CEBU CITY, Philippines – Starting November 1, the Philippine government will require travelers arriving from other countries to fill up its new eArrival Card.

This replaces the existing One Health Pass, done via app or website, which is the current health data form requirement for arriving international passengers.

Passengers can fill up the eArrival Card within 72 hours prior to their arrival in the Philippines.

According to a statement on the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) website published on Friday, October 21, the new eArrival Card is “simpler” and removes unnecessary questions from the health declaration form.

“Compared to the previous OHP system, the eArrival Card also removes unnecessary information fields, allowing the easier and faster completion of the traveler registration process. For instance, tourism-related fields were significantly cut by half, from 20 items under the OHP to now less than 10 items in the eArrival Card,” the DOT said.

The DOT said questions such as the traveler’s occupation and educational attainment were removed.

It also said those who were unable to complete the forms prior to departure or were unaware of the requirement can accomplish it upon arrival with assistance from Bureau of Quarantine staff.

The Philippines opened its borders to fully vaccinated tourists in February and foreigners last April. It stopped requiring RT-PCR and antigen tests last May 30. – Rappler.com