Visa policy of the Philippines explained

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:

• A citizen of a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
• A citizen of a non-ASEAN member state whose nationals are allowed to enter the Philippines visa-free.
• A balikbayan (a member of the Filipino diaspora) who is only returning to the Philippines temporarily.

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]

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^[3]

Visa-exempt foreign nationals may extend their stay two months per extension but not exceeding the maximum period of 2 years. 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.^[4]

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:

59 days Brazil Israel 30 days All ASEAN member states Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Australia Bahamas Bahrain Barbados Belize Benin Bhutan Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Fiji Gabon Gambia Ghana Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Iceland Jamaica Japan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Madagascar Malawi Maldives Mali Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Monaco Mongolia Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nepal New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Norway Oman Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Portugal Qatar Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Senegal Seychelles Solomon Islands South Africa Suriname Switzerland Tajikistan Togo Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Zambia Zimbabwe 14 days Hong Kong^[6] ^[7] Macao Portugal (for passports issued to permanent residents of Macau only)

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:

Argentina^5 Austria^5 Brazil^1 Chile^2 Croatia^3 Cuba^3 Denmark^5 Estonia^3 Finland^5

Germany^2 Hungary^3 Italy^5 Mexico^3 Morocco^3 Norway^5 Panama^3 Peru^3 Poland^3

Romania^3 ^3 Slovakia^5 Slovenia^3 Spain^5 Sweden^5 Tunisia^4 ^2

_{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:

Armenia^D O S Bangladesh^D O S China^D O S Egypt^D

India^D O S ^D S Jordan^D O S Pakistan^D

_{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.^[26]

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.^[27]

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.^[28] 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:

Afghanistan Albania Algeria Armenia Azerbaijan Bangladesh Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina China Cuba

Egypt Georgia India Iraq Jordan Lebanon Libya

Montenegro Nauru Nigeria Pakistan Serbia Sierra Leone Somalia

Sri Lanka Sudan Timor-Leste Tonga Ukraine Yemen

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.

ABTCs are issued to nationals of:^[29]

Australia Chile China Hong Kong Indonesia Japan Malaysia

Mexico New Zealand Papua New Guinea Peru Singapore Thailand

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

Visas in the Philippines! Type! Visa! Description

Non-immigrant^[30]	9(a)	Pleasure, business or health
	9(b)	Transit
	9(c)	Seaman on a ship docking in a port of entry in the Philippines
	9(d)	Alien businessman
	9(e)	Foreign government officials and their dependents, assistants and employees
	9(f)	Students
	9(g)	Pre-arranged employees and their dependents
Immigrant	13	Quota immigrants, of which no more than fifty of any one nationality or without nationality may be admitted within one calendar year. Immigrants who are issued Section 13 visas belonging to one of the seven listed sub-categories under CA 613 are considered non-quota immigrants, and may be admitted despite the quota.
	13(a)	The spouse or unmarried child (below 21) of a Filipino citizen.
	13(b)	Children born during a temporary visit abroad to mothers granted permanent residence in the Philippines.
	13(c)	Children born after the issuance of the visa of the accompanying parents.
	13(d)	Women who lost Filipino citizenship by virtue of marriage to a foreign spouse, and her unmarried children (below 21).
	13(e)	Permanent residents returning to the Philippines from a temporary visit abroad to resume permanent residence.
	13(f)	The spouse and/or unmarried children (below 21) of an alien admitted to the Philippines for permanent residence prior to the approval of the Philippine Immigration Act.
	13(g)	Natural-born Filipinos and their dependents who have naturalized in a foreign country and wish to permanently reside in the Philippines. This visa was provided for under Republic Act No. 4376, passed in 1965.
Special	47(a)(2)^[31]	Special Non-Immigrant Visa. This is a non-immigrant visa granted to several categories of foreign nationals: Those employed as executives, supervisors, specialists, consultants, contractors or personal staff at enterprises registered with special economic zones, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), the Board of Investments (BOI), or the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) Those employed in enterprises that have existing agreement/s with the Philippine government or any of subdivisions and instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations, for the completion of a project Exchange professors, scholars, trainees, participants, students, fellows and social workers under sponsorship of locally or internationally recognized educational, scientific, cultural, relief and charitable organizations, institutions, agencies or foundations, including representatives of non-recognized foreign governments to those organizations Volunteers registered with the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA), including foreign personnel of international rescue/aid organizations providing assistance on occasion of natural disasters and major emergencies Dependents of any foreign national covered under the previous categories
	SIRV^[32]	Special Investor's Resident Visa. This is a non-immigrant visa granted to foreign nationals and their dependents who have shareholdings in Philippine corporations engaged in the manufacturing or services sectors, involved in projects listed under the Investment Priority Plan, or are listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange. This visa is issued by the BI in coordination with the Board of Investments.
	SVEG^[33]	Special Visa for Employment Generation. This is a non-immigrant visa granted to foreign nationals and their dependents who employ at least ten Filipinos in a lawful enterprise or business venture.
	SRRV^[34]	Special Resident Retiree's Visa. This is a non-immigrant visa granted to foreign nationals and their dependents who wish to retire in the Philippines. This visa is issued by the BI in coordination with the Philippine Retirement Authority.
	SNIV^[35]	Special Non-Immigrant Visa. This is a non-immigrant visa granted to foreign nationals and their dependents who are employed by the regional, area and/or regional operating headquarters of multinational corporations.
	SEVOBU^[36]	Special Employment Visa for Offshore Banking Unit. This is a non-immigrant visa granted to foreign nationals and their dependents who are employed by the Philippine offshore units of foreign banks.

See also

• Visa requirements for Philippine citizens
• Philippine passport
• Immigration to the Philippines

External links

• The Bureau of Immigration
• Visa information from the Bureau of Immigration
• Philippines E-visa: for China, for Taiwan

Notes and References

1. Web site: Executive Order No. 408, s. 1960 . Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines . November 1, 2014.
2. Web site: BI extends stay of foreign tourists . August 6, 2007 . Philippine Bureau of Immigration.
3. Web site: Tourists' initial stay in PH extended from 21 to 30 days . July 24, 2013 . Philippine Daily Inquirer.
4. Web site: Guidelines on Entry Visas of Temporary Visitors to the Philippines . immigration.gov.ph . April 2, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140315143240/http://www.immigration.gov.ph/index.php/component/content/article/10-faqs/33-general-information?showall=1&limitstart= . March 15, 2014 . dead.
5. Web site: Business News, India Stock Market, Personal Finance, IPO, Financial News Headlines - The Financial Express . www.financialexpress.com . April 2, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150322042233/http://www.financialexpress.com/article/travel/latest-updates-travel/philippines-proposes-to-remove-entry-visa-requirements-for-india-and-china/52091/ . March 22, 2015 . dead.
6. Web site: The Bureau of Immigration, Philippines Official Website - General Information . https://web.archive.org/web/20131215065428/http://immigration.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=37 . December 15, 2013 . August 24, 2013.
7. Web site: Consulate general of the Philippines HK SAR . 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. . August 23, 2013.
8. Web site: STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during January 1963 . 1963 . New York . United Nations.
9. Web site: STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during March 1964 . 1964 . New York . United Nations.
10. Web site: STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during January 1967 . 1967 . New York . United Nations.
11. Web site: STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during March 1967 . 1967 . New York . United Nations.
12. Web site: Under the Visa Agreement on December 10, 1969.
13. Web site: STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during September 1970 . 1970 . New York . United Nations.
14. Web site: STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during June 1971 . 1971 . New York . United Nations.
15. https://concordia.itamaraty.gov.br/detalhamento/2014 Agreement on waiver of visas on passports between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of the Philippines
16. https://concordia.itamaraty.gov.br/detalhamento/2126 Agreement on waiver of visas on passports between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of the Philippines
17. Web site: STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during September 1973 . 1973 . New York . United Nations.
18. Web site: STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during January 1976 . 1976 . New York . United Nations.
19. Web site: STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during July 1980 . 1980 . New York . United Nations.
20. Web site: Mongolia: Visa Free Countries . September 2017 . mongoliavisa.com.
21. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20170801073114/http://210.5.104.56/treaty/scanneddocs/406.pdf . 2017-08-01 . Agreement on the reciprocal abolition of transit and visitors visa requirements between the Government of the Philippines and the Government of Mongolia . 1994-05-13.
22. Web site: Executive Order No. 191, s. 1994 | Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines . Officialgazette.gov.ph . July 22, 1994 . April 6, 2022.
23. http://210.5.104.56/treaty/scanneddocs/403.pdf Under the Visa Agreement on April 10, 2005
24. Web site: Филиппины. Миграция, виза, туризм . polpred.com . April 2, 2018.
25. News: Philippines waives visa requirements for 7 more countries. April 15, 2014 . The Philippine Star . April 18, 2014.
26. Web site: Business News, India Stock Market, Personal Finance, IPO, Financial News Headlines - The Financial Express . www.financialexpress.com . April 2, 2018.
27. Web site: Electronic Travel Authorization . Manila Economic and Cultural Office . August 11, 2015.
28. Web site: 菲律宾电子签证系统全面启动. 2023-11-14 . 菲律宾驻上海总领事馆.
29. Web site: ABTC Economy Entry Information.
30. 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.
31. Web site: 47 (a) (2) Special Non Immigrant Visa . Philippine Consulate General, Los Angeles . July 26, 2019.
32. Web site: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Special Investors Resident Visa Program . November 2019 . Philippine Board of Investments . May 15, 2024 .
33. Web site: SPECIAL VISA FOR EMPLOYMENT GENERATION (SVEG) . immigration.gov.ph.
34. Web site: Special Resident Retiree's Visa . May 5, 2011. Philippine Retirement Authority . December 22, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130122032343/http://www.pra.gov.ph/main/srrv_program?page=1 . January 22, 2013 . dead .
35. Web site: Conversion to Special Non-Immigrant Visa . September 26, 2016 . Bureau of Immigration.
36. Web site: Special Employment Visa for Offshore Banking Unit . February 24, 2014 . Bureau of Immigration . https://web.archive.org/web/20140228154721/http://www.immigration.gov.ph/index.php/visa-requirements/special-visa/special-employment-visa-for-offshore-banking-unit . February 28, 2014 . dead .