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Before you leave the Philippines, you need to attend the PDOS through the CFO. I have previously discussed it here, in case you want to read about it. The CFO will put a sticker on your passport, much like the visa evidence of your Australian permanent residency. Philippine immigration officials may not allow you to board your plane without this sticker.

Plane Ticket

You will, of course, need a plane ticket. Normally, international flights provide you with baggage allowance from 20kg to 25kg, for an economy class ticket, depending on the airline. However, if you will book your flight through the Manila Administrative Center and Mission for the Philippines of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), for a one-way ticket to Australia, you will be given a baggage allowance of 45kg per person! Certainly, this is a good option considering that you can only bring so much with a 25kg cap. Airfare through the IOM is also cheaper, but you’d generally fly via the flag carrier, in this case Qantas.

To contact the IOM, call +63 2 8481260 to 63 local 138. Their office is at 29/F Citibank Tower, 8741 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. For more details, see the IOM website.

If you are booking your ticket yourself, only Philippine Airlines and Qantas have direct flights to Australia. If you are going to Darwin, the budget airline Jetstar, a Qantas subsidiary, operates direct flights from Manila. Otherwise, other options are Cathay Pacific (with a stop-over in Hong Kong) and the other Asian airlines (with stopover in their home countries). Note that only Philippine Airlines will include payment of the Philippine Travel Tax. Yes, all Philippine passport holders pay the travel tax every time they go out of the country. The good news is, as a migrant, you are not required to pay the travel tax of, as of writing, PHP1,620. The bad news is, you need to pay the travel tax exemption processing fee of PHP200. Worse, you have to line up at the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, formely Philippine Tourism Authority, counter at the airport. If you’ve dealt with a Philippine government agency before, you know that you have to allow plenty of time if you have to wait in a queue. At any rate, whether requesting for exemption or not, if you have not paid the travel tax, you have to queue and that would not be a very good experience– you might get left behind by your airplane. Better settle the travel tax issue before your flight date by going to any of their offices listed here.

What to Bring

Of course you know what to bring. You cannot bring everything though. Even with a 45kg allowance from the IOM, you’d find that insufficient to take all your Philippine possessions with you. Things will certainly be left behind, but there are a few which you should bring:

  1. Civil documents such as birth certificates and marriage certificate, if applicable, in both the original and copy on NSO paper.
  2. Religious documents such as baptismal and confirmation certificates, for Catholics, or their equivalent, if any, both the original and a certified copy.
  3. If you are driving in the Philippines, your driver’s license and a certification from the LTO as to when your first license was issued. No, you do not need an international driver’s license. An international driver’s license is merely an accepted translation of your Philippine license, and since it is already in English, you do not need one. In Australia, there are stringent requirements to get a full license– you’ll get an exemption if you have proof that you have been driving for years already. More on this later.
  4. Academic qualifications such as transcript of records, course descriptions, diploma and English translations of documents not written in English. If you are a licensed professional, get a certificate from the PRC or the IBP, as the case may be. You’ll need these when you apply for work, or to pursue further studies.
  5. Clearances. Although not really required, it pays to obtain clearances for hassle free travel, specially if you have criminal namesakes, i.e. your name is quite common and there is a good chance someone with the same name has committed a crime elsewhere in the Philippines. Get an NBI clearance. Have a quick check at the BID if you are in any of their lists, and if you are (or your namesake), get a clearance.
  6. Appropriate clothing. Note that roughly, winter in Australia is from June-August, spring is September-November, summer is December-February, and autumn is March-May. Sometimes, a season could start early, or could end late. Thus, it pays to be prepared, specially for winter. In most of Australia, winters are snow-free except for the occasional hail, but the cold could be biting.
  7. Cash (and credit cards, if any). It is better if you can bring funds in Australian dollar so you’ll not lose money in conversion and commissions. You can buy Australian currency from most banks, notably Allied Bank. They had the best rates, but you can check as this may have changed.

You need to bring, too, any other item that you wish to bring. Note however the Australian customs restrictions. Check out this page for arriving travelers to Australia, or the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service website. Penalties are high, so be warned. Watch the TV series on cable to get some ideas.

Prepare yourself psychologically. Be aware that you are uprooting yourself from a life you’ve been familiar with; you are leaving your comfort zone. You will battle homesickness–you are leaving behind family and friends. Expect, too, that when you get to Australia, you will be starting all over again. Some are lucky, they are able to land good jobs, senior positions or at least those within their professional competency. Some are not so lucky, or choose not to practice their usual profession in the Philippines– some take entry level positions, while some go for blue collar jobs. But watch out: one could be a mere cleaner but may earn much more than what a bank teller in downtown Sydney earns. More on that later, suffice it to say for now that you have to be prepared psychologically and emotionally.