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Gillan Ropero, ABS-CBN News
MANILA – Foreigners holding valid Filipino visas can renew expired re-entry permits (RP) and special return certificates (SRC) upon arrival at airports across the country, the Bureau of Immigration said Sunday.
According to the bureau, RPs are issued to immigrant visa holders (i.e. permanent residents of the Philippines), while SRCs are obtained by non-immigrants (such as work visa and student visa holders).
Due to the impact of the epidemic, many foreigners’ residence permits and residence permits have expired, the report said.
“The new procedure will allow them to be visaed upon arrival at the airport,” Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said in a statement.
The BI chief said the move will facilitate the unhindered entry of foreigners with existing valid visas who were barred from entering the Philippines last year when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted.
Earlier this month, the government allowed more foreigners into the country, including those with visas issued as of March 20, 2020, just days after the Philippines imposed a strict lockdown to contain the virus.
The Philippines has begun easing its pandemic rules, with the first official supplies of COVID-19 vaccines expected to arrive on Sunday.
The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the country climbed to 574,247 as of Saturday, with 37,093 active cases.
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