DOJ: No need to show printed plane tickets in airports

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has lifted its rule that requires passengers in airports to present their printed plane tickets when leaving the country, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced yesterday.

The DOJ said in a statement that passengers may now leave the country by simply presenting electronic copies of their tickets in smart phones or tablets instead of hard copies of tickets to BI counters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals and all other international airports in the country.

The new policy is by virtue of Operations Order No. SBM-2013-003 entitled “Removing the Requirement of Presentation of the Printed Hard Copy of Return and/or Onward Passage Ticket,” which was approved last Aug. 12.

The DOJ said the new policy is effective immediately.

“This is another step to improve access to basic government services. We shall continue to work with all stakeholders to inject common sense and process logic into our systems,” Justice Secretary Leila de Lima explained.