Authority, legal basis, and intent
- Executive Order (EO) No. 459 (s. 2005) is invoked for the allocation of offices that may issue travel authorities, including OP approval for (a) members of the Cabinet and officials of equivalent rank, (b) heads of GOCCs and GFIs under or attached to the OP, and (c) heads of agencies under or attached to the OP.
- EO No. 298 (s. 2004) is invoked because it subjects to OP approval: (a) grant of official transportation other than restricted economy class, and (b) reimbursement of actual travel expenses in excess of the standard DSA, even when not involving OP-approved officials under EO No. 459 (s. 2005).
- EO No. 283 (s. 1987) is invoked for travel tax exemption for: (a) officials and employees of the Philippine government traveling on official business, and (b) those authorized by the President for reasons of national interest.
- The circular orders strict compliance because unauthorized foreign travels have been observed and OP requests for authority and entitlements are sometimes supported by incomplete documentation and insufficient lead time for evaluation.
Minimum criteria for allowable foreign trips
- No official travel abroad is allowed unless it satisfies all of the following minimum criteria:
- The purpose of the trip is strictly within the mandate of the requesting government official or personnel.
- The projected expenses for the trip are not excessive.
- The trip is expected to bring substantial benefit to the country.
- Each request for travel authorization and entitlements must state how the trip complies with the minimum criteria under Section 1.
Required contents and documentary submissions
- Requests for travel authority, travel entitlements, and travel tax exemptions must clearly state:
- the destination, duration of travel, purposes, justifications, and chargeability of expenses; and
- the basis showing compliance with the minimum criteria in Section 1.
- All requests must include the supporting documents required by the Annexes which form an integral part of the circular, namely:
- Annex “A” for travel authorities and travel entitlements of Heads of Departments, Heads of GOCCs and GFIs, and Heads of Agencies under or attached to the OP.
- Annex “B” for additional travel entitlements of Undersecretaries, Assistant Secretaries, Directors, officials of equivalent ranks, and other government personnel.
- Annex “C” for travel tax exemptions of private individuals, groups, or organizations.
- The request must include the category-specific annex requirements, including itinerary, administrative arrangements, expense itemization, and justifications for specified higher allowances or airfare class.
Filing deadlines and acceptance process
- Requests for foreign travel authority and supporting documents must be submitted to the Malacañang Records Office (MRO) at least ten (10) working days prior to the scheduled date of departure.
- In extremely justifiable cases, requests may be submitted not later than two (2) working days prior to departure, provided such justification is substantiated in the request.
- The MRO may direct the representative of the requesting agency or official to proceed first to the General Government Administration Office of the OP for a preliminary check to ensure completeness before MRO acceptance.
- Late submissions shall not be entertained.
Rules on travel expenses and allowances
- The DSA for accommodation, meals, and incidental expenses must be based on UNDP rates, which UNDP updates on a monthly basis.
- Unless otherwise stated in the UNDP rates, the DSA is apportioned as follows:
- 50% for accommodations,
- 30% for meals, and
- 20% for incidental expenses.
- Claims for reimbursement for actual accommodation rates in excess of the accommodation component of the DSA may be allowed, but in no case shall it exceed one hundred thirty per cent (130%) of the prescribed UNDP accommodation rate.
- A non-representation allowance must not exceed the amounts stated in the Annexes, and must not be granted to officials who will travel abroad for speaking engagements only or for training/study.
- Airfares of all government personnel must be limited to economy class, except for long-haul trips.
- Business class airfare may be authorized only for long-haul trips, defined as flights exceeding four (4) hours without counting lay-overs.
Who is barred and when leave is required
- The following individuals shall not be issued foreign travel authorities and shall not be entitled to government funding for such trips:
- Private individuals.
- Consultants of, and/or those engaged by contract of service by, government agencies, except in highly meritorious circumstances (e.g., unavailability of qualified employees in highly technical and specialized fields), and upon written justification submitted by the requesting agency.
- Spouses or children of government officials, except when diplomatic protocol or practices provide otherwise.
- No government official or employee may depart for any travel abroad—even for a purely personal/private purpose without cost to the government—unless:
- the official/employee has duly accomplished the requisite leave forms, and
- the official/employee has obtained the appropriate travel authorization from the agency.
Sanctions and administrative consequences
- Non-compliance with the circular and other applicable laws, rules, and issuances constitutes sufficient ground for the:
- outright denial or non-processing of requests for foreign travel authority,
- non-processing or denial of requests for travel expenses and allowances, and/or
- non-processing or denial of requests for travel tax exemption.
- Government personnel who travel abroad without the requisite authority are subject to administrative cases for misconduct, insubordination, or other related offenses under the Civil Service Commission Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service and/or other relevant laws, rules, and regulations.
- The filing of administrative cases is without prejudice to other liabilities and personnel actions allowed under existing laws, rules, and regulations.
Immigration enforcement and repeals
- The Bureau of Immigration is directed to strictly enforce the circular and promulgate necessary rules and regulations to accomplish its objectives.
- Memorandum Circular No. 7 (s. 2010) is modified or repealed to the extent inconsistent with this circular, along with other orders and circulars inconsistent with its provisions.
Separability and immediate effect
- If any provision of the circular is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions not affected remain valid and subsisting.
- The circular takes effect immediately.
Annex “A” documents for OP-category heads
- For travel authorities and travel entitlements of Heads of Departments, Heads of GOCCs and GFIs, and Heads of Agencies under or attached to OP, the request must include:
- invitations and/or notices of meetings;
- confirmation of dates of meetings/conferences/conventions;
- administrative arrangements;
- an itemized statement of travel expenses and allowances and their chargeability (for those covered by government funds);
- flight itineraries;
- schedule of activities;
- justifications for entitlement to hotel allowances based on actual rates exceeding the UNDP DSA accommodations component, airfares on business class, and non-commutable representation allowances; and these additional-expense entitlements must not exceed One Thousand US Dollars (US$1,000.00) for those who need them;
- a list of members of Philippine delegations whenever applicable;
- advice on the name of the official to be designated as Secretary/Head or Officer-in-Charge; and
- for trips abroad without cost to the government, the specified chargeability of travel expenses and allowances, plus letter(s) from sponsoring organizations/agencies/individuals regarding the travel expenses they will cover whenever applicable.
Annex “B” documents for additional entitlements
- For additional travel entitlements of Undersecretaries, Assistant Secretaries, Directors, officials of equivalent ranks, and other government personnel, the request must include:
- invitations and/or notices of meetings;
- confirmation of dates of meetings/conferences/conventions;
- administrative arrangements;
- an itemized statement of travel expenses and allowances and their chargeability;
- flight itineraries;
- schedule of activities;
- justifications for entitlement to hotel allowances based on actual rates exceeding the UNDP DSA accommodations component, business class airfares (for Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries and officials of equivalent ranks), and non-commutable representation allowances, with caps of:
- not exceeding Five Hundred US Dollars (US$500.00) for Undersecretaries and those of equivalent ranks, and
- not exceeding Three Hundred US Dollars (US$300.00) for Assistant Secretaries and those of equivalent ranks;
- certified true copies of Travel Authorities and/or Assignment Orders issued by their respective heads of departments/agencies; and
- a list of members of Philippine delegations whenever applicable.
Annex “C” documents for travel tax exemptions
- For travel tax exemptions of private individuals, groups, or organizations, the request must include:
- invitations to participate in competitions, performances, and similar activities; and
- endorsements by relevant government agencies concerned, with a statement on how the requested travel tax exemption will advance national interest.