Is it your first time to fly international and you are worried since you don’t know what you will do once you get to the airport? You are not alone; a lot of first-time flyers abroad have these apprehensions.
To help you out and all of our 1Pisofare readers, we have shared this step by step procedure on what passengers like you will need to do the moment you arrive in the airport to checking-in for the flight to passing immigration and finally, waiting for your flight boarding announcement.
Philippine international airports almost follow the same rules in screening and accepting passengers. There may be slight variations just ask any airport staff for guide if you get confuse.
*Bring a ballpen because you will fill up immigration form(s).
Complete the eTravel Form Days Before Your Flight
A few days before your flight, it is best to fill up the Philippine e-travel form. The e-travel form replaces the immigration departure card that departing passengers used to fill-up in previous years.
Access the e-Travel Form via online by heading to Philippine Travel Information System at etravel.gov.ph and register using your active email address. Alternatively, you may also download the form via the eGovPH app via Google Play or iStore. This is FREE.
Prepare the following details that you will enter in the e-Travel form Philippines, namely email address, complete name, birthday, date of departure or flight date, date of arrival plus the following:
Purpose of your trip – is your travel for vacation or holiday, business, medical reason, etc.
Where you will be staying – you can provide your hotel or AirBnB address or the home address of your relative or friend, if you will stay with one.
Once the form is completely filled-up, submit it. You will then receive an email with a QR code and confirmation of your e-Travel.
Once you are at the immigration counter, the Immigration Officer (IO) may ask you for the email or the QR code. Or they may not since they can see it on their system when they scan your passport.
Airport Procedure for International Flights
Step 1: Enter the airport and make your way to the first x-ray machine. Put all your bags on the x-ray belt including cell phone and coins for baggage scanning. Then pass the human x-ray scanner.
Step 2: Once you are cleared, get all your baggage from the x-ray belt.
Step 3: You may proceed to the “Travel Tax” counter to pay your Philippine international travel tax of 1,620 pesos. This is only applicable if you haven’t paid it yet during booking of ticket.
Rechecked your ticket to know if you have paid the PH international travel tax or not yet. If you have paid already, skip to Step No 4.
*Ask any security personnel where is the counter to pay the Philippine travel tax if you cannot spot it immediately.
*Only Philippine passport holders (except OFWs) and foreigners who have stayed more than 1 year in the Philippines are required to pay the PHP1,620 international travel tax.
Step 4: Bring your passport, your ticket, the receipt for the Philippine travel tax, and all your bags to the airline check-in counter. The queue in check-in counters may be long, so be at the airport at least three hours before your international flight.
Step 5: Give all your documents to the airline staff. If you availed of prepaid check-in baggage, the staff will ask you to put the bags one by one to the weighing machine for processing.
*If something inside is breakable, request the staff to put in “fragile” stickers to your baggage.
Step 6: The airline staff will now give you your boarding ticket. Take note of your boarding gate as well as boarding time.
Step 7: Proceed to the immigration area and queue up for the IO counters.
Step 8: When it’s your turn, wait for the cue of the IO. If he or she will ask for your eTravel form, give your QR code. If he/she ask for your hotel reservation, show it. Answer all the questions that will be asked by the Immigration Officer, with honesty and confidence.
Do not give any other documents unless the IO ask for it.
If the IO ask you to show your sponsor invite letter, COE, bank certificate, or whatever, hand the appropriate docs to her or him.
1 Piso Fare shares these tips on how to avoid being offloaded by Philippine immigration officers.
Step 9: If you pass the immigration scrutiny, the IO will give you back your passport with a stamp on it.
If you did not pass, you will be asked to go to the table of an immigration supervisor for further evaluation. Hope that you will pass.
Step 10: Proceed to the second xray machine, put your hand-carry bags on the belt and then step into the human x-ray scanner. Once you are cleared, pick up your cleared hand carry bags and stuff, and walk to your boarding gate.
*Take note that the airport security personnel may ask passengers to take off belt, shoes, and metal watches before one can pass the final x-ray scanner. Some airport may only ask passengers to take-off the shoes. Just comply with the xray rules.
Step 11: Once you are in the boarding gate, listen and observe. Wait for the announcement that your flight is “boarding”. Line-up accordingly to get inside the airplane.
*Be aware that the boarding gate may change, so always listen for the announcements over the PA system.
Know that even if you arrive very early for your flight and have checked-in early too, but you were not in the boarding gate waiting area when the passengers were requested to board and you were late for boarding, you will be denied entry to the aircraft.
This is true kahit one minute ka lang late at nandun pa ang airplane basta nag close na ang boarding gate at tapos na ang “Last Call”, wala ka ng magagawa, maiiwan ka. Kaya be early for your flight at be at the boarding gate on time.
Get to the plane and be set for your international flight!
Again, remember that the assigned boarding gate for flights may change. Always be alert for any gate-change announcement. If there is a gate-change for your flight, transfer immediately to the new boarding gate.
We hope this guide on procedures for international flights also help you. Share this post so friends and family will know the steps to follow when one gets to the airport too!
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