Philippines to allow entry of fully vaccinated foreign nationals starting February 10

The Philippines will re-open to fully vaccinated tourists from most countries on February 10, 2022, and lift quarantine requirements, officials said on Friday, nearly two years after closing its borders to contain the coronavirus.

Starting February 10, the Philippines will allow fully vaccinated international tourists from visa-free countries (https://www.juaninoman.com/list-of-countries-allowed-visa-free-entry-to-philippines/), provided that they present a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to departure from the country of origin.

To date, a total of 157 countries enjoy visa-free entry privileges to the Philippines, including some of its top tourist markets prior to the pandemic such as South Korea, Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom, United States, and Germany. Oman is also in the list.

Upon arrival, foreign tourists must self-monitor for any sign or coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) symptom for seven days with the first date being the date of arrival. A facility-based quarantine is no longer mandatory, according to the IATF-EID.

Meanwhile, they will be required to report to the local government unit of destination upon the manifestation of symptoms.

Based on IATF Resolution No. 159, foreign tourists will be allowed to enter the country, provided that their passports are valid for at least six months at the time of arrival, and they possess outbound tickets to their country of origin or next country of destination.

They must carry “proofs of vaccination” against Covid-19 that are recognized by the IATF-EID. They 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 that has accepted VaxCertPH under a reciprocal arrangement unless otherwise permitted by the IATF.

Children below 18 years of age are exempted from the requirement of full inoculation and providing proof of vaccination status prior to boarding.