How to Check if a Travel Agency Is Legitimate in the Philippines

Practical due-diligence guide with the governing laws, regulators, documents to look for, and remedies if things go wrong.

1) Why legitimacy checks matter

Travel agencies in the Philippines arrange transportation, lodging, tours, and visa assistance. They act as intermediaries—sometimes as agents of airlines/hotels, sometimes as principals bundling their own tour packages. Because you’re often prepaying, verifying legitimacy protects you against fraud and clarifies who is liable if a trip collapses.

2) The legal & regulatory backdrop (Philippine context)

Tourism Act of 2009 (R.A. 9593) and its IRR: establishes the Department of Tourism (DOT) and DOT Accreditation system for “tourism enterprises,” including Travel and Tours Agencies. Accreditation is a government quality seal and a complaint channel; it is not the same as business registration.
Business registration:
- DTI BNRS (sole proprietors) or SEC (corporations/partnerships), plus
- Mayor’s/Business Permit (City/Municipality), Barangay Clearance, and
- BIR registration (Taxpayer Identification Number; authority to print receipts or issue e-receipts).
Aviation & ticketing: Airlines are regulated by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). Travel agencies that issue airline tickets typically rely on IATA accreditation (and the Billing & Settlement Plan—BSP). IATA is private/industry, not a government permit, but it’s a strong indicator of legitimate ticketing capability.
Consumer protection: Consumer Act (R.A. 7394) and DTI enforcement (misrepresentation, deceptive practices, warranties).
E-commerce: E-Commerce Act (R.A. 8792) (electronic documents/contracts), Cybercrime Prevention Act (R.A. 10175) (online fraud), Data Privacy Act (R.A. 10173) (handling of your personal data and passport scans).
Dispute fora: DTI (consumer complaints), DOT (accredited enterprises), Small Claims (A.M. No. 08-8-7-SC; currently up to ₱1,000,000), Barangay conciliation (for disputes between natural persons in the same LGU), NBI/PNP ACG (criminal fraud), and regular courts (e.g., estafa under Art. 315, RPC).

3) The “Legitimacy Stack”: what to check, in order

A. Identity & existence

Legal name of the business and any trade name/brand. Ask for the DTI Certificate (sole prop) or SEC Registration (corp/partnership) and Articles of Incorporation/Partnership.
Principal office address and official contact channels (landline or verified mobile, domain email).
Mayor’s/Business Permit for the current year.
BIR registration (Form 2303) and the ability to issue a BIR-valid Official Receipt (manual OR with Authority-to-Print details or an e-receipt with QR where applicable).

B. Tourism quality/competency credentials

DOT Accreditation Certificate specifically listing the enterprise as a Travel and Tours Agency (or “Tour Operator”) and validity period.
If they issue airline tickets: IATA accreditation (or proof they issue via an IATA-accredited consolidator).
If offering specialized products (e.g., pilgrimages, dive tours), look for professional affiliations (e.g., local tour associations) and supplier letters of appointment (from airlines, hotels, cruise lines, or consolidators).

C. Fit & reputation

Years in operation, prior client references, case studies, invoices/receipts trail, and named staff (with corporate email addresses).
Online footprint you can triangulate: domain WHOIS age, consistent branding, linked corporate pages, and named officers that match SEC/DTI documents.

4) Documentary evidence: what “good” looks like

DTI Certificate: shows business name, owner, scope, and validity dates.
SEC: Certificate of Incorporation (or amended), General Information Sheet (GIS) naming directors/officers, and principal office.
Mayor’s Permit: current year, matching business name and address.
BIR Form 2303: TIN, registered activities; check that issued receipts reflect the same legal name/TIN.
DOT Accreditation: bears DOT seal, type (“Travel and Tours Agency”), accreditation number, validity dates, and establishment address.
IATA: numeric IATA code; you may cross-check on IATA’s public lists or request a screenshot of their IATA/IATAN profile.

Red flag: personal bank accounts used for payments while receipts show a different business name; or receipts with no BIR details/serial, or expired permits.

5) Agency vs. principal: who is liable?

As agent (e.g., issuing airline tickets): the agency is typically an agent of the carrier—your transport contract is with the airline. However, agencies are liable for negligence, misrepresentation, or unauthorized charges, and must refund service fees they improperly charged.
As principal (e.g., packaged tour): if the agency bundles hotels, transfers, and tours into a single price, it often acts as a principal/tour operator and can be directly liable for non-performance, under the Civil Code (breach of contract; obligations and contracts) and R.A. 7394 (deceptive acts/false representations).

6) Terms you should insist on (before paying)

Detailed Itinerary & Inclusions/Exclusions (dates, flight numbers if applicable, hotels room type/category, transfers, baggage allowances).
Price breakdown: base fares, taxes, carrier-imposed charges, service fees, foreign exchange assumptions.
Payment schedule and modes; whether funds are held with suppliers (e.g., instant ticketing vs. on-hold).
Cancellation/Refund/Rebooking policies, including supplier-imposed penalties, agency fees, and timelines for processing refunds.
Name change rules (airlines usually don’t allow them).
Force majeure handling (e.g., typhoons), and duty of assistance.
Data privacy notice and consent for handling passports/IDs (Data Privacy Act).
Official Receipts for every payment.

7) Online-only agencies & social-media sellers: extra checks

Cross-match names: Page name, bank account holder, BIR OR, and DTI/SEC documents should all map to the same legal entity.
Payment protection: Prefer credit cards (chargeback rights) or well-known payment gateways. Treat cash deposits to personal accounts as high-risk.
Too-good-to-be-true pricing, “book now, limited slots,” or bank-transfer-only are classic scam tells.
No DOT accreditation + no BIR OR + new page (recently created) = avoid.

8) Visa assistance & document handling

Agencies may provide visa appointment setting, form filling, and document review; they cannot guarantee approvals. Look for:

Written scope of work (what they will and won’t do).
Clear service fee vs. embassy fee breakdown.
Data privacy safeguards (who sees your passports/bank statements; retention and deletion policies).

9) Practical step-by-step verification (checklist)

Ask for: DTI/SEC, Mayor’s Permit, BIR 2303, DOT Accreditation, IATA (if ticketing).
Verify consistency: legal name, address, and TIN match across all documents and receipts.
Confirm contactability: working landline or official email on a custom domain, not just a Facebook Messenger account.
Get the written offer with all terms, inclusions, and refund rules.
Pay safely (card/gateway), and get a BIR Official Receipt immediately.
Ticketing deliverables: e-ticket numbers (13-digit), airline PNR, hotel confirmation codes traceable at the supplier’s site or hotline.
Keep evidence: proposals, chat threads, receipts, IDs of person you dealt with.

10) What to do if something goes wrong

Document everything: screenshots, chats, emails, payment slips, ORs, IDs.
Demand letter (email and hard copy) giving a reasonable cure period (e.g., 5–10 business days).
Route your complaint depending on the case:
- DTI (deceptive sales, non-delivery, refund disputes with sellers/agents).
- DOT (service failures by DOT-accredited agencies).
- Airline (when the airline canceled/changed your flight; still keep the agency looped in).
- NBI/PNP ACG if you suspect criminal fraud/identity theft.
- Small Claims (money claims up to ₱1,000,000; no lawyers required) after or alongside DTI mediation.
- Barangay conciliation first, if applicable (both parties are natural persons within the same city/municipality and the dispute is not exempt).

Tip: For airline-initiated cancellations, insist on the remedy provided by the carrier’s contract of carriage and the Air Passenger Bill of Rights (DTI–DOTC JAO 2012-01). Agency service fees are separate and typically non-refundable unless the failure is the agency’s fault.

11) Special notes for corporate/government buyers

Require the agency to be DOT-accredited, PhilGEPS-registered (if applicable), and BIR-compliant.
Use a Master Services Agreement (MSA): SLAs for issuance and rebooking, refund timelines, data protection clauses, audit rights, and penalties.
Ask for performance security or credit terms only after checking financial capacity (audited FS, bank certs).

12) Common red flags (quick list)

Requests to deposit to a personal account or to a name that does not match the business.
No BIR OR (or an OR with no TIN/serial/ATP details).
Copy-pasted permits with altered names/dates; watermarks missing.
Social-media-only presence with stock photos and recently created pages.
Prices far below published airline/hotel rates without a credible reason (group allotments, consolidator deal, corporate contract).
Refusal to provide DOT or business documents.
Pressure tactics: “pay in the next hour or lose the deal.”

13) Quick due-diligence pack (what to request in one email)

“Kindly send: (1) DOT Accreditation (current), (2) SEC/DTI registration, (3) current Mayor’s Permit, (4) BIR 2303, (5) IATA code or consolidator arrangement, (6) sample BIR Official Receipt, (7) named account for payment with bank certification, (8) standard Terms & Conditions for the package/ticketing, and (9) data privacy notice. Thanks.”

14) Sample one-page buyer’s checklist (printable)

Legal name & trade name match across DTI/SEC, Mayor’s, BIR
DOT Accreditation: number, type, validity
IATA or consolidator proof (if airline ticketing)
Contact details verified (call/answer; domain email)
Written offer with inclusions/exclusions & refund policy
Safe payment method; BIR OR issued
Supplier confirmations (PNR/e-ticket, hotel voucher code)
Data privacy notice signed/acknowledged
Red flags? (if any, stop and reassess)

15) Bottom line

A legitimate Philippine travel agency will: (a) be properly registered (DTI/SEC + Mayor’s + BIR), (b) ideally DOT-accredited for quality oversight, (c) issue BIR-valid receipts, (d) provide verifiable supplier confirmations, and (e) put clear refund/rebooking rules in writing. If any of these are missing or inconsistent—especially identity and receipts—treat it as high risk and walk away.