How to pay the Philippine travel tax online or at a TIEZA counter

First, check your ticket

Airlines and their agents that issue international tickets collect the travel tax ⁵. TIEZA's payment form opens with a reminder to check first whether the tax is already in your plane ticket ². Paying twice means filing for a refund later.

You need to pay TIEZA directly if your ticket was issued or bought abroad. TIEZA's rules say the tax is not collected abroad, and airlines must not validate the booking until you show proof of travel tax payment, exemption or reduced rate ⁵.

Step by step on the TIEZA website

These steps follow TIEZA's payment form and its citizen's charter. The charter puts the whole process at up to six minutes per applicant ^2,3.

• Go to onlinettax.tieza.gov.ph. The TIEZA website at tieza.gov.ph links to it from its Online Travel Tax Services System page ^1,2.
• Enter the passenger's last, first and middle name, passport number, and ticket number or booking reference ².
• Choose the class: First Class, or Economy/Business Class/Cruise Ship. The form shows the amount ².
• Give a mobile number and email address, then pick the airline or ship, destination and departure date. Save the passenger ².
• Add more passengers if needed, up to 10 in one transaction. They can be on different flights, but all keep the first passenger's mobile number and email, and only one acknowledgement receipt is issued to that first passenger ².
• Accept the terms and choose a payment channel. The system gives a reference number for over-the-counter payment or sends you to a payment gateway ³.
• Complete the payment. The system emails the acknowledgement receipt to you ³.

Payment channels and convenience fees

The convenience fee is added on top of the tax. It goes to the private payment gateway, not TIEZA, and TIEZA cites DTI-DOF Joint Administrative Order 10-01 of 2010 as its basis ³. The fee table is in a charter marked as of June 2024, so check the amount shown at checkout ³.

Paying at a TIEZA counter instead

At a counter you show your original passport and airline ticket, then pay in cash, by card or by QR ³. Card and wallet payments at a counter carry a 1.266% convenience fee. That brings first class to ₱2,734.18 and economy to ₱1,640.51 ³.

• Airport counters open 24 hours: NAIA Terminals 1 and 3, Clark, and Mactan Cebu Terminals 1 and 2 ³
• Other airport counters with set hours include Laoag, Bacolod Silay, Bicol, Tacloban, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, Kalibo, Bohol Panglao, Davao and Zamboanga ³
• TIEZA Central Office, Pasay City: Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., no noon break ³
• Satellite offices at SM City Manila, SM City North EDSA, Robinsons Galleria and SM Makati: Monday to Friday ³
• Provincial offices in Baguio, San Fernando (La Union), Mandaue, Iloilo and Davao: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ³

Exemptions and reduced rates online

The same TIEZA system handles exemption certificates, reduced travel tax and refunds ¹. Online exemption and reduced rate applications are processed within one day of complete documents, and your flight must be at least one day after the date you apply ^6,7.

TIEZA's charter gives a stricter rule for online exemptions, saying applications must be filed at least two days before departure ³. Apply early to be safe.

Refunds and help

If you paid online and need your money back, TIEZA's terms say any chargeback claim must go through the TIEZA Travel Tax Department, which issues a refund check ². Refund claims must be made within two years from the date of payment ⁸.

For help with the online system, TIEZA lists two contacts ¹.

• MYEG, TIEZA's online service provider: (02) 8935 4036, 0968 621 1441 or 0936 148 2679, 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., Monday to Friday ¹
• TIEZA Central Office: (02) 8249 5987, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Thursday, except holidays ¹