THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has eased the approval of foreign travel requests of local government officials and employees.
Administrative Order No. 47, s. 2026, signed by President Marcos allowed the Interior and Local Government Secretary to further delegate the approval of foreign travel requests of local officials and employees.
Previously, the authority delegated by the President rested with the SILG alone.
Under DILG Circular 2026-017, the Secretary remains the approving authority for all official and unofficial foreign travel of Provincial Governors, Highly Urbanized City and Independent Component City (HUC/ICC) Mayors, and the Municipal Mayor of Pateros.
The Secretary will also approve foreign travel of provincial, city, and municipal elective officials when the trip exceeds three months or takes place during an emergency or crisis.
For official trips of three months or less and when there is no emergency or crisis, DILG Regional Directors are authorized to approve the foreign travel of provincial, city, and municipal elective officials.
Regional Directors will also act on official and unofficial foreign travel requests of appointive officials and employees of the same local governments when the trip exceeds three months or occurs during an emergency or crisis.
For barangay in component cities and municipalities, DILG Provincial Directors are authorized to approve official and unofficial foreign travel of elective and appointive officials when the trip exceeds three months or takes place during an emergency or crisis. For barangays in HUCs and ICCs, such requests will be acted upon by the DILG City Director.
The revised approval mechanism took effect on September 7, 2026.
The DILG continues to process applications through its Foreign Travel Authority Online System (FTA OS), where applicants may submit the required documents electronically.
The new mechanism decentralizes the processing of certain foreign travel requests while retaining the Secretary’s approval authority over specified local officials and travel circumstances.