Philippine nationals departing the Philippines are covered by departure formalities pursuant to Department of Justice (DOJ) Memorandum Circular No. 036 of 15 June 2015 or the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) Revised Guidelines on Departure Formalities for International-Bound Passengers. Please visit https://immigration.gov.ph/images/ImmigrationLaw/2017_Feb/18_2015Jun15_IACAT_RevisedGuidelines.pdf

The abovementioned guidelines provide the parameters on the strict enforcement of immigration departure formalities intended for the prevention of trafficking in persons, illegal recruitment, and other related offenses.

Even departing Filipinos who have been issued appropriate New Zealand visas, when deemed necessary, may need to go through the secondary inspection of the Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU) of the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

BI is the primary enforcement arm of the Philippine Government on the applicable entry and exit regulations on Filipinos. It also has sole and sovereign prerogative on the entry, stay, and exit of all foreign citizens into the Philippines. The final evaluation and decision on who may enter (especially foreign nationals) and leave (all nationals) rests with BI. Thus, compliance to their requirements is strongly advised.

BI may require the presentation of an original Affidavit of Support (AOS) from the sponsor in New Zealand, which would be presented at the port of exit in the Philippines, a template of which may be downloaded via this link: https://dms.philembassy.org.nz/website/download-forms/affidavit-spa-authentication-notarials/212-affidavit-of-support/file

The AOS must be submitted to the Philippine Embassy in Wellington or Honorary Consulates in Auckland or Christchurch and must be signed in person in front of the administering officers of the Embassy / Consulates as requirement for notarization / acknowledgement. The name in the AOS must match the name indicated in the valid ID with photo, whose copy should also be submitted. Appointment slots may be availed through https://www.philembassy.org.nz/.

For further information on the other requirements which may be requested by the immigration authorities at the port of exit in the Philippines, it is also advisable to reach out to the BI through its Facebook Messenger which could be accessed here: https://www.facebook.com/officialbureauofimmigration. The BI normally replies within the same day.