Philippine officials issued a notice that a medical clearance is no longer required for certain nationals and visa applications.

Key Points:

• The submission of a Bureau of Quarantine medical clearance for visa applications of certain foreign nationals is now suspended.
• All nationals of registered countries listed in Annex “A” of the operation order who are applying for any of the visa applications specified in Annex “B” qualify for the suspension. The complete list can be found here.
• Nationals of these countries were previously required to submit a health clearance certificate with their visa application as part of a government rule designed to control the spread of Ebola.

BAL Analysis: The memorandum will take effect immediately and should create a faster application process for the respective nationals as well as save time and costs.