Imports & Customs — Philippines
What travelers need to know about imports & customs in Philippines. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Imports & Customs in Philippines: prohibited — what is legal at home can be a serious crime here.
Some goods are contraband in the Philippines — unlawful to import or export at all, not merely dutiable. Under the CMTA the Bureau of Customs lists as prohibited: written or printed matter advocating treason, rebellion, insurrection or sedition, or threatening death or bodily harm; goods, drugs and substances designed for unlawful abortion, and printed matter advertising it; written or printed goods, negatives, films, photographs, engravings, paintings, drawings or other representations of an obscene or immoral character; gold, silver or precious-metal goods whose stamp or mark misstates the fineness; adulterated or misbranded food or drugs; and goods infringing the Intellectual Property Code.
§ Bureau of Customs (Philippines) — Prohibited/Restricted Importations (CMTA)Verified Sep 27, 2026