THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) said only fully vaccinated foreigners coming from more than 150 countries listed in an executive order can enter the Philippines without a visa starting February 10, 2022.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said foreigners whose country is not listed under Executive Order No. 408 cannot avail of the visa-free privilege.
They are required to secure visas before traveling to the Philippines, the BI chief added.
Under the said EO, nationals from 157 countries may be admitted into the country without a visa for an initial stay of 30 days.
Said countries include Canada, Japan, Singapore, United States, New Zealand, Malaysia and South Korea.
Morente said foreign tourists from countries not listed under EO 408 need to secure a 9(a) visa and an entry exemption document (EED) through any of the Philippine embassies or consulates abroad.
“They should also be fully vaccinated or else they will be denied entry even if they have valid 9(a) visas and EED,” he added.
The BI chief said all foreigners entering the country are required to present appropriate proof of full vaccination as set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).
"Or else they will be turned back at the airports and booked on the first available flight to their port of origin," he said.
Morente said former Filipinos qualified to avail of the one-year Balikbayan privilege should also be fully vaccinated before they could enter the country.
The Balikbayan program allows former Filipinos, including their foreign spouse and dependents who are traveling with them, to enter the country visa-free for one year.
The IATF-MEID also said arriving alien tourists are required to present a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test taken at least 48 hours prior to their departure from their country of origin, a return ticket, a passport valid for at least six months, and a travel and health insurance for Covid-19 with a minimum coverage of US$35,000 valid for the entire duration of their stay.