How to Pay Your Travel Tax Online?

A critical step a traveler must take before flying out for an international trip is to pay a travel tax, apart from other airport fees in the Philippines. It is an additional payment every time you travel overseas, regardless of what country you are heading to. 

Based on Presidential Decree 1183, a travel tax is imposed to provide adequate funds for government programs, especially in the Travel and Tourism sector. All travel taxes collected will be divided into three (3) agencies. According to Republic Act 9593, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) will get 50 percent, Commission on Higher Education’s tourism-relation programs will get 40 percent, and 10 percent goes to the National Commission for Culture and Arts.

Travelers required to pay travel taxes are all Filipino citizens, taxable foreign passport holders, and non-immigrant foreign passport holders who stayed in the Philippines for a year or more. However, travel taxes are exempted for Overseas Filipino Workers, balikbayan visitors who stay in the Philippines for less than a year, and Filipinos who are permanent residents abroad. 

Other individuals who are also exempted from travel tax payments are:

• Students on scholarships

• Members of an international carrier crew

• US Military personnel

• UN employees

• Philippine government employees traveling for official business

• Philippine foreign service personnel

• Foreign diplomatic representatives in the Philippines

• Personnel of multinational companies  

If you belong to the abovementioned categories, you must pay P200.00 for the processing fee. You will be given a certificate of tax exemption which you will present to the airport authorities.

How Much Can I Pay for Philippine Travel Tax?

Your travel tax rates depend on the ticket you have. If you’re flying first-class, a full travel tax you’ll need to pay is P2,700.00, while economy or business class will need to pay P1,620.00.  

On the other hand, travel tax has two (2) other categories - standard reduced travel tax and privilege reduced travel tax. For first-class tickets, you will pay P1,350.00 for the standard reduced travel tax category or P400.00 for the privilege reduced travel tax category. For economy and business class tickets, you will pay P810.00 for the standard reduced travel tax category or P300.00 for the privilege reduced travel tax category.   

3 Steps to Pay Your Travel Tax Online

You can usually pay your travel tax in advance in several malls, such as SM City-Manila, SM North EDSA, SM Mall of Asia, and Robinsons Galleria. You can also pay on the day of your flight through the airport counters. Most of all, you can now pay your travel tax online. Here’s how.

Go to the TIEZA Online Travel Tax Payment System website.

Visit the official TIEZA website payment portal. Create a one-time account to register if you’re a first-time user by clicking the type of travel button - First Class or Economy/Business Class. Be sure to enter a verified email address and your passport number. You must also include details of your ticket number or booking reference number, contact number, departure date, and country of destination.

Select your payment method.

Once submitted, click the MYEG icon on the navigation menu. Fill up the payment details form and choose your preferred payment method. You can pay via MYEG partners, such as GCash, Maya, ShopeePay, GrabPay, online bank transfers, or credit and debit cards. You can also pay your travel tax through MYEG's official website.

Moreover, you can pay via over-the-counter bayad center branches nationwide or any bayad center mobile app.

Check your email for confirmation and acknowledgment receipt.

You will receive a confirmation or acknowledgment receipt in your email once the travel tax is successfully paid. Download the digital copy and print at least two (2) copies to present at the check-in counter at the airport. 

Can I Get a Travel Tax Refund?

If circumstances arise, you can also get a travel tax refund. Here are the following reasons accepted for a refund:

• Your flight was canceled.

• You downgraded your airline ticket from first class to economy class.

• You were offloaded from your flight.

• You paid twice.

• You were exempted, but you paid travel tax.

• You have an unused ticket.

To get a travel tax refund, you need to present documents based on the reasons for the refund. You must present your original passport with two (2) photocopies, an airline ticket showing travel tax collection, payment receipt, certificate of travel tax exemption, TIEZA Refund Application Form 353, and other documents supporting your claims. You can contact the TIEZA Office from Monday to Saturday or get in touch online via their website.

Tips to Save Money from Travel Tax

Paying for travel tax may be an added expense for you. But did you know you can still save money from it? Check out these tips.

Purchase the cheapest type of travel.

While it can be convenient to travel on a first-class ticket, you will also pay a huge amount of travel tax. So, it would be ideal to purchase an economy or business-class ticket if your flight can only take a few hours or you’re traveling alone.

Check the categories for individuals exempted from travel tax.

It’s natural to get excited when you finally have the opportunity to travel. However, too much excitement can also lead you to impulsive spending. Before paying your travel tax, check their categories to see if you qualify for tax exemption. If you have already paid your travel tax, request a refund.

Pay online.

One of the advantages of paying online is that you can actually save money from it. Besides real-time payment transactions, service fees are also cheap when compared to over-the-counter payments. Note that you will have to pay for transportation when going to OTC branches. 

Treating yourself by traveling abroad is a good way to recharge and enjoy your hard-earned money. But, you must also include an income-generating investment, such as buying a house and lot in the Philippines. Or, you can get yourself a luxury condo unit or an affordable house and lot property.

In terms of affordable housing, you can always count on Lumina Homes. We have available housing properties anywhere in the Philippines. Most of them are located near the city centers and complete with amenities. So, the next time you travel, think of saving money from travel tax and getting the best travel deals to achieve a planned investment.

To know where our affordable house and lot for sale properties are, visit the nearest Lumina office or check our property listings page.