The Philippine government has different repatriation procedures per country, but the rule of thumb is to contact your embassy or consulate
Due to the latest COVID-19 surge, especially due to the threat of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, the Philippines has banned entry from several countries.
As of July 23, the Philippines has travel bans for a total of nine countries:
- Bangladesh
- India
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Nepal
- Oman
- Sri Lanka
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
Are you a Filipino currently in these countries? Don’t worry – you can still go home, but only through certain repatriation programs and special government-run commercial flights.
Some countries have not announced specific procedures, but the rule of thumb is to contact the Philippine embassy or consulate in the region. You can also contact the OFW Help Facebook page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the guidelines available in each country in the Philippines, you need to do the following:
United Arab Emirates
Require:
- Download and complete the National Aid (ATN) form:
- Prepare a copy of the passport information page and visa page.
- For pregnant women: Obtain a fitness to travel or medical certificate.
- Abu Dhabi visa holders (Al Ain, Al Dhafra, Al Ruwais): Complete the Abu Dhabi PE Online Repatriation Form.
- Dubai visa holders (Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Fujairah): Complete the Dubai PCG online repatriation form.
- Prepare other documents required for travel, such as RT-PCR test results.
You can get in touch with the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi here:
- +971 54529 4464
- +971 50896 3089
- at**********@gm***.com
Below are the details of the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai:
- +971 56 417 7558 (WhatsApp only)
- at*@pc******.ae
Oman
According to the Philippine embassy in Muscat, the repatriation flights from Oman are for Filipinos who have no pending cases, complaints or other obstacles in the country preventing them from leaving Oman.
Require:
- Complete the aid application form.
- Prepare a copy of your Philippine passport.
- Prepare documents to demonstrate your request:
- If due to medical problems, copies of medical reports and other relevant documents.
- If part of the Oman Ministry of Labour (MOL) Exemption Program, please provide a copy of the approval on the MOL website.
- If it is due to termination of employment, please provide a copy of the employer’s termination letter.
- If due to contract termination, a copy of the contract or notice of contract termination.
Send your request to this email: po********************@gm***.com. Include the reason for your return to the Philippines and attach the required documents.
The following will be given priority:
- Those with health problems and those who may require immediate medical attention in the Philippines
- Pregnant women in their third trimester have compelling reasons to return to the Philippines
- Those who have been approved to participate in the Oman MOL scheme are exempt from fines and penalties for foreign workers provided they leave Oman permanently
- fired person
- people who have completed work
Click here for more details on the repatriation program. Here’s how to contact the Muscat Embassy:
- (+968) 2460-5335
- (+968) 2460-5143
- mu*******@df*.ph
India, Nepal and Bangladesh
India has not issued specific guidelines for repatriation. Here is the email from the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi: ne*********@df*.ph.
The consulate in Nepal is under the jurisdiction of the embassy in New Delhi. You can email the details of the Consulate General in Kathmandu here: ph********@vo***.np.
The Bangladeshi embassy has yet to respond to Rappler about its repatriation process. Here are their contact details:
- +880 1915-477731
- dh******@df*.ph
Sri Lanka
When asked about specific repatriation guidelines, consulate chief of staff Narin Pereira said the repatriation is already underway, but the consulate is open for inquiries every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Its office is located on the fifth floor of EML Building, 61 WAD Ramanayake Mawatha, Colombo.
The following are the contact details of the Philippine Consulate in Colombo:
- Tel: (+94) 11 4322268, 4322267
- Mobile: (+94) 77 6656798
- ph*********@co****.net
- ph**********@co****.net
Indonesia
On August 2, the Philippine Embassy in Indonesia posted on its Facebook page that interested Filipinos who wish to return to the Philippines can fill out this form.
Malaysia
“Malaysian Filipinos who need help returning to the Philippines during the travel ban can send their details to the embassy if the embassy is on a charter flight,” ATN Malaysia head Leandro Manantan said in an email to Rappler.
Those wanting to go home can send their details to the following email address, Manantan said:
- kl******@df*.ph
- ku***************@df*.ph
Thailand
The Philippine embassy in Thailand offers two types of assistance to Filipinos who want to go home, based on their ability to pay for their airfare.
The first category is for Filipinos who need a seat on a flight that has been pre-authorized by the Philippine Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging and Infectious Diseases and has the ability to pay for a ticket.
According to Consul Michael Garcia, travelers must purchase tickets directly from the airline or an authorized travel agency.
“Those passengers who need assistance are recognized by the airline’s embassy so they can get priority tickets,” Garcia said.
The second is for Filipinos in need of financial assistance. “Each case is evaluated individually,” Garcia said.
Garcia said people who fall into the second category can send email requests to ba****************@df*.ph.
– Reporting from Jamilah Angco, Kristel Ogsimer and Patricia Kahanap/Rappler.com
