Day One of e-Travel smooth – BI

MANILA, Philippines — The full implementation of the e-Travel system that required the online registration of all departing and arriving air travelers was “very smooth, with no glitches,” the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported yesterday.

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the BI’s single data collection platform for integrated border control, health surveillance and economic data analysis of all passengers through the airport that began last Saturday was a success.

In a statement, Dennis Javier who heads the Technical Working Group of the e-Travel System said, “So far, the implementation remains very smooth, with no noted glitches or issues.”

Tansingco expressed satisfaction that this online registration for airport procedures is now at par with systems being used by other countries for their arrival and departure data.

“Modernization of the bureau is really one of the priorities of the BI. This is but the first step in many technological improvements in immigration,” he said.

The commissioner added that more than 32,000 arriving foreigners and Filipinos have registered in the system, while more than 14,000 departing Filipinos had logged in at the site.

The platform, which was initially launched in December to cover only arriving passengers, has now expanded to include departing travelers for a full system rollout.

Last April 14, a virtual orientation and question-and-answer session was conducted with the Airline Operators Council to address various inquiries from airlines participating in the system’s implementation, said Javier.

They also held a meeting with BI terminal heads and immigration officers and addressed operational concerns.Under the new system, all passengers and crewmembers arriving in the Philippines are required to register through etravel.gov.ph not earlier than 72 hours from their intended arrival.

Those who fail to register through e-Travel will be assisted by the airline staff upon arrival and before assessment by the quarantine office.

As a replacement of the paper-based departure cards, only outbound Filipino passengers are required to register in the system at least 72 hours, but not less than three hours, from their scheduled departure from the Philippines.

Departing Filipinos who fail to register or update their e-Travel record may do it before the immigration inspection or may fill out departure cards, which are readily available inside the immigration area.

Registered passengers may update their status under the “Edit Registration” tab and the crew, under the “Registered Crew” tab. The registering and updating of records are free of charge.