Living in the Philippines

Travel Tax Exemption for Filipinos

It is an undesirable task to pay the 1670,- Peso of Travel Tax for Filipinos, every time they leave their country, no matter if it is for a short holiday or for going home to their second home country abroad when they are married with a foreigner.

The Travel Tax was originally thought to have a budget available for Filipino Oversea Workers, to bring them back home in case of an emergency or what ever.

Few years ago however, when there was some trouble in the Middle East and a group of some hundred Filipinos had to be evacuated, it came out that all this money that was collected over the years was gone, disappeared in some "unknown black holes". The government had no money available to bring home their fellow citizens.

It seems that a lot of people, Filipinos as well as foreigners who are married to a Filipina, don't know that there is an exemption for this Travel Tax.

This exemption is for all Filipinos who have a Permanent Residence Visa in any foreign country. To be exempted from the Travel Tax, you have to go to the office of the "Philippine Tourism Authority", pay a fee of 200,- Peso and you will be exempted.

Travel Tax Exemption Certificate in the Philippines
This is the Travel Tax Exemption Certificate you will get at the Philippine Tourism Authority

Papers needed are the passport with the permanent foreign Visa in it and the airline ticket. I don't know where all this offices are in Manila, Davao or Angeles (cities with international airports), in Cebu it is located just beside Pier 1 (Ocean Jet) in a park.