By Pearl Gumapos
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) clarified that it does not collect any fees from entry exemption document (EED) applicants, except the visa fee paid to the issuing Philippine embassy or consulate abroad.
An EED is free of charge to all qualified applicants duly endorsed by national government agencies.
The DFA said this on Friday following reported scams targeting foreign nationals who seek exemption from the current suspension of visa issuance.
“Foreign nationals and their sponsoring entities in the Philippines are advised to be wary of individuals, groups, establishments or companies that offer facilitation services or sponsorship letters for a fee for the issuance of EEDs,” the DFA said in an advisory.
“All requests for entry exemptions are vetted and endorsed by national government agencies and offices based on their assessment and evaluation of the urgency and necessity of travel to the Philippines prior to the issuance of an EED by the DFA. The DFA itself does not issue sponsorship or invitation letters,” it added.
The EED mechanism is a measure to allow the entry of essential travelers pursuant to the visa issuance policy laid out by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). –rir
