24/04/2024
📌IMMIGRATION GUIDE & TIPS 🇵🇭
Plus Additional Required Documents the Immigration Officer (IO) May Ask For:
✅1.) Prepare your necessary documents for your trip.
Always remember to keep the following basic travel documents with you:
- A valid passport with at least six months validity,
- Round Trip Ticket
- Boarding Pass
- An e-Travel Declaration https://etravel.gov.ph/
- A visa if required (depending on the destination)
- Travel Insurance (no longer mandatory but recommended)
- Hotel booking confirmation for DIY tourists, and travel agency booking/agreement for tour group members.
The DOJ said more than 95% of travelers are required to show just these basic documents.
If passengers “sufficiently establish [their] declared purpose of travel,” the primary IO will clear you for departure.
Those who cannot adequately explain why they are going abroad are referred to secondary inspection. It’s in this secondary inspection that the passengers may be asked to provide additional documents.
Be prepared to answer questions about your itinerary and reasons for visiting certain places.
There are other documents a traveler may need to show to their IOs. These will will vary, depending on travel purpose, age, and other details. Additional documents may include:
TOURISTS
👉🏼 For self-funded travels
- Proof of accommodation/hotel booking
- Document showing financial capacity or source of income consistent with the passenger’s declared purpose of travel
- Proof of employment
Other supporting documents:
- Copy of approved leave application form
- Bring your original employment ID
👉🏼 Sponsored travels
For sponsored by 1st degree relatives (spouse, parents, or children) or by other relatives abroad
- Notarized original Affidavit of Support and Guarantee (AOSG)
- Original Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-issued birth or marriage certificate
- Confirmed roundtrip ticket
— Copies of sponsor’s:
* Valid passport
* Valid work visa/permit or an equivalent document
* OEC
👉🏼 Sponsored by an unrelated foreign national
- Notarized original AOSG
- Substantial proof of relationship
- Confirmed roundtrip
-- Copies of sponsor’s:
* Valid passport
* Valid work visa/permit or an equivalent document
👉🏼 Traveling with an unrelated local sponsor
- Notarized original AOSG
- Substantial proof of relationship
- Copy of sponsor’s return ticket
OFW
OFWs traveling to other countries apart from the Philippines while they are on vacation will be treated as tourists if they plan to come back to the Philippines before returning to their host countries. If the OFW is touring in another country, and then going straight to their jobs in their host country, they must present an OEC.
✅2.) The interview with the IO is crucial for your departure. Provide consistent, clear, and confident answers. Listen carefully, answer questions respectfully, and maintain composure.
✅3.) Dress modestly to convey respectability as a traveler. Avoid overly revealing clothing, especially for first-time travelers, as it may raise red flags to the IO.
✅4.) Solo travelers, especially young, female, single, or recent graduates, should be extra prepared with all necessary documents. Women are scrutinized more due to human trafficking concerns.
✅5.) Immigration Officers profile passengers based on body language, even while waiting in line.
✅6.) The IO may assess your financial capacity for the trip, especially if you are unemployed or have an unstable job. Prepare to prove how you will fund your trip or provide necessary sponsorship documentation.
✅7.) Know basic information about your sponsor and be familiar with complete names and addresses.
✅8.) Be knowledgeable about your travel history and provide truthful answers if asked about past travels.
✅9.) If you have been offloaded before, be prepared to address questions about it and explain any changes since then.
✅10.) Maintain a polite attitude during your conversation with the Immigration Officer, as they play a key role in your trip approval. Try to keep your answer short and and straightforward. Giving too much information can lead to more questions. Avoid arguing and cooperate respectfully.
Note. This tips and guide is based on my personal experiences. The immigration officer may ask you different and unexpected questions than the ones I was asked.
***I want to reiterate that the guide provided is solely based on experience and does not guarantee approval from the Immigration Officer. The Immigration Officer retains the full authority to accept or deny entry based on the documents and information you present.
