIONALS ENTERING THE PHILIPPINES
   1. Foreign nationals may enter the Philippines provided they comply with the applicable visa requirements and immigration entry and departure formalities;¹ and provided further that they:
      1. Are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as defined in Section 2 below, except only for minor children below twelve (12) years of age traveling with their fully-vaccinated foreign parent/s’;
      2. Carry/possess any of the following acceptable proof of COVID-19 vaccination, which shall be presented prior to departing/boarding from the country of origin/port of embarkation and upon arrival in the country:
         1. World Health Organization International Certificate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis;
         2. VaxCertPH;
         3. National or state manual/digital vaccination certificate of the country/foreign government; or
         4. Other proof of vaccination permitted by the IATF.
      3. Present a negative RT-PCR test taken within forty-eight (48) hours, or a remotely supervised, or a laboratory-based rapid antigen negative test result administered and certified by a healthcare professional in a healthcare facility, laboratory, clinic, pharmacy, or other similar establishment taken within twenty-four (24) hours, prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin/first port of embarkation in a continuous travel to the Philippines, excluding lay-overs; provided, that, he/she has not left the airport premises or has not been admitted into another country during such lay-over. However, the following shall be exempted from this pre-departure testing requirement:
         1. Foreign nationals aged 18 and above who have received primary series COVID-19 vaccine, and at least one (1) COVID-19 booster shot.
         2. Foreign nationals aged 12 to 17 who are “fully vaccinated” as defined in Section A(2)(a) below.
         3. Foreign nationals aged below 12, regardless of their vaccination status, who are accompanied by their parents or guardians who fall under Section A(1)(c)(i) above.
      4. Have passports valid for a period of at least six (6) months at the time of their arrival to the Philippines;
      5. For temporary visitors, have valid tickets for their return journey to the port of origin or next port of destination corresponding to their permitted/allowable duration of stay under a valid visa or visa-free entry, as the case may be. However, this shall not apply to foreign spouses and/or children of Filipino citizens and former Filipino citizens with balikbayan privilege under Republic Act No. 9174, including their foreign spouse and/or children who: (i) are not balikbayans in their own right and (ii) are traveling with them to the Philippines.
   2. A foreign national shall be deemed “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19
      1. only if he/she received the second (2nd) dose in a 2-dose series or a single dose COVID-19 vaccine more than fourteen (14) days prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin/port of embarkation (“Primary Series COVID-19 Vaccination”).
      2. For the purposes of Section A(1)(c)(1) above, “booster shot” shall refer to doses administered to a vaccinated population that has completed a primary vaccination series, when, with time, vaccine effectiveness has fallen below a rate deemed sufficient in that population, as indicated in the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) issued by the Food and Drug Administration of the Philippines (FDA).
      3. The primary series COVID-19 and/or booster shot must be included in any of the following:
         1. EUA List or Compassionate Special Permit (CSP) issued by the FDA; or
         2. Emergency Use Listing of the World Health Organization.
   3. Foreign nationals who fail to fully comply with the conditions and requisites set forth in Sections A(1) and (2) above, inclusive, shall be denied admission into the country and shall be subject to the appropriate exclusion proceedings.
   4. Once admitted into the country, they are no longer required to observe facility-based quarantine but shall self-monitor for any sign or symptom for seven (7) days.
2. FOREIGN CHILDREN TRAVELING WITH FILIPINO NATIONALS
   1. A foreign child or children below twelve (12) years of age who are not vaccinated for any reason whatsoever and traveling with their Filipino parent, shall follow the entry, testing, and quarantine protocols of their Filipino parent traveling with them.
   2. A foreign child or children from ages twelve (12) to seventeen (17) years of age traveling with their Filipino parent, shall follow the protocol based on their vaccination status (i.e., vaccinated or unvaccinated). In case of such unvaccinated minor children, either foreign or Filipino parent should accompany such child or children during their facility-based quarantine.

FILIPINO NATIONALS

1. FULLY-VACCINATED FILIPINO NATIONALS
   1. Filipino nationals may enter the Philippines provided that they comply with the following requirements:
      1. They shall carry/possess an acceptable proof of vaccination, as set out in Section I(A)(1)(b) above;
      2. Present a negative RT-PCR test taken within forty-eight (48) hours, or a remotely supervised, or a laboratory-based rapid antigen negative test result administered and certified by a healthcare professional in a healthcare facility, laboratory, clinic, pharmacy, or other similar establishment taken within twenty-four (24) hours, prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin/first port of embarkation in a continuous travel to the Philippines, excluding lay-overs; provided, that, he/she has not left the airport premises or has not been admitted into another country during such lay-over. However, the following shall be exempted from this pre-departure testing requirement:
         1. Filipinos aged 18 and above who have received primary series COVID-19 vaccine, and at least one (1) COVID-19 booster shot.
         2. Filipinos aged 12 to 17 who are “fully vaccinated” as defined in Section A(2)(a) above.
         3. Filipinos aged below 12, regardless of their vaccination status, who are accompanied by their parents or guardians who fall under Section C(1)(b)(1) above.
2. UNVACCINATED, PARTIALLY UNVACCINATED, OR FILIPINO NATIONALS WHOSE VACCINATION STATUS CANNOT BE INDEPENDENTLY VALIDATED
   1. Present a negative RT-PCR test taken within forty-eight (48) hours, or a remotely supervised, or a laboratory-based rapid antigen negative test result administered and certified by a healthcare professional in a healthcare facility, laboratory, clinic, pharmacy, or other similar establishment taken within twenty-four (24) hours, prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin/first port of embarkation in a continuous travel to the Philippines, excluding lay-overs; provided, that, he/she has not left the airport premises or has not been admitted into another country during such lay-over.
   2. Required to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of their negative RT-PCR test taken on the fifth (5th) day from date of arrival. After which, they shall be required to undergo home quarantine until their fourteenth (14th) day from date of arrival.
   3. The local government units (LGUs) of destination and their respective Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTS) are tasked to monitor those arriving passengers undergoing home quarantine.
3. UNVACCINATED MINOR FILIPINO NATIONALS
   1. Filipino nationals below twelve (12) years of age who are not vaccinated for any reason whatsoever shall follow the quarantine protocols of their parent/s or an accompanying adult/guardian traveling with them.
   2. Filipino nationals from twelve (12) years to seventeen (17) years of age shall follow the classification and procedures based on their vaccination status (i.e., vaccinated or unvaccinated). In case of such unvaccinated minor children, either foreign or Filipino parent should accompany such child or children during their facility-based quarantine.
4. FULLY-RECOVERED FILIPINO NATIONALS WITH POSITIVE RT-PCR PRE-DEPARTURE TEST RESULTS
   1. Filipino nationals who have recovered from COVID-19 but test positive for the 48-hour pre-departure RT-PCR test may nonetheless enter the country, provided, they are able to present the following documents prior to departing/boarding from the country of origin/port of embarkation and upon arrival in the Philippines:
      1. A positive RT-PCR test taken not earlier than ten (10) days but not later than thirty (30) days prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin/port of embarkation;
      2. The positive RT-PCR test taken within forty-eight (48) hours prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin/first port of embarkation in a continuous travel to the Philippines, excluding lay- overs; provided, that, he/she has not left the airport premises or has not been admitted into another country during such lay-over; and
      3. A medical certificate issued by a licensed physician to the Filipino national certifying that he/she: (i) was an asymptomatic, mild, moderate, severe, or critical case of COVID-19, as the case may be; (ii) has completed the mandatory isolation period; (iii) is no longer infectious; and (iv) has been allowed free movement and travel.
   2. Upon arrival, the COVID-19 positive Filipino national shall be subject to the following protocols:
      1. If fully vaccinated, they shall no longer be required to observe mandatory facility-based quarantine but shall self-monitor for any sign or symptom for seven (7) days with the first day being the date of arrival and shall be required to report to the local government unit of destination upon the manifestation of symptoms, if any;
      2. If unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or vaccination status cannot be independently determined, they shall be required to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of their negative RT-PCR test taken on the fifth (5th) day. After which, they shall be required to undergo home quarantine until their fourteenth (14th) day, with the date of arrival being the first day.

ALL INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS ENTERING THE PHILIPPINES ARE STILL REQUIRED TO REGISTER THROUGH THE ONEHEALTHPASS PLATFORM. (official site: onehealthpass.com.ph)

For the public’s information and guidance.

¹ The travel insurance as an entry requirement for foreign nationals is no longer required, but highly encouraged.

For further information, you may visit the Philippine Bureau of Immigration’s website immigration.gov.ph or its Official Facebook Page.