The Philippines will start to accept fully vaccinated foreign leisure travelers from visa-free countries beginning Feb. 10, tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat announced Friday (Jan. 28).
This was after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the proposal of the Department of Tourism (DOT).
“We at the DOT are very thankful to our partners in the IATF-EID for approving our proposal to allow the entry of foreign leisure travelers. The Department sees this as a welcome development that will contribute significantly to job restoration, primarily in tourism-dependent communities, and in the reopening of businesses that have earlier shut down during the pandemic,’’ Puyat said.
“With years of coordination and preparation between national agencies, industry stakeholders, and the various local government units (LGUs) to prepare our destinations for tourism in the new normal, we are confident that we will be able to keep pace with our ASEAN neighbors who have already made similar strides to reopen to foreign tourists,” she added.
Puyat clarified that the recent IATF-EID decision will cover only leisure travelers from countries whose nationals are allowed visa-free entry to the Philippines.
It can be recalled that the IATF-EID approved last year the entry of fully vaccinated tourists from “Green” countries, territories, or jurisdictions starting Dec. 1, 2021. However, it was temporarily suspended due to the Omicron variant.
Earlier today, the IATF-EID announced the suspension of the country classification system starting Feb. 1.
Also starting Feb. 1, fully vaccinated returning overseas Filipinos will no longer be required to undergo quarantine as long as they are able to present a negative result of an RT-PCR test taken 48 hours before arrival.
Likewise, starting Feb. 10 and upon consultation with health experts, qualified leisure travelers will also no longer be required to undergo quarantine as long as they are able to present a negative result of an RT-PCR test taken 48 hours before arrival.
“We are also aware that there is no room for complacency given the unpredictability of the virus. We will closely monitor the situation and ensure that health and safety protocols are strictly implemented in all tourism establishments,” Puyat said.
Based on the IATF-EID guidelines, leisure travelers from visa-free countries will be allowed to enter the country, provided that their passports are valid for at least six months at the time of arrival, and they possess outbound tickets to their country of origin or next country of destination.
Leisure visitors must also carry proof of vaccination against COVID-19 that are recognized by the IATF-EID. They include certificates of vaccination issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), VaxCertPH of the Department of Health available at https://vaxcert.doh.gov.ph, and a national or state digital certificate of a foreign government which has accepted VaxCertPH under a reciprocal arrangement unless otherwise permitted by the IATF.
The list of countries whose nationals are allowed to enter the Philippines without a visa are those listed under Executive Order No. 408. (DOT) -ag
