Philippines ends mandatory travel insurance, eases Covid testing requirements
The government of the Philippines has announced that vaccinated travellers will no longer be required to present a negative Covid test prior to travel to the country from 30 May
Under the new rules, vaccinated travellers over the age of 18 with at least one booster shot on top of a standard course of Covid-19 vaccination can present proof of vaccination as an alternative to submitting a negative Covid test.
Travellers aged 17 and under are exempt from the pre-departure, provided that they have received at least two standard Covid vaccine shots (without the requirement of a booster) – for under-12s, this is on the condition that they are accompanied by fully vaccinated or boosted parents or guardians.
The change is part of a resolution approved on 26 May by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
As part of the new resolution, IATF-EID has also lifted the mandatory travel insurance requirement for incoming passengers, although the Philippine government’s Department of Tourism (DOT) has advised that acquiring appropriate travel insurance remains highly encouraged.
Unvaccinated travellers must still abide by the old rules
Previously, all travellers, regardless of vaccination status, were required to present either a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours of departure for travel to the Philippines, or a negative laboratory-based Antigen Test taken within 24 hours.
All travellers were also required to obtain travel insurance which covered treatment costs for Covid-19 from a ‘reputable insurance provider’, for a minimum coverage of US$35,000 for the duration of their stay in the country.
However, unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travellers to the country must still abide by the old rules. In addition, they must undergo a mandatory, facility-based quarantine until the completion of a negative on-arrival RT-PCR test taken on the fifth day of their arrival in the country, and subsequently complete a home-based quarantine until the end of their 14th day in the country.
The changes are expected to stimulate tourism in the country
According to the government’s Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, the move is expected to provide a much-needed boost to the country’s tourism industry.
“The DOT sees this development as a win for the local tourism industry as welcoming more tourists in the country will yield more revenues for our micro, small and medium enterprises, and restore more jobs and livelihoods in the sector,” she said.
The new changes also continue the Philippines’ gradual easing of Covid border restrictions which began in February, when the country reopened its borders to international leisure travel and ended quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers.