DFA: Electronic exit clearance service available only in PHL


The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday said the electronic exit clearance service is only available in the Philippines.


In an email to GMA News Online, DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said, "Our Embassy and Consulate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) do not offer such a service, contrary to what was stated in your article entitled 'Exit clearance now available for Pinoys in UAE' dated 05 July 2012." 

He added that the website www.citizenservices.com.ph/poea/, payments and submission of required documents for overseas exit clearances (OECs) can only be made in 2Go/Aboitiz branches in the Philippines. 
 
The news site Gulf News earlier said overseas Filipino workers (OFW) "can now skip the punishing queues to get an 'exit clearance' – better known as overseas employment certificate (OEC) – by applying for it electronically."
 
The report said long queues are "part of the daily scene at the Philippine embassy or consulate in the UAE, where up to 1,000 Filipinos apply daily for exit clearance."
 
"While the clearance costs just Dh10, its issuance is tied to other mandatory requirements such as health insurance payment, home mutual fund membership and registration fee with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration," the report added.

As of 2010, a total of 636,154 Filipinos were based in the UAE, according to the Stock Estimate of theCommission on Filipinos Overseas. - VVP, GMA News

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