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9 Tips to Avoid Offloading at NAIA

Offloading is an occurrence at Philippine airports that cause fear and anger among Filipino travelers going abroad.
Offloading is the process of barring a traveler tourist, overseas Filipino worker or a person with hold departure
order from leaving the Philippines. The cause of offloading may vary from insufficient documentation to security
risk at intended destination. Considering the amount of effort, time and money involved up to that face-to-face
encounter with the immigration officer, it is not a surprise how frustrating an offloading incident can be to every
traveler, noting that reports of corruption in the ranks of Bureau of Immigration and other inefficiencies at Philippine
airports are well-documented.
For every traveler fearful of getting the boot, the question remains: how to avoid getting offloaded at the airport?
1. Provide sufficient documentation.
This means you have every single supporting papers ready. Your passport is at least 6 months before expiration. You
have a valid visa to your intended destination, if needed.
If you are traveling as tourists, provide proof that you are financially capable of supporting the trip such as
hotel booking, financial statements, employment contract stating your salary or credit cards. You also need a
return ticket back to the Philippines, indicating the date not exceeding your allowed period of stay in your
intended destination. Define your itinerary clearly.
For OFWs, you have your work contract handy or proof of attending required seminars such as PDOS or more
proof as overseas worker (OEC, work visa, OWWA membership). Not that these documents are asked all the
time, but having them ready bolsters the legitimacy of your travel and, hence, your pit stop at the immigration
should be a breeze.
For travelers who depend on another group or individual sponsoring the trip, provide affidavit of support and
guarantee (example, for family members in Dubaior Hong Kong), including invitation letters authenticated by
the Philippine consulate or embassy in your destination country.

2. Provide consistent answers to Bureau of Immigration officers

Our guess is that more travelers are more likely offloaded with inconsistent statements than lack of proper
documentation (e.g., travelers may be asked of these documents before reaching the immigration counter and failure
to show them meant no further entry). Answer in a straightforward manner and provide only information that is
being asked. For instance, if tourist visa stamped on passport, yet the traveler talks about finding a job to help the
family as reason of travel. Or if you are going Dubai or Abu Dhabi with tourist visa without sufficient answer to
questions like why do you have to go this far as first-time tourist when Hong Kong and Singapore are just nearby and
offer visa-free access? or what attractions are you planning to visit? If your destination is a place far from the
Philippines and well-chronicled as transit point for drug couriers, be prepared to show enough evidence your travel is
legitimate. Otherwise, youll be shown the exit door instead of the way to your departure gate. The keyword is
confidence. If your travel is valid, then you should have no problem answering every question.
3. Dress appropriately.
Dress code may largely be under the discretion of the traveler, but it could also show hints of how valid is your
intended travel. Going to a country during winter season, you are expected to bring jacket or wear a sweater. When
traveling to a place with strict dress code like many countries in the Middle East, females are expected to dress
appropriately. When youre a tourist, dress and act like a tourist; a camera in tow or traveling with accompanying
family members may help support your cause.
4. If possible travel with companions, especially for females.
We do not mean youll automatically get offloaded if youre a solo female traveler. But chances are, one slight
mistake could easily trigger a disapproval stamp from the officer. With due respect to solo female travelers
(backpacker travelers, returning to work abroad, etc), them being on their own could initially raise a red flag: concerns
on security and safety comes to mind. Once this traveler is consistent with items 1 3 above, theres no reason to
fear. However, any small inconsistency could prove fatal. For example, showing too much skin may bring an
impression of a sex worker, which immigration officers are often ordered to keep a close eye on, citing possible
human trafficking scheme in play. We need to be aware that profiling is a standard among immigration counters
worldwide.

5. Be firm with the purpose of trip and be confident during interviews.

We cannot overstate this advice. Confidence brings assurance that traveler knows about the destination and follows
all legal means to travel. This is not possible if one is involved in illegal activity like becoming a drug courier, a would
be victim of human trafficking or one wholl end up as undocumented Filipino worker. Immigration officers may ask
few questions, and if these questions do not prove whether your travel is valid or not, he or she may look at your
gestures and confidence in answering questions. Appearing nervous in front of an officer is a no-no.
6. Have your financial details ready.
Filipinos working abroad may face less scrutiny when it comes to money since their travel is for work and not for
leisure. But tourist travelers may be asked for financial proof to verify their travel is justified. However, we think this
is not enough for travelers who are currently unemployed as they may need additional support such as bringing letter
from family members abroad indicating they will shoulder their expenses abroad. Presenting the right document is
vital. Showing your bank statement and credit cards is much better than showing wads of paper bills. Those
ostentatiously showing cash may either be subject to prevailing laws against money laundering. It may also insult an
officer (at least the law-abiding one) or tempt him/her into extortion.
7. Know your sponsor, if you have one, very well.
For those traveling with invitations from abroad (a university offering scholarship, a boyfriend/girlfriend, business
partner, friend or close family member) needs to know clear details about their contacts. Failure to answer clearly on
where do they live, whats their job, how long will you stay there, why are you going there could mean offloading.
Affidavit of support or letter of invitation will be helpful to support the answers.
8. Secure clearance for government workers.
Government workers (public school teachers, barangay councilors, etc) may be required to show clearance from their
supervisors authorizing them to travel. Declaring yourself as a government employee but failing to show travel
clearance could jeopardize your travel plans. For employees of private companies, showing your contract or any proof
that you are currently working in the Philippines helps establish your strong links to the country and indicate that you
are returning back for work after your overseas trip.
9. Be aware of your travel history
When travelers have been visiting a country too frequently, it raises the curiosity among immigration officers. Note
that computer systems allow them to trace your previous trips so be prepared to answer questions related to this.
You may be working there and often going out for business trips. If you have past history of being offloaded, learn
why you got denied and address that concern this time. Officers may refuse your exit if you fail to explain your travel
purpose properly.
The duty of immigration officers is to help ensure that travelers are legitimate and not add up to future victims of
scams or list of undocumented Filipinos. They are there to help travelers are properly documented and avoid getting
barred from entering their destination countries. Why travel far if you only to find yourself denied entry upon your
arrival because you have insufficient documentation or funds? It is their role to help us stay away from trouble.
Offloading isnt necessarily meant to randomly deny someone their right to travel; it is safeguarding travelers from
staying away from trouble.

The Bureau of Immigration is tainted with bad reputation, with allegation of officers asking for money before a
traveler is granted safe passage. Administrators should exercise their roles to protect travelers from becoming
victims of rogue immigration officers. Complaints with sufficient support should be heard and investigated. Those
proven guilty should be removed from their post to protect officers who perform their jobs religiously. The Bureau of
Immigration must provide clear guidelines to passengers to avoid offloading, and not based on arbitrary and
inconsistent decisions on every case.
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Jayrald Ado Cairo, Egypt

Mga Pinoy din may kasalanan kaya naghihigpit Immigration, sasabihin mag totour yun pala may
dala ng employment visa or maghahanap ng work sa abroad. Nadadamay lang inosenteng Pinoy na
tourist talaga.
Kung gusto nyo mag work abroad, sa POEA kayo dumaan and secure an OEC para maging legal na
OFW kayo. Nakakahiya mag wowork kayo sa abroad as undocumented worker pa kaya nadadamay
mga ibang Pinoy na akala may ibang pakay pa bukod sa pagtotour.
Like Reply Mark as spam Dec 17, 2015 9:17am
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