We’ve talked about how to renew the Philippine passport of minors in a previous article. This time around, we’ll be discussing how to get a Waiver of Exclusion Ground (WEG) through the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO).
The WEG is a formal permission from the parent or legal guardian of a child below 15 years old who is traveling to the Philippines without a parent or legal guardian. An Affidavit for WEG is executed, authorizing another adult to accompany the child. If the WEG is not secured, the child may not be allowed to enter the Philippines.
Guide to Getting Waiver of Exclusion Ground (WEG) for Minors
To get a better idea about the WEG — its purpose, requirements, and the procedures involved, below is a brief overview.
What is a Waiver of Exclusion Ground?
According to the website of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI), children below 15 years old who are unaccompanied by or not coming to a parent are classified as “excludable.”
In relation to this, the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 (also known as Commonwealth Act No. 613), under Section 29(a) (12), states that in order for these children to be admitted into the Philippines, they need to get a Waiver of Exclusion Ground (WEG) from the BI, in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Once the approval of BI Commissioner is secured, the children will be allowed admission into the country.
Purpose of WEG
Basically, the WEG serves as a formal permission from at least one parent or legal guardian, allowing his/her child to travel to the Philippines accompanied by an authorized adult. In this manner, the child’s safe entry and stay in the country is ensured.
Requirements
The main requirement for getting a WEG is the Affidavit for WEG Form; you’ll need 3-4 copies of this document. While filling up the form, you’ll need to enter your passport details, along with those of your child and the accompanying adult. Hence, copies of passports’ data pages should also be prepared. In addition, you’ll need to provide your child’s flight itinerary as a supporting document.
Procedure
The process for getting a WEG involves filling out the Affidavit for WEG Form, getting it notarized and authenticated, submitting it to MECO, and claiming the affidavit… before finally presenting it to Philippine immigration officials.
Filling Out Affidavit for WEG Form
Applicants can download the Affidavit for WEG Form from the MECO website. There’s a form for one child, and another for multiple children. At least 3-4 copies must be prepared and filled out with details based on the passports and itinerary of the people involved.
Notarization and Authentication
All copies of the Affidavit for WEG are then brought to any Notary Public or District Court in Taiwan. Here, the affiant needs to sign the document in front of the Notary Public.
Afterwards, all copies of the notarized Affidavit for WEG are brought to the Taiwan Bureau of Consular Affairs, this time for authentication.
Submission to MECO
Then, the applicant brings all notarized and authenticated copies of the Affidavit for WEG to MECO, also for authentication. If the child requires a visa, the visa application may also be done at the same time as the WEG application.
Claiming Affidavit for WEG
At MECO, the process for authenticating the Affidavit for WEG takes 2 working days. For faster processing, the applicant can avail of expedited services. Once the authentication is finished, the applicant can now claim the Affidavit for WEG from MECO.
Presenting to PH Immigration
Upon arrival at the port of entry in the Philippines, the Affidavit for WEG is presented to immigration officials. At present, BI charges PHP 3,120 (per child) for processing and approving the WEG. Payments are made at the port of entry.
How to Fill Out Affidavit for WEG Form
The Affidavit for WEG Form is a one-page document to be filled out by the parent or legal guardian of the child. Visit this link to download the form.
In the first part of the form, the applicant needs to enter his/her full name, age, nationality, passport number, city of residence in Taiwan, contact number, and other details.
In the second part of the form, the applicant must provide details about the minor, including: the child’s name, nationality, passport number, and passport expiry date. The applicant also needs to state his/her relationship with the minor.
Next, in the third part of the form, the applicant must provide the minor’s date of travel, along with information about the accompanying adult: his/her name, nationality, passport number, passport expiry date, and relationship with the minor.
Finally, at the bottom of the form, the applicant needs to affix his signature, officially requesting for the issuance of the WEG. The signing of the form should be done in front of a Notary Public.
Image Credit: meco.org.tw
Notably, if the applicant is seeking an Affidavit for WEG for multiple children, he/she should download the form from this link. Its content is the same as the form for one child, except that in the second part, there are spaces where details about the minors (up to three children) must be provided by the applicant.
Additional Reminders
To ensure a smooth and hassle-free processing of the Affidavit for WEG, here are some reminders:
- All the information provided in the Affidavit of WEG must be true and correct/accurate.
- Since MECO will retain 1 copy of the document, the applicant must present at least 2 sets of documents to the MECO office.
- Processing of the Affidavit of WEG at MECO may be carried out by an authorized representative. The parent or legal guardian of the child doesn’t have to be the one to submit the documents to MECO.
Contact Information: MECO Taipei
If you have any questions or concerns about getting an Affidavit for WEG, you can contact MECO through the following details:
Address: 2F, Chang Hong New Era Building, 55 & 57 Zhouzi St., Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan
Telephone: +886 2 2658 8825
Website: https://www.meco.org.tw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MECO.official/
Google Map:
Meanwhile, MECO provides other services for Filipinos in Taiwan. Check out this guide to learn about how to avail of general notarial and authentication services at MECO office.