Philippines Customs Rules: Declaring on Arrival, Cash, Medicine, Food, Vapes, Gold, Pets and Seized Items

Declaring on Arrival: The Electronic Customs Declaration in eTravel and the QR Code

Short answer: customs declarations for arriving travelers are now made in eTravel, every arriving passenger fills in an electronic baggage declaration, and you show a QR code to customs on arrival. The Bureau of Customs (BOC) announced in November 2023 that the electronic Customs Baggage Declaration Form (e-CBDF) and the electronic Currencies Declaration Form (e-CDF) had been integrated into the eTravel platform. A May 2024 BOC advisory says all arriving passengers must complete the e-CBDF, and passengers bringing in or taking out local or foreign currency beyond the allowed threshold must also complete the e-CDF. Both are filed on etravel.gov.ph or the eGovPH app within 72 hours before arrival or departure, with one QR code per passenger at all airports from May 10, 2024.

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The BOC's Essential Guide for Travelers, published in January 2026, spells out the steps:

• Who registers: all travelers and crew members must create or update an eTravel account, with no registration fee. If you already have an account, update it for each trip under "Edit Registration."
• When: submit within 72 hours before your travel date, then screenshot or download the QR code; a confirmation email with the QR code is also sent to your registered address.
• On arrival: show your passport and present the QR code to the customs officer at the customs counter.
• Lanes: the guide says the BOC has temporarily suspended QR scanning in the green lane, so travelers with nothing to declare no longer need a scan. Travelers with something to declare, or selected for inspection, use the red lane, where QR scanning and standard clearance still apply. Because this is a temporary measure, check the BOC's current advisories.

What must be declared. The guide requires travelers to declare in eTravel any goods bought or acquired abroad, including high-value goods, fresh or frozen goods, goods that need permits, clearances or licenses, and everything else listed on the declaration. Goods in commercial quantities may be brought in, but they must be declared and are subject to examination and assessment. The BOC's guidelines for arriving travelers add that all persons and baggage are subject to customs examination on arrival.

For the form itself, saving the QR code and avoiding paid look-alike sites, see our eTravel registration guide. Whether electronics, gifts and business samples need declaring is covered in the arrival customs declaration guide, and the walk from the gate to the exit is in arriving at Manila airport.

Cash and Foreign Currency: Declare Above the Threshold, and Pesos Need Central Bank Approval

Bottom line: carrying cash in or out of the Philippines is legal, but foreign currency above the set threshold must be declared, and pesos above the set limit also need prior written approval from the central bank. We do not quote the thresholds here; rely on what the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the BOC currently publish. How to add up different currencies, whether the limit applies per person, and how to fill in the form are explained in how much cash you can bring into the Philippines.

The BOC's May 2024 advisory reiterated strict enforcement of the BSP's cross-border currency rules: anyone bringing in or taking out foreign currency above the threshold must declare it; anyone carrying pesos above the threshold needs prior written BSP authorization as well as a declaration; and violations result in confiscation by customs. The 2026 travelers' guide adds that failing to declare, or giving false information, may lead to imprisonment and fines on top of confiscation of the cash above the threshold.

In practice, keep four things in mind:

• Declare in eTravel. The e-CDF sits on the same platform as the baggage declaration and applies to both arrivals and departures, so check the threshold again before you fly out with cash.
• Declaring does not mean losing the money. A declaration creates a record that you carried it lawfully. Confiscation and prosecution follow undeclared or misdeclared cash.
• Do not split the money among companions. Spreading cash across travelers to stay under the threshold can be treated as deliberate evasion, which is far worse than simply declaring.
• Move large sums through banks. Money for property, investment or business is easier to explain as a transfer; see large remittance declarations in the Philippines. For taking earnings home the compliant way, see moving money you earned in the Philippines.

Gold and jewelry are not declared as cash; customs treats them as goods, covered in section 4.

Medicine and Food: Personal-Use Limits, and Quarantine Rules for Meat and Fresh Produce

Bottom line: you can bring medicine and processed food for personal use, but customs sets per-passenger quantity limits by product type, and anything over the limit without a permit may be seized and forfeited.

Where the official limits are. The BOC's 2026 travelers guide has a table of regulated products and their quantity limits. Certain regulated goods may enter without a permit if they are for personal use and within the allowable quantity per passenger, covering prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and supplements, processed food, liquor, tobacco, e-cigarettes, cosmetics and medical devices, among others. The guide warns that bringing in more than the allowed quantity without the required permit, clearance or license may result in seizure and forfeiture. Check the current guide for the actual quantities before you pack.

Medicine. For prescription drugs, the guide says the allowable quantity is based on the doctor's prescription, which must show the doctor's PRC license number or the equivalent for foreign doctors. So the key step is an English prescription that shows the prescriber's license details, with the medicine kept in its original packaging. Controlled drugs follow a separate rule: Section 119 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA, Republic Act No. 10863) lists marijuana, opium, coca leaves, heroin and other narcotics or synthetic drugs as restricted imports that need legal authorization, so medicines containing controlled ingredients call for extra care. Which common medicines cause trouble and how to prepare a prescription is covered in bringing medicine into the Philippines.

Food. Processed food has a personal-use limit, and fresh or frozen goods must be declared in eTravel. The BOC's arriving travelers guidelines place animals and animal products under the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and plants and plant products under the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), each requiring the relevant health certificate or permit. For how instant noodle sachets, meat products and dried goods are treated in practice, see whether you can bring instant noodles; for infant formula, see buying formula in the Philippines and bringing it from China.

If you are unsure about an item, declaring it is the better bet. Under the BOC's rules, undeclared dutiable goods are seized and forfeited, while declared goods are usually released once duties are paid.

Vapes and Tobacco, Gold and Jewelry, Pets: Which Rule Applies to Each

Bottom line: vapes, cigarettes and liquor are governed by personal-use limits, gold by its fineness marks and declaration, and pets by an import clearance from the Department of Agriculture that must be in hand before departure.

Vapes, heated tobacco, cigarettes and liquor. The BOC's 2026 travelers guide lists cigarettes, cigars, snus, e-cigarette devices, e-juices and parts, and liquor as regulated products that may enter without a permit for personal use within the allowable quantity. Anything above that must be declared and taxed, and clearly commercial quantities are treated as imports. The BOC's arriving travelers guidelines add that commercial imports of alcohol and tobacco need a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permit. Check the current guide for the exact limits. Vape devices contain lithium batteries and belong in your carry-on, but that is an aviation safety rule rather than a customs one. Whether you can bring IQOS and where you can use it is covered in bringing IQOS into the Philippines, and packing and clearing customs on the day is in the IQOS arrival walkthrough.

Gold and jewelry. CMTA Section 118(d) prohibits the import and export of goods made wholly or partly of gold, silver or other precious metals or alloys whose stamp, brand or mark does not indicate the actual fineness, and the BOC's restricted and prohibited items page lists the same rule. Properly marked jewelry is treated as goods, and high-value items bought abroad must be declared in eTravel. Where to buy, how to check purity and the border red lines are in buying gold in the Philippines; bringing jewelry or precious metals in bulk is a commercial import, covered in exporting jewelry and precious metals to the Philippines.

Pets. The BAI's pet import page says bringing a dog or cat into the Philippines requires a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC) issued by the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal Industry, which can be obtained online. The veterinary authority in the exporting country uses the approved SPSIC to issue its export permit, so the clearance must be secured before you travel. For vaccines, microchips, health certificates and flight arrangements, see bringing a pet to the Philippines; for the reverse trip, see taking a pet from the Philippines to Hong Kong or mainland China.

Prohibited, Restricted and Dutiable Goods: Where the Official Lists Are

Bottom line: Philippine customs sorts imports into prohibited, restricted and regulated goods, then decides duty by value and traveler category, and all of these lists are on the BOC website.

Three categories. The BOC's restricted and prohibited items page follows the CMTA:

• Prohibited (Section 118, contraband): seditious printed material, articles for unlawful abortion, obscene or immoral publications and images, precious metal goods whose marks misstate their fineness, adulterated or misbranded food and drugs, goods infringing intellectual property, and anything else explicitly prohibited by regulation.
• Restricted (Section 119, legal authorization needed): explosives, firearms, ammunition and weapons, roulette wheels and gambling equipment, lottery and sweepstakes tickets, marijuana, opium and other narcotics or synthetic drugs, opium pipes, and other goods restricted by law.
• Regulated (Section 117, permits or licenses needed first): processed or unprocessed food, plant, animal and aquatic products, drugs and chemicals, used motor vehicles, electrical appliances, telecommunications equipment, tobacco and mineral products, with agencies such as the FDA, the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS), the BPI and the BAI.

The arriving travelers guidelines also match regulated goods to their agencies: the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for telecom equipment, the police Firearms and Explosives Office for firearms and explosives, and the Optical Media Board (OMB) for discs and software. The law itself is linked from the BOC's CMTA page, and an item-by-item breakdown is in what you cannot bring into the Philippines.

Do you pay duty? The 2026 travelers guide cites CMTA Section 104: all imported goods, including those previously exported from the Philippines, are subject to duties and taxes unless the law exempts them, and under Section 423 goods valued below a set de minimis amount are free of duties and taxes. The arriving travelers guidelines also set out exemptions by category (general travelers, Filipino citizens, returning residents and overseas workers); we do not quote the amounts, so check the BOC's current figures. Goods that need permits, clearances or tax exemption documents under CMTA Section 800 are released only when those documents are presented, under Section 7 of Customs Administrative Order No. 01-2017.

For duty-free shopping allowances, see Philippine airport duty-free shopping; parcels follow different rules, covered in what you cannot mail to the Philippines; business imports needing permits are in import permits and regulated goods; and moving a household is in shipping your household to the Philippines. Foreign employees relocating for work can find the visa paperwork in the Philippine 9G visa document checklist.

If Customs Holds Your Items: Establish Why, Get It in Writing, Never Pay Informally

Bottom line: if customs holds something from your luggage, first establish whether it is undeclared dutiable goods or a prohibited or unpermitted item; the first can usually be released after payment, the second is usually forfeited.

What the BOC says. The 2026 travelers guide states that failure to declare dutiable goods results in seizure and forfeiture. If the importation is not against the law, release may be obtained by paying all applicable duties and taxes plus a surcharge calculated as a percentage of the goods' landed cost under CMTA Section 1404; the guide gives the rate. Seizure does not stop the BOC from pursuing criminal prosecution where there is fraud or the goods are unlawful. The arriving travelers guidelines describe the clearance sequence: submit the declaration, baggage passes through X-ray, tagged baggage is physically examined, duties are assessed and paid to the customs cashier, and the BOC official receipt (BCOR) is shown to the examiner for release.

What to do on the spot:

1. Ask what the hold is for and on what basis: unpaid duty, or a prohibited, restricted or unpermitted item.
2. Get written documentation listing the items, the officer and the location, and take an official receipt for any payment.
3. For a missing permit, ask whether the item can be released once the permit is obtained or whether abandonment or re-export is the only route. If criminal proceedings are involved, contact a practicing lawyer and your embassy quickly.
4. Do not offer money informally. Bribing a public official is a criminal matter in the Philippines; for handling improper demands, see what to do when asked for a bribe.

Cargo and parcels are a separate track. Sea and air shipments can be in one of 3 states: examination hold, an alert order or a warrant of seizure and detention, each with its own route; see what to do when customs holds your shipment. For consolidated parcels, see consolidated shipping from Taobao to the Philippines.

Bringing equipment, long-term medication or a batch of samples and not sure which category they fall into? Have Yixing go through your item list first →

This overview reflects what the Bureau of Customs, eTravel and the Bureau of Animal Industry published as of September 2026 and is not legal advice; for seizure, forfeiture or criminal matters, consult a practicing lawyer. Quantity limits, duty-free allowances, cash thresholds and lane arrangements change, so always rely on what the agencies currently publish.