Philippines PCR Test Entry Requirements: All You Need to Know About Testing For Travel to Philippines

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Updated November 2021

With the pandemic making travel difficult and confusing, the countries have adopted different rules and regulations to tackle the transmissible virus. The government of the Philippines also mandates strict testing measures across its borders to safeguard public health.

One of those measures is the RT-PCR test, considered the most effective and widely used detection measure of COVID-19. Here are the latest PCR test entry requirements in the Philippines that you should be aware of.

PCR testing requirements in the Philippines

Fully vaccinated arrivals from green-list countries will have to present a negative RT-PCR test result taken within 72 hours before departure from the country of origin to avoid the quarantine procedure.

Travellers are required to complete an eCIF form at least three days before their arrival in the Philippines.

All travellers must register to the Bureau of Quarantine e-Health Declaration Card (e-HDC), including children, before travelling to the Philippines. Travellers must declare their personal information, health status, and travel history and register as early as 24 hours before the flight.

After completing the e-HDC registration, a QR code will be produced. When you arrive, this QR code will be used to check your quarantine status, RT PCR results, and quarantine release certificates. Additionally, the following are also required:

• All Philippine Airports require arrivals to download and install the Traze contact tracing app to produce and scan their QR code upon entry, boarding form, and landing.
• Immigrations Arrival Card (this form is available onboard and on arrival)
• Customs Declaration Form (this form is available on arrival)

Please note that travellers without a phone may get a unique QR code from a Malasakit helpdesk.

What about testing at the airport?

Taking a COVID-19 RT-PCR test is a requirement of the Philippine government for all arriving international passengers.

For passengers coming from yellow list countries, testing is either on the 5th or 7th day upon arrival depending on BOQ's assessment. For passengers coming from red list countries, swabbing is on the 7th day of the quarantine stay. Day one starts on the day of the passenger's arrival.

Testing in quarantine

The Philippines government has classified countries into green, yellow and red list countries. Arrivals from each category are subject to distinct on-arrival PCR test requirements. What's more, travellers are further classified according to their vaccination status. Here are the details of the Philippines' testing in quarantine requirements.

Green list countries

Fully-vaccinated travellers

Fully-vaccinated foreigners from green list countries will require to present a negative RT-PCR test result taken within 72 hours before departure from the country of origin. Upon arrival, no facility-based quarantine will be further required but the passenger is enjoined to self-monitor for any symptoms until the fourteenth day with the first day being the date of arrival.

Fully-vaccinated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) or non-OFWs from green countries also have the option to undergo a facility-based quarantine until the release of their negative RT-PCR test result taken in the quarantine facility upon arrival in the country.

They may also opt not to undergo quarantine so long as they get a negative RT-PCR test result within 72 hours before departure from the country of origin. However, they have also been advised to self-monitor for any symptoms until their fourteenth day in the country.

Unvaccinated travellers

Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals, those with unverified vaccination status, and those who failed to comply with the test-before-travel requirements need to undergo a facility-based quarantine until the release of their negative RT-PCR test taken on their fifth day in the country.

In the case of foreign nationals, they shall be required to secure hotel reservations for at least six days. The hotel must be approved by Tourism and Health Agencies and listed here.

• If the passengers test positive, the BOQ shall transfer them to a designated hospital for further medical management.
• If the passengers test negative, their test results will be released within 24 hours after the swab test has been taken. The Unified BOQ Quarantine Certificate is autogenerated in the "OneHealthPass" portal. Travellers can download and print this certificate through the Track Swab Testportal in the OHP website by entering the QR code reference number and last name.

If unvaccinated or partially vaccinated minors travel with their fully vaccinated parents or guardians, they must observe the quarantine protocols corresponding to their vaccination status.

A parent/guardian shall accompany the child in the quarantine facility for the entire term of the latter's facility-based quarantine period.

Yellow list countries

Fully vaccinated travellers

Fully vaccinated international arrivals including OFWs, non-OFWs, and foreign nationals from yellow list countries will be subjected to the following:

• a facility-based quarantine until they receive a negative PCR test taken on the fifth day of quarantine
• quarantine at home until their tenth day of arrival if they are released from the facility-based quarantine
• travellers must have a quarantine-hotel reservation for at least six days

Please note that OFWs are notrequired to have a confirmed hotel booking for six days.

Unvaccinated travellers

International arrivals arriving from a yellow list country who are not vaccinated or only partially vaccinated, and those with unverified vaccination status will be subjected to the following:

• a facility-based quarantine until they receive a negative PCR test taken on the seventh day of quarantine
• quarantine at home until their fourteenth day of arrival if they are released from the facility-based quarantine
• except for OFWs, arrivals must have a quarantine-hotel reservation for at least eight days
• foreign national minors who are not fully vaccinated must carry out the aforementioned quarantine requirements; a parent/guardian must join the child in the quarantine facility for the full duration of the quarantine

In the case of foreign nationals, they will be required to secure hotel reservations for at least six days. The hotel must be approved by the Tourism and Health Agencies and listed here.

• in case of a positive test result, the BOQ shall transfer them to a designated hospital for further medical management
• if the passengers test negative, their test results will be released within 24 hours after the swab test has been taken. The Unified BOQ Quarantine Certificate is autogenerated in the "OneHealthPass" portal. Travellers can download and print this certificate through the Track Swab Test portalin the OHP website by entering the QR code reference number and last name.

If unvaccinated or partially vaccinated minors travel with their fully vaccinated parents or guardians, they must observe the quarantine protocols corresponding to their vaccination status.

A parent/guardian shall accompany the child in the quarantine facility for the entire term of the latter's facility-based quarantine period.

Red list countries

As per the latest update, the only country included on the Philippines red list is Latvia. All travellers departing from or who have been to Latvia in the past 14 days before scheduled arrival are not allowed to enter the Philippines.

Exceptions include (OFWs) and other Filipino nationals who are eligible to return to the Philippines through government-initiated or non-government-initiated repatriation as well as Bayanihan Flights, subject to testing and quarantine protocols.

Regardless of vaccination status, all OFWs and Filipinos arriving from red list countries are required to abide by the following quarantine protocols:

• all arriving travellers shall undergo fourteen (14) day quarantine upon arrival. The first ten (10) days of which shall be observed in a quarantine facility, with the remainder to be completed under home quarantine in their respective local government units of destination.
• RT-PCR testing shall be conducted on the seventh (7th) day with day 1 being the day of arrival. Notwithstanding a negative test result, the arriving traveller shall complete the facility-based quarantine period of ten (10) days.
• the BOQ shall ensure strict symptom monitoring while in the facility quarantine for ten (10) days.

Please note that all OFWs and Filipinos merely transiting through a red list country shall not be deemed as having come from or having been to said country if they remained in the airport the whole time and were not cleared for entry by its immigration authorities.

Exemptions

As of now, there are no exemptions stated for the PCR testing and testing in quarantine requirement in the Philippines.

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