Philippines to welcome vaccinated intl. tourists; scraps quarantine requirements

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Beginning February 10, 2022, the Philippines will begin accepting fully-vaccinated international tourists from countries that do not need a visa to enter the Philippines. 

The announcement was made on January 28, 2022 by Philippine Tourism Secretary, Berna Romulo-Puyat , after the department’s proposal was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

The IATF-EID announced the suspension of the country classification system beginning  February. 1, 2022. Starting the same day, 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 prior to departure from point of origin. 

The tourism department also announced that after consulting with health experts and authorities, qualified tourists will also no longer be required to undergo quarantine starting February 10, as long as they are able to present a negative RT-PCR test taken 48 hours prior to departure from point of origin.

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 in a statement.

“With years of coordination 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,” Puyat added. 

Based on IATF-EID guidelines, international tourists 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. Travelers must also possess outbound tickets to their country of origin or next country of destination. 

Tourists must also carry proof of vaccination against COVID-19 recognized by the IATF-EID. These include certificates of vaccination issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), VaxCertPH of the Department of Health and a national/ state digital certificate of a foreign government which has accepted VaxCertPH under a reciprocal arrangement.

The list of countries whose nationals are allowed to enter The Philippines without a visa are listed here.