BI to eliminate paper-based departure cards on May 1

Starting May 1, Filipinos will no longer need to fill out paper-based departure cards before leaving the country.
 
Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said in a statement on Friday that the eTravel system would soon be used for both arriving and departing passengers.
 
“Travelers no longer have to fill out departure cards and instead may log in to the online portal prior to their flight,” he added.
 
The eTravel system harmonizes and consolidates data collection processes at ports of arrival.
 
eTravel technical working group chairperson Dennis Javier said that beginning April 15, departing passengers may log in to the website (etravel.gov.ph) no later than 72 hours until no later than three hours from the scheduled time of their flight.
 
“This is a major step in streamlining documents presented by departing travelers, allowing for faster and more efficient immigration processing,” Tansingco said. —VBL, GMA Integrated News