MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. RPL-10-010

PROCEDURES FOR THE ISSUANCE OF VISA and VISA UPON ARRIVAL TO FOREIGN TOUR GROUPS OR INDIVIDUALS FROM THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA COMING FROM MACAO INTERNATIONAL 

          In order to facilitate the expeditious entry of PROC nationals in tour groups or individuals coming from Macao International Airport to Laoag International Airport, we hereby restate the provisions of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the Accreditation of Philippine Tour Operators Handing Tour Groups from the People’s Republic of China (PROC) dated June 16, 2000 among the Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) on the issuance of visa and visa upon arrival, to wit:

         1.      The above-mentioned MOA covers the procedures for the accreditation of Philippine tour operators handling tour groups form the PROC, as well as the issuance of visa and visa-upon-arrival(VUA) to tour groups or individuals handled by tour group operators from the PROC as enshrined in the herein attached Primer;

         2.      The BI shall:

                a.       Issue a 9a-VUA visa for PROC tour group members or PROC individual traveler handled by an accredited tour operator for a maximum stay of fourteen (14) days;

                b.      Require Philippine tour operator and /or travel agency to submit to the Process Officer of Visa-Upon-Arrival the documentary requirements according to existing BI rules and regulations, including Affidavit of Undertaking and Official Receipts, within 48 hours prior to the check-in in the port of departure of the tour group members or individuals.

An Affidavit of Undertaking is a sworn statement of a responsible officer of a DOT-accredited Philippine tour operator or travel agency to be submitted to BI. It must state that the tour operator or travel agency (to/ta) shall assume liability for administrative fines and such other sanctions as may be imposed including expenses that may be incurred in the repatriation of any member of the tour group or individual who fails to leave the country as scheduled.

DFA and DOT shall blacklist erring PROC-accredited tos/tas, and Philippine tos/tas, respectively.

DOT shall immediately provide BI and DFA with the names of tos and tas that have been stripped of its accreditation;

c.       Inform the DOT and the DFA of any exclusion or deportation of any PROC tour group or individual who fail to comply with entry requirements or the terms and conditions of stay in the Philippines; and

d.      Inform the DOT and the DFA within forty-eight (48) hours should any PROC tour group member or PROC individual traveler disappear or be absent from the tour group’s itinerary or otherwise fail to leave the Philippines with the group.

e.       Cause the exclusion or deportation of any individual or group of persons belongings to the tour group who fails to comply with entry requirements or the terms and conditions of their stay in the Philippines without prejudice to the prosecution of the concerned Philippine tour operator under the provisions of pertinent immigration laws, rules and regulations;

3.      Issuance of visa-upon-arrival:

a.       Foreign nationals who are holders of valid passport and who are temporary visitors may apply for Visa-Upon-Arrival (9A-VUA) for a stay of fourteen (14) days at Laoag international airports in the Philippines provided that:

·         They are members of tour groups organized by an accredited tour operator;

·         They are holders of a valid passport/travel document and round trip ticket;

·         They are not in the BI’s Blacklist nor are they excludable under the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940;

·         Temporary Visitors who enter the Philippines shall arrive and depart from the Philippines together with the same tour group they arrived with;

·         The foreign tour group member or individual shall pay the visa fee at BI Immigration counters upon arrival at all international airports in the Philippines;

b.      Two (2) days before arrival of the foreign tour group members, the Philippine tour operator shall report to the DOT and the Chief, Immigration Regulation Division-BI, the names and dates of birth of each tour group member;

c.       Upon arrival in the Philippines, the accredited tour operator shall submit an application for visa-upon-arrival pursuant to existing rules and regulations of the BI;

d.      The PROC tour group member or individual traveler pays the visa fee upon arrival at the airport Immigration counter as follows;

                                   3-19 pax: US $ 25/member

                                           Plus PhP 10.00 Legal Research Fee

                                   20 pax and above: US $ 15/member

                                           Plus PhP 10.00 Legal Research Fee

e.       The Philippine tour operator shall inform, within forty-eight (48) hours, the Chief, IRD-BI and copy furnished the Undersecretary of Tourism Services and Regional Offices of the DOT, and the Visa Division of the DFA should any member disappear or be absent from the tour group’s itinerary or otherwise fail to leave the Philippines with the group.

4.      No tour operator shall be allowed to bring into the Philippines nationals from foreign countries unless such tour operator is duly accredited by the government agencies specified in the MOA;

5.      Monitoring: BI, DOT and DFA shall ensure that the requirements, terms, and conditions set forth in the grant of DOT accreditation to a Philippine tour operator and the issuance of visa and visa-upon-arrival to PROC tour groups or individuals under the above-mentioned Primer are duly complied with by the concerned Philippine tour operator and/or travel agency; and

6.      Requests for visa-upon-arrival shall be approved by the undersigned or the Chief, Immigration Regulation Division.

So ordered.

SEP 17 2010

                                                                                                   (Sgd)HON. ROLANDO P. LEDESMA

                                                                                                               Officer-in-Charge