If you are planning a trip for a minor who is traveling alone or with someone other than their parents, here is a comprehensive guide on the DSWD requirements for a travel clearance. Who Needs a DSWD Travel Clearance?
The clearance is typically issued within 24 hours to three working days, provided all documents are in order. Important Reminders
When applying for a DSWD Travel Clearance for a minor (a Filipino citizen below 18 years of age traveling abroad), the requirements are strictly categorized based on who is accompanying the child. dswd requirements for travel clearance for minors
Consider the most debated requirement: the need for both parents to appear in person, or for the sole parent to present a court order or affidavit explaining the other parent’s absence. To a busy single mother, this feels like punishment. But look deeper. Every year, cases arise where a parent, estranged from their partner, attempts to fly a child out of the country without the other’s knowledge—a form of custodial kidnapping. The DSWD clearance, with its insistence on both signatures or a legal justification for their absence, is a speed bump against parental abduction. It forces a moment of transparency before a child disappears across a border.
Pay the processing fee. Usually, it is PHP 300 for a clearance valid for one year, or PHP 600 for a clearance valid for two years. If you are planning a trip for a
A minor who is an orphan traveling with a non-legal guardian. Basic Requirements for All Applicants
Valid ID of the parents or legal guardian with three specimen signatures. Additional Requirements for Specific Cases Important Reminders When applying for a DSWD Travel
At first glance, the requirements for a Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Travel Clearance for a minor appear as a sterile checklist: a birth certificate, a PSA-issued marriage certificate of the parents, government IDs, a travel itinerary, and a notarized affidavit of support and consent. For a parent preparing for a trip, these are logistical hurdles—photocopies to be collated, forms to be filled out, lines to be endured.
A DSWD Travel Clearance is required if the minor is: