Aiko Tanaka
Every passenger arriving in the Philippines, Filipino or foreign, must register on eTravel, the government travel declaration at etravel.gov.ph, within 72 hours before arrival, and the registration is completely free. Submitting the form produces a QR code that airlines check before boarding and that officers scan on arrival, so the short answer is simple: file once, inside the three days before you fly, save the QR code, and never pay any website that offers to do it for you.
Quick Facts
- Official site: etravel.gov.ph, with registration also available inside the official eGovPH app
- Cost: Free. The official system never asks for payment, and sites that charge a fee are not official
- When to file: Within 72 hours, or three days, before arrival. Filing earlier is not possible
- Who must file on arrival: All arriving passengers and crew members, Filipino and foreign
- Who must file on departure: Departing Filipino passengers. Departing foreign visitors are not on the official required list
- What you receive: A QR code to show at airline check-in and on arrival
- What it is not: eTravel is not a visa and does not replace any visa or entry requirement
What is the Philippines eTravel system?
eTravel, formally the Philippine Travel Information System, is the single online declaration that replaced the paper arrival and departure cards travellers once filled in by hand on the plane. One submission now feeds the agencies that used to collect separate forms, including the Bureau of Immigration, the Bureau of Quarantine and the Bureau of Customs. Since May 2024, a single eTravel QR code has covered the immigration, health and customs declarations at Philippine international airports, which is why one screenshot on your phone now does the work of three clipboards.
The system matters because it sits at the start of the journey, not the end of it. Airlines check for eTravel registration before they issue a boarding pass for a Philippines-bound flight, so a traveller who leaves it until the immigration hall has usually already had a stressful conversation at the check-in desk. Treating it as part of packing, done in the last three days alongside checking passport validity and downloading boarding passes, removes the problem entirely.
Who has to register, and who is exempt?
The official eTravel guidance lists three groups who must register: arriving Filipino and foreign passengers, arriving Filipino and foreign crew members, and departing Filipino passengers. That last point is the one most often misreported. A foreign tourist registers for arrival only. The departure registration applies to Filipino passengers leaving the country, including Overseas Filipino Workers, who register both when they leave for a job abroad and when they return home.
A small set of travellers is exempt, including foreign diplomats and their dependents, foreign dignitaries and their delegations, holders of 9(e) visas, and holders of diplomatic or official and service passports. Domestic travel inside the Philippines does not use eTravel at all: a flight, ferry or bus between Philippine destinations needs no registration. If you are combining a Manila arrival with island time, the form belongs to the international leg only, which pairs well with planning a resort stay such as Shangri-La Boracay after you land.
When does the 72-hour window open?
Registration opens 72 hours before your scheduled arrival and not a moment sooner, which makes eTravel a task for the final three days before departure rather than something to clear when you book. A traveller landing in Manila at 6 a.m. on a Friday can register from 6 a.m. on the preceding Tuesday. Trying to file a week ahead will not work, and a QR code generated outside the window is not a head start, it is a reason to file again.
The practical routine is to set a reminder for the day the window opens, file that day, and keep the QR code in more than one place: a screenshot in your photos, a copy in your email, and, if you like paper backup, a printout in your carry-on. Travellers connecting through a third country should work from the scheduled arrival time in the Philippines, not the departure time of the first flight, because the window is anchored to arrival.
How do you register, step by step?
Step 1: Use the official address, typed by you
Open etravel.gov.ph by typing the address yourself, or open the eGovPH app. Search results and sponsored links are crowded with look-alike sites that copy the name and logo and then ask for a processing fee. The official site ends in .gov.ph, never requests card details, and states plainly that eTravel is free. Any page that asks for payment for registration or for an update is, in the wording of the official guidance, fake or a scam.
Step 2: Create your account and choose arrival or departure
Registration starts with a personal account and a choice between an arrival and a departure entry. Arriving passengers select arrival and enter the flight and the Philippine address where they will stay. Departing Filipino passengers select departure and enter the outbound flight instead. Names and passport numbers should match the passport character for character, because the record is checked against the document at the border.
Step 3: Complete the travel, health and customs details
The form asks for passport and contact details, travel history and purpose, a short health declaration covering recent illness and exposure, and customs information. Answer from your documents rather than from memory, and be accurate in the health section in particular, because it determines the colour of the QR code you receive and whether a further check waits for you on arrival.
Step 4: Save the QR code before you close the page
On submission the system displays your QR code immediately. Screenshot it, download it and note the reference number before closing the page. A green QR code means your information is complete and you proceed straight to immigration. A red QR code means you will be directed to a Bureau of Quarantine check first, usually because information is incomplete or because the health declaration flagged a recent illness or exposure. A red code is a detour, not a refusal, but it is a good reason to double-check that your answers were accurate.
What happens at the airport?
The QR code is typically requested twice: by airline staff before boarding your Philippines-bound flight, and again after landing, where it is scanned before or alongside the immigration inspection. Keep your phone charged and the screenshot accessible offline, because airport Wi-Fi and roaming data are unreliable precisely when hundreds of passengers need them at once. Travellers who filed correctly usually describe the arrival scan as a few seconds, with the real time saved earlier, at the check-in desk, where unregistered passengers are sent aside to file on the spot.
If your flight is rescheduled across the boundary of the 72-hour window, or if you spot an error in your details, register or update again inside the valid window rather than hoping the old code will pass. Updates are free on the official system, and a fresh, correct record is always better than explaining a stale one at a counter. The same discipline applies across the region: nearby systems such as Thailand’s Digital Arrival Card also run on fixed pre-arrival windows, and filing each one in its own window has become a standard part of Southeast Asia trip preparation.
How do you avoid eTravel scams?
The scam pattern is consistent: a polished site with eTravel in its name ranks in search results or advertisements, walks you through a copy of the form, then asks for a card payment to release your QR code. The defences are equally consistent. Type etravel.gov.ph yourself instead of clicking an ad. Never enter payment details, because the official process has no payment step at any point. Be suspicious of any service offering to register on your behalf for a fee, and of any address that does not end in .gov.ph. If a site has already taken money, the registration it sold you may not exist in the official system at all, so file again properly on the official site inside your window.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Philippines eTravel really free?
Yes. Registration and updates are free on etravel.gov.ph and in the eGovPH app, and the system collects no payment at any stage. Websites charging for eTravel are not official, and the authorities describe them as fake or fraudulent.
How early can I register for eTravel?
Registration opens within 72 hours, or three days, before your arrival or, for departing Filipino passengers, before departure. You cannot complete it earlier, so plan to file in the final three days before you travel.
Do foreign tourists need eTravel when leaving the Philippines?
No. The official list requires departure registration from Filipino passengers. Foreign visitors register for arrival, and departing foreign nationals are not on the required list.
What does a red eTravel QR code mean?
A red code sends you to a Bureau of Quarantine check before immigration, usually because of incomplete information or a health declaration flag. A green code means you proceed directly to immigration.
Is eTravel a visa?
No. eTravel is a travel declaration only. It does not grant permission to enter, and any visa or visa-free entry rules for your nationality apply separately and unchanged.
What if I lose my QR code?
Keep a screenshot, a downloaded copy and your reference number so the code can be shown offline or retrieved. If your details or flights change, register or update again inside the 72-hour window on the official site, which is free.
Sources checked on 10 November 2026: the official eTravel portal at etravel.gov.ph and its published guidance on who must register, the 72-hour window and free registration.
