Short answer: The Philippine travel tax is PHP 1,620 in economy and PHP 2,700 in first class, collected by TIEZA on departure from the country. Standard reduced rates are half that - PHP 810 and PHP 1,350. A privileged reduced rate of PHP 300 economy and PHP 400 first class applies to unmarried children under 21 of overseas Filipino workers.
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Search on Trip.comFor anyone flying out of the Philippines on an international ticket, including foreign visitors who may or may not be liable depending on length of stay. Rates last checked 30 July 2026 against the TIEZA travel tax page. Most carriers include the tax in the fare, so check your fare breakdown before paying it twice.
| Band | Economy | First class | Who it applies to | Checked |
|---|
| Full travel tax | PHP 1,620 | PHP 2,700 | Standard liable passengers | 30 Jul 2026 |
| Standard reduced | PHP 810 | PHP 1,350 | Qualified dependants and categories | 30 Jul 2026 |
| Privileged reduced | PHP 300 | PHP 400 | Unmarried children under 21 of OFWs | 30 Jul 2026 |
| Exempt | Nil | Nil | Departing OFWs, government scholars, infants | 30 Jul 2026 |
The travel tax is separate from your ticket, and often already inside it
The travel tax is a Philippine government levy on departure, administered by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, and the revenue funds tourism infrastructure rather than the airport. It is legally distinct from the airline fare and from airport passenger service charges.
In practice most airlines selling international departures from the Philippines collect it inside the ticket price. That is convenient and it creates the single most common confusion at the airport: passengers queue at the TIEZA counter to pay a tax their fare already included.
Check the tax breakdown on your e-ticket before joining any queue. If a line item corresponds to the travel tax, you have paid it. If your itinerary was issued abroad on a fare that excluded it, you pay at the counter before check-in.
Full, reduced and privileged rates side by side
The headline figures are PHP 1,620 for economy and PHP 2,700 for first class. Those are the full rates and they apply to most liable passengers.
Beneath them sits the standard reduced rate at exactly half - PHP 810 economy, PHP 1,350 first class - available to defined categories rather than on request. And beneath that is the privileged reduced rate, PHP 300 economy and PHP 400 first class, for unmarried children under 21 years old of overseas Filipino workers.
The bands are documentary, not negotiable. Each requires specific proof, applied for through TIEZA, and the reduction is granted on the paperwork rather than at the discretion of the person behind the counter.
Who is exempt and how to prove it
Exemption is a separate category from reduction. Departing overseas Filipino workers, students on government scholarships and infants are among those exempt from the tax entirely.
For foreign visitors the position turns on how long you stayed. Short-stay foreign tourists are generally not liable, which is why most holidaymakers never think about this tax at all. Foreign nationals who have stayed beyond the threshold period move into liability, and that is where visitors on extended stays get caught.
Whichever category applies, the proof travels with you. A Bureau of Immigration stamp showing your arrival date is the document that establishes length of stay, and an exemption claim without it is an argument rather than a claim.
Claiming a refund when the airline collected it anyway
Because airlines bundle the tax by default, exempt and reduced-rate passengers frequently pay the full amount inside a fare they bought online. The tax is refundable, and the refund is claimed rather than issued automatically.
Claims go through TIEZA, and the requirements are what you would expect: the ticket showing the tax was collected, proof of the exemption or reduced-rate entitlement, and identification. There is a claim window, so this is not something to attend to a year later.
The amounts justify the effort for a family. A household of four flying economy that was entitled to the privileged reduced rate has a difference of over PHP 5,000 sitting in a refundable line item.
What you actually pay at the airport in 2026
Assume nothing is due until you have read your fare breakdown. If the tax is not included, budget PHP 1,620 per economy passenger and pay at the TIEZA counter before check-in - it is inside the terminal, before security, and it takes cards at major airports though cash remains the safe assumption.
Do not confuse it with the airport terminal fee. Most Philippine international terminal fees are now integrated into airline tickets as well, but they are a separate charge to a separate body, and having paid one tells you nothing about the other.
Allow the time. The travel tax counter is a pre-check-in step, and discovering you need it while already in the check-in queue means going backwards through a busy terminal.
What most guides get wrong about the Philippine travel tax
The most common error is calling it a departure tax or an airport tax, which merges three different charges - the TIEZA travel tax, the airport terminal fee and airline surcharges - into one number that matches none of them. They go to different bodies under different rules, and only one of them is refundable on an exemption.
The second is not mentioning that it is usually already inside the fare. Guides tell travellers to bring PHP 1,620 in cash for the counter, which for most passengers on tickets issued in the Philippines means paying twice and then needing a refund.
The third is silence on refunds altogether. Exempt and reduced-rate passengers who paid inside an airline fare can claim the money back through TIEZA, and almost no travel guide says so - which is why a great deal of refundable travel tax is simply never claimed.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Philippine travel tax?
PHP 1,620 in economy and PHP 2,700 in first class. The standard reduced rate is half those figures, at PHP 810 and PHP 1,350 respectively.
Do foreign tourists pay the travel tax?
Short-stay foreign tourists generally are not liable, which is why most holidaymakers never encounter it. Liability can arise for foreign nationals who stay beyond the threshold period.
Is the travel tax included in my airline ticket?
Usually yes for tickets issued in the Philippines. Check the tax breakdown on your e-ticket before queuing at the TIEZA counter, or you will pay PHP 1,620 twice.
Can I get the travel tax refunded?
Yes, if you were exempt or entitled to a reduced rate and the airline collected the full amount. Claims go through TIEZA with the ticket, proof of entitlement and identification, within a claim window.
What is the privileged reduced rate?
PHP 300 economy and PHP 400 first class, for unmarried children under 21 years old of overseas Filipino workers. It requires documentary proof applied for through TIEZA.
Is the travel tax the same as the terminal fee?
No. The travel tax goes to TIEZA and funds tourism infrastructure; the airport terminal fee is a separate charge to the airport authority. Paying one says nothing about the other.
