Marcos institutionalizes eTravel system

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has officially made the electronic travel (eTravel) system the standard process for all international passengers and crew members.

According to Administrative Order (AO) 24 issued on August 27, the eTravel system was designed to streamline procedures for international travel.

"The eTravel System is hereby institutionalized as the government's one-stop electronic travel declaration system for all international inbound and outbound passengers and crew members," the AO, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on behalf of the president, read.

It will now be used by the government for border control, health surveillance, tourism data analysis and other travel-related operations.

AO 24 also established a Technical Working Group (TWG) to oversee the system’s usage and improvements. 

The group, led by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) as co-chair, includes the Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) and Bureau of Customs (BOC).

All relevant government bodies are ordered to support the TWG to ensure the effective implementation of the eTravel system while adhering to the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

The system, which started in 2022, was recently updated to include a single QR code for customs, immigration and other travel requirements. 

It also added features like customs and currency declaration forms and documents for overseas Filipino workers.

Funding for the eTravel system will come from the existing budgets of the involved agencies, with future needs included in their budget proposals.

The order, which was released to the media on Saturday, is effective immediately upon publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper.