THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced that the country will be opening its borders to foreign tourists starting February 10, 2022.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said in compliance with the resolution from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) issued on Thursday, January 27, 2022, fully vaccinated nationals of non-visa required countries under Executive Order No. 408 s. 1960 as amended, shall be allowed to enter the Philippines.
A total of 157 countries are considered visa-free, including the United States of America, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Arriving tourists are required to present a passport valid for at least six months and the required proof of vaccination against Covid-19.
Accepted proofs of vaccination are World Health Organization International Certificates of Vaccination and Prophylaxis, VaxCertPH, or national/state digital certificate of the foreign government which has accepted VaxCertPH under a reciprocal arrangement unless otherwise permitted by the IATF-MEID.
According to the resolution, starting February 1, arriving passengers must submit a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test valid for 48 hours prior to departure from country of origin.
Those fully vaccinated are no longer required to undergo facility-based quarantine but shall self-monitor for seven days.
On the other hand, unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, and those whose vaccination status cannot be confirmed shall undergo the required quarantine protocols as implemented by the Bureau of Quarantine and the local government units.
Minors are exempted from providing proof of vaccination.
“The opening of our borders to foreign tourists is a welcome development,” said Morente. “We see this as a giant leap towards the rebound of the tourism and international travel sector,” he added.