No panel physicians, no TB screening for visitors — the medical net is narrow: SRRV applicants, listed nationalities at conversion, and yellow-fever-country arrivals.
Overview
Philippine immigration demands far less medical screening than applicants assume. There is no medical examination for tourist entry, visa-free admission, extensions or the 9(a) visa, and no panel-physician system of the kind Australia, Canada or the UK operate. The actual requirements are three narrow ones. First, SRRV applicants submit a PRA Medical Certificate — completed on the PRA's own examination form at any hospital or clinic in the Philippines or abroad, valid six months, and apostilled or Philippine-embassy-authenticated if done overseas. Second, nationals of countries listed in Annex A of Bureau of Immigration Operations Order No. SBM-14-059-A who arrived on or after June 2014 must include a Bureau of Quarantine Medical Clearance when applying for visa conversion (9g, 13a and others) — a screening administered by the DOH's Bureau of Quarantine, not private panels. Third, travellers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission must present the International Certificate of Vaccination at the border. The statutory backdrop is Section 29 of the Immigration Act, which excludes persons with 'dangerous contagious diseases'; the SIRV similarly disqualifies applicants 'afflicted with any dangerous or contagious disease'. Verified against pra.gov.ph, immigration.gov.ph, quarantine.doh.gov.ph and boi.gov.ph as of June 2026.
Who Needs What
| Situation | Medical requirement | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist entry / visa-free stay / extensions | None | — |
| Arrival from a yellow-fever-risk country | International Certificate of Vaccination (yellow fever) | Bureau of Quarantine (DOH) at the port of entry |
| SRRV application (principal + dependents) | PRA Medical Certificate on the PRA form, with results; valid 6 months; apostilled if done abroad | Philippine Retirement Authority |
| Visa conversion (9g, 13a, etc.) — nationals listed in Annex A of BI O.O. SBM-14-059-A, arrived on/after June 2014 | Bureau of Quarantine Medical Clearance (original or certified true copy) | Bureau of Quarantine / Bureau of Immigration |
| SIRV application | Declaration/evidence of not being afflicted with a dangerous or contagious disease | Board of Investments |
| All foreigners (statutory backdrop) | Exclusion ground for 'dangerous contagious disease' | CA 613 §29 — applied case-by-case, not via routine screening |
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See Paid Plans →Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a medical exam to visit or move to the Philippines?
To visit — no, nothing. There is no medical examination, health declaration or insurance requirement for tourist entry, visa-free admission under EO 408, or extensions. To move, it depends on the route: SRRV applicants (and each dependent) need the PRA Medical Certificate on the PRA's form; applicants for visa conversion who are nationals of countries listed in Annex A of BI Operations Order SBM-14-059-A need a Bureau of Quarantine Medical Clearance; everyone else — 9(g) workers, 13(a) spouses, quota immigrants from non-listed countries — faces no dedicated medical exam at all, just the statutory background rule that persons with dangerous contagious diseases are excludable.
What does the SRRV medical certificate involve and where do I get it?
It is a general fitness examination recorded on the PRA's own Medical Certificate form (downloadable from pra.gov.ph/Downloads/Forms), with the supporting results attached. Any hospital or clinic can perform it — in the Philippines or abroad. The certificate is valid for six months from issuance, applies to the principal and all dependents, and must be in English or officially translated. The trap is doing it abroad: a foreign-issued certificate must be apostilled or authenticated by the Philippine embassy in that country, adding cost and weeks. Since you must be physically in the Philippines for SRRV processing anyway, doing the exam at a Philippine hospital in week one is almost always the better path.
What is the Bureau of Quarantine Medical Clearance and does it apply to me?
It is a health screening administered by the Department of Health's Bureau of Quarantine, required by the BI at visa conversion — but only for nationals of the countries listed in Annex A of Immigration Operations Order No. SBM-14-059-A who arrived in the Philippines on or after June 2014. The BI's own 9(g) conversion checklist asks for the original or a certified true copy. If your nationality is not on the Annex A list, the requirement simply does not apply and no officer will ask for it. If it does apply, schedule the BOQ screening before assembling your conversion folder, since the checklist must be complete at filing to avoid summary dismissal.
Do I need a yellow fever vaccination for the Philippines?
Only if you are arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission — broadly, parts of Africa and South America — in which case the Bureau of Quarantine requires the International Certificate of Vaccination at the port of entry. Travellers from Europe, North America, Australia and East/Southeast Asia are unaffected. The Philippines itself has no yellow fever, which is also why the BOQ provides yellow fever vaccination (in Manila) mainly for outbound travellers heading to risk countries. If your route to Manila transits a risk country, check the BOQ's current guidance on quarantine.doh.gov.ph — transit rules depend on time spent airside.
Is there TB screening or a chest X-ray requirement like Australia or the UK?
No. The Philippines operates no panel-physician system and no routine tuberculosis screening for incoming visitors, workers or residents — a notable asymmetry, since Filipinos heading the other way to Australia, the UK or Canada face exactly such screening. The PRA medical form is a general fitness certificate rather than a TB protocol, and the Bureau of Quarantine clearance applies only to listed nationalities at conversion. The statutory exclusion ground for 'dangerous contagious diseases' in Section 29 of the Immigration Act exists but is applied case-by-case rather than through universal testing. Do not pay third-party 'medical package' providers for screenings the system never asks for.
Do I need health insurance for a Philippine visa?
No visa category requires proof of health insurance — not the 9(a), 9(g), 13(a), SRRV or SIRV. But treat insurance as mandatory in practice: there is no automatic public healthcare entitlement on arrival, PhilHealth membership for foreign nationals is possible but modest in coverage, and the private hospitals expatriates rely on (St. Luke's, Makati Medical Center, Asian Hospital and their regional peers) require proof of ability to pay at admission. International health insurance arranged before departure, or a local private plan once resident, fills the gap. Retirees should note insurers' age limits and pre-existing-condition rules — another reason the SRRV's lack of a strict health bar does not make health planning optional.