Can my foreign spouse and children travel with me to the Philippines without a visa?
UPDATED as of January 1, 2021:
Per the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines:
The United States is among countries subject to Travel Restrictions and Information for Passengers Transiting Concerned Areas. This is based on the Malacañang Palace Memorandum issued on December 29, 2020 on the regulation of entry for travelers from or transiting through areas that have reported incidence of the new COVID-19 variant. Read more:
According to the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, foreign spouses and children can travel with Filipino citizens to the Philippines without a visa.
As of December 7, 2020, the Bureau of Immigration released guidelines on exemptions from the suspension of the Balikbayan Privilege:
- Foreign spouses and children should be traveling to the Philippines with a Filipino citizen or Balikbayan to enter the Philippines visa-free under the Balikbayan privileges.
- Foreign spouses and children that are eligible to travel from countries that are visa-free and are NOT traveling with a Philippine national or Balikbayan will need to secure the appropriate entry visa.
- Filipino citizens or Balikbayans who are returning to the Philippines from countries that are visa required to enter are not entitled to visa-free entry and must secure entry visas prior to flying to the Philippines.
You may be asked for the following documentation to prove eligibility of the Balikbayan Privileges upon entry to the Philippines:
- For foreign spouses, they may be asked to show a copy of PSA-certified or Apostilled Marriage Certificate, and/or a previously stamped immigration arrival stamp with Balikbayan status
- For foreign children, they may be asked for a copy of Birth Certificate showing that either or both parents are Filipino citizens or Balikbayans, a copy of a previously issued Philippine passport, a previously stamped immigration arrival stamp with Balikbayan status, or an Original or Certified True Copy of Decree of Adoption if they are legally adopted
- For former Filipino citizens, you may be asked for a copy of PSA-certified Birth Certificate, a copy of a previously issued Philippine passport, or a previously stamped immigration arrival stamp with Balikbayan status
- Everyone seeking entry to the Philippines must have a pre-booked COVID-19 test and a pre-booked quarantine facility before flying to the Philippines
- Everyone flying to the Philippines is subject to the maximum capacity of inbound passengers at the port of entry during their date or arrival
For more guidance, go to: PH Consulate in LA