Philippines entry requirements from the UK

Start here - the five-minute version

If you are flying from the UK to the Philippines, five things decide whether the trip goes smoothly. One, your passport must be valid for at least six months after you arrive. Two, everybody travelling must register on eTravel and carry the QR code - it is free, and some airlines will not let you board without it. Three, if you have lived in the UK for a year or more you are very likely exempt from Philippine travel tax, but you have to prove it. Four, if you are a former Filipino citizen your foreign spouse and children can enter visa-free for a year under the balikbayan privilege, but only if they travel with you. Five, a British passport holder gets 30 days visa-free and can extend from inside the country.

The pages, one question each

eTravel registration - the free QR code every arriving passenger needs, and when to do it.
Philippine travel tax - who pays PHP 1,620, and the exemptions that cover most UK-based Filipinos.
Balikbayan privilege - one year visa-free for your foreign spouse and children, plus the duty-free allowance.
Visa rules on a British passport - 30 days visa-free, how to extend, and children travelling without a parent.
The six-month passport rule - the single most common reason people are refused boarding.
OEC and travel tax exemption for OFWs - what the certificate covers.
Dual citizenship - which passport to fly on.

The things that catch people out

The six-month passport rule is counted from the date you arrive, not the date you book, so a passport that looks fine today can be short by December. eTravel has to be done within the 72 hours before arrival, which means it is a job for the day you fly, not the day you book - and it is the one thing older parents travelling alone most often need help with. Travel tax exemption is not automatic: you are entitled to it, but you have to show the evidence. And the balikbayan privilege only applies to family who are actually travelling with you - a husband following two weeks later does not get it.

Then the flight itself

Once the paperwork is straight, the rest is what we do every day: Manila, Cebu and Clark, plus the provincial arrivals - Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga. If you are travelling as a family or a group, the group booking page explains how we hold seats together, and Pasko sa Pinas covers the Christmas run, which sells out earliest.

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 UK FCDO travel advice for the Philippines, eTravel, TIEZA and the Bureau of Immigration. 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