MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday said it is expecting a heavy volume of passengers in the country’s airports, especially at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), during the celebration of the Chinese New Year.
BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina said they are expecting a 10 to 15 percent increase in departures during the Chinese New Year which will be celebrated on Saturday, January 25.
“Last year we saw a 14% increase in departures, this year the increase might be more or less the same,” he said in a statement.
“We are expecting a surge of Chinese residents in the Philippines who wish to spend the Chinese New Year abroad. It may result to heavy congestion of our airports, which could be avoided if they process and pay their fees before heading to the airport,” he added.
The BI said the Philippines is host to tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants and non-immigrants. In 2018 alone, a total of 1.3 M Chinese citizens were recorded to have entered the country.
In order to avoid long queues at immigration counters in NAIA, the bureau urged foreign travelers to process their re-entry fees at any of its offices before proceeding to the airport.
Under Philippine immigration policies, foreign nationals who are registered holders of valid immigrant and non-immigrant visas are required to pay exit and re-entry permits every time they leave the country.
Official receipts of their re-entry permit fees should be presented before they are cleared for departure.
“We expect that the surge could congest our immigration cashiers, hence we are appealing to registered aliens to pre-pay their fees to avoid the congestion,” Medina said.
The BI said that reentry fees can be paid at its main office in Manila and at immigration field, satellite and extension offices nationwide.
“The BI has almost 60 offices nationwide that may cater to this need. It’s a very quick process, which will only take a few minutes. We also have offices located in malls and other convenient locations,” he said.
“Coming to the airport with the receipt at hand makes processing faster, allowing departing aliens to avoid the rush and relax before their flight,” he added.
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