Do I REALLY need to forward the DOST SEI Travel Clearance to the Bureau of Immigration?

Before even considering not to go to the Bureau of Immigration to endorse your dost travel clearance because you feel lazy or complacent, let me tell you a story of a friend of mine who did exactly that.

I had a friend who was a DOST SEI Scholar during her Master's Degree but before completing her years of service, she got a scholarship for PhD abroad. It was not an opportunity to be missed so she decided to repay DOST for her Master's scholarship (roughly around 100,000.00 php) But don't get disappointed because you can still study abroad without having to pay but this will be another blogpost or you can read my blogpost about surety bonds here.

Having paid the full amount, it then follows that she is entitled to acquire the coveted DOST SEI FINAL CLEARANCE. But whether or not it was a miscommunication or lack of information on her part, she did not go to the Bureau of Immigration to present her travel clearance and clear her name from the BI watch list. She was able to leave the country though and go back and forth, just by presenting her copy of her final clearance to the immigration officers. She had kept doing it for 2 years without much trouble until that unfaithful day.

DOST Travel Clearance:General Guidelines

I lifted this post from the pamphlet I got from DOST SEI back in 2010


A. Who needs a DOST-SEI clearance? 

1. An on-going scholar who will travel abroad;
2. A scholar who withdrew his/her scholarship but was able to enjoy the scholarship prior to with-drawal;
3. A scholar whose scholarship was terminated but with service obligation; and
4. A scholar-graduate who has not yet secured a final clearance.


B. When do you need a DOST-SEI clearance? 
A DOST-SEI scholar will secure a clearance from the Science Education Institute while he/she is still complying with his/her scholarship obligations or for the following cooperating institution:

1. National Bureau of Investigation for em-ployment
2. Department of Foreign Affairs for application or renewal of passport
3. Bureau of Immigration for airport immigration clearance prior to departure
4. Other institutions requiring DOST-SEI clearance 

C. When is a temporary DOST-SEI clearance issued? 
A temporary clearance is issued to an on-going scholar-graduate who has not completed her/his scholarship obligation but will travel out of the country, undergo on-the-job training or be locally employed (for the latter).


D.What are the requirements to secure a TEMPORARY DOST-SEI clearance? 
For continuing scholars: 
A.Submit a written letter stating the nature of travel, e.g. official or personal purpose, desti-nation, duration and other pertinent information about the travel.
B.Accomplished Supplemental Agreement (Form provided by DOST-SEI).
C.Post a surety bond posted with the Govern-ment Service Insurance System (GSIS) or a cash bond (with SEI for a travel that is for a month or shorter period) for an amount equiva-lent to the total financial assistance received by scholar while on scholarship plus 12% inter-est.


For scholar-graduates and those whose scholar-ship was terminated or withdrawn: 


PERSONAL TRAVEL
A.D1A, D1B, D1C
B.Service Record/Certification of Employment,
if any OFFICIAL TRAVEL: If scholar-graduate’s com-pany is sending him/her abroad for training or any official business
- For short-term period:
A.With employer’s guarantee - the employer must write SEI about travel plan: reason for travel, destination, duration of travel and a guarantee of her/his return and in cases/ you fails to do so, its willingness to reim-burse to DOST-SEI the amount equivalent to the period left unserved.
B.Without employer’s guarantee—D1A, D1B, D1C, 2B, and employer’s endorsement of travel


E. How do you retrieve a surety bond/ cash bond?
Not later than a month after the scholar/scholar-graduate returns to the country, s/he must personally report to DOST-SEI and submit photo-copies of passport pages marked with the arrival data in the country; and to retrieve (original copy of Surety bond or to submit original receipt in case of cash bond for processing. Processing of cash bond may take ten (10) working days.


Failure to do so may either cause the forfeiture of the bond (surety or cash) or required the em-ployer to refund the financial assistance received by the scholar.


F.When is a final DOST-SEI clearance issued?
A scholar whose scholarship is terminated for failure to comply with the scholarship requirements at anytime within the first two years shall be issued a FINAL DOST-SEI clearance together with the notice of termination.


A scholar-graduate must submit certification/s of employment for the required period and/or other requirements. After evaluation of said documents, s/he has been found to have fully complied with her/his service/financial obligations, the FINAL DOST-SEI clearance shall be issued.


The DOST-SEI clearance must be presented to the NBI, DFA, and BID to have her/his name cleared for issuance of NBI clearance (for local employment or travel abroad), passport or clearance to travel out of the country, respectively.


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