What do we know about Polio Vaccinations for Filipino Travellers

Due to recent Polio outbreak in the Philippines, some countries are now requiring an International Certificate of Vaccination against Polio from the Bureau of Quarantine before Filipino Travellers exit the Philippines and to enter a particular Country.

As of November 28, 2019, these are the list of countries that requires Filipino Travellers to present Polio Vaccination Certificates:

• Afghanistan

• Belize

• Brunei Darussalam

• Georgia

• India

• Indonesia

• Iran

• Iraq

• Jordan

• Lebanon

• Maldives

• Morocco

• Oman

• Pakistan

• Qatar

• Saint Kitts and Nevis

• Saudi Arabia

• Seychelles

• Ukraine

Some of these countries may only require polio vaccination certification in certain conditions. For example, Indonesia only requires the certificate when travelling in the country for minimum 4 weeks. So it is advisable to recheck if you would need any if you are travelling for a short period of time.

If you are travelling to any to these countries and you need a certificate, please make sure to visit the Bureau of Quarantine at the earliest possible to get your certification. There are long queues and waiting time to finish the process.

If you have been vaccinated (if you are sure) when you're a child, if you have a proof that you had it, you will only need a polio vaccination booster. It is unclear at this point what needs to be done if you cannot present a proof that you had the complete vaccine in the past.

Vaccination Fee according to Department of Health is P300.00

Please note that this certification maybe required to be presented to Immigration when exiting the country and Immigration of the destination country.

For more information on International Certification of Vaccination, please see http://quarantine.doh.gov.ph/oral-polio-vaccination/?fbclid=IwAR3cxXlbSGcgiGiBjXYQbgbTog7tUBOXVmoQVz0GuuMt5ydcTkBFfvP26nc