The Bureau of Immigration (BI) commits to protect and respect personal data privacy pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

Personal Data Collected

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) shall collect and process personal data, whether submitted manually or electronically, which may include, but is not limited to: full name, date and place of birth, nationality, immigration status, civil status, and contact information such as residential and business addresses, telephone numbers, and electronic mail (e-mail) addresses.

It may also include photographic and biometric data such as photographs, Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) images and footage, fingerprints, handwriting samples, and specimen signatures; as well as flight details (including but not limited to airline, flight number, travel dates and times, origin and destination, and seat assignment) and passport details (including but not limited to passport number, date and place of issuance, and expiration date), among others.

The collection and processing of these data is pursuant to the BI’s mandate to enforce and administer immigration and alien registration laws, and to supervise the entry and exit of persons to and from the Philippines. These data are also essential for the pre-screening and risk assessment of passengers prior to arrival or departure, in accordance with the Bureau’s mandate under Executive Order No. 122, s. 2020 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), particularly in the implementation of the Advance Passenger Information (API) System.

Use

The BI utilizes the collected personal data solely for documentation and processing purposes within the agency to properly l address applications, requests, inquiries, and other related purposes; to forward such matters to appropriate concerned offices for action and response; and to provide clients with relevant updates and advisories in a legitimate, orderly, and timely manner.

Specifically, flight and passport details are processed in support of the Bureau’s implementation of the Advance Passenger Information (API) System pursuant to Executive Order No. 122, to enable the pre-screening and risk assessment of passengers for border security and immigration enforcement purposes.

The personal data collected and processed are not shared with any external parties unless: (i) the concerned data subject provides consent; (ii) disclosure is required by appropriate government authorities in compliance with legal inquiries or other lawful processes; (iii) such data is requested by the embassy of the concerned foreign national(s); or (iv) there exists a valid Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) with the corresponding data privacy notice(s) in place.

Protection Measures

Only authorized BI personnel have access to these personal and sensitive data, the exchange of which will be facilitated through e-mail and hard copy. The BI ensures the quality of the data being retained and the security of the archived personal data for as long as necessary, for the fulfillment of the purpose by which they were collected, after which physical and digital records are archived or disposed of, according to applicable laws, rules, and regulations.

The BI will make readily available policies and practices relating to the management of personal data.

Access and Correction

Data subjects have the right to ask for a copy of any personal and sensitive data the BI holds about them and to request for the correction of erroneous entries, subject to presentation of appropriate documents. For questions about this Notice and their related concerns, please write to: The Data Protection Officer, Bureau of Immigration, Magallanes Drive, Intramuros, Manila 1002 Philippines and/or via electronic mail (e-mail) at data.privacy@immigration.gov.ph.

The Data Privacy Notice may be amended at any time without prior notice, and such amendments will be published via BI’s website.