Foreigners with valid visas can enter PH: Palace

MANILA – Foreign nationals with valid visas can enter the Philippines but are subject to strict health and quarantine rules, Malacañang announced on Friday.

In a press statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) amended its earlier resolution on all foreign travelers covered by the travel ban.

“On Thursday, April 29, 2021, (the IATF) allowed the entry to the Philippines of foreign nationals permitted under previous IATF resolutions,” Roque said. “They are, however, subject to conditions, such as they must have a valid and existing visa at the time of entry.”

Foreigners who can visit the country must have pre-booked accommodation for at least seven nights in an accredited quarantine hotel or facility, he said, adding that they must undergo a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test at the isolation facility six days after their arrival.

“In addition, they are subject to the maximum capacity of inbound passengers at the port and date of entry,” he said.

The latest directive came after the Philippine government prohibited the entry of most foreigners to the country until April 31.

Exempted from the travel ban are diplomats and members of international organizations, foreigners involved in medical repatriation, foreign seafarers under the “green lanes” program, foreign spouses and children of Filipino citizens traveling with them, and other emergency humanitarian cases approved by the National Task Force Against Covid-19.

“Travel restrictions, however, shall continue to be in effect for those coming from India or those with travel history to India,” he said.

On Tuesday, Roque announced that travelers from India or with a travel history to India in the past 14 days would be prohibited from entering the Philippines from April 29 to May 14.

The travel restrictions, he said, are “without prejudice to immigration’s rules and regulations.”

The Bureau of Immigration has been directed to formulate guidelines on the implementation of travel restrictions imposed on foreign nationals.

“The Commissioner of Immigration shall have the exclusive prerogative to decide on the waiver or recall of exclusion orders of foreign nationals, subject to regular reporting to the IATF Secretariat,” Roque said.