Visa policy of 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:

• He/she is a citizen of a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
• He/she is a citizen of a non-ASEAN member state whose nationals are allowed to enter the Philippines visa-free.[1]
• He/she is a balikbayan and is only returning to the Philippines temporarily.

Visa policy map

Visa policy of the Philippines

Visa waiver program

The Philippine visa waiver program is governed by Executive Order No. 408,[2] signed by President Carlos P. Garcia on November 9, 1960, and by subsequent executive issuances amending it. While visas are issued by the BI, 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.[3][4]

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 hopes will boost tourism[5]

Visa-exempt foreign nationals may extend their stay two months per extension but not exceeding the maximum period of two years.[4] 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.[3]

In March 2015, it was proposed to extend the visa exemption to citizens of China and India.[6]

Date of visa changes
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. 30 August 1962: Malaysia (as Federation of Malaya) and Thailand[7] 1 February 1963: Bolivia[8] 1 January 1966: Sweden[9] 1 January 1967: Denmark and Norway[10] 1 January 1970: Israel[11] 1 July 1970: France[12] 1 April 1971: Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands[13] 22 August 1972: Brazil (replaced by another agreement from 25 October 1973)[14][15][16] 1 January 1975: Iceland[17] 1 January 1978: Austria[18] 13 May 1994: Mongolia[19] 22 June 1994: Macau[20] 12 July 2005: Laos[21] 19 September 2007: Russia 15 April 2014: Belize, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan[22] Cancelled: 15 April 2014: Somalia[23]

Holders of passports of the following jurisdictions do not require a visa for Philippines:[24][25]

59 days  Brazil  Israel 30 days All European Union citizens  Andorra  Angola  Antigua and Barbuda  Argentina  Australia  Bahamas  Bahrain  Barbados  Belize  Benin  Bhutan  Bolivia  Botswana  Brunei  Burkina Faso  Burundi  Cambodia  Cameroon  Canada  Cape Verde  Central African Republic  Chad  Chile  Colombia  Comoros  Republic of the Congo  Costa Rica  Cote d'Ivoire  DR Congo  Djibouti  Dominica  Dominican Republic  Ecuador  El Salvador  Equatorial Guinea  Eritrea  Eswatini  Ethiopia  Fiji  Gabon  Gambia  Ghana  Grenada  Guatemala  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Guyana  Haiti  Honduras  Iceland  Indonesia  Jamaica  Japan  Kazakhstan  Kenya  Kiribati  Kuwait  Kyrgyzstan  Laos  Lesotho  Liberia  Liechtenstein  Madagascar  Malawi  Malaysia  Maldives  Mali  Marshall Islands  Mauritania  Mauritius  Mexico  Micronesia  Monaco  Mongolia  Morocco  Mozambique  Myanmar  Namibia    Nepal  New Zealand  Nicaragua  Niger  Norway  Oman  Palau  Panama  Papua New Guinea  Paraguay  Peru  Qatar  Russia  Rwanda  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saint Lucia  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Samoa  San Marino  Sao Tome and Principe  Saudi Arabia  Senegal  Seychelles  Singapore  Solomon Islands  South Africa  South Korea  Suriname   Switzerland  Tajikistan  Tanzania  Thailand  Togo  Trinidad and Tobago  Tunisia  Turkey  Turkmenistan  Tuvalu  Uganda  United Arab Emirates  United Kingdom  United States  Uruguay  Uzbekistan  Vanuatu   Vatican City  Venezuela  Vietnam  Zambia  Zimbabwe 14 days  Hong Kong[26][27]  Macau[26]  Portugal (for passports issued to permanent residents of Macau only)

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.[28]

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:[25]

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

Egypt  Georgia  India  Iran  Iraq  Jordan  Kosovo  Lebanon  Libya  Moldova

Montenegro  Nauru  Nigeria  North Korea  North Macedonia  Pakistan  Palestine  Sierra Leone  Serbia  Somalia

South Sudan  Sri Lanka  Sudan  Syria  Taiwan  Timor-Leste  Tonga  Ukraine  Yemen

Electronic Travel Authorization

Citizens of  Taiwan may apply for an entry permit through the Electronic Travel Authorization system on the website of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office.[29]

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 60 days  Austria 59 days  Brazil 6 months  Chile 3 months  Croatia 90 days  Cuba 90 days  Denmark 59 days  Estonia 90 days  Finland 59 days  Germany 3 months  Hungary 90 days  Italy 59 days  Mexico 90 days

Morocco 90 days  Norway 59 days  Panama 90 days  Peru 90 days  Poland 90 days  Romania 90 days  Russia 90 days  Slovakia 59 days  Slovenia 90 days  Spain 59 days  Sweden 59 days  Tunisia 2 months  Venezuela 3 months

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

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

India ^D ^O ^S  Iran ^D ^S  Pakistan ^D

_{D — diplomatic passports
O — official passports
S — service passports}

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.[25]

ABTCs are issued to nationals of:[30]

Australia  Brunei  Chile  China  Hong Kong  Indonesia  Japan  South Korea  Malaysia

Mexico  New Zealand  Papua New Guinea  Peru  Russia  Singapore  Taiwan  Thailand  Vietnam

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[31]	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[31]	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).[lower-alpha 1]
	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.[lower-alpha 2]
	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.[lower-alpha 3]
Special	47(a)(2)[34]	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[35]	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[36]	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[37]	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[38]	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[39]	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.

Foreign travel statistics

Rank	Country	2019[40]	2018[41]	2017[42]	2016[43]	2015[44]	2014[45]	2013	2012	2011
1	South Korea	1,989,322	1,587,959	1,607,821	1,475,081	1,339,678	1,175,472	1,165,789	1,031,155	925,204
2	China	1,743,309	1,255,258	968,447	675,663	490,841	394,951	426,352	250,883	243,137
3	United States	1,064,440	1,034,396	957,813	869,463	779,217	722,750	674,564	652,626	624,527
4	Japan	682,788	631,801	584,180	535,238	495,662	463,744	433,705	412,474	375,496
5	Taiwan	327,273	240,842	236,777	229,303	177,670	142,973	139,099	216,511	181,738
6	Australia	286,170	279,821	259,433	251,098	241,187	224,784	213,023	191,150	170,736
7	Canada	238,850	226,429	200,640	175,631	153,363	143,899	131,381	123,699	117,423
8	United Kingdom	209,206	201,039	182,708	173,229	154,189	133,665	122,759	113,282	104,466
9	Singapore	158,595	171,795	168,637	176,057	181,176	179,099	175,034	148,215	137,802
10	Malaysia	139,882	145,242	143,566	139,133	155,814	139,245	109,437	114,513	91,752
11	India	134,963	121,124	107,278	90,816	74,824	61,152	52,206	46,395	42,844
12	Germany	103,756	92,090	85,431	86,363	75,348	72,801	70,949	67,023	61,193
13	Hong Kong	91,653	117,984	111,135	116,328	122,180	114,100	126,008	118,666	112,106
14	France	88,577	74,389	64,777	55,384	45,505	38,946	39,042	33,709	29,591
15	Indonesia	70,819	76,651	62,923	44,348	48,178	46,757	45,582	36,627	34,542
16	Vietnam	66,698	52,328	39,951	33,895	31,579	29,800	26,599	20,817	17,781
17	Thailand	61,292	59,793	48,727	47,913	44,038	45,943	47,874	40,987	37,862
18	Spain	49,748	44,130	36,954	32,097	24,144	19,353	17,126	15,895	14,648
19	Russia	48,159	29,961	33,279	28,210	25,278	32,087	35,404	28,270	20,185
20	Saudi Arabia	43,748	46,966	54,716	56,081	50,884	43,483	38,969	30,040	27,945
21	Netherlands	41,313	37,047	33,821	31,876	28,632	25,236	22,595	22,195	21,029
22	Italy	38,951	35,178	30,437	25,945	21,620	19,865	17,668	16,740	15,798
23	New Zealand	37,872	33,340	28,983	23,431	20,579	17,704	15,783	14,100	12,782
24	Switzerland	29,966	31,071	29,837	29,420	27,200	25,548	24,907	23,557	22,335
25	Sweden	27,892	28,805	27,703	26,062	23,206	21,861	22,957
—	All Countries	8,260,913	7,127,678	6,620,908	5,967,005	5,360,682	4,833,368	4,681,307	4,272,811	3,917,454

See also

• Visa requirements for Philippine citizens
• Philippine passport

References and Notes

1. Republic Act No. 8171, approved 23 October 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 29 August 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. "Compare visa requirements of countries in South East Asia". http://aroundtheworldinaday.com. Retrieved 15 July 2014. External link in |website= (help)
2. "Executive Order No. 408, s. 1960". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
3. "Guidelines on Entry Visas of Temporary Visitors to the Philippines". immigration.gov.ph. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
4. "BI extends stay of foreign tourists". Philippine Bureau of Immigration. August 6, 2007.
5. "Tourists' initial stay in PH extended from 21 to 30 days". Philippine Daily Inquirer. July 24, 2013.
6. "Business News, India Stock Market, Personal Finance, IPO, Financial News Headlines - The Financial Express". www.financialexpress.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
7. https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/Monthly%20Statement/1963/01/monstate.pdf
8. https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/Monthly%20Statement/1964/03/monstate.pdf
9. https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/Monthly%20Statement/1967/01/monstate.pdf
10. https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/Monthly%20Statement/1967/03/monstate.pdf
11. Under the Visa Agreement on 10 December 1969
12. https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/Monthly%20Statement/1970/09/monstate.pdf
13. https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/Monthly%20Statement/1971/06/monstate.pdf
14. 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)
15. 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)
16. https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/Monthly%20Statement/1973/09/monstate.pdf
17. https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/Monthly%20Statement/1976/01/monstate.pdf
18. https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/Monthly%20Statement/1980/07/monstate.pdf
19. "Mongolia: Visa Free Countries". mongoliavisa.com. September 2017.
21. Under the Visa Agreement on 10 April 2005
22. "Филиппины. Миграция, виза, туризм". polpred.com. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
23. "Philippines waives visa requirements for 7 more countries". The Philippine Star. April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
24. "Guidelines on the Entry of Temporary Visitors to the Philippines". Department of Foreign Affairs (Philippines). Retrieved April 15, 2014.
25. "Country information (visa section)". Timatic. International Air Transport Association (IATA) through Olympic Air. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
26. "The Bureau of Immigration, Philippines Official Website - General Information". Archived from the original on 2013-12-15. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
27. "Consulate general of the Philippines HK SAR". Retrieved 2013-08-23. 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.
28. "Business News, India Stock Market, Personal Finance, IPO, Financial News Headlines - The Financial Express". www.financialexpress.com. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
29. "Electronic Travel Authorization". Manila Economic and Cultural Office. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
30. "ABTC Summary - APEC Business Travel Card". travel.apec.org. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
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. 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, 23 October 1995, retrieved 2008-10-06.
33. Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003, Chan Robles Law Library, 29 August 2003, retrieved 2008-10-06.
34. "47 (a) (2) Special Non Immigrant Visa". Philippine Consulate General, Los Angeles. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
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. "SPECIAL VISA FOR EMPLOYMENT GENERATION (SVEG)". immigration.gov.ph.
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. "Conversion to Special Non-Immigrant Visa". Bureau of Immigration. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
39. "Special Employment Visa for Offshore Banking Unit". Bureau of Immigration. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
40. "Department of Tourism-Philippines". www.tourism.gov.ph. Philippine Department of Tourism. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
41. "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence January–December 2018" (PDF). Philippine Department of Tourism. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
42. "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence January–December 2017" (PDF). Philippine Department of Tourism. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
43. "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence January–December 2016" (PDF). Philippine Department of Tourism. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
44. "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence January–December 2015" (PDF). Philippine Department of Tourism. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
45. "Visitor Arrivals to the Philippines by Country of Residence January–December 2014" (PDF). Philippine Department of Tourism. Retrieved January 8, 2020.

External links

• The Bureau of Immigration
• Visa information from the Bureau of Immigration