Getting a DOST-SEI Travel Clearance the easy way!

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. 😀

71 thoughts on “Getting a DOST-SEI Travel Clearance the easy way!

  1. Pingback: Jehzeel Laurente (jehzlau) 's status on Tuesday, 29-Sep-09 21:27:22 UTC - Identi.ca

  2. 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…?

  3. 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:

  4. 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

  5. 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* 🙂

  6. 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.

  7. 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 🙄

      • 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? 🙁

    • 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

  8. 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!

  9. 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.

  10. Hello. I want to know, what if I got married and changed my status, do you think my name is still in the watchlist? I was granted 3-yr scholarship and ow employed for 3 years.. Thanks

  11. Paano po ba magcheck kung mayroon kang derogatory records sa Immigration? Do I have to go to their office? Or is there an online list or pwede tumawag? Thanks

  12. Hi. Is this for real? Sorry for asking. I was browsing through different sites giving info on how to get a temporary travel clearance and somehow, they are saying different things. Some say we have to get clearance from DOST and BOI and others say di na kailangan yong sa BOI. I don’t have an international NBI clearance but I have a PRC ID so DFA didn’t ask for it when I applied for a passport. I just want to make sure that I won’t be needing to secure a travel clearance anymore before going out of the country. And would it be any different if it is my first time to go abroad? I am from Mindanao pa so sayang din ang pagpunta ng Manila para mag-process ng travel clearance. Kinakabahan lang kasi ako na baka maharang ako sa airport on that day dahil wala akong travel clearance from DOST.
    I hope someone would reply to this.
    Thank you very much. ^_^

  13. Hi,
    I will be going to US this coming May for a week trip. I already have a passport. Do i need to secure travel clearance? How can i check if im on the derogatory list?
    Thanks!

  14. Sir, hindi na po ba talaga kailangan kumuha ng clearance? 🙂 I’m planning to enter into the scholarship po kasi for my master’s degree this coming school year. But I’m leaving the country for 3 weeks on August for the World Youth Day kaya worry ko talaga if I will accept the scholarship or not because of this. I already have my passport though kaya natuwa talaga ko nung nakita ko yung post niyo over the net. Puwede po ba ako umalis kahit on going yung studies ko over them? Super thanks! 🙂

  15. Hi. Medyo urgent need. The company wants to send me out for a training. Ang problema, it’s next week. Calculating the days required to process the clearance, I doubt na aabot ako sa start ng workshop. Anyway, you said na there’s no need to go to DOST and BI for travel clearance kung meron ng passport. I do have. But this is the first time I will be leaving the country so ayoko namang itake ang risk na magpakita na lang sa airport with opnly my passport and no clearance. How do I know if I’m in the derogatory records? And is there anyway to make the process move faster? THank you.

  16. Hello! Thanks for this post! hmm kaso CHED scholar naman ako. Di ko sure kung nasa watchlist ako ng BoI pero no derogatory records ako sa NBI at nakakuha ako ng clearance valid for travel abroad. You think ok na status ko? :'(

  17. WOW! 😯 Salamat ng marami Sir Jehz. Naku matagal ko na talaga tong problema eh. Kasi iniisip ko, I stopped sa pagaaral then pahirapan makakuha ng trabaho pag undergrad (saka ayoko pa tlgang magtrabaho), pano na lang kung may napalanunan akong Trip to Disneyland? hahaha. 😀

    Solusyon lang pala ung other gov’t issued IDs. Since wala pa akong gnun, magpapagawa na ako! hahaha. 😀

    Salamat talaga ng marami. Buti nabasa ko ‘to talaga. 🙂

  18. Hi, I’ll attend a convention sa Macau at my own expense. I already have my letter for DOST and also was able to get computation from my school. Kelangan ba talaga magpost ng bond amounting sa buong 5yrs na pinagaral ako ng gobyerno? I already worked for 3yrs and 2 months so I still have 1 yr and 10 months to go. Di ba nila ibabawas yun sa total?
    I will also check na rin if I have record sa BOI para sure.. Thanks for sa info..

    I hope someone can answer my question.. Thanks a lot and More power

  19. ohhh..I’ve tried to apply a passport today hoping that I can get one but sadly it was denied. I thought we are put on hold only at BOI & NBI??..anyway, I will have my final clearance this coming August..

  20. hello there! i would want to see your sample letter of request and the guarantee letter, the link that you posted here doesn’t work, so if it’s ok, may i ask for a copy?. 🙂 only if it’s ok.. you can email it at : kaycenz@gmail.com ..thank you!

  21. Hi jehzlau, thanks for your blog.. I already got my passport eventhough I am not yet cleared with the dost.. i also want to try to go outside the country kso nata2kot p q dhil bka mharang s airport at ndi matuloy.. sayang nmn kung mkpgpabuk aq ng tour n un db? pno b mwa2la ung worries ko n un? and how can i check it with the immigration? ok lng b n bsta pumunta dun and mgtanong if im in the derogatory? pagpunta ko b dun, ientertain nla aq w/o so many questions? thanks.

  22. Hi Mr. jehzlau! I think not every DOST scholar is as lucky as you (and those who were able to go out of the country without clearance). I am supposed to travel this Thursday and after reading that we don’t need clearance, I did not bother requesting from the DOST. However, after my friend urged me to do so, I called the Bureau of Immigration to ask how I will be able to know if I have a derogatory record and I was told to go there. I found out last Friday that I am in the watchlist of BOI (because of DOST) so I now have to request for a travel clearance.Maybe not every DOST scholar is in the list. Unfortunately, my name is there. 🙁

  23. Pare, parang dahil sa blog nato… gumawa na tuloy ang dost ng hakbang laban sa loophole mo…

    http://region4a.dost.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=214:requirments-of-the-bureau-of-immigration-for-issuance-of-allow-departure-order-to-dost-sei-scholars&catid=19:news-dispatch&Itemid=124

    ngayon nasa watchlist na ng BI ang mga names natin…
    at dinagdagan pa nila nga additional process…

    As part of the monitoring and tracking scheme of DOST-SEI undergraduate and graduate scholars, their names have been submitted to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), which upon prior clearance from DOST-SEI, shall issue an Allow Departure Order (ADO) to scholars who will travel out of the country.

    1. Secure clearance from DOST-SEI by submitting a request letter and the requirement/s for such request.
    2. Secure and accomplish the application for the ADO at the BI; and
    3. Submit the application, together with the DOST-SEI clearance and photocopies of his/her confirmed tickets, at the Bureau Central Receiving Station at least three (3) days prior to the intended date of departure.

    i already went out of the country twice for a company trip…
    before i only need a dost-clearance(Step-1) ngayon.. may mass mahirap na tuloy… im starting to think that it was because of this blog of yours…that they became aware of it… and made counter-measures agains your loophole…

    now, i have to go for step 2 and 3… Salamat sau… :mrgreen:

  24. Pare, parang dahil sa blog nato… gumawa na tuloy ang dost ng hakbang laban sa loophole mo…

    http://region4a.dost.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=214:requirments-of-the-bureau-of-immigration-for-issuance-of-allow-departure-order-to-dost-sei-scholars&catid=19:news-dispatch&Itemid=124

    ngayon nasa watchlist na ng BI ang mga names natin…
    at dinagdagan pa nila nga additional process…

    im starting to think that it was because of this blog of yours…that they became aware of it… and made counter-measures agains your loophole…

    • I agree. Kinailangan ko din kasi kumuha ng clearance sa DOSt para sa graduate studies starting October 2011 na more than two years ang duration. Super HAGGARD kasi may surety bond pa. At noong pumunta ako sa DOST para kunin ang travel clearance, needed na daw ang copy ng confirmed tickets sa BI so ayun mejo nadagdagan na ang mga gagawin. Kung gusto niyo ng kopya ng sample request letter, meron ako
      http://dosttravelclearanceetc.blogspot.com/. Nagrenew din ako ng passport last July 2011 at nakalagay din dun yung mga ginawa ko at hiningi kong papers from DOST

  25. Hi, I’m a Ched scholar during my BS and is planning to go to US. Do you know if CHED scholars are included in the watch list of BOI? Thanks

  26. hello po.

    totoo nga po yung bagong policy nila ngayon…kelangan daw pumunta sa BOI para malift mo yung name mo sa watchlist nila.
    I’ll be going there next week..mahaba ba ang pila dun ? matapos kaya yun ng 1 day lang?

    😳

  27. Hi! I would just like to ask if were you able to go out of the country without submitting any travel clearance from DOST? Noong 2015 lang ako naging DOST Scholar and I already have my passport even before I became a scholar. I’m that baka sa immigration ako ma-stop kasi wala akong travel clearance.

  28. Hi! I would just like to ask if were you able to go out of the country without submitting any travel clearance from DOST? Noong 2015 lang ako naging DOST Scholar and I already have my passport even before I became a scholar. I’m that baka sa immigration ako ma-stop kasi wala akong travel clearance. I will be travelling this July and I don’t have that much money for the bond na dapat iwan huhu I hope you’ll reply thanks.

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