Philippines Departure Requirements for Foreigners: eTravel, the ECC, Expired Visas, Travel Tax and Airport Timing

Start with your status: three kinds of departing foreigner

Departure preparation comes in three tiers. Short-term visitors leaving within their authorised stay have the least to do. People who have stayed six months or more, and long term visa holders, need an ECC in advance. Anyone whose visa has lapsed must fix their status first.

"Passport and ticket" is only the whole answer for the first group. Using the Bureau of Immigration (BI) FAQ page and its 2026 Citizen's Charter, check where you stand:

Two more groups appear on the ECC-A list: Philippine-born foreign nationals departing for the first time, and bona fide seafarers who have stayed 30 days or more and hold a BI-approved discharge.

Two misconceptions cause most of the trouble. The first is "my visa is valid, so I do not need an ECC". Valid long term visa holders need one too; for a short trip it is the ECC-B. The second is "I will sort it out at the airport". The ECC is issued by the BI, it has a lead time, and the departure counter will not wait. In a June 2025 BI release, a foreign national holding a valid working visa was stopped before boarding at NAIA Terminal 3 because he had no ECC, which the BI described as mandatory for departing long term residents.

The table only routes you. The sections below cover each item and link to detailed guides. For the full ECC procedure, see the ECC exit clearance guide. If you are still weighing which visa to hold, start with our companion guide Philippines long term visa options.

Not sure which row applies to you? Let Yixing check your arrival record and visa status first →

eTravel on departure: check who the official site says must register

The eTravel site says the system collects data on arriving and departing passengers, but the groups it lists as required to register are arriving passengers, arriving crew and departing Filipino passengers. Whether a departing foreigner must register depends on the official site and the airline at the time.

Many guides say everyone must complete eTravel in both directions. The official eTravel FAQ describes eTravel as a single data collection platform for arriving and departing passengers, used for border control, health surveillance and economic data. It then lists who must register or update: arriving Filipino and foreign crew, arriving Filipino and foreign passengers, and departing Filipino passengers. Foreign diplomats and their dependants, 9(e) visa holders and holders of diplomatic or official passports are excluded. Departing foreign passengers are not on that list.

That does not mean you can ignore it. A March 2026 BI travel advisory told travellers in general to fill out eTravel on the official site or the eGovPH app, and stressed that it is free. A sensible approach:

• Follow the airline. The FAQ says travellers present proof of registration before boarding and show the QR code to airline staff. If the check-in desk asks for it, register on the official site there and then.
• Use the 72-hour window. You may register within 72 hours (3 days) before arriving in or departing from the Philippines. If you registered before, update your details for each trip.
• Use only the official address. The FAQ says etravel.gov.ph is the only official website and registration is free of charge. Sites that ask for payment are fake and can be reported to the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center.
• Keep the QR code. Screenshot, download or print it. If you lose it, retrieve it on the official site with your reference number and date of birth.

Watch out when travelling with a spouse or child on a Philippine passport. They count as departing Filipino passengers, a group the site says must register, so do not skip them because you are a foreigner. For family registration, corrections and QR code colours, see the eTravel registration guide.

eTravel is a data registration, not a clearance. It does not replace an ECC, a visa or any exit document, and completing it does not mean your departure paperwork is done.

Travelling with elderly parents or children? Book a Yixing airport transfer and plan your departure time with margin →

The ECC: who needs one, ECC-A versus ECC-B, and how early to apply

Visitors who have stayed six months or more, holders of expired or downgraded visas and anyone leaving for good need an ECC-A. Valid visa and ACR I-Card holders travelling temporarily need an ECC-B. Apply for either at least 72 hours before departure.

The BI 2026 Citizen's Charter describes the Emigration Clearance Certificate as a document issued to departing foreign nationals to prove they have no derogatory record in the country and no pending obligations with the government at the time of issue. According to the BI FAQ page, the ECC-A, also called the regular ECC, is for:

• tourist visa holders who have stayed in the Philippines for six months or more;
• holders of expired or downgraded immigrant or non-immigrant visas;
• holders of valid immigrant or non-immigrant visas who are leaving for good;
• Philippine-born foreign nationals departing for the first time;
• tourist visa holders with an Order to Leave;
• bona fide seafarers who have stayed 30 days or more with a BI-approved discharge.

The ECC-B is for departing holders of immigrant and non-immigrant visas with valid ACR I-Cards who are leaving temporarily. The Charter describes it as a single-use receipt that also serves as the re-entry permit (RP) for immigrants or the special return certificate (SRC) for non-immigrants, valid for one year or six months. Holders of a tourist visa ACR I-Card are not eligible. The ECC-B can be requested online through BI e-services, which the Charter lists as available 24/7.

Three timing rules:

• At least 72 hours ahead. The FAQ says a foreign national may apply at least 72 hours before departure.
• Valid one month, usable once. The ECC is valid for one month from issue but can be used only once.
• Annual Report first. A January 2026 BI advisory says departing registered foreigners must settle their Annual Report before an ECC-B is issued.

Over the year-end holidays the BI has opened its NAIA One-Stop Shop to ECC applications, for example from 27 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 according to this notice. Treat that as a published exception, not a standing airport service. Never buy a ready-made ECC: in June 2025 the BI reported two foreigners stopped with spurious ECCs, charged and held pending deportation proceedings.

For processing times and what to do if you only learn at the airport, see can you get an ECC the same day. For RP versus SRC, see re-entry permits and SRCs. For a primer, see what an ECC is.

Flight coming up and no ECC yet? Let Yixing confirm whether you need an ECC-A or ECC-B and line up the Annual Report and other prerequisites →

Expired visa, downgrade or pending renewal: fix the status before booking

If your visa has expired, your job has ended or your renewal is still pending, do not head straight to the airport. Settle the overstay, downgrade or interim extension at the BI, then get the ECC that matches your status.

Expired visa or authorised stay. Expired visa holders fall under the ECC-A, and the overstay must be regularised first. In a June 2025 release, the BI reported foreign nationals who had overstayed since 2024 and tried to board flights at NAIA Terminal 3 while evading immigration inspection; they were intercepted and turned over for charges. For how overstay charges are built up, see Philippine overstay fines and penalties; for whether anything can be settled at the airport and the full step list, see leaving with an expired visa; if other fees are unpaid too, see leaving with unpaid immigration fees. We do not quote penalty amounts; the BI's current schedule applies.

Employment ended, or the basis for a long term visa is gone. The BI downgrading service reverts your visa to temporary visitor status so you can remain lawfully, and you then leave on an ECC-A. The page lists separate charges for visas not yet expired, expired within 59 days and expired more than 59 days, so delay adds items. For the sequence and the employer's part, see downgrading a work visa before you leave.

Renewal pending, visa past validity, and you must travel. The BI Interim Extension (Grace Period) page covers TRV, 9D, 9G and 47(a)(2) holders whose renewal is still in process beyond the visa's validity, and probationary 13A holders whose amendment to permanent is pending, so they may depart and return without affecting their status. For travel during 9G processing, see leaving while a 9G is in process.

Order to Leave. Tourist visa holders who receive an Order to Leave also need an ECC-A before departure; for deadlines and reconsideration, see the Order to Leave guide.

All of these share one rule: book the flight after the BI work is finished, and prefer a changeable fare. Locking in a flight before the paperwork is done is the most common way people lose money. The second most common is assuming that paying the overstay is enough, then discovering at the counter that a downgrade or an ECC is still missing. If you are unsure which of these applies, get the status checked before you commit to a date.

Visa expired, or unsure whether to downgrade or get the ECC first? Send your passport and approvals to Yixing and get the order right before you book → · Yixing visa and HR services

What the departure counter checks: arrival record, clearance and watch lists

At departure, the immigration officer checks that your arrival stamp matches the system record, that any required ECC is in hand, and that you are not subject to a court or government restriction. A problem with any of these can lead to deferred departure.

The BI FAQ page defines deferred departure as the effect when a traveller is disallowed to depart for various reasons determined by immigration personnel at the port of exit. For foreign nationals, the usual reasons fall into three groups:

• An arrival record that does not match. A passport with no arrival stamp, no arrival in the system, or an admission status that does not fit your current situation will draw questions. For corrections, see reading your Philippine arrival stamp.
• Missing status or clearance. No ECC where one is required, or an expired visa left unresolved, as covered above.
• A restriction order. The FAQ says a Hold Departure Order (HDO) requires a criminal case pending before a Regional Trial Court, which directs the BI to hold the person's departure; where a case does not fall under an HDO, the Department of Justice handles applications for an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO). To lift a derogatory record, first obtain a dismissal from the clerk of the court that issued the order, then file it with the BI with a letter of request. For the differences between lists, see Philippine departure restrictions and ALO vs BLO; to check yourself before travelling, see how to check the blacklist.

Take extra care with children. The March 2026 BI advisory reminded minors travelling alone to obtain a travel clearance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Which passport the child uses and who travels with them affect whether it applies; see minors leaving the Philippines.

Most important: only the immigration officer, applying the law, decides whether you may depart. Anyone who offers to fix things at the airport, stamp your passport or get you past inspection is steering you into criminal exposure. The BI has reported airport contacts taking passports and returning them with counterfeit departure stamps, and its June 2025 release on overstaying passengers said at least three immigration officers were under investigation for possible collusion. If you are taken for further questioning, answer truthfully, show original documents and contact your embassy if needed.

Worried about questions at the counter, or about your record? Let Yixing check your arrival record and visa status before you set a date →

Taxes, fees and timing: travel tax, terminal fees and when to reach the airport

Non-immigrant foreigners who have stayed in the Philippines for more than a year pay the full travel tax. Terminal and other airport charges follow the airport and airline rules in force. For international flights, the BI asks travellers to arrive at least three hours before departure.

Travel tax. The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) travel tax page describes the tax as a levy under Presidential Decree 1183 on individuals leaving the country, wherever the ticket is issued or paid for. Its full travel tax page lists Philippine citizens, taxable foreign passport holders, and non-immigrant foreign passport holders who have stayed in the Philippines for more than one year. The first item on its exemption page covers non-immigrant aliens with non-taxable status who have stayed less than one year, supported by the passport page with the last arrival stamp. The PRA SRRV page lists travel tax among the SRRV holder exemptions. Rates, whether the tax is already in your ticket and how refunds work follow TIEZA and airline rules; see Philippine travel tax and terminal fee.

Terminal and other airport charges. We do not quote amounts. The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) FAQ page notes that each airline's contract of carriage differs, so check itinerary, baggage and related charges with your airline's official channels.

When to arrive. The BI's March 2026 advisory asked travellers to arrive at least three hours before their flight and to proceed promptly to immigration. For check-in cut-offs, moving between terminals and which days need more margin, see how early to get to Manila airport and NAIA terminals explained.

A suggested countdown.

1. One to two weeks before: confirm your visa status and that the Annual Report is settled; handle any downgrade or overstay first.
2. At least 72 hours before: apply for the ECC; the ECC-B can be done online.
3. Within 72 hours before: if eTravel applies to you, register on the official site and save the QR code.
4. On the day: carry your passport, ECC receipt, ACR I-Card and e-ticket, and reach the airport at least three hours before an international flight.

Want an unhurried departure day? Book a Yixing airport transfer timed back from your flight →