September 2009

FILIPINO DUAL CITIZENS HOLDING FOREIGN PASSPORTS EXEMPT FROM MANILA AIRPORT EXIT FEES

15 September 2009 – The Philippine Consulate General in Sydney advises travelers that Filipino dual citizens holding Australian or other foreign (non-Philippine) passports are exempt from exit fees when they depart the Philippines.

The Commissioner of Immigration of the Philippines issued a Memorandum dated 17 April 2009 that exempted Filipino dual citizens holding non-Philippine passports from the payment of exit fees at Philippine airports. The latter can present as proof of Dual Citizenship the Identification Certificate (IC) that was issued by the Philippine embassy, consulate or Bureau of Immigration office where Philippine citizenship was re-acquired.

However, the exemption does not apply to the Airport Terminal Fee that all travelers departing the Philippines are required to pay.

Filipino dual citizens are former Filipinos who re-acquired their Philippine citizenship after becoming a naturalized citizen of another country. To re-acquire Filipino citizenship, a former Filipino in Australia must apply for dual citizenship at the Philippine Consulate in Sydney or the Philippine Embassy in Canberra. Filipino dual citizenship does not affect the applicant’s Australian citizenship.

With dual citizenship, a former Filipino re-acquires the full benefits and privileges of a Filipino citizen, including the right to stay indefinitely in the Philippines.