OEC and travel tax exemption for OFWs
Overseas Filipino Workers are exempt from Philippine travel tax. What you need to show depends on how you were hired - and if you were hired directly by a UK employer rather than through an agency, it is not the OEC.
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The exemption, and the two routes to proving it
The TIEZA exemption list includes Overseas Filipino Workers. The evidence depends on how you were engaged.
Hired through the Department of Migrant Workers. Your original Overseas Employment Certificate. TIEZA notes that the OEC is valid as an exemption certificate if used in going to the worksite of the OFW - which is the detail that trips people up, because it ties the exemption to the journey back to work rather than to any trip at all.
Directly hired abroad. A Certificate of Employment issued by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate in your place of work, or a copy of your employment contract authenticated by the Embassy or Consulate. For many Filipinos working in the UK - particularly those who came on a Health and Care Worker or Skilled Worker visa arranged directly with a British employer - this is the route that applies, not the OEC.
Where the OEC comes from
The OEC is issued by the Department of Migrant Workers, with applications handled through BM Online. We are a UK travel agency and we do not issue, process or expedite OECs, and we would be wary of anyone who says they can. What we can do is make sure your flights are booked in a way that does not waste the exemption.
If you are not actually an OFW any more
A lot of people carry the OFW label long after it stopped being the useful one. If you have settled in the UK, hold indefinite leave to remain or British citizenship, or have simply been out of the Philippines for over a year, you may be better served by a different exemption entirely - the balikbayan or permanent-resident-abroad categories on our travel tax page, which ask for evidence you already have in your passport rather than paperwork you would have to go and get. Tell us your situation and we will point you at the one that is easiest to prove.
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: TIEZA travel tax exemption, the Department of Migrant Workers and BM Online. 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
Are OFWs exempt from Philippine travel tax?
Yes. TIEZA lists Overseas Filipino Workers as exempt, on production of the original OEC if hired through the Department of Migrant Workers, or a Certificate of Employment or authenticated employment contract from the Philippine Embassy or Consulate if directly hired abroad.
I was hired directly by a UK employer - do I need an OEC?
For travel tax exemption purposes, directly hired workers show a Certificate of Employment issued by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate, or an employment contract authenticated by them, rather than an OEC.
Can One World Lakbay get my OEC for me?
No. The OEC is issued by the Department of Migrant Workers through BM Online. We can help with your flights and check which travel tax exemption category is easiest for you to evidence.
I have lived in the UK for years - is the OEC still my best route?
Often not. If you have been continuously out of the Philippines for a year or more, or hold permanent residence in the UK, the balikbayan or permanent-resident-abroad exemptions may be far simpler to prove.
Will you check my documents before I fly?
Yes. We go through passport validity, eTravel, travel tax and anything your travelling companions need before you pay. It costs nothing and it is the cheapest part of the whole trip.
Do your agents speak Tagalog?
Yes. Our team speaks Tagalog, Bisaya and English and we work UK hours. If it is easier for a parent or grandparent to explain their own dates, put them on with us.
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Kausapin mo kami — talk to a person
Tell us where home is, roughly when you want to travel, who is going and what you are carrying, and we will come back with real options and the total price including bags. If it is easier for a parent or grandparent to explain the dates themselves, put them on with us — we do that every week.