Visa_policy_of_the_Philippines

Visa policy of the Philippines

Visa policy of the Philippines

Policy on permits required to enter the Philippines

The visa policy of the Philippines is governed by Commonwealth Act No. 613, also known as the Philippine Immigration Act, and by subsequent legislation amending it.

The Act is jointly enforced by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI). Visitors from 157 countries are permitted visa-free entry for periods ranging from 14 to 59 days.

Generally, foreign nationals who wish to enter the Philippines require a visa unless the visitor is:

Visa policy map

Visa policy of the Philippines
  Philippines
  Visa not required (59 days)
  Visa not required (30 days)
  Visa not required (14 days)
  Online application (ETA / eVisa)
  Visa required in advance

Visa exemption

The Philippine visa waiver program is governed by Executive Order No. 408,[1] signed by President Carlos P. Garcia on November 9, 1960, and by subsequent executive issuances amending it. While visas are issued by the Bureau of Immigration, the program itself is administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs, which maintains a list of countries eligible to participate in the program.

In principle, nationals of countries which maintain diplomatic relations with the Philippines and whose nationals are not classified as restricted nationals by the DFA are allowed to enter the Philippines without a visa.

Eligible nationals availing of visa-free entry must possess passports valid for at least six months beyond their contemplated period of stay.[2][3]

On July 1, 2013, the Bureau of Immigration began implementing an extended visa waiver for covered nationals from 21 to 30 days, which the Philippine government hoped would boost tourism[4]

Visa-exempt foreign nationals may extend their stay two months per extension but not exceeding the maximum period of 2 years.[3] Foreign nationals who require a visa may extend their stay one month per extension but not exceeding the maximum period of six months and must have a ticket valid for onward travel.[2]

In March 2015, it was proposed to extend the visa exemption to citizens of China and India.[5]

Holders of passports of the following jurisdictions do not require a visa for Philippines:[6]

59 days

30 days

14 days

More information Date of visa changes ...

Non-ordinary passports

Holders of diplomatic, official or service passports of the following countries enjoy an extended length of stay when compared to ordinary passports:

1 - 6 months
2 - 3 months
3 - 90 days
4 - 2 months
5 - 59 days

Holders of diplomatic, official or service passports of the following countries may enter without a visa while ordinary passport holders require one:

D - diplomatic passports
O - official passports
S - service passports

Replacement visas

Nationals of China traveling as tourists and holding a valid visa issued by Australia, Canada, Japan, United States or a Schengen Area state may enter and stay without a visa for up to 7 days.

Nationals of India holding a valid tourist, business or resident visa issued by Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom, United States or a Schengen Area state may enter and stay without a visa for up to 14 days. They may enter from any port of entry.[27]

Online application

Citizens of Taiwan may apply for Electronic Travel Authorizations issued by Manila Economic and Cultural Office by paying 1500 NTD online. The validity of this multiple entry ETA allows visitors to stay in Philippines for no more than 30 days.[28]

Citizens of China may obtain e-Visas from Consulate General of the Philippines, Shanghai after transferring the visa fee to a designated bank account since November 15, 2023. Visitor with e-Visa may stay in Philippines for a maximum of 59 days. Single entry e-Visa costs 50 USD while multiple entry e-Visa valid for 6 months costs 125 USD.[29] However, the operations of the Philippine e-Visa System in China is temporarily suspended from November 28, 2023 until further notice.

Visa required

Holders of passports issued by any country except the following may obtain a visa (for a fee) valid for 59 days on arrival:[6]

APEC Business Travel Card

Holders of passports issued by the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing the "PHL" code on the reverse that it is valid for travel to Philippines can enter visa-free for business trips for up to 59 days.[6]

ABTCs are issued to nationals of:[30]

Types of visas

The Philippine Immigration Act prescribes fourteen different visas grouped into two broad categories:

  • Section 9 visas (non-immigrant visas), for temporary visits such as those for tourism, business, transit, study or employment
  • Section 13 visas (immigrant visas), for foreign nationals who wish to become permanent residents in the Philippines

Some visas have been introduced by subsequent legislation or proclamation of the President which are not classified by the Philippine Immigration Act as either being a Section 9 or Section 13 visa. These visas are called special visas and are issued to groups such as retirees, investors and entrepreneurs.

List of visas

More information Type, Description ...

Visitor statistics

This section is transcluded from Tourism in the Philippines. (edit | history)
More information Rank, Country ...

* Country in ASEAN

See also

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Philippines.

References and Notes

  1. Republic Act No. 8171, approved October 23, 1995, provided a mechanism allowing Filipino women who have lost their Philippine citizenship by marriage to aliens and natural-born Filipinos who have lost their Philippine citizenship, including their minor children, on account of political or economic necessity, to reacquire Philippine citizenship.[32]
  2. The Philippine Immigration Act stipulates that persons being admitted under this visa category must have been admitted within two years of the Act's approval.[31]
  3. Republic Act No. 9225, approved August 29, 2003, provided that all Philippine citizens who become citizens of another country shall be deemed not to have lost their Philippine citizenship. It further states that natural-born citizens of the Philippines who have lost their Philippine citizenship by reason of their naturalization as citizens of a foreign country are hereby deemed to have re-acquired Philippine citizenship upon taking an oath of allegiance to the Republic, and that their children whether legitimate, illegitimate or adopted, below eighteen (18) years of age, shall be deemed citizens of the Philippines.[33]
  1. [1]
    "Executive Order No. 408, s. 1960". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  2. [2]
    "Guidelines on Entry Visas of Temporary Visitors to the Philippines". immigration.gov.ph. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  3. [3]
    "BI extends stay of foreign tourists". Philippine Bureau of Immigration. August 6, 2007.
  4. [4]
    "Tourists' initial stay in PH extended from 21 to 30 days". Philippine Daily Inquirer. July 24, 2013.
  5. [5]
    "Business News, India Stock Market, Personal Finance, IPO, Financial News Headlines - The Financial Express". www.financialexpress.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  6. [6]
    "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  7. [7]
    "The Bureau of Immigration, Philippines Official Website - General Information". Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  8. [8]
    "Consulate general of the Philippines HK SAR". Retrieved August 23, 2013. In accordance with Department of Foreign Affairs Service Circular 125-10 dated 17 December 2010, holders of Hong Kong SAR passport do not need a visa for a stay not exceeding fourteen (14) days provided that they possess a return or onward airline ticket.
  9. [9]
    "STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during January 1963" (PDF). United Nations. New York. 1963.
  10. [10]
    "STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during March 1964" (PDF). United Nations. New York. 1964.
  11. [11]
    "STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during January 1967" (PDF). United Nations. New York. 1967.
  12. [12]
    "STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during March 1967" (PDF). United Nations. New York. 1967.
  13. [13]
    "Under the Visa Agreement on December 10, 1969" (PDF).
  14. [14]
    "STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during September 1970" (PDF). United Nations. New York. 1970.
  15. [15]
    "STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during June 1971" (PDF). United Nations. New York. 1971.
  16. [16]
    Agreement on waiver of visas on passports between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of the Philippines, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil. (in Portuguese)
  17. [17]
    Agreement on waiver of visas on passports between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of the Philippines, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil. (in Portuguese)
  18. [18]
    "STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during September 1973" (PDF). United Nations. New York. 1973.
  19. [19]
    "STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during January 1976" (PDF). United Nations. New York. 1976.
  20. [20]
    "STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during July 1980" (PDF). United Nations. New York. 1980.
  21. [21]
    "Mongolia: Visa Free Countries". mongoliavisa.com. September 2017.
  22. [22]
    "Agreement on the reciprocal abolition of transit and visitors visa requirements between the Government of the Philippines and the Government of Mongolia" (PDF). May 13, 1994. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 1, 2017.
  23. [23]
    "Executive Order No. 191, s. 1994 | Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines". Officialgazette.gov.ph. July 22, 1994. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  24. [24]
    Under the Visa Agreement on April 10, 2005
  25. [25]
    "Филиппины. Миграция, виза, туризм". polpred.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  26. [26]
    "Philippines waives visa requirements for 7 more countries". The Philippine Star. April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  27. [27]
    "Business News, India Stock Market, Personal Finance, IPO, Financial News Headlines - The Financial Express". www.financialexpress.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  28. [28]
    "Electronic Travel Authorization". Manila Economic and Cultural Office. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  29. [29]
    "菲律宾电子签证系统全面启动". 菲律宾驻上海总领事馆. November 14, 2023.
  30. [30]
    "ABTC Economy Entry Information" (PDF).
  31. [31]
    Commonwealth of the Philippines. (Enacted: August 26, 1940). COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 613 - AN ACT TO CONTROL AND REGULATE THE IMMIGRATION OF ALIENS INTO THE PHILIPPINES. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from the Official Gazette.
  32. [32]
    An act providing for the repatriation of Filipino women who have lost their Philippine citizenship by marriage to aliens and natural-born Filipinos, Chan Robles Law Library, October 23, 1995, retrieved October 6, 2008
  33. [33]
    Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003, Chan Robles Law Library, August 29, 2003, retrieved October 6, 2008
  34. [34]
    "47 (a) (2) Special Non Immigrant Visa". Philippine Consulate General, Los Angeles. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  35. [35]
    "QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Special Investors Resident Visa Program" (PDF). Philippine Board of Investments. November 14, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  36. [36]
    "SPECIAL VISA FOR EMPLOYMENT GENERATION (SVEG)". immigration.gov.ph.
  37. [37]
    "Special Resident Retiree's Visa". Philippine Retirement Authority. May 5, 2011. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  38. [38]
    "Conversion to Special Non-Immigrant Visa". Bureau of Immigration. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  39. [39]
    "Special Employment Visa for Offshore Banking Unit". Bureau of Immigration. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  40. [40]
    "Visitor Arrivals to The Philippines by Country of Residence January - March 2024" (PDF).
  41. [41]
    "Visitor Arrivals to The Philippines by Country of Residence 2023" (PDF).
  42. [42]
    "Visitor Arrivals to The Philippines by Country of Residence 2022" (PDF).
  43. [43]
    "Visitor Arrivals to The Philippines by Country of Residence 2021" (PDF).
  44. [44]
    "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence 2020" (PDF).
  45. [45]
    "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence 2019" (PDF).
  46. [46]
    "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence 2018" (PDF).
  47. [47]
    "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence 2017" (PDF).
  48. [48]
    "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence 2016" (PDF).
  49. [49]
    "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence 2015" (PDF).
  50. [50]
    "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence 2014" (PDF).
  51. [51]
    "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence 2013" (PDF).
  52. [52]
    "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence 2012" (PDF).
  53. [53]
    "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence 2011" (PDF).
  54. [54]
    "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence 2010" (PDF).
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