POEA adopts new travel clearance procedure for OFWs

MANILA, Philippines - Shorter lines but longer waiting time awaits returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

To keep the queues of vacationing OFWs short, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has adopted new procedures and processing of the mandatory travel exit clearance.

“The new procedures would allow our OFWs to efficiently manage their time in securing travel exit clearance by adjusting the processing time in two phases,” POEA chief Carlos Cao Jr. said.

Under the new POEA policy, all returning OFWs shall submit the application and all the necessary requirements in securing exit clearance before the POEA for appropriate evaluation.

If all the documents are in order, the POEA would issue a claim stub to the OFW, who shall then return the following day to get the necessary exit clearance.

Cao advised all returning OFWs to properly observe the processing time and apply for the exit clearance ahead of their flight schedule or actual date of departure to avoid inconvenience.

POEA officials admitted that many returning OFWs were displeased by the long lines when applying for exit clearance while vacationing in the country. 

An average of 3,000 returning OFWs come to POEA daily to secure the exit clearance. The figure even doubles during the Christmas holidays when a huge number of OFWs opt to go on vacation.

OFWs are required to secure overseas employment certificate and travel exit clearance from the POEA before departure.

Although the line would now be shorter, some OFWs are already complaining that they would have to wait longer to be able to secure the mandatory exit clearance.

Unlike before when the clearance would be issued on the day of the submission of the application, OFWs would now have to return the following day to get the document.

Since they would have to go back, OFWs said it also meant additional expenses for them.