In compliance with international conventions against money-laundering, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP, Central Bank of the Philippines) has regulations on the amount of currency that a traveler can carry into or out of the Philippines.
Philippine Peso
A person may bring into (import) or take out of (export) the Philippines, either physically or by electronical transfer, legal tender Philippine currency of an amount not exceeding PHP 50,000 (fifty thousand pesos, Philippine currency) without prior authorization from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The monetary forms include legal tender Philippine notes and coins, checks, money order and other bills of exchange drawn in Philippine Pesos against banks operating in the Philippines.
The term “electronic transfer” as used above shall mean a system where the authority to debit or credit an account (bank, business or individual) is provided by wire, with or without a source document being mailed to evidence the authority.
The increase to PHP 50,000 in the allowable amount of Philippine currency brought in or out of the Philippines took effect on 15 September 2016, per Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Circular No. 922, series of 2016, dated 23 August 2016, titled “The Amendments of the Rules on Cross-Border Transfer of Local Currency”.
Amounts exceeding the limit are usually allowed only for the following purposes:
- Testing/calibration of money counting/sorting machines;
- Numismatics (collectors of currency); and,
- Educational purposes.
International Passenger Service Charge (IPSC) for exempt passengers is not included in computing the amount of pesos brought to or from the Philippines. Any excess amount not covered by specific written BSP authorization is subject to confiscation by the Philippine Bureau of Customs.
Foreign Currency and/or Monetary Instrument in Excess of USD 10,000.00 or its equivalent
Any person bringing in or taking out foreign currency, or other exchange-dominated bearer negotiable monetary such as travelers’ checks, other checks, drafts, notes, money orders, bonds, deposit certificates, securities, commercial papers, trust certificates, custodial receipts, deposit substitute instruments, trading orders, transaction tickets and confirmation of sale/investment in excess of USD 10,000.00 or its equivalent in other foreign currencies must accomplish a Foreign Currency Declaration Form which may be obtained from a Customs Officer at the Customs Desk in the Arrival or Departure Areas, or downloaded from the BSP website www.bsp.gov.ph Annex K of the Manual Regulations on Foreign Exchange Transactions. (BSP Circular No.308, Series of 2001, as amended by BSP Circular No.507, Series of 2006)
For more information, please visit:
https://www.bsp.gov.ph/SitePages/Regulations/GuideToFx.aspx?TabId=3
Manual of Regulations on Foreign Exchange Transactions
A copy of the Manual of Regulations on Foreign Exchange Transactions may be downloaded here or accessed via the BSP website: https://www.bsp.gov.ph/Regulations/MORFXT/MORFXT.pdf.
Regulated Products
Philippine authorities consider the following items as Regulated Products which travellers may bring into the Philippines without prior clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only in limited quantities and on the conditions that the items:
- are for personal use only
- do not exceed the quantity indicated below
- are brought into the Philippines either (a) in the traveller’s personal baggage, (b) in a balikbayan box, or (c) in parcel sent through mail or delivery service
The regulated products and respective quantity limitations are as follows:
- Assorted cosmetics: 5 kilograms
- Bar soap: 2 kilograms comprising different variants (only up to 500 grams of the same variant allowed)
- Childcare articles: 5 kilograms
- Household hazardous substances (detergent: fabric conditioner: fabric softener: dishwashing liquid): 5 kilograms
- Insulin needles and lancets: up to 100 pieces
- In-vitro diagnostic products: 1 piece of each type
- In-vitro maintenance test strips: up to 100 pieces
- Lipstick: 10 pieces comprising different variants (only up to 3 pieces of the same variant allowed)
- Lotion: 2 kilograms comprising different variants (only up to 1 kilogram of the same variant allowed)
- Medical devices: 1 piece of each type
- Over-the-counter drugs: 50 grams
- Perfumes: 5 pieces
- Prescription drugs, quantity or volume indicated in physician’s prescription (actual prescription must be presented, indicating physician’s license or practice number)
- Processed food (including cooked food): up to 10 kilograms
- Shampoo: 2 kilograms
- Toys: 10 pieces of different variants (only up to 2 pieces of the same variant allowed)
- Vitamins: supplements: health supplements intended as maintenance medicine: 500 grams total
- Wines, liquor: 2 bottles, but not exceeding 1.5 liters
Any quantity of the above-cited products, whether declared or undeclared, beyond the specified limits which do not have the required Bureau of Customs or FDA-DOH (Food and Drug Administration – Department of Health) Clearance, will be seized and forfeited by the Bureau of Customs.
Fresh or Frozen Unprocessed Foods
Fresh or frozen unprocessed foods – including fresh fruits, frozen meat, fresh fish – even in quantities for personal use, may NOT be brought into or sent to the Philippines without the prior clearance from the Department of Agriculture of the Philippines.
Pesticides
Importation of any household urban pesticides shall require prior FDA (Food and Drug Administration) release.
Dangerous Drugs, Controlled Precursor and Essential Chemicals
Travellers to the Philippines who take prescription drugs (tablets and ampoules) should bring a letter from their physician stating the condition for which they are receiving treatment and the dosage, with English translation. The amount of drugs brought into the country should also be sufficient for the duration of the visit. For those who are travelling onward to another country, they are advised that separate quantities of drugs should be sealed and declared again before exiting the country.
Dangerous drugs, controlled precursors and essential chemicals, and other similar or analogous substances are subject to the regulations of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Please refer to the information on the DDB website on the list of controlled substances: https://ddb.gov.ph/regulatory-control/
If you are uncertain whether the prescription drug you are using is allowed in the Philippines as some drugs are prohibited under Republic Act 9165, please send an email directly to info@ddb.gov.ph and lad@ddb.gov.ph for inquiries, concerns, and clarifications.
REQUIREMENTS
Per information from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the requirements for the transport of pets from Germany to the Philippines are as follows:
- Import permit issued by the Philippine Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), which can be obtained from https://www.intercommerce.com.ph/registrationbai.asp
- Health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian in the country of origin, dated within 30 days of arrival in the Philippines.
- Mandatory identification of pet dog or cat with ISO compliant microchip/RFID (radio-frequency identification) – proof of Microchip number (must embedded in the skin of the dog/cat)
- Vaccination and deworming records of pets, dog/cat (must be original or certified true copy)
- Photograph/s of pet, dog/cat PET Passport of pet dog/cat, if applicable
Failure to present these requirements may result in pet/s being quarantined upon arrival in the Philippines.
Effective June 01, 2018, dogs and cats imported without the required identification will be declined entry and returned to its origin. All costs incurred will be shouldered by the importer.
PROCEDURE
- Obtain an import permit from the Philippines’ Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI):
- Go to http://www.bai.gov.ph/ and click BAI ONE TIME LINK (almost at the bottom of the page). This leads to the form to fill out and submit.
- Alternately, go directly to https://www.intercommerce.com.ph/registrationbai.asp and fill out the form.
- Applicant will be asked for a Username (email) and password, which will be used to check the status of the application. The status could be: 1) for Endorsement (meaning the application is waiting for the signature of the approving authority); 2) Approved; Rejected (the applicant will have to re-apply).
- To check the status of the application, go to https://www.intercommerce.com.ph/login.asp?home=home
- If approved, click the reference number and it will bring applicant to the 3-page SPS permit. Print the permit and present this at the Quarantine station in the airport (Philippines).
- Approval usually takes 1-2 days. Validity of the SPS permit is two months. Please read the other requirements on the permit in order to import your pet(s), i.e. Veterinary Health Certificate and the updated Vaccination Record.
- For the updated Vaccination Record, the following is needed:
- DOGS: rabies vaccination and vaccination against distemper, leptospirosis, parvovirus, adenovirus type 2.
- CATS: rabies vaccination and vaccination against herpes, calicivirus, panleukopenia and feline leukemia
- Qualification for issuance of the permit:
- Minimum age of pets, dog/s and cat/s must be at least 4 months;
- Dog/s and/or cat/s to imported must have updated Rabies vaccinations, not <14days or more than 1 year prior to SPS Applications;
- Dog/s must have also have DHLPPi vaccination while cats should have vaccinations against feline panleukopenia;
- Dog/s and/or cat/s to imported must all have been dewormed for internal and external parasites;
- Import maximum of 3 animals once a year, or import maximum of 3 animals, more than once a year provided same animals identified through its microchip numbers, are imported.
- Obtain health certificate from a licensed veterinarian in the country of origin: The health certificate should be dated within 30 days before the date of arrival in the Philippines. The certificate should certify that the animal is free from, and has not been recently exposed to, any dangerous or communicable disease, and that it has been given anti-rabies and other required inoculation.
For updated information on importation of pets, animals and household plants, kindly refer to the website of the Philippine Bureau of Customs at https://customs.gov.ph/pet-animals-and-household-plants/ or the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) at https://www.bai.gov.ph/oci-faq, or contact the BAI directly.
Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI)
Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Telephone numbers: (+632) 925 4343 or (+632) 928 2743
Email addresses: nvqsd@bai.gov.ph, s
Process and Requirements for Issuance of One-Time / Pet Owner Import permit for Dogs and Cats
| Required Documents |
|
| Qualifications for Issuance |
|
| Process | Online Application > Receipt and Review > Results |
| Processing Office | BAI – National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division |
| Additional information | Upon Arrival of the subject pet at any international port of entry, the importers shall present to the Veterinary Quarantine officer the following documents for validation.
Note: ONE SPSIC, ONE IVC/VHC POLICY as per BAI MC 43, series of 2020 (bit.ly/MC43-s2020) |
| Permit validity | Sixty (60) days |
To proceed to the online application, click the link below | |
National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division Bureau of Animal Industry Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City 1128 Tel. Nos. (02) 8528-2240 loc 1300 to 1311 | |
In accordance with the existing policies of the Philippines’ Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), any consignment/shipment or transport of plants, planting materials, and plant products must be accompanied by specific Phytosanitary documents issued by the BPI, such as but not limited to:
- Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC),
- Plant Quarantine Clearance (PQC),
- Phytosanitary Certificate (PC), and
- Other necessary phytosanitary documents relative to the commodity being imported to the Philippines.
Please refer to the following links for the allowed plants, planting materials, and plant products:
- List of Allowable Plants/Planting Materials To Import
- Updated List of Allowable Fruits and Vegetables
For specific guidelines and downloadable forms, please refer to the National Plant Quarantine Services division of the BPI at https://npqsd.bpi-npqsd.com.ph/import/, or contact info@buplant.da.gov.ph.
Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI)
692 San Andres St. Malate, Manila
Telephone numbers: (+632) 251 2267 or (+632) 404 0409
Email addresses: bpi.information@yahoo.com or pqsbpi@yahoo.com