BI implements re-entry rules for diplomats, expats as per new IATF ruling

The Bureau of Immigration on Saturday said it is ready to comply with the ruling of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) regarding re-entry of certain diplomats and expats.

With IATF Resolution No. 89 issued Thursday, foreigners with visas under Section 9(e) and 9(g) of Commonwealth Act 613 who will leave the country starting December 17 will be allowed re-entry.

The conditions include a valid and existing visa on the date of arrival, a pre-booked quarantine facility, and a pre-booked COVID-19 testing at a laboratory operating at the airport, and they must be subject to the maximum capacity of inbound passengers at the port and date of entry, the IATF said.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said not all holders of 9(e) and 9(g) visas will be allowed re-entry.

“Those who have left prior to December 17 are still not allowed to enter the country,” he said.

With the new ruling, foreigners who leave the country starting Dec. 17 may return to their home countries for the holidays then re-enter the Philippines, the BI said.

Those with 9(e) visas are diplomats accredited to the Philippines, including foreign embassies and international organizations, it said.

Those with 9(g) visas on the other hand are pre-arranged employees working in the country.

The BI said they do not see a major increase in volume of travelers until the yearend, despite some restrictions having been lifted.

“We have our men on standby ready to service arriving and departing passengers this holiday season,” BI Port Operations Division Chief Atty. Candy Tan said. 

“But the numbers, we believe, will not be as high as it was pre-pandemic,” she added. 

Early this month, Malacañang said the Philippines would keep its borders closed to international tourists, including foreign fiancés of Filipinos, even as the country gradually eased inbound travel restrictions.

The Palace argued that a COVID-19 vaccine is not yet widely available. —KG, GMA News