Philippine Asian News Today Vol 18 No 20 | Page 16

A16

PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY October 16 - 31, 2016

The Notary
Corner
By Editha Corrales Nelson
Immigration Consultant, Notary
Public, Mediation / Arbitrator

When it is time for
your children to come and
be with you in Canada
Many of my clients
who have children in the
Philippines do not realize that
they must abide by a number
of requirements in order for
their children to travel outside
of the Philippines.
The
Department of Social Welfare
and Development (DSWD)
is mandated to protect
minors against trafficking,
abuse, exploitation and
other conditions prejudicial
to their physical, mental,
emotional, social and moral
development. Hence, one
of the measures instituted
to prevent child trafficking
is the issuance of a travel
clearance for minors.
The
Department
of Social Welfare and
Development advises the
following:
A Travel Clearance
is a document issued by
the DSWD Field Offices
or its attached agency, the
Inter-Country
Adoption
Board (ICAB), whichever is

TRAVEL CLEARANCES / PARENTAL TRAVEL
PERMITS

applicable to a Filipino minor
who is below 18 years of
age travelling outside of the
Philippines, unaccompanied
by his/her parents or those
exercising parental authority
and legal custody of the
child. It certifies that a minor
is authorized to travel abroad
for valid reasons based on
the assessment of the social
worker.
A Parental Travel
Permit is a written permission
executed by anyone of the
biological parents or legal
guardian who will be left
behind or not in the company
of the child when he / she
leaves the country, allowing
the concerned minor to
travel abroad with the other
parent / guardian.
Who is Required to
Submit a Travel Clearance
A Filipino child/minor
(a person below 18 years
old) traveling to Canada who
is in any of the following
circumstances:
- Travelling alone;
- Travelling with a
person other than anyone

of his/her parents or those
exercising parental authority
and legal custody of the
child;
Travelling for the
purpose of adoption abroad
Minor adopted in the
Philippines and
An illegitimate child
travelling with his/her father.
Who can File for Travel
Clearance?
A minor who is 13 17 years of age;
The minor’s parent
or legal guardian;
The minor’s travelling
companion; and
A u t h o r i z e d
representative of parent /
legal guardian.
When does one Apply
for Travel Clearance?
An application for
travel clearance must be filed
at least seven (7) working
days before the scheduled
departure of the minor or
even earlier if the minor still
has to get a passport.
What

are

the

requirements for minors
travelling for the first time:
1.
Birth
Certificate
on security paper (SECPA)
of the minor – NSO
Authenticated;
2.
Certified copy of
marriage certificate of minor’s
parents, if appropriate;
3.
Notarized affidavit
of consent from parent/
guardian
authorizing
a particular person to
accompany the child in his/
her travel abroad;
4.
Certified copy of any
evidence to show capability
of the person or sponsor
shouldering
the
travel
expenses or the minor such
as:
Certificate
of
Employment
Latest Income Tax
Return
Bank
Statement,
etc.
5.
Two passport size
pictures of minor; and
6.
Photo
copy
of
passport
of
travelling
companion.
What are the requirements

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for minors traveling with one
parent/
1.
Duly
notarized
Parental Travel Permit
2.
Birth Certificate on
security paper (SECPA) of
the minor
3.
Certified
copy
of marriage contract of
parents
4.
Photo
copy
of
passport and visa of
accompanying parent
For subsequent travels,
the following are the only
documents required:
1.
Previous
Parental
Travel Permit duly stamped
by DSWD.
2.
Photo
copy
of
passport and visa of
accompanying parent.
3.
Duly
notarized
Parental Travel Permit
A
Filipino
child
travelling with both his/her
parents is not required to
secure a travel clearance.