Philippines: Easier Process for Downgrading PEZA Visas

PEZA Visa holders who seek to leave the Philippines, which requires ‘downgrading’ their work visa to visitor status, are no longer required to secure a NBI clearance certificate prior to applying for their Exit Clearance Certificate to exit the Philippines, which was previously required. ‘Downgrading’ refers to the in-country work visa cancellation process whereby the work visa is downgraded to a 9(a) temporary visitor visa. In order to streamline the process, the government has eliminated the need for foreign nationals undergoing this process to obtain the NBI clearance certificate, which is one step of the downgrading process. This will save two to three weeks during the process since there was a personal appearance requirement associated with the NBI clearance certificate, which required making an appointment ahead of time. With this change, affected foreign nationals can now obtain an Exit Clearance Certificate to depart from the Philippines.