Book travel clearance using smartphones, tablets, Filipinos told

Dubai: Filipino expatriates can now use their smartphones and tablet devices to book appointments to get their travel exit clearances.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration last year launched an online portal (http://bmonline.ph) to enable Filipinos to get their Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) online so they could ditch serpentine queues at the Philippine labour office in Al Ghusais.

Vacationing Filipinos need to secure an OEC to prove that they have been hired legally and intend to go back to the same employer abroad.

It is a Philippine government requirement and Filipinos working abroad that are on holiday in the Philippines won’t be able to leave the country without it.

In the past, Filipinos used to take a day off work and come as early as dawn and queue up at the labour office to be the first in line to get the Dh10 document. The portal was launched to eliminate the long queues at the labour office and enable applicants to come only at their appointed time and get the document in a short time.

Accessibility

When the online portal was launched last year, however, the portal could only be accessed through certain web browsers. But now, it can be accessed through smartphones and tablet devices.

Labour attaché Delmer Cruz clarified that the portal is not a smartphone app but it can be opened through any web browser of smartphones and tablets.

“We made this possible because we understand that there are Filipinos here who do not have laptops and but have smart devices. We want them to be able to access the service as well,” Cruz told Gulf News.

Cruz said the portal is currently limited to booking online appointments but plans are in the pipeline to make the portal fully comprehensive.

“There are long-term plans for this website but the ultimate aim is for the user to be able to pay their fees online and be able to print their own OECs from where they are so they won’t have to come here.”