Video Credits: Caty's How to Travel the World via YouTube
As per DILG Memorandum Circular 2017-30 RE: Foreign Travel Authority Online System of Local Government Officials and Employees (February 10, 2017)
Image Credits: Geralt via Pixabay
Traveling in other countries is among the dreams of almost anyone. It might be for the purpose of working, leisure and enjoyment, studying or for any other reason. It is also among my plans to be able to travel and reach other countries and to see other places, experience their cultures, taste their foods and to be with other races. Above all, I want to personally experience other environment and weather. The Philippines has only two seasons, the dry and wet seasons and having to experience winter is something that I look forward to. Yes, I want to feel the negative temperature, wear thick coat and boots and play in the snow!
However, traveling in other countries would usually require a large sum of money, especially if we will be going there on our own. Lucky are those who have relatives where they could probably stay over a period of time.
There are some government employees and officials who are being given an opportunity to travel in other countries for free when there are invitations from sponsoring countries. Most of which are for training and educational purposes and the inviting country would shoulder all the expenses including fare and allowances.
Unlike other individuals, a government official and employee has to get an additional certification above all the travel documents that they need to prepare. This document is the Foreign Travel Authority as required by the Bureau of Immigration. For local government officials and employees, the authority must be granted by the DILG Secretary upon submission of the required documents.
°°°The Role of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)°°°
Part of the supervisory function of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) over the Local Government Units (LGUs) is the processing and issuance of Foreign Travel Authority to local government officials and employees who will be traveling abroad for any given purpose. In compliance with the requirements of the Bureau of Immigration, a local government official and employee shall secure Foreign Travel Authority from the Secretary of the DILG before they could travel outside the country.
The old practice will require the concerned local official to submit the required documents for the foreign travel to the office of the Municipal Local Government Operations Officer (MLGOO) in their respective areas or municipalities/provinces. The documents shall be forwarded to the provincial office, then to the regional office and finally, to the DILG Central Office for approval and issuance of the Foreign Travel Authority (FTA) at least a month before the travel.
°°°Foreign Travel Authority is Now Online°°°
On February of the current year (2017), the department has come up with a new system that would certainly help facilitate the processing of the Foreign Travel Authority of all government officials and employees who are traveling out of the country. This is known as the Foreign Travel Authority Online System. The purpose is to facilitate streamline procedures in the disposition of requests of local government officials and employees to travel abroad and to promote the administrative efficiency in the performance or delivery of Departmental functions and services pursuant to Department Circular No. 2016-11 dated July 21, 2016 (Source: Paragraph 2 of DILG MC No. 2017-30).
°°°Who Should Avail of the Foreign Travel Authority?°°°
All government officials and employees, including those in the Autonomous Region in Mindanao, and all other concerns are covered by the Memorandum Circular.
When I was transferred to the provincial office, I was given the tasked to provide assistance to officials and employees who would need to access the Foreign Travel Authority Online System.
Since the system is just recently introduced, so far I had assisted one client who successfully secured her Foreign Travel Authority online.
°°°The Online Processing System°°°
The application for Travel Authority, with all the required supporting documents, shall be filed thru the Foreign Travel Authority (FTA) Online System at www.blgs-pcmd.
The system is compatible in any of the following browsers:
>Internet Explorer
>Mozilla Firefox
>Google Chrome
>Safari
>Any Smart Phone
Step 1. Type www.blgs-pcmd.com in the browser
It will open on the official website of the Bureau of Local Governance (BLGS), Policy Compliance Monitoring Division.
Image Credits: BLGS-PCMD official website
Step 2. To be able to fully understand the process, we should download the User’s manual and the FTA Checklist of Administrative Requirements. These files can be found on the website and ready for downloading.
Image Credits : BLGD-PCMD
Step 3. After reading the guide and completing the needed requirements based on the checklist, click the APPLY HERE button.
Image Credits: BLGD-PCMD
Step 4. A blank form will open. Enter all the required information and upload the necessary documents in PDF form. All mandatory (with an asterisk) should be filled-up.
Image Credits: BLGD-PCMD
Reminder: Make sure to mark all boxes with the required data. Additionally, the PDF files should be submitted as one document and not as several documents.
Additional space will appear once you clicked Official Business
Image Credits: BLGD-PCMD
Step 5. After making sure that all information entered was true and correct, click the SUBMIT APPLICATION button.
Step 6. The system will automatically generate an Application Number. The applicant is advised to save said Application Number, to be when checking the status of the online application, and when generating the Approved Foreign Travel Authority, after its approval.
Image credits: Sample of the status page BLGS-PCMD
You may check the status of your online application by pressing the STATUS button. You will be prompted to enter the FTA Application number.
Image Credits: BLGS-PCMD
When everything is okay, you can request for the Foreign Travel Authority Certificate by clicking the Request Button in the FOREIGN TRAVEL AUTHORITY CERTIFICATE BUTTON. Please refer to the image below:
Image Credits: BLGS-PCMD
The FTA certificate will show in another tab and you can print the document directly as long as you are connected to a printer. Here is a sample of a Foreign Travel Authority Certificate.
Image Credits: BLGS-PCMD
The process is so simple and fast. As long as the documents are complete, the processing will be fast. The online system can really help facilitate the securing of FTA Certification.
I hope this quick guide could be able to help you in securing your Foreign Traffic Authority certificate.
Here is a related guide that you need:
Video Credits: DFA Passport Appointment Guide via YouTube
Thank you for visiting my blog. Please make it a habit to visit once in a while as I will be posting more quality articles. Have a wonderful day.
Written for Bitlanders:
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