OFW departure fees: travel tax, terminal fee and the OFW Pass

What the law says

Section 35 of the Migrant Workers Act (RA 8042), as amended by RA 10022 of 2010, exempts migrant workers from the travel tax and the airport fee once they show proof of entitlement ³.

The law's implementing rules name the Overseas Employment Certificate as that proof. The same section exempts OFW remittances from documentary stamp tax, on showing the OEC or a valid OWWA membership certificate ³.

Travel tax: what to show

TIEZA lists OFWs as exempt under Section 2 of PD 1183, as amended ¹. Workers hired through the Department of Migrant Workers show the original OEC. TIEZA says the OEC is valid as an exemption certificate when used to go to the OFW's worksite ¹.

Workers hired directly abroad need a certificate of employment from the Philippine embassy or consulate in the place of work, or an employment contract authenticated by the embassy or consulate ¹.

TIEZA's rules cover land-based workers, seafarers and balik manggagawa processed by the POEA. They cover workers hired on site too, such as staff of multinational firms abroad, missionaries, and employees of Philippine company branches abroad ⁴. If the tax was charged in your ticket anyway, see our travel tax refund guide.

Terminal fee at NAIA

The passenger service charge, or terminal fee, at NAIA rose from ₱550 to ₱950 for international departures and from ₱200 to ₱390 for domestic departures on 14 September 2025. OFWs, travelers on the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages and athletes going to international competitions are exempt ⁵.

New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), the private operator of NAIA, said in September 2025 that OFWs stay fully exempt from the international charge. "Their exemption from terminal fees continues under the new framework," it said ⁶.

By August 2026, 24 international airlines at NAIA accepted the digital OFW Pass in the eGovPH app at the airline counter in place of a printed OEC. The DMW said the electronic process lets airlines reconcile terminal fee exemption records with their remittance reports ⁸. NNIC general manager Lito Alvarez said the aim is to make departure easier for OFWs ⁸.

If the fee was built into your ticket, an exempt OFW can claim it back at the airport. When MIAA first added the fee to tickets in February 2015, OFWs claimed refunds at NAIA counters by showing a copy of the ticket or receipt showing the fee, the airport copy of the OEC and the boarding pass ¹¹. That is the latest official refund procedure we found. Ask at the airport, as the operator has changed since then ⁶.

The OEC and the OFW Pass

The DMW is replacing the paper OEC with the OFW Pass under Advisory 38-2025. SunStar reported in December 2025 that the pass is for balik manggagawa, meaning workers returning to the same employer and country. It is valid for 90 days from issue and can be voided or renewed at any time ⁷.

Workers with an active contract in the DMW system get a pass generated automatically. Those with an expired contract must first update their employer and jobsite details ⁷. SunStar reported these steps to get the pass ⁷.

• Register on the eGovPH app ⁷.
• Open the national government agencies section and select the DMW tab ⁷.
• Go to the Balik Manggagawa service and generate the OFW Pass ⁷.
• Show the QR code in the eGovPH app at the airline counter ⁸. The DMW database is linked to the Bureau of Immigration for airport checks ⁹.

How much the OEC costs

The OEC used to cost ₱100 and needed onsite processing. President Marcos directed the DMW to look at waiving the fee, and DMW Secretary Maria Susana Ople said the DMW Mobile App and the OFW Pass would be free ¹⁰.

DMW Undersecretary Hans Cacdac later said OFWs no longer pay extra fees when they request the certificate through the app. He said Finance Secretary Diokno approved the DMW's request to make it free ⁹.

Family members of OFWs

Dependents are not exempt from the travel tax but pay the privileged reduced rate of ₱300 for economy and ₱400 for first class. This covers the legitimate spouse, unmarried children below 21, legitimate or not, and children with disabilities even above 21. The dependent must be traveling to the OFW's worksite ².

They need the original OEC or a certified true copy of the Balik Manggagawa form, a marriage or birth certificate, and for children with disabilities a PWD ID card. Dependents joining a seafarer's vessel need a certification from the manning agency ².