BOC reminds travelers of currency declaration regulations

The Bureau of Customs (BoC) on Saturday reminded travelers of long-standing rules governing the entry and exit of Philippine and foreign currencies, warning that failure to declare excess amounts could lead to confiscation.

In an advisory, the BoC said passengers may freely carry foreign currency, including cash and similar travel funds. However, any amount exceeding $10,000 or its equivalent in other foreign currencies must be declared upon arrival or departure.

The declaration may be completed in advance through the government’s e-Travel System or at designated BoC counters in airports and seaports nationwide.

For Philippine currency, the rules are stricter.

Travelers are allowed to bring in or take out up to P50,000 without prior approval. Any amount beyond that threshold requires written authorization from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and must also be properly declared to Customs.

The BoC said requests for BSP authorization must be filed before departure from the country of origin and are granted only for specific purposes, such as numismatic collections, currency awareness activities and testing, calibration, or configuration of money-counting and sorting machines.

The rule covers Philippine banknotes, coins, checks, and other peso-denominated instruments.

The BoC stressed that Philippine currency exceeding the P50,000 limit without proper BSP authorization will be subject to confiscation.

Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said currency declaration requirements are standard safeguards.