The new departure protocol for Filipino travelers abroad will start on September 3, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) announced.
Based on the new departure guidelines of the IACAT, the following are the basic documents that immigration officers will request:
• passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of departure
• appropriate, valid visa, whenever required
• boarding pass
• confirmed return or round trip ticket, whenever necessary
Self-funded tourists must also show their source of income, proof of employment, return and round-trip tickets, and hotel accommodation.
If the trip is sponsored by a relative who has a first civil degree and is abroad, the traveler is required to show the following:
• birth or marriage certificate
• sponsor's valid passport, work visa, and overseas employment certificate.
While it is sponsored by a relative who is in the 4th civil degree and is abroad or by a non-relative, it is necessary to show:
• notarized original affidavit of support and guarantee with the sponsor's undertaking that the trip is for 'tourism purposes and that the passenger shall return to the Philippines'.
The IACAT, composed of various government agencies and non-government sectoral representatives, approved the revised guidelines on departure formalities for Filipinos traveling overseas and published the protocols this month.
The move comes after a series of complaints from travelers who have reported missing their flights or being offloaded due to questioning by Bureau of Immigration officers.
"It is of paramount importance to emphasize that the revised guidelines have been formulated not to encroach upon the fundamental right to travel but to serve as a protective bulwark shielding our fellow citizens from the dire perils of human trafficking," the council said.
