Philippines eTravel Requirements: Everything You Need Before You Register (2026)

eTravel requirements: the short answer

The Philippines eTravel requirements are simple. To register you need your passport, your flight details, the address where you will stay in the Philippines, and an email address you can access. That is the whole list. The official form is free at etravel.gov.ph; we are an independent filing service that registers travelers who would rather not handle the form themselves, for $15 with the QR code emailed within 24 hours.

Nothing about eTravel is an application in the visa sense. You are not requesting permission — you are recording your arrival. No documents get uploaded, nothing gets printed, and nothing gets paid. The form takes about ten minutes per person when your information is ready.

What to have on hand before you start

Four items, all of which you already have if your trip is booked:

The four things you need

• Your passport, open or in hand. You will type the passport number, expiry date, and the name exactly as printed inside.
• Your flight confirmation. Airline, flight number of the leg that lands in the Philippines, and arrival date. Connecting through another country? Use the final leg into Manila or Cebu.
• Your accommodation address in the Philippines: hotel name and address, or the address of the place you are staying. Have the booking confirmation open in another tab.
• An email address you can access, plus a phone number. Your QR code and reference number are tied to the email you enter.

The five blocks of the eTravel form

The form groups its questions into five blocks. Here is what each block asks, field by field:

The health declaration questions

The last block is the Electronic Health Declaration Card, or eHDC. It is the health-surveillance part of the form, run under the Bureau of Quarantine. Expect questions about whether you have been sick in the past 30 days, whether you have been near someone with a communicable or infectious disease, and which countries you visited before this trip.

Answer honestly and accurately. Your answers decide the color of your QR code. Travelers who report recent illness or exposure can receive a red QR code, which means a further Bureau of Quarantine check on arrival before immigration — a delay, not a refusal of entry. Travelers whose answers are clean receive a green QR code and go straight to the counter.

Requirements for children and families

Every child needs their own registration, including infants, using the child's own passport details. A parent or legal guardian completes the form on the child's behalf. For a family of four, that is four registrations — budget about ten minutes each, or have us file them all under one order and we match every record to every passport.

Children traveling without both parents should also carry a notarized consent letter from the absent parent. That is a general Philippine entry practice rather than an eTravel field, but border officers can ask for it.

When your registration must happen

The eTravel window is 72 hours (three days) before your arrival, and the window includes your arrival day. Arriving on a Thursday means you can register from the Monday before. Registering earlier than that risks a mismatched arrival date on your record. If plans change after you submit, use Edit Registration at etravel.gov.ph/search with your reference number and date of birth rather than filing twice.

If you registered and your QR code is missing, the same search page retrieves it. The step-by-step version of the whole process, including the edit flow, is our how to register for eTravel guide, and the timing rules are covered in the complete Philippines eTravel guide.

What is NOT required

A short list of things travelers wrongly assume they need:

Not required for eTravel

• No payment of any kind — the official FAQ says eTravel is absolutely free and never collects online payment.
• No printed copy — a screenshot of the QR code on your phone is fine, though you may print if you prefer.
• No app download — eTravel runs in any browser; the eGovPH app is optional.
• No visa decision — eTravel never grants or denies entry; it records your arrival.
• No photo upload, test result, or vaccination certificate as part of the registration itself — carry separately whatever entry documents your nationality requires.

Who does not need to register at all

Foreign diplomats and their dependents, foreign dignitaries and members of their delegations, 9(e) visa holders, and holders of diplomatic, official, or service passports are exempt. Everyone else arriving — foreign tourists, returning Filipinos, crew — registers. The full who-needs breakdown is in do I need an eTravel for the Philippines.

Ready to register? Do it yourself, free, at etravel.gov.ph. Or start my application and we prepare, verify, and file it for you — $15 flat, QR code within 24 hours, full refund if we fail to deliver.

Frequently asked questions