The Bureau of Immigration said that starting June 1, it will no longer allow the entry of foreign nationals who present entry exemption documents (EEDs) issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) before Feb. 8 this year.
Morente said the BI will enforce the travel guidelines pursuant to a communication received from the DFA.
“We were informed by the DFA that entry exemption documents now have a validity of 90 days from the date of issuance. As an effect, we were informed that all issued before Feb 8 are deemed expired by June 1,” he added.
He said that aliens who are still holding those EEDs that remain unused must enter the country on or before May 31.
Lawyer Carlos Capulong, BI Port Operations Division Chief, disclosed that entry exemptions issued by the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF) during the travel ban from March 22 to April 30 may still be used until May 31.
He said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), in a resolution passed on earlier this month, ruled that entry exemptions issued by the NTF shall be recognized as valid until May 31.
Capulong reiterated that in compliance with the IATF, all 9(a) visa holders, as well Special Resident Retirees Visas, are required to secure entry exemptions from the DFA to be allowed entry into the Philippines.