Dual citizenship and which passport to fly on

What RA 9225 does

The Bureau of Immigration describes the scheme simply: former Philippine citizens who have been naturalised in another country and wish to retain or re-acquire their Philippine citizenship may apply. You take an Oath of Allegiance and receive a Certificate of Retention or Re-acquisition. There is a separate supplement to include dependents. Applications can be made at the Bureau in Manila, and through Philippine embassies and consulates abroad - for UK residents that is the Philippine Embassy in London. The Bureau publishes its fees, with the caveat that they date from 2014 and may change.

Which passport do I fly on?

This is the practical question, and the answer is: enter and leave the Philippines on your Philippine passport if you have one, and enter and leave the UK on your British one. A dual citizen arriving on a Philippine passport is a Filipino coming home - no visa, no 30-day limit, no visa extension to worry about. Arriving on the British passport alone, you may be processed as a foreign national and given 30 days. Carry both, and tell your airline both, so the ticket and the document you present match at each end. The UK government also reminds British citizens that they must carry a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement to return to the UK.

Dual citizenship or balikbayan privilege?

They solve overlapping problems and it is worth understanding which one you actually need. The balikbayan privilege is free, needs no application, and gives your foreign family a year - but only when travelling with you, and it is granted trip by trip at the border. Re-acquiring citizenship is a formal process with a fee, but it is permanent, it restores your rights as a Filipino rather than granting a visitor privilege, and it removes the question of travel tax and length of stay for good. Families who go home most years, or who plan to retire there, usually find the second worth doing.

What it means for travel tax

Travel tax follows your status, not your sentiment. Even as a Filipino citizen you may still be exempt - most obviously if you have been continuously out of the Philippines for at least a year, or are a permanent resident abroad. The categories and the evidence each one needs are set out on our travel tax page.

Checked on 22 August 2026 - and please check again before you fly

Entry rules are set and enforced by the Philippine authorities and they do change. Everything on this page was checked against the official source on 22 August 2026: the Bureau of Immigration and UK FCDO travel advice for the Philippines. We are a UK travel agency, not an immigration adviser, so treat this as a plain-English starting point rather than legal advice - and if your situation is unusual, check with the Philippine Embassy in London. What we will do is go through your paperwork with you before you pay for anything, so nobody finds out at the check-in desk.

Kami na ang bahala - we check this with you before you book

Most of the trouble we see is not complicated, it is just late: a passport with five months left, an eTravel QR nobody registered, a travel tax that did not need paying. When you book your flights home with us we go through all of it with you first, in Tagalog, Bisaya or English. And the trip itself stays affordable - secure your seats with a deposit from GBP 49 and pay the balance in instalments, hulugan ang natitira. Ask for our free 48-hour hold if you need to check dates with family: we hold the seat and the price and you pay nothing while you decide. Selected fares carry up to 40kg of bagahe, and we offer an NHS discount - say so when you enquire if you work for the NHS.

Frequently asked questions