FILE A medical assistant prepares a syringe with the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — Foreign nationals will be required to present proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 before their entry to the Philippines starting Feb. 16, 2022, Malacañang said Friday.
The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved this new protocol for the entry of foreign nationals in the country, Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said in a Palace briefing.
“Beginning Feb. 16, 2022, proof of full vaccination shall be made a requirement for entry of all foreign nationals allowed to enter the Philippines,” he said, citing IATF Resolution No. 157.
But Nograles said the following are exempted from the requirement:
- children below the age of 18
- people medically unable to receive the vaccine, as certified by a competent public health authority in the country or port of origin
- foreign diplomats and their qualified dependents or 9(e) visa holders
The Department of Transportation (DOTr), through the Civil Aeronautics Board, is tasked to mandate the airlines to require foreign nationals traveling to the Philippines to present proof of full vaccination prior to boarding flights to any points in the Philippines, according to the resolution.