If you’ve been on a plane out from the Philippines these past few months you will notice something different at the immigration line: the lack of paper immigration forms. This has been in implementation since 2023, but many Filipinos are still confused with the process. As someone who witnesses this whenever I go to the airport, I see anxious Filipinos trying to figure out how to register online (many don’t have data on their phones).
For outgoing (and incoming) passengers, you will need to fill out an eTravel form via the website or through the eGov app or website. I highly suggest you download the eGov app as it makes the process much faster and convenient.
I first noticed this on two separate occassions — a couple of weeks ago on the way to Taiwan for Computex 2024 and to Malaysia for another business trip. The lady assigned to the immigration lines were helping less tech savvy Filipinos download the eGov app on their phones, fill in their passport details and then their flight details. This is a FREE SERVICE.
It seems like the government is really pushing for full adoption of their super app — allowing Filipinos to access a plethora of government services such as GSIS, PhilHealth and SSS. But the most useful of all functions is the integration of the eTravel service that was once on a website, but also now accessible via app (it has been for several months now).
Those who download the eGov app can save passport details for future use and easily input flights 72 hours before boarding. It’s also like a mini-passport on your app so you can truly see all the flights you’ve done.
Another interesting benefit of the eGov app is the implementation of the electronic version of the National ID. Again, through the app, you can input your personal details, which then takes you through some KYC, followed by inputting your digital signature and a selfie. We have yet to see further use cases of the digital version of the Philippine National ID but it does have a QR code and other security measures.
We hope the super app can make the lives of Filipinos easier without the need to verify physical documents over and over again.
