eTravel Philippines: the free arrival card, step by step

Who must register

The official FAQ names arriving passengers and crew, Filipino or foreign, and departing Filipino passengers. A Filipino passenger registers twice: once for the flight in, and again in the days before flying out. A balikbayan who travels on a foreign passport registers on arrival like any foreign passenger. The exemptions are narrow: foreign diplomats and their dependents, foreign dignitaries and their delegations, 9(e) visa holders, and holders of diplomatic or official passports.

When to register

Within 72 hours before your arrival in or departure from the Philippines. The system accepts the declaration only inside that window, so a flight next week cannot be registered today. An account can add family members, but each traveller needs a declaration of their own.

What the form asks for

Have your passport and flight details at hand. The form asks for your personal details and a mobile number, your country of residence and address there, your airline, flight and destination in the Philippines, a health declaration, a customs declaration, and whether the Philippine travel tax was paid with the ticket, paid directly to TIEZA, or covered by an exemption. The account opens with your email address and a six-digit code sent to it, which can take a few minutes to arrive.

Your phone on the day

eTravel works only online, and the sign-in code arrives by email. For the arrival registration that usually means home Wi-Fi. For a Filipino passenger’s departure registration, it means a working connection in the Philippines in the three days before leaving. Keep the QR code as a screenshot, so it opens without a signal at the gate.