FILE PHOTO/THEPHILBIZNEWS/MAS
By THEPHILBIZNEWS STAFF
Cognizant of the challenges faced by the foreign members of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce Philippines who are planning to leave the country either for business trips or holiday vacations, NordCham Philippines Jesper Svenningsen, Executive Director issued guidelines to its member
Speaking to THEPHILBIZNEWS, Nordic Chamber Philippines official business media partner, Svenningsen shared the concerns of the members of the chamber.
“We were alarmed by the concerns raised by some of our foreign members and we urge the Philippine government to issue a clear communication about the requirements being implemented, including the need for a Travel Pass for selected visas,” he said.
“We understand the concerns of our members about why several foreigners have not been allowed to leave for business trips or vacation. It has cost them to get new tickets or even rebook! If this is not clarified and continued, we worry it will affect the reputation of the Philippines and even spook some would be investors,” Svenningsen explained.
“In the last few days, some members have asked for our advice on departing the Philippines and this is also the reason why we were compelled to seek for advice and disseminate the information to all our members about this requirement of a Travel Pass for selected visas,” he added.
Below is the full detail of the guidelines for all the foreign members of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.
“It has come to the attention of NordCham that some of the foreigners of our members have experienced challenges to depart the Philippines, due to the recently implemented requirement for a Travel Pass for several categories of visa.
To ensure all our members are properly updated, NordCham asked our lawyer and visa partner, In.Corp Corporate Services Philippines, Inc., for their advice and information. For your information, below is a guideline NordCham has received today.
All departing foreign nationals holding Special Non-Immigrant visas are exempt from payment of ECC re-entry permit/special return certificate and shall secure their Travel Pass from the respective government agency at least seven (7) days prior to the foreign national’s departure from the Philippines. Lead time is 7 working days except for Emergency cases.
• Department of Justice – 47(a)(2) visa obtained from DOJ.
• Philippine Economic Zone Authority – 47(a)(2) visa obtained from PEZA
• Philippine Retirement Authority – Special Resident Retiree’s visa
• Bureau of Immigration – ROHQ visa or Special Non-Immigrant Visa under EO226, as amended by RA 8756
• Board of Investment – Special Investor’s Resident Visa
Please be informed that the duly issued Travel Pass shall be for single use only and valid for 30 days from its issuance. Also, as part of the conditions for issuance of travel pass, the foreign national must inform the government agency who issued the travel pass of their return into the Philippines by submitting the passport bio-page, visa sticker or stamps and arrival stamps.
Valid 9(g) and 13(a) visa holders may depart the Philippines without obtaining the mentioned Travel Pass.
Important: We always recommend seeking confirmation from the Bureau of Immigration, as guidelines and rules may change with short notice. When traveling to the Philippines, note that the Philippines operate with a traffic light system. Any traveling from a country on the red list or with travel history in a red list country within the last 14 days, means that the person is prohibited from entering the Philippines no matter what kind of visa the person holds. The list and restrictions are updated regularly, and we encourage everyone to monitor the development regularly.
If you have any questions you are very welcome to Mr. Jesper Svenningsen, Executive Director through email JS@nordcham.com.ph
