You Now Need to Pay Travel Tax Before Completing Your eTravel Form

If you are flying abroad soon, take note of this extra step. You now need to settle your travel tax before you can complete your eTravel form and generate your QR code.

This update kicked in late August and it changes how Filipinos prepare for international trips. It is meant to reduce airport delays, but it also means one more thing to tick off your checklist before leaving home.

Also read: No More Travel Tax? New Senate Bills Push to Scrap ₱1,620 Fee for Economy Passengers

Travel tax payment is now mandatory in the eTravel system

^{Image credit: Manila International Airport Authority}

Paying the Philippine travel tax is nothing new. It costs ₱1,620 per adult and has always been required before departure. Children, infants, senior citizens, and certain diplomats may be exempt, so check if this applies to you. The problem is that many travellers forget to pay until they are already at the airport, holding up check-in lines or scrambling for payment counters.

That is exactly what this new system is trying to fix.

The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, or TIEZA, has fully integrated travel tax payment into the eGovPH Super App and the eTravel system. Because of this, travel tax payment is now required before you can complete your eTravel form. There is also a travel tax declaration step inside the system, and without a confirmed payment, you will not be able to generate your eTravel QR code.

This also clarifies who needs to pay: travel tax is required for all international departures, except those eligible for exemptions mentioned above.

Why Filipino travellers must pay travel tax before flying abroad

^{Image credit: Manila International Airport Authority}

This setup leaves less room for last-minute mistakes. The payment reminder is now built into a process every outbound traveller already has to complete.

It also means fewer reasons to line up at airport payment counters. Payments can now be done digitally, before you even leave for the airport, using the same app where many government services are housed.

The integration is a joint effort by TIEZA, the Department of Tourism, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology. It was announced in July and rolled out on the app and web browsers in late August.

Also read: Where Does Your P1,620 Actually Go? The Real Breakdown of the Philippine Travel Tax

How to pay your travel tax using the eGovPH Super App

^{Image credit: Screengrab from eGovPH Mobile App}

For travellers used to mobile payments, the process is straightforward. Still, if this is your first time using the app, here is how it works.

• Download and open the eGovPH Super App from Google Play or the App Store

• Register using a valid government ID, or log in if you already have an account

• Go to NGAs, then select TIEZA Services

• Tap TIEZA Travel Tax

• Fill out the passenger and trip details

• It helps to have your flight ticket or itinerary ready

• The details must match what you will later enter in your eTravel form

• Pay and save your digital receipt

• Payment options include GCash, Maya, and credit or debit cards

• Once this is done, your travel tax status will be validated when you complete your eTravel form.

• Paying travel tax when completing eTravel on a web browser

You can still complete your eTravel form through a web browser. The travel tax declaration step will still appear, but payment will not happen on the same page.

Instead, you will be redirected to the TIEZA website in a separate window to complete the payment. It adds an extra step, but the requirement is the same. Without a confirmed payment, you will not be able to generate your eTravel QR code.

What Filipino travellers should remember before their next international flight

This change is meant to make departures smoother, but it only works if travellers know about it early. If you are heading abroad, it helps to pay your travel tax a few days before your flight, use the eGovPH app if you want everything done in one place, and double-check that your payment details match the information you enter in your eTravel form.

For Filipinos juggling work, errands, and pre-trip prep, settling this early can save time, stress, and unnecessary airport delays. Before you pack your bags, make sure your travel tax is already taken care of.

^{Featured image credit: @keijejercito | X}