The Philippines Bureau of Immigration recently announced that nationals of 52 countries are no longer required to obtain a medical clearance certificate from the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) as part of certain visa application processes. Effective 1 February 2024, nationals of the following countries who seek to apply for Immigrant, Non-immigrant or Special Visas are exempt from the requirement to obtain a medical clearance certificate from the BOQ: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Venezuela and Vietnam.

A Tax Alert prepared by EY's People Advisory Services group, and attached below, provides additional details.