eTravel Philippines: free arrival and departure registration

What eTravel is

The eTravel System is a single digital data collection platform for passengers arriving in and departing from the Philippines. The government uses it for border control, health surveillance and economic data analysis ¹.

It replaced the paper arrival and departure cards and the quarantine form. Several agencies run it together, including the Department of Tourism, the Department of Health and the National Privacy Commission ³. It collects data and it is free ¹.

Who must register

The official eTravel FAQ lists three groups who must register or update their record ¹.

• Arriving Filipino and foreign crew members ¹
• Arriving Filipino and foreign passengers ¹
• Departing Filipino passengers ¹

Who is excused

Foreign diplomats and their dependents, foreign dignitaries and members of their delegations, 9(e) visa holders, and holders of diplomatic and official or service passports do not need to register ¹. Departing foreign passengers are not on the FAQ list of those who must register ¹.

The Bureau of Immigration has said registration is a requirement for immigration formalities at airports and seaports. In December 2023 it said it had asked airlines to remind passengers to register ⁷. The eTravel home page has a separate QR code for cruise travel registration ².

When and how to register

eTravel works in a phone or computer browser, so no app download is needed, but the eGovPH app is an option too ^1,2. You need an internet connection ¹.

• Open etravel.gov.ph within 72 hours (3 days) before you arrive in or leave the Philippines ¹.
• Fill in your travel details and the health declaration, called the electronic Health Declaration Card, which the Bureau of Quarantine uses for health checks ¹.
• Save, screenshot or print your QR code before closing the page. You must show it to an airline representative before boarding ¹.
• A green QR code means your details are complete and you can go straight to immigration on arrival. A red code means the Bureau of Quarantine will inspect you first, for example if your data is incomplete or you were recently sick or exposed to illness ¹.
• To fix a mistake or find a lost QR code, use the Edit Registration tab at etravel.gov.ph/search with your reference number and date of birth. Edits work until border officials have processed you ¹.
• If you registered before, update your existing record for each new trip ¹.

eTravel is free: how to spot scam sites

The official FAQ says eTravel registration is "absolutely free of charge" and does not collect or require any form of online payment ¹. The FAQ calls etravel.gov.ph the only official website ¹.

In February 2024, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said scammers had charged passengers about ₱3,000 to ₱5,000, often in US dollars, through fake sites ³. That same month the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) named eight fake eTravel websites. CICC Executive Director Alex Ramos said the operators were based outside the country, one of them in Spain. BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said fees went as high as US$100 ⁴.

The warnings keep coming. On 2 April 2026, ahead of Holy Week travel, Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said, "The eTravel registration process is absolutely free." He called sites charging for it "clear cases of fraud" ⁶.

• Fake sites named by the CICC in February 2024: philippines-entrydocs.com, sg-travellingdoc.com, entrydocuments-ca.com, enjoyvisiting-nz.com, travel-onlineprocessing.com, onlinetravel-application.com, ph-discovers.com and philippines-vacationsph.com ⁴
• Check that the address is exactly etravel.gov.ph before you type any details ¹.
• If a site asks for card details or any payment, it is not eTravel ¹.
• Report fake sites to the CICC at cicc.gov.ph/report ¹ or through hotline 1326 ⁵.