Visa policy of the Philippines

Entry and exit stamps.

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), although visas are issued under the sole prerogative of the BI.

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 on November 9, 1960 by President Carlos P. Garcia, 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 BI began implementing an extended visa waiver for covered nationals from 21 to 30 days, which the Philippine government hopes will boost tourism. The program will be fully implemented in August.^[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]

Holders of passports of the following 157 jurisdictions do not require a visa for Philippines:^[7][9]

59 days

•  Brazil
•  Israel

30 days

Andorra  Angola  Antigua and Barbuda  Argentina  Australia  Austria  Bahamas  Bahrain  Barbados  Belgium  Belize  Benin  Bhutan  Bolivia  Botswana  Brunei  Bulgaria  Burkina Faso  Burundi  Cambodia  Cameroon  Canada  Cape Verde  Central African Republic  Chad  Chile  Colombia  Comoros  Congo  Costa Rica  Ivory Coast  Croatia  Cyprus  Czech Republic DR Congo  Denmark  Djibouti  Dominica  Dominican Republic

Ecuador  El Salvador  Equatorial Guinea  Eritrea  Estonia  Ethiopia  Fiji  Finland  France  Gabon  Gambia  Germany  Ghana  Greece  Grenada  Guatemala  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Guyana  Haiti  Holy See  Honduras  Hungary  Iceland  Indonesia  Ireland  Italy  Jamaica  Japan  Kazakhstan  Kenya  Kiribati  Kuwait  Kyrgyzstan  Laos  Latvia  Lesotho  Liberia  Liechtenstein

Lithuania  Luxembourg  Madagascar  Malawi  Malaysia  Maldives  Mali  Malta  Marshall Islands  Mauritania  Mauritius  Mexico Micronesia  Monaco  Mongolia  Morocco  Mozambique  Myanmar  Namibia    Nepal  Netherlands  New Zealand  Nicaragua  Niger  Norway  Oman  Palau  Panama  Papua New Guinea  Paraguay  Peru  Poland  Portugal  Qatar  Romania  Russia  Rwanda  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Samoa  San Marino  São Tomé and Príncipe  Saudi Arabia  Senegal  Seychelles  Singapore  Slovakia  Slovenia  Solomon Islands  South Africa  South Korea Spain  Suriname  Swaziland  Sweden   Switzerland  Tajikistan  Thailand  Togo  Trinidad and Tobago  Tunisia  Turkey  Turkmenistan  Tuvalu  Uganda  United Arab Emirates  United Kingdom  United States  Tanzania  Uruguay  Uzbekistan  Vanuatu   Vatican City  Venezuela  Vietnam  Zambia  Zimbabwe

14 days

•  Hong Kong^[10][11]
•  Macau^[10]
•  Portugal (for passports issued to permanent residents of Macau only)

7 days

• British National (Overseas)

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. If Indian nationals are utilizing replacement visa scheme, The port of entry needs to be via Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.

Visa on arrival

Holders of passports issued by any country except the following may obtain a visa (for a fee) valid for 59 days on arrival:^[12]

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

Egypt  Georgia  India  Iran  Iraq  Jordan  Kosovo  Lebanon  Libya  Macedonia

Moldova  Montenegro  Nauru  Nigeria  North Korea  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.^[13]

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}

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.

Statistics

Most visitors arriving to the Philippines on short term basis were from the following countries of nationality:

Rank	Country	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
1	South Korea	925,204	1,031,155	1,165,789	1,175,472	1,099,192
2	United States	624,527	652,626	674,564	722,750	636,658
3	Japan	375,496	412,474	433,705	463,744	417,147
4	China	243,137	250,883	426,352	394,951	415,868
5	Australia	170,736	191,150	213,023	224,784	188,971
6	Taiwan	181,738	216,511	139,099	142,973	150,531
7	Singapore	137,802	148,215	175,034	179,099	150,405
8	Malaysia	91,752	114,513	109,437	139,245	129,120
9	United Kingdom	112,106	113,282	122,759	133,665	123,414
10	Canada	117,423	123,699	131,381	143,899	120,903
11	Hong Kong	112,106	118,666	114,100	126,008	104,075
12	India	42,844	46,395	52,206	61,152	61,155
13	Germany	61,193	67,203	70,949	72,801	58,754
14	Saudi Arabia	27,945	30,040	38,969	43,483	44,339
15	Indonesia	34,542	36,627	45,582	46,757	40,412
16	France	29,591	33,709	39,042	38,946	37,135
17	Thailand	37,862	40,987	47,847	45,943	36,935
18	Guam					28,736
19	Russia	23,908	33,729	41,254	38,976	26,823
20	Vietnam					26,628

List of visas

Visas in the Philippines

Type	Visa	Description
Non-immigrant[14]	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[14]	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)	A natural-born citizen of the Philippines, who has been naturalized in a foreign country, and is returning to the Philippines for permanent residence, including his spouse and minor unmarried children.[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.
Special	SIRV[17]	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[18]	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[19]	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.
	SEVOBU[20]	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.

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.^[15]
2. 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.^[16]

References

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
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. Philippines proposes to remove entry visa requirements for India and China
7. "Guidelines on the Entry of Temporary Visitors to the Philippines". Department of Foreign Affairs (Philippines). Retrieved April 15, 2014. (except for Somalia, for which 30 day visa-free access has been removed.^[8])
8. "Philippines waives visa requirements for 7 more countries". The Philippine Star. April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
9. "Visa Information - Philippines (PH)". Timatic. IATA. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
10. "The Bureau of Immigration, Philippines Official Website - General Information". Archived from the original on 2013-12-15. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
11. "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.
13. "Electronic Travel Authorization". Manila Economic and Cultural Office. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
14. "COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 613". August 26, 1940.
15. 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.
16. Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003, Chan Robles Law Library, 29 August 2003, retrieved 2008-10-06.
17. "QUESTIONS & ANSWERS : Special Investors Resident Visa Program" (PDF). Philippine Board of Investments. November 14, 2007.
18. "SPECIAL VISA FOR EMPLOYMENT GENERATION (SVEG)". immigration.gov.ph.
19. "Special Resident Retiree's Visa". Philippine Retirement Authority. May 5, 2011.
20. "Special Employment Visa for Offshore Banking Unit". Bureau of Immigration. Retrieved February 24, 2014.

External links

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