Healthcare Assistance
The local healthcare system does not provide any form of coverage; even emergency medical treatment is excluded.
Please note that the Italian National Health Service does not cover medical expenses incurred by Italian nationals in the Philippines. For this reason, it is strongly recommended to take out, prior to departure, an insurance policy — with adequate coverage — that includes medical expenses as well as, where necessary, emergency medical repatriation by air (or transfer to another country).
For information regarding reimbursement of medical expenses incurred abroad, please consult the relevant page on the website of the Italian Ministry of Health.
Legal Assistance
The Embassy does not maintain a legal office with attorneys licensed to practise in the Philippines.
Should an Italian national encounter legal issues or disputes of a civil or criminal nature (whether under police investigation, charged with an offence, released on bail, or detained by local police or judicial authorities), the Embassy—beyond offering general assistance—can provide a list of local legal professionals whom the individual may contact for appropriate legal representation. The list of legal offices available under the heading “List of Law Firms in the Philippines” is provided for reference only and is neither exhaustive nor binding.
Drug legislation: Drug laws in the Philippines are particularly strict. We strongly advise avoiding any contact with narcotic substances, even in small quantities for personal use. If local authorities find even trace amounts of illegal drugs during inspections or checks, the individual is likely to be detained pending criminal proceedings. This could lead to severe fines and long prison sentences, including life imprisonment in some cases.
Further information is available under the “Security” section, specifically the paragraph entitled “Relevant Local Laws,” on the website www.viaggiaresicuri.it, by selecting the Philippines as the country of interest.
Child Protection Legislation: Philippine law regarding the protection of minors from abuse, exploitation, discrimination, and other offences (R.A. 7610 of 1992) imposes extremely severe penalties—including life imprisonment and substantial financial fines—for all forms of abuse, indecent acts, trafficking, and exploitation of minors.
Furthermore, the law includes provisions on strict liability offences. For instance, even simply being in the company of a minor (who is not a close relative) in either public or private settings may be considered an offence.
Given these provisions and the fact that relationships of friendship or affection may develop with Filipino nationals who are parents of minors, it is strongly advised to avoid any situation where one is in the company of foreign minors without the presence of their biological parent.
Social Assistance
Limited social assistance services are available to Italian nationals who are in a მდგომარეობ of financial hardship. Such individuals may receive support (financial or otherwise) from the Embassy to help them temporarily overcome their difficult circumstances.
The requirements for obtaining assistance are:
- Italian citizenship
- a state of financial hardship
- residence within the consular jurisdiction
The Embassy focuses its resources on assisting the most disadvantaged nationals, based on the following criteria:
- income: priority is given to those with no income whatsoever, those who do not receive a pension or other benefits, or those receiving only the minimum pension
- age: priority is given to elderly individuals
- family situation: priority is given to individuals without housing or without family members able to assist them
- health: priority is given to those requiring prolonged and/or particularly costly medical treatment
- dependants: priority is given to those with dependants suffering from physical or mental disabilities