Starting December 7, former Filipinos and spouse and children of Filipinos or former Filipinos will be allowed for a visa-free entry under Executive Order No. 408. The Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Jaime Morente said that the one-year balikbayan (returning Filipino) privilege will also be extended to foreign spouses and children of Filipinos traveling with them.
Since the intent of the latest Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) resolution is to “enable foreigners to reunite with their families in the Philippines”, Morente advised that foreign spouses and children of Filipino citizens will only be allowed entry if the Filipino or former Filipino citizen they are related to is traveling with them or is in the Philippines.
Moreover, inbound balikbayan tourists are required to:
- Have a pre-booked quarantine facility
- Have a pre-booked COVID-19 testing at a laboratory operating at the airport
- Must be subjected to the maximum capacity of inbound passengers at the port and date of entry
Former Filipinos who wish to avail of balikbayan privilege must present old Philippine passport or a copy of their birth certificate at the immigration officer upon arrival. Marriage certificates and birth certificates will be required for spouses and children, respectively.
Not all countries are covered by Balikbayan Program under Republic Act No. 6768. Former Filipinos and/or their immediate family who are nationals of countries not found on below list will need to secure a visa before going to the Philippines.
| Andorra | Greece | Panama |
| Angola | Grenada | Papua New Guinea |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Guatemala | Paraguay |
| Argentina | Guinea | Peru |
| Australia | Guinea Bissau | Poland |
| Austria | Guyana | Portugal |
| Bahamas | Haiti | Qatar |
| Bahrain | Honduras | Republic of Korea |
| Barbados | Hungary | Romania |
| Belgium | Iceland | Russia |
| Belize | Indonesia | Rwanda |
| Benin | Ireland | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| Bhutan | Israel | Saint Lucia |
| Bolivia | Italy | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| Botswana | Jamaica | Samoa |
| Brazil | Japan | San Marino |
| Brunei Darussalam | Kazakhstan | Sao Tome and Principe |
| Bulgaria | Kenya | Saudi Arabia |
| Burkina Faso | Kiribati | Senegal |
| Burundi | Kuwait | Seychelles |
| Cambodia | Kyrgyzstan | Singapore |
| Cameroon | Lao People’s Democratic Republic | Slovak Republic |
| Canada | Latvia | Slovenia |
| Cape Verde | Lesotho | Solomon Islands |
| Central African Republic | Liberia | South Africa |
| Chad | Liechtenstein | Spain |
| Chile | Lithuania | Suriname |
| Colombia | Luxembourg | Swaziland |
| Comoros | Madagascar | Sweden |
| Congo | Malawi | Switzerland |
| Costa Rica | Malaysia | Tajikistan |
| Cote d’Ivoire | Maldives | Thailand |
| Croatia | Mali | Togo |
| Cyprus | Malta | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Czech Republic | Marshall Islands | Tunisia |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Mauritania | Turkey |
| Denmark | Mauritius | Turkmenistan |
| Djibouti | Mexico | Tuvalu |
| Dominica | Micronesia | Uganda |
| Dominican Republic | Monaco | United Arab Emirates |
| Ecuador | Mongolia | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| El Salvador | Morocco | United Republic of Tanzania |
| Equatorial Guinea | Mozambique | United States of America |
| Eritrea | Myanmar | Uruguay |
| Estonia | Namibia | Uzbekistan |
| Ethiopia | Nepal | Vanuatu |
| Fiji | Netherlands | Vatican |
| Finland | New Zealand | Venezuela |
| France | Nicaragua | Vietnam |
| Gabon | Niger | Zambia |
| Gambia | Norway | Zimbabwe |
| Germany | Oman | |
| Ghana | Palau |
*A Balikbayan as described by Republic Act 6768 (amended by Republic Act 9174) refers to 1) a Filipino citizen who has been continuously out of the Philippines for a period of at least one (1) year; 2. A Filipino overseas worker; 3) A former Filipino citizen who had been naturalized in any of the abovementioned countries and who comes or returns to the Philippines. Their accompanying foreigner spouse and children are also considered balikbayans but are not considered balikbayan in their own right but became only such by virtue of their relationship with the said Filipino.
