Retiree’s visa holders allowed to enter sans exemption docs

MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Saturday that aliens holding the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) issued by the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) are now allowed to enter the country.

In an advisory, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said following the most recent Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), upon recommendation of the Department of Tourism (DOT), those holding SRRVs are now allowed to enter the country without an entry exemption document.

Morente said those holding tourist visas are still not permitted to enter the country unless authorized by the country’s foreign posts abroad through an entry exemption document.

BI Port Operations Division Chief Carlos Capulong also said all arriving passengers are still required to present their 10-day quarantine hotel or facility booking, except for those who have been fully vaccinated in the Philippines, who would only need to present a seven-day booking.

Capulong clarified that those coming from the seven travel-restricted countries– India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates — are still not allowed to enter until June 15.

He said their personnel are on standby to service passengers that may arrive through repatriation programs of government or non-government entities for Filipinos coming from the seven countries. (PR)