IACAT updates travel requirements for Pinoys flying out of the country. Here's what you need to know
The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) has green lighted the revised departure protocols for Filipinos traveling outside the country.
The council passed on Aug. 18 the 2023 Revised IACAT Guidelines on Departure Formalities for Internationally-Bound Filipino Passengers to address the "emergent trends" and the "grave menace" of human trafficking.
IACAT stressed that the profile of human trafficking victims is "increasingly characterized by individuals assuming the guise of tourists, ostensibly possessing the means to embark on international travel."
"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," they highlighted.
Required documents
Under the revised protocols, all Filipino travelers heading to international destinations will undergo immigration inspection and will be asked to present basic travel documents including a valid passport, boarding pass, appropriate visa whenever required, and confirmed return or roundtrip ticket, when necessary.
However, there may be times when they will be mandated to show additional supporting documents. These include proof of accommodation, financial capacity or source of income, and proof of employment for self-funded travels.
As for sponsored travels, if the sponsor is a relative with a first civil degree, passengers may be asked to present an original birth or marriage certificate or report of marriage issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority, copies of the sponsor’s passport, and valid work visa or residence permit.
For relatives up to the fourth civil degree, the documents required include an original affidavit of support and guarantee, a confirmed return or roundtrip ticket, and an original PSA-issued birth certificate or marriage certificate showing the exact relationship between the passenger and the sponsor.
If the sponsor is not related to the traveler in any way, they should present an original affidavit of support and guarantee and substantial proof of the relationship between the passenger and the sponsor.
Meanwhile, Overseas Filipino Workers who will be traveling for the first time will be asked for their Overseas Employment Certificate issued by the Department of Migrant Workers, valid employment visa or work permit, employment contract, and visa usage undertaking or manpower request.
For minors, a Travel Clearance Certificate from the Department of Social Welfare and Development is required if they are traveling without their parents and other situations. Minors below 13 are absolutely prohibited from traveling alone.
Inspection process
Under the revised guidelines, immigration officers will interview passengers on the purpose of their travel and examine their basic travel documents.
However, the passenger may be urged to answer "relevant clarificatory questions" to further establish the purpose of the travel. A secondary inspection may also occur for the following circumstances:
- Failed to establish their purpose of travel during primary inspection
- Have inconsistent or insufficient travel or supporting documents
- Unable to show proof of financial capacity to travel and are accompanied by a foreign national who is not a relative by consanguinity or affinity up to the fourth civil degree
- Those traveling, with or without a visa, to countries under Alert Level 3 or 4 and those with relevant deployment bans
- Those who previously stayed abroad for over six months as a tourist or previously misrepresented any travel information, and are intending to travel again for the same purpose
- Have active deferred-departure records
- Those identified and reported by the IACAT Anti-Trafficking Task Force or other government agencies as a potentially trafficked or illegally recruited person or a suspected trafficker or illegal recruiter
Once the purpose of the travel is sufficiently established, the officer will then clear the departure of the traveler.
The opposite may happen if the passenger is found to have presented "fraudulent, falsified or tampered travel or supporting documents" or refuses to undergo primary inspection.
The passenger can also be deferred during the secondary inspection for any of the following grounds:
- Refusal to undergo secondary inspection
- Doubtful purpose of travel
- Inconsistent or insufficient travel or supporting documents
- Misrepresentation or withholding of material information about the travel
- Presentation of fraudulent, falsified, or tampered travel or supporting documents
- Non-compliance with previous deferred-departure requirements
- Passenger is a potentially trafficked or illegally recruited person, or a suspected trafficker or illegal recruiter.
The revised guidelines will be implemented on Sept. 3.