WITH the number of travelers expected to rise starting this weekend due to Holy Week, Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco issued a reminder to certain travelers who are required to present additional documentary requirements before they may be cleared for departure.
The BI chief is urging foreign tourists who have stayed in the country for more than six months to secure their emigration clearance certificates in any of the different BI district, field, satellite or extension offices nationwide.
Registered foreigners with ACR I-Cards may secure their re-entry permits in other BI Offices or at the BI NAIA one-stop-shop before proceeding to their flight, he said, stressing that securing the required permits early “will decrease queueing time in half,” because they will not have to fall in line at the separate counter for immigration cashiers.
Too, Tansingco reminded Filipino government officials and employees to present their required authority to travel abroad from their respective department heads.
This, as parents of unaccompanied minors are advised to make sure that the latter secure the required clearance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) prior to their flight.
Tansingco also urged overseas-bound travelers to check in at least three hours before their flight and proceed directly to the immigration area for processing to avoid airport congestion.
While slight queues in immigration are expected, the BI has ensured that their manpower is in full force during the peak season.
Earlier on, the BI reported fielding 155 additional immigration officers to ensure that all counters are fully-manned to service arriving and departing passengers. The recently-installed e-gates at the BI’s arrival areas in major international airports are also expected to decrease processing time from 45 seconds to as little as eight seconds per passenger.
