Unvaccinated foreigner entering the Philippines

[AmericanNomad 16]

@seekingthetruth Are there direct flights to Cebu, or do you have to travel to Manila first in order to get to Cebu? Because if so, Cebu's rule for allowing unvaccinated foreigners wouldn't mean much then.

 

I am still unvaccinated and I choose to remain that way because I don't want the vaccine first of all, and I shouldn't have to take a vaccine just to be able to travel. Doesn't seem right to me.

 

On the other hand, my girl friend lives in the Philippines, and I need to see her...

Edited February 11, 2022 by AmericanNomad

[seekingthetruth 1,246]

1 minute ago, AmericanNomad said:

@seekingthetruth Are there direct flights to Cebu, or do you have to travel to Manila first in order to get to Cebu? Because if so, Cebu's rule for allowing unvaccinated foreigners wouldn't mean much then.

 

I am still unvaccinated and I choose to remain that way because I don't want the vaccine first of all, and I shouldn't have to take a vaccine just to be able to travel. Doesn't seem right to me.

Not direct, but from other hubs in Asia and from Dubai.  You don't need to go to Manila.  The airlines might not cooperate with the Cebu governor and the airlines have the final say on if you can board the plane.

[Jimmyzr1 36]

40 minutes ago, AmericanNomad said:

@seekingthetruth Are there direct flights to Cebu, or do you have to travel to Manila first in order to get to Cebu? Because if so, Cebu's rule for allowing unvaccinated foreigners wouldn't mean much then.

 

I am still unvaccinated and I choose to remain that way because I don't want the vaccine first of all, and I shouldn't have to take a vaccine just to be able to travel. Doesn't seem right to me.

 

On the other hand, my girl friend lives in the Philippines, and I need to see her...

We were in the same boat, but I married my gf online in December. I just got over here to Manila on the 9th and am in quarantine hotel hopefully just for a few more nights.

[John & Rose 7,239]

A friend of mine just booked a flight from LA to Manila.  They require proof of vaccination and without it you will not be allowed to board.  He is hoping that the bar coded app from where he got the shots will help.  I had trouble with the CDC card when I went in November.

[Carpe Vinum 2,327]

3 hours ago, John & Rose said:

A friend of mine just booked a flight from LA to Manila.  They require proof of vaccination and without it you will not be allowed to board.  He is hoping that the bar coded app from where he got the shots will help.  I had trouble with the CDC card when I went in November.

From the US Embassy website:

 

On December 21, 2021, the Philippine government, through the BOQ, confirmed that it will accept and recognize U.S. COVID-19 vaccine certificates, including the U.S. CDC Vaccination Card, as proof of vaccination status for people vaccinated in the United States.

[John & Rose 7,239]

3 minutes ago, Carpe Vinum said:

From the US Embassy website:

 

On December 21, 2021, the Philippine government, through the BOQ, confirmed that it will accept and recognize U.S. COVID-19 vaccine certificates, including the U.S. CDC Vaccination Card, as proof of vaccination status for people vaccinated in the United States.

That is good news!  They didn't in November.  I was considered "unvaccinated/unverified" and had a longer quarantine.  My wife stayed with me but she could have left days sooner.

[Carpe Vinum 2,327]

34 minutes ago, John & Rose said:

That is good news!  They didn't in November.  I was considered "unvaccinated/unverified" and had a longer quarantine.  My wife stayed with me but she could have left days sooner.

We'll see how it works in practice)))

[flicks1998 1,044]

1 hour ago, Carpe Vinum said:

We'll see how it works in practice)))

Yesterday was the first day that tourists could enter.  Im on a number of travel boards and nobody has had any issues with just using their CDC card yesterday as well as today. 

 

There has been some confusion by the airlines on confirming that each of the travelers have the required travel insurance ($35,000) and that it covers Covid 19.  If a traveler has insurance through work, they will most likely need a letter from their insurance company that states their coverage.  If a traveler does not have insurance, they would need to purchase this.  When buying traveler insurance, a traveler will also need to make sure that the travel policy they take out will cover Level 4 countries as some do not.  These are the countries designated Level 4 by the State Dept which there are about 130 at the moment, including the Philippines.  Yes, the state department designation is ridiculous but insurance companies use it.  Pre-Covid I consistently traveled through Level 4 countries and had to take a special insurance policy out from within the EU to cover the countries that I was traveling in.

 

Some airlines will also provide this insurance as part of the booking process.  A traveler can also check with the airlines if they provide this.  Emirates and Etihad include this to all travelers.  Others Im sure include this as well.

 

All of the travelers who have arrived into Manila yesterday and today have reported a relatively smooth process once at NAIA.

Edited February 11, 2022 by flicks1998

[BadAmmoWitch 213]

On 2/11/2022 at 12:25 PM, flicks1998 said:

Yesterday was the first day that tourists could enter.  Im on a number of travel boards and nobody has had any issues with just using their CDC card yesterday as well as today. 

 

There has been some confusion by the airlines on confirming that each of the travelers have the required travel insurance ($35,000) and that it covers Covid 19.  If a traveler has insurance through work, they will most likely need a letter from their insurance company that states their coverage.  If a traveler does not have insurance, they would need to purchase this.  When buying traveler insurance, a traveler will also need to make sure that the travel policy they take out will cover Level 4 countries as some do not.  These are the countries designated Level 4 by the State Dept which there are about 130 at the moment, including the Philippines.  Yes, the state department designation is ridiculous but insurance companies use it.  Pre-Covid I consistently traveled through Level 4 countries and had to take a special insurance policy out from within the EU to cover the countries that I was traveling in.

 

Some airlines will also provide this insurance as part of the booking process.  A traveler can also check with the airlines if they provide this.  Emirates and Etihad include this to all travelers.  Others Im sure include this as well.

 

All of the travelers who have arrived into Manila yesterday and today have reported a relatively smooth process once at NAIA.

Thank you for this info. I'm going in May, Sacramento-San Francisco-Taipei-Manila. I've never purchased travel insurance. Do you know of any major, trusted providers? What is the purpose of having this? In case of Covid illness while traveling? What's a ballpark cost for 30 days in Philippines?

[John & Rose 7,239]

18 hours ago, BadAmmoWitch said:

Thank you for this info. I'm going in May, Sacramento-San Francisco-Taipei-Manila. I've never purchased travel insurance. Do you know of any major, trusted providers? What is the purpose of having this? In case of Covid illness while traveling? What's a ballpark cost for 30 days in Philippines?

My friend picked up $500,000 (smallest available from his insurer) of travel/Covid insurance for $50 for the entire trip.