Manila: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is set to launch an online system that would streamline the process of application and issuance of travel clearance for minors traveling abroad (MTA).
According to Philippines News Agency, the new system is scheduled to go live on February 18 and is part of the agency's digital transformation efforts under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s socio-economic agenda. Social Welfare Officer (SWO) IV Cheryl Mainar of the DSWD's Program Management Bureau (PMB) disclosed this development during a media forum on Thursday.
Mainar mentioned that applicants will no longer need to submit the required documents physically to any agency office nationwide, as they can now apply from the comfort of their homes. "They no longer need to go to the offices. They can do it at their homes as long as they have an internet connection," she stated in Filipino.
The MTA system is expected to significantly reduce processing times. Applications with complete and verified documents can be approved within the same day, with a maximum processing time of three days. Previously, travel clearance applications required manual submission at DSWD offices, leading to delays.
A travel clearance is a document issued by the DSWD to minors or individuals below 18 years old traveling outside the Philippines who are unaccompanied by any of the parents or persons having parental responsibility or legal custody over the child. Mainar explained that any Filipino minor using a Philippine passport who is traveling alone outside the Philippines; traveling with prospective adoptive parents for intercountry adoption; and traveling with a person other than their parents, legal guardian, or person exercising parental authority/legal custody over them needs to obtain a travel clearance from DSWD.
A Filipino minor who is illegitimate and is traveling with their biological father; and a minor below 13 years old but will be accompanied by a sibling or a relative within the 4th degree of consanguinity or affinity who is over 15 years old and whose purpose for travel is to permanently join the parents abroad also needs to secure a travel clearance.
Every travel clearance can be obtained after payment of PHP300 per minor and is valid for one year. Exemptions from securing a travel clearance include minors accompanied by either or both biological parents (if legitimate); biological mother (if illegitimate); father with sole parental authority (granted by court); or a legal guardian with proper documentation.
The DSWD official advised parents and guardians to secure travel clearance for minors well ahead of the travel date to avoid any inconvenience. "To avoid inconvenience when the agency requires other documentary requisites, it is still best to secure the clearance way ahead of the scheduled travel," she noted.
Complete information on the application process and documentary requirements can be found in the DSWD Memorandum Circular 22, series of 2024.
The travel clearance system is a key initiative under Republic Act 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act) which aims to prevent child trafficking. The DSWD is also developing a tracking system to monitor minors' return to the Philippines. "This is really an anti-trafficking measure and this is in cooperation with the Bureau of Immigration," Mainar added. As an additional measure, she said the agency is in the process of incorporating a system where the DSWD could track if the minors with travel clearances have returned to the Philippines.
