GOVPH

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Created: 31 May 2017

Last Updated: 01 June 2017

29 May 2017 – The Philippine Embassy in The Hague, The Netherlands wishes to remind the Filipino Community in the Netherlands and Filipinos who wish to travel to the Netherlands as tourists of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) Revised Guidelines on Departure Formalities for International-Bound Passengers, subject of the Department of Justice’s Memorandum Circular No. 036 dated 15 June 2015.

“A passenger intending to travel abroad as tourist or with temporary visitor’s visa shall undergo: 

1. Primary inspection

1.1. The following documents are required to be presented before the Immigration Officer:

     a. Valid passport;

     b. Visa whenever applicable or required; and

     c. Round-trip or return ticket

1.2. A passenger identified by the Immigration Officer (IO) to have doubtful purpose of travel, [with] fraudulent or tampered travel documents, or identified as a potential trafficked person shall not be cleared for departure or [shall be] recommended for deferred departure and turned over to the Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU) for secondary inspection.

2. Secondary inspection

2.1 When deemed necessary, the passenger shall be referred to the TCEU for secondary inspection, taking into consideration the totality of circumstances, but not limited to:

     a. Age;

     b. Educational attainment;

     c. Financial capability to travel in accordance with purpose of travel as declared by the passenger;

     d. Travel history; and

     e. Country of destination.

If the passenger is travelling through a sponsor, the following additional documents shall be required:

f. Affidavit of Support and Undertaking duly authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consular showing:

     1. The relationship of the sponsor and the passenger within the fourth (4^th) civil degree of consanguinity (e.g. pinsang buo) or affinity (e.g. bayaw/hipag/biyenan);

     2. Financial capacity with legal status of the sponsor; and

     3. Contact information of the sponsor; and/or

g.  Affidavit of Support and Undertaking executed by a person or legal / juridical entity duly authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate showing:

     1. Contact information of the sponsor;

     2. Financial capacity with legal status of the sponsor; and

     3. Registration papers of the sponsor, if a legal or juridical entity.

h. In cases of a local sponsor traveling with the passenger, a duly notarized Affidavit of Support and Undertaking, which shall contain the following:

     1. Financial capacity of the sponsor;

     2. Reason for sponsorship;

    3. Undertaking by the sponsor that the travel is solely for tourism purposes and the passenger shall return upon completion of the tour;

     4. Complete address of the sponsor and other contact details; and

     5. Registration papers, if the local sponsor is a legal or juridical entity with its duly authorized representative traveling with the passenger/sponsee;

2.2. A passenger shall be automatically referred for secondary inspection, whenever it is shown that the passenger:

     a. Has no financial capability to travel and is escorted/accompanied by a foreign national who is not a relative by consanguinity or affinity;

     b. Is a minor traveling alone or unaccompanied by either parent or legal guardian without the required travel clearance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD);

     c. Is the spouse of a foreign national intending to depart for the first time to join the foreign spouse of a partner of a foreign national intending to depart to meet and/or marry his/her fiancé/fiancée without the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) Guidance and Counselling Certificate;

     d. Is traveling to countries with existing deployment bans, alert levels 3 and 4, and travel advisories and is in possession of visas to said countries; and/or

    e. Had previously stayed abroad for more than six (6) months as a tourist/temporary visitor, and is intending to depart for the second and/or subsequent time.

3. Clarificatory questions may be propounded by the IO in relation to the purpose of travel and travel documents presented.

4. A passenger whose departure is deferred during primary inspection or turned over to the TCEU for secondary inspection shall be required to fill-up the Border Control Questionnaire (BCQ). The primary IO shall indicate his/her initial assessment in the BCQ. The travel documents of the passenger shall be examined and an interview shall be conducted to determine facts and circumstances surrounding the passenger’s travel.

5. A passenger allowed by the primary IO may still be subjected to secondary inspection as may be necessary.

6. As much as practicable, secondary inspection shall not exceed ten (10) minutes unless extraordinary circumstances require a longer period of inspection.

7. A passenger found to be misrepresenting the purpose of his/her travel as tourist shall not be cleared for departure.

8. If a human trafficking incident has been initially determined, the IO shall not clear the passenger for departure and shall execute an Affidavit of Deferred Departure. The passenger, whose departure is deferred, and all his/her pertinent documents, including the passport, shall be turned over to the IACAT Task Force for investigation and case build-up.

9. In the event that the IACAT Task Force receives information that a departing passenger is a potential trafficked person, the Task Force shall coordinate with the TCEU for interception and further assessment.”

Further information on the Revised guidelines can be found here: http://immigration.gov.ph/images/ImmigrationLaw/2017_Feb/18_2015Jun15_IACAT_RevisedGuidelines.pdf

The Embassy encourages the Filipino community in the Netherlands to advise their relatives, families and friends in the Philippines who wish to come to the Netherlands as tourists or temporary visitors to read the Revised Guidelines for their reference and guidance when they undertake outbound travel through the ports of exits in the Philippines (end).