TRADE Secretary Ramon Lopez on Tuesday night said foreign travelers and investors may now visit the Philippines starting April 1 without an entry exemption document (EED) from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration.
Lopez said, though, that foreign visitors should still present a valid visa, should be fully vaccinated and are able to present an acceptable proof of vaccination.
During the pre-recorded “Talk to the People” address that aired on Wednesday, Lopez said the scrapping of the entry exemption documentation will boost the government’s efforts to lure in more foreign investors, thereby creating more local jobs.
Lopez said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) approved last week Resolution 165, which allows foreigners to enter the country even without presenting an entry exemption document, which the IATF previously required when the government partially opened its borders to foreign travelers.
The travelers, though, should still present an acceptable proof of vaccination, which include the World Health Organization International Certificate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis, VaxCertPH, national or state digital certificate of a foreign country accepting VaxCertPH, among others.
Under Resolution 165, foreign travelers are mandated to present a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test taken within 48 hours prior to their arrival, or a negative laboratory-based antigen test taken within 24 hours prior to their arrival and must have passports valid for a period of at least six months at the time of their arrival.
The foreign travelers must also have valid tickets for their return journey to their port of origin or next port of destination not later than 30 days from date of arrival, and travel insurance for COVID-19 treatment costs from reputable insurance providers with a minimum coverage of USD35,000 for the duration of their stay in the country. (J. Montemayor, Malaya)