I would like to share my experience of how obtained DOST-SEI travel clearance the easy way. You don’t need to go the SEI office again and again. You only need to be there once and once only if you’re planning to get a temporary clearance or a travel clearance abroad.
I already posted it in the DOST-SEI forums and you can read it here. I submitted to letters to DOST-SEI. One was my request letter for travel clearance and another one is a letter from my guarantor.
After doing the necessary steps above, here’s the exact address of where to pick up your clearance (After 2 to 3 days):
Science Education Institute
Department of Science and Technology
Room 207, 3rd Floor
PTRI Bldg., Bicutan, Taguig
Metro Manila, Philippines
You need to call their office first to verify if your travel clearance is ready for pick up. Here are their telephone numbers (Updated October 2009): 02-839-0083; 02-837-2071 local 2382. You can take a taxi or ride the PNR train if you want to go there easily. You can also take a bus ride to SM Bicutan if you don’t want to take a cab. Yay! That’s it! I hope this post helps.
UPDATE 01/12/2011: If you’re planning to go abroad and if you already have a passport, you don’t need to waste your time getting a travel clearance each and every time you want to get out of the Philippines. Just proceed to the airport on the day of your flight without showing any clearance from DOST. DOST-SEI scholar graduates have no derogatory records in the Immigration and the Department of Foreign Affairs. So there’s no need to be afraid, ok? ^_^
But if you don’t have a passport yet, you better get one. DOST-SEI scholar graduates are only on the watchlist of NBI’s database. Just don’t include your NBI clearance as part of the requirements for passport. You can submit any valid government-issued ID (SSS, PRC, GSIS, etc.), TOR, and NSO Birth Certificate. That’s it!
The only problem is that if you don’t have a valid government-issued ID, you’ll be forced to submit an NBI clearance, which requires a travel clearance from DOST-SEI.
But then again, if you already have a passport, you don’t need to obtain a DOST-SEI travel clearance. SEI will never tell you about this loophole because they want you to get a travel clearance each and everytime you’re going abroad. So please, don’t tell SEI about this blog post. Hehe.
UPDATE 04/27/2017: This post is already almost 10 years old! Posted last 2007 and updated last 2011. Just recently, I’ve been receiving a lot of e-mails regarding DOST-SEI scholars’ status in traveling abroad without a clearance. I just went to South Korea last month, and the immigration officer didn’t ask for any travel clearance from DOST-SEI. I hope this blog update will help relieve someone before going to the airport. No need to worry. But if you’re still worried that you might not be allowed to board your flight, you can visit the Immigration Office near the Manila Post office, to check if you have derogatory records. At least, you’re relieved from the horror of… you know. 😀
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panoh kung ku2ha nah ng Final Clearance, okey lang bah wlang physical appearance...? I mean halimbawa mag pass lang akoh ng letter and certifications d2 sah provincial office nilah, okey nah kaya yun xa...?
ok na yun! :)
thanks, good information
Thanks for the help Jehz :D I'll repost this one haha
welcome! hehehe
Nakalabas na ako ng bansa for a company-sponsored trip pero wala nga akong derogatory records sa Immigration. Now I'm planning to go out ulit pero as a tourist na. Pero kailangan ko ng visa, which requires an NBI clearance.
Ang question ko lang eh iba ba yung database nila for international and for local? Kasi may local NBI clearance naman na ako and I did not encounter any problems. Sa international kaya magkaproblema ako?
Yep, I think iba yung sa International. Kasi pag local lng, may nakasulat na "Not valid for travel abroad." Kelangan mo kumuha ng travel clearance na ipapakita sa NBI. May friend akong DOST scholar na pumunta ng Europe, kelangan ng Visa doon, tapos nasa hit list sya ng NBI, ayun nagka problema sya kasi more than 6 years bond nya sa DOST, naging associate scholar, JLAP scholar at Master's degree na scholar kasi sya ng dost. O_O
Buti nalang may fixer at nakalabas parin sya ng pinas without having a final clearance or travel clearance from SEI :mrgreen:
How can I contact that fixer? hahaha! I badly need it
hi there, in my case, even if I already forwarded a clearance to NBI, still I still have hit record everytime I renew my NBI clearance so I have no choice of waiting for their QC to lift my case and get NBI clearance... I don't know why my name haven't cleared yet in their records.
Another case, when you go out of the country, the immigration officer in NAIA advice me to present the letter from DOST (that was when I went to US for training in April 2009). He advice me to get clearance to their main office next time so no need to present the letter anymore everytime you go out of the country. I already have the clearance letter but since the immigration commissioner had been reappointed, I have to get a new one and present this on the BOI office at Intramuros and pay some amount. I am afraid if I can make it cleared 2 weeks from now since I have to travel to China.
Question: anyone who was allowed to go out of the country without any letters presented in immigration officer?
Whoa! That's weird. Anong year po you nag graduate? kasi ako wala me derogatory records sa immigration eh. I can go out anytime I want sa visa-free countries. O_O
Thanks for the info! I was so worried that I have to go all the way to Bicutan and give a bond of 160++k pesos just to have a vacation out of the country for three days when I already have my passport. I feel so relieved to know that I just have to show up at the airport on the day of my flight *whew* :)
yeah!.. there's no nid to be afraid! hehe :razz:
i don't know if i should be categorized as dost scholar..pumirma kc ako ng contract tas dko tinuloy. so after my grad'n & needed to get nbi clearance for employment, dun ko lng nalaman n blacklisted pla ako dahil s dost scholarship, so i did the same process as the scholars.
already presented letters to NBI & DFA. nakalabas n dn ako ng country last 2009 khit walang clearance from immigration (nawala lng s isip ko n kelangn ko magclearance). so i dunno if i was just lucky kc d ako hinanapan, or d ako hinananapan kc my supporting documents ako from local company that it'll be a training. pro ang tagal ko tlga s immigration officer unlike ng mga ksama ko, at dun nagsink-in sken n my ntitira png letter from dost para s immigration.
i'll be having a trip again mid this yr pero as tourist na...& having 2nd thought if i need to process clearance from immigration..pero ayoko isugal un trip n yun, ayoko maiwan.
Para sure u, daan ka nalang immigration, then pa check mo doon if may derogatory records pa u. :)
Hi Jez
I'm a DOST scholar pero hindi ko pa natapos ang clearance ko. Pero I already have my passport and was planning for a quick vacation in singapore. Pero, I tried to check our names on BoI's watchlist. Andun pa rin pangalan namin. Does this mean na haharangan kami sa airport?
Is this different from "derogatory" records?
Ay.. yan yung derogatory.. :(
I'm afraid you ahve to get a temporary clearance para di u harangin sa airport. Mahirap na. :(
Lahat kasi ng kakilala ko, pati ako, no derogatory kaming lahat. Kaya pwede kami lumabas anytime sa pinas :roll:
Hi Mr., how come you and bunch of your fellow don't have derogatory records? Do you have any idea? Does it depend on your batch? :sad:
Vin, How did you check the BoI watchlist? Did you go to their office? I have a flight to SG in two weeks and haven't any clearance yet.. I'm wondering if I still need to get one as well. Batch 2006 ako pumasok ng college.. :/ Thanks
Hey! Good thing I read your post.
I went out to Singapore when I was still studying for an exchange program. I already had everything processed though (with all the hassles I went through esp. with the Bureau of Immigration).
During the day of my travel, I initially thought not to present my NBI Clearance to confirm whether or not they had me in their derogatory list. But, the officer asked me for the clearance, and I knew then that I was on the list.
I've already graduated, and am planning to go out of the country again for more than once this year (esp. Cebu Pac has been offering lots of promos lately). So, there really is not fix date yet, and does this mean I have to undergo the whole process (DOST - Bureau of Immigration - etc ) again and again for every travel?
Thanks a lot!
Yep, you have to undergo the whole process again. :(
Pero kung walang derogatory record sa BOI, ok na dapat eh. :cry:
I am currently out of the country for training here in china. Luckily no derogatory record sa immigration. first time lang nung pumunta akong US na kelangan yung temporary letter na iprepresent sa immigration kasi nagreflect sa database nila. then after 5 years i finally have had my clearance forwarded to immigration office in intramuros. i didn't pay anything...
anyway, bottomline. kelangan magsecure specially now, mahigpit ang immigration officers sa tin... mas ok na yung ready ang lahat para walang abala. mas mahirap yung mahold sa immigration.