Captain's Brief · Seafarer benefits / OWWA · 12 min read · Oct 15, 2026
Seafarer Hacks: 10 Perks Most Filipino Seafarers Never Use
Many of us sign on and sign off for years without using benefits the law already gives us. Some are small, like a tax you shouldn't be paying at the airport. Others are big, like P60,000 a year for a child's college or P7,500 towards your next upgrading course.
We checked every perk below against the agency's own website or the law itself. We left out anything we could not confirm.
Rules as of Oct 2026. Confirm with the agency before you rely on them. Amounts, documents and deadlines can change, and an agency's website may lag behind its latest memo.
Key terms, explained simply
OEC / OFW Pass. Your Overseas Employment Certificate, now inside the OFW Pass in the eGovPH app. It proves you are leaving for overseas work.
TIEZA. The government agency that collects the Philippine travel tax.
OWWA. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. Many perks here need you to be an active OWWA member, so keep your contributions up to date.
Balikbayan. Under RA 9174, this includes Filipino overseas workers coming home.
1. Up to P7,500 for your next upgrading course (OWWA SUP)
What it is: the Seafarers' Upgrading Program pays up to P7,500 per upgrading course at accredited maritime training centres.
Who qualifies: seafarers who are OWWA members. You can use it for your first course after one OWWA contribution, then again after every 3 recorded contributions.
How to claim: apply at your OWWA regional welfare office before enrolling, and ask which training centres are accredited.
Source: OWWA, Short-Term Courses page.
2. Up to P14,500 for a TESDA or MARINA course (OWWA SESP)
What it is: the Skills-for-Employment Scholarship Program pays up to P14,500 per course (6 months to 2 years) at schools accredited by TESDA, MARINA or other government training institutions.
Who qualifies: qualified OFWs and/or their dependents.
How to claim: apply at your OWWA regional welfare office.
Source: OWWA, Short-Term Courses page.
3. Up to P60,000 a year for your child's college (OWWA scholarships)
| Programme | Amount | Key condition |
|---|---|---|
| EDSP | Up to P60,000 per school year until graduation | Incoming freshmen chosen through the DOST national exam (top 1,000); some slots for students already in college |
| ODSP | P20,000 per school year | OFW's monthly salary must be within the cap OWWA sets in each year's memo |
| CMWSP | Up to P60,000 per school year | Priority Science and Technology courses |
How to claim: apply online at scholarship.owwa.gov.ph during the application period, and watch OWWA announcements for the yearly opening.
Source: OWWA Scholarship Online Application site; OWWA Baccalaureate Courses page.
4. OWWA death, burial and disability benefits
What it is: insurance-type benefits for OWWA members.
- Death: P100,000 for natural causes, P200,000 for accidents, paid to beneficiaries if the OFW was an active member at the time of death.
- Burial: an extra P20,000.
- Disability from an accident: P2,500 to P25,000 for partial disability, and P50,000 to P100,000 for total or permanent disability.
These are separate from what your contract (the POEA/DMW standard employment contract or your CBA) may pay.
How to claim: the beneficiary files at the OWWA regional welfare office. Make sure your family knows your OWWA status and where your papers are.
Source: OWWA, Death and Disability Benefit page.
5. Schooling and livelihood help if the worst happens (OWWA ELAP)
What it is: if an OFW dies while an active OWWA member, the dependents can receive education aid every school year:
- P5,000 for Kinder to Grade 6
- P8,000 for Grade 7 to 12
- P10,000 for college
The family can also get P15,000 in livelihood aid.
How to claim: the family applies at the OWWA regional welfare office.
Source: OWWA, Education and Livelihood Assistance Program page.
6. Send up to 3 tax-free balikbayan boxes a year
What it is: boxes of personal and household goods you send home are free of duties and taxes.
Limits: up to 3 times per calendar year, with a total value of up to P150,000 (the law allows the Finance Secretary to adjust this amount every 3 years). Goods must not be in commercial quantities or meant for sale.
How to use it: send only through a Customs-accredited forwarder, and keep your receipts and tracking numbers.
Source: Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (RA 10863), Section 800(g).
7. Don't pay travel tax when you fly out to join your ship
What it is: Filipinos leaving the country normally pay P1,620 (economy) or P2,700 (first class) in travel tax. OFWs are exempt.
Who qualifies: OFWs. If you were hired through the DMW (as manning agency crew are), the proof TIEZA lists is your original OEC. It counts as your exemption certificate only when you are travelling to your worksite. TIEZA's list does not name the seaman's book, so bring the OEC/OFW Pass. You always need your original passport.
How to claim:
- Show your passport and OEC at the TIEZA counter or airline check-in.
- Or apply online for a Travel Tax Exemption Certificate at least one day before your flight. TIEZA processes it within one day.
- Charged anyway? Claim a refund within 2 years of payment with your passport, OEC and the ticket showing the tax. If you paid at a TIEZA airport counter, you can get a same-day refund within 24 hours.
Source: TIEZA, Travel Tax Exemption (PD 1183, as amended), Travel Tax and Travel Tax Refund pages.
8. Your family pays only P300 travel tax to join you on board
What it is: the "privileged reduced travel tax" for OFW dependents travelling to the OFW's worksite: P300 economy / P400 first class instead of P1,620 / P2,700.
Who qualifies: your legitimate spouse, your unmarried children under 21, and children with disabilities of any age (with a PWD ID).
How to claim:
- Prepare the original passport, your OEC, the marriage or birth certificate and the ticket.
- Get a certification from your manning agency that your dependent is joining your vessel.
- Apply online at least one day before the flight, or at any TIEZA travel tax office or airport counter.
- Already paid the full rate? Ask for a refund of the excess at a TIEZA office or counter.
Source: TIEZA, Reduced Travel Tax page.
9. Wait for your flight in a free OFW Lounge at NAIA
What it is: free lounges for OFWs, open 24/7, with food and drinks, seating, phone charging and flight screens.
Where: NAIA Terminal 1 pre-departure area (near Starbucks) and Terminal 3 pre-departure area (near Gate 7). OWWA runs them day to day.
How to use it: go to the lounge after check-in and register at the desk. Carry your passport, OEC/OFW Pass, seaman's book and boarding pass, because the exact papers OWWA asks seafarers for are not published. See our Captain's Brief on the OFW Lounge rules for the time limits.
Source: New NAIA (NNIC), Bagong Bayani / OFW Lounge page.
10. Tax-free duty-free shopping, with a longer window at Christmas
What it is: returning overseas Filipino workers can buy tax-free at government duty-free shops. The law sets at least US$1,500, plus an extra US$2,000 for livelihood tools. A computer counts as a livelihood tool.
Who qualifies: under RA 9174, "balikbayan" includes a Filipino overseas worker. You must be of legal age.
How to claim:
- Shop in person, once, within 15 days of arrival.
- In the Christmas season the window extends to 30 days from arrival.
- You can buy only one item per product category priced over US$200, and use the privilege once a year.
Check before you shop: the Bureau of Customs' duty-free page lists a higher US$2,500 limit and gives the Christmas season as 15 Dec to 15 Jan. The law says 15 Nov to 15 Jan. Ask the duty-free shop or BOC which applies on your arrival date.
Source: RA 6768 as amended by RA 9174, Sections 3 and 4.
Perks we're still checking
We left these out because we couldn't confirm them with the agency itself as of Oct 2026:
- NAIA terminal fee refund for OFWs: the airport operator says OFWs are exempt, but we couldn't confirm the current refund steps on its own website.
- DFA passport courtesy lane for seafarers: we couldn't access the official page.
- Free care at the OFW Hospital in Pampanga: eligibility is reported in the news, but it isn't published on the hospital's own website.
- OWWA Balik-Pinas Balik-Hanapbuhay: OWWA's sources disagree on the amount.
- Seafarer airfares and extra baggage: ask your crewing agent.
We'll update this guide once these are confirmed.
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules as of Oct 2026. Confirm with TIEZA, the Bureau of Customs, OWWA or your manning agency before you rely on them.
Sources
- TIEZA, Travel Tax Exemption: https://tieza.gov.ph/travel-tax-exemption/
- TIEZA, Travel Tax (rates): https://tieza.gov.ph/travel-tax/
- TIEZA, Reduced Travel Tax: https://tieza.gov.ph/reduced-travel-tax/
- TIEZA, Travel Tax Refund: https://tieza.gov.ph/travel-tax-refund/
- New NAIA (NNIC), OFW Lounge / Bagong Bayani: https://newnaia.com.ph/bagong-bayani
- Republic Act No. 9174 (Balikbayan Program), Supreme Court E-Library: https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/2/1463
- Bureau of Customs, Duty-Free Shopping: https://customs.gov.ph/duty-free-shopping/
- Republic Act No. 10863 (CMTA), Lawphil: https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2016/ra_10863_2016.html
- OWWA, Short-Term Courses (SUP, SESP): https://owwa.gov.ph/short-term-courses/
- OWWA Scholarship Online Application: https://scholarship.owwa.gov.ph/
- OWWA, Baccalaureate Courses: https://owwa.gov.ph/baccalaureate-courses/
- OWWA, Death and Disability Benefit: https://owwa.gov.ph/death-and-disability-benefit/
- OWWA, ELAP: https://owwa.gov.ph/education-and-livelihood-assistance-program-elap-2/