Ferry Travel in the Philippines: Discounts, Baggage, Pets and Vehicles

Philippine law gives Filipino senior citizens and persons with disability at least 20% off domestic ferry fares plus exemption from the 12% VAT, and enrolled Filipino students 20% off regular fares on any day while they are enrolled, weekends and holidays included. What you can carry depends on the line: OceanJet allows 10 kg free in tourist and open-air class, SuperCat 15 kg and 2GO up to 50 kg for a full-fare passenger. Dogs and cats need a veterinary health certificate and a free Bureau of Animal Industry shipping permit, and RoRo lines such as Montenegro and Lite Ferries ask drivers for the vehicle's OR/CR.

Who gets a ferry discount, and what ID do you need?

The discounts come from three laws, and MARINA, the maritime regulator, spells out how ship operators must apply them:

MARINA's circulars (2017-03 and, for students, GC-2019-01) add four rules. The discount applies in every class of accommodation. It cannot be stacked on a promo fare, so you take whichever is cheaper. Someone who qualifies twice, a senior with a disability for example, gets one discount, the larger. Operators must run a courtesy lane at the ticket counter for seniors and PWDs. Separately, the Philippine Ports Authority charges no terminal fee to students, seniors, PWDs and uniformed personnel with valid ID at the passenger terminals it owns.

How do 2GO, OceanJet and FastCat apply the discounts?

• 2GO takes the 20% senior discount off the base rate only; promo fares get no senior discount, though the VAT is still removed. It is for Filipino nationals, and turning up without the ID means losing the discount and paying revalidation surcharges. PWD and student discounts are sold at 2GO's ticketing and authorised retail outlets, again on base rates only.
• OceanJet handles every discount at its main ticketing office, according to its policies page. Seniors bring the OSCA ID and one other government ID; PWDs bring an NCDA ID and one other government ID unless the disability is obvious; students bring a current school ID, report card or study load. OceanJet states that student and minor discounts do not apply to business class, even though MARINA's student circular says the discount covers all accommodation types.
• FastCat prints the discounted fares on its rates page, as in the economy fares below, listed on 11 September 2026.

What do you need to show at check-in?

OceanJet, SuperCat and 2GO all ask for a photo ID matching the name on the ticket, and their tickets cannot be transferred. 2GO wants a printed e-ticket itinerary receipt and one of the IDs on its list, which includes the passport, driver's licence, UMID, postal ID, PhilHealth card, barangay ID and student ID. It asks passengers to be at the terminal three to four hours before sailing, closes boarding one hour before, and requires anyone with checked baggage or cargo to check in at least four hours ahead. OceanJet closes check-in 30 minutes before departure.

Minors have their own rules. OceanJet lets 12 to 17 year olds travel alone once a parent consent and waiver form is filed, while children of 11 and under must travel with a parent or guardian. 2GO needs its own authorisation for unaccompanied travellers aged 11 to 17, and also requires children under 11 to be with a parent or guardian.

How much baggage can you take?

SuperCat's figures come from an archived copy of its FAQ dated April 2026, and 2GO's allowance from its FAQ archived in June 2026. An infant on 2GO's ₱500 infant fare has no free baggage. OceanJet limits its liability for hand baggage to ₱100 per passenger, so keep phones, laptops and cash on you. FastCat's rates and routes pages give no baggage allowance.

Can you bring a dog or cat?

Yes, with paperwork. Department of Agriculture Administrative Order No. 5 of 2019 requires a veterinary health certificate, valid for three days, plus a Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) shipping permit good for seven days, for any animal moved between or within Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. The permit is free and can be requested online. Dogs and cats must be at least three and a half to four months old and vaccinated against rabies between 14 days and one year before travel, although a dog getting its annual booster can travel straight away.

• OceanJet carries pets in a travel crate in the open-air stowage area, never in passenger areas, and asks for a BAI quarantine permit.
• SuperCat wants the certificate and permit, a cage for each animal and an accompanying passenger, and charges at check-in by size, from about ₱150 for a small pet to ₱450 for an extra-large one.
• 2GO takes pets only on ships to and from Manila, excluding the MV 2GO Masigla, and asks owners to reach the port six hours before departure for inspection. Cage rates start at ₱900 for a small cage.

What papers do you need to take a car or motorcycle?

Bring a copy of the vehicle's official receipt and certificate of registration (OR/CR) and your driver's licence. Montenegro Lines asks for both at validation and wants vehicles at the port one hour before short crossings and five hours before long-haul ones. Lite Ferries will take a sales invoice or conduction sticker if you have no OR/CR. MARINA's 1999 circular on clearances for vehicles loaded on inter-island ships also lists a Traffic Management Group clearance valid for 30 days, checked at the port of loading. On FastCat's Batangas–Calapan route, a motorcycle costs ₱1,678, a sedan ₱3,357 and a van, pickup or SUV ₱4,194.