The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced that it will be discontinuing the use of paper-based departure cards starting May 1, 2023.
In an advisory, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that the bureau is expanding the eTravel system to lessen the requirements of departing passengers.
The platform, which was initially launched in December, harmonizes and consolidates data collection processes at ports of arrival, he said.
“The eTravel platform will soon be used for both arriving and departing passengers,” said Tansingco. “Travelers no longer have to fill out departure cards, and instead may log in the online portal prior to their flight,” he added.
The system is an initiative of a sub-technical working group of the IATF, chaired by the BI. It is a joint project of the agency with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Privacy Commission (NPC), said Dana Sandoval, BI spokesperson.
Sandoval added that the eTravel website may be accessed at etravel.gov.ph and is free of charge.
“This is a major step in streamlining documents presented by departing travelers, allowing for faster and more efficient immigration processing,” said Tansingco. (JERRY S. TAN)
