One-Health Pass was too cumbersome for travelers.
The E-Arrival Card had mirror scammers.
Now comes the E-Travel card.
Yes, you heard it right. The government changed for the third time in less than 15 months the online registration for Filipinos and foreigners traveling to the Philippines.
Check out the right website
Starting December 1, 2022, all travelers and returning residents whose final destination is the Philippines are required to register at the new portal https://etravel.gov.ph.
This replaces the old portal of the Department of Health’s Bureau of Quarantine www.onehealthpass.com.ph. The old portal will remain accessible until tomorrow, December 5.
It’s free
“Registration on the eTravel platform is free,” the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) said in a statement.
In an apparent reference to the scam that plagued the e-Arrival card, the IATF said the public should be warned against transacting with “any entities or websites soliciting payments and fees of any kind”
“These (mirror or fake websites) are in no way related to the official eTravel platform of the Philippine Government,” the IATF added.
No more paper arrival card
According to the IATF, the e-Travel platform will host the electronic version of the paper Arrival Card that travelers must submit upon arrival in the Philippines for immigration clearance.
The Bureau of Immigration will discontinue using the paper Arrival Card starting tomorrow, December 5.
“All travelers will be required to provide their arrival information and health declaration through the eTravel portal,” it added.
Lesser info required, better interface?
Compared to its predecessors, One Health Pass and e-Arrival card, the e-Travel Registration will also be easier to fill out and will require less information, in line with a decision by Philippine health authorities to simplify the arrival process.
The new platform will have a more user-friendly interface that will soon be integrated with the system requirements of the Immigrations and Customs authorities.
Fill out within 72 hrs prior to departure
“To avoid long lines at the airport, we highly encourage you to fill out the e-Travel Registration within 72 hours prior to departure from your country of origin,” the Philippine Airlines said in its advisory.
If you are unable to do so before departure, personnel from the Philippine Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) and airport staff will assist you in completing and uploading the e-Travel Registration upon your arrival in the Philippines.
