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Category: Visa

Certain nationalities are admissible to the Philippines to travel without an entry visa as temporary visitors under various conditions and privileges granted by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines such as Executive Order No.408 and the Balikbayan Program among others.

Temporary visits refer to periods of stay generally not exceeding fifty-nine (59) days for purposes of attendance to conferences, business meetings, participation in workshops/seminars, medical treatment, and travels of a personal nature for leisure/pleasure such as tourism and sightseeing, visiting relatives and/or friends, individual recreation and amusment.

Foreign minor children below fifteen years of age travelling to the Philippines alone, or unaccompanied by either parent need to secure a Waiver of Exclusion Ground (WEG) issued by the Philippine Bureau of Immigration before they can be admitted to the Philippines. Their parents/legal guardian need to execute a legal document (affidavit) in order to apply for a WEG issued by the Bureau of Immigration.

 

Executive Order No. 408 s.1960
(FSC No.157-2016 Sec.H)

Nationals of the countries listed below who are traveling to the Philippines for business or tourism purposes are allowed to enter the Philippines without visas for a stay not exceeding thirty (30) days, provided (1) they hold valid tickets for their return journey to port of origin or to their next port of destination, and (2) their passports are valid for a period of six (6) months beyond their contemplated period of stay in the Philippines.

  Country Name     Country Name     Country Name     Country Name
1 Andorra   41 Ecuador   81 Lithuania   121 Sao Tome and Principe
2 Angola   42 El Salvador   82 Luxembourg   122 Saudi Arabia
3 Antigua and Barbuda   43 Equatorial Guinea   83 Madagascar   123 Senegal
4 Argentina   44 Eritrea   84 Malaysia   124 Seycheles
5 Australia   45 Estonia   85 Malawi   125 Singapore
6 Austria   46 Ethiopia   86 Maldives   126 Slovak Republic
7 Bahamas   47 Fiji   87 Mali   127 Slovenia
8 Bahrain   48 Finland   88 Malta   128 Solomon Islands
9 Barbados   49 France   89 Marshall Island   129 South Africa
10 Belgium   50 Gabon   90 Mauritania   130 Spain
11 Belize   51 Gambia   91 Mauritius   131 St. Kitts & Nevis
12 Benin   52 Germany   92 Mexico   132 St. Vincent & the Grenadines
13 Bhutan   53 Ghana   93 Micronesia   133 Suriname
14 Bolivia   54 Greece   94 Monaco   134 Swaziland
15 Botswana   55 Grenada   95 Mongolia   135 Sweden
16 Brazil**   56 Guatemala   96 Morocco   136 Switzerland
17 Brunei   57 Guinea   97 Mozambique   137 Tajikistan
18 Bulgaria   58 Guinea-Bissau   98 Myanmar   138 Tanzania
19 Burkina Faso   59 Guyana   99 Namibia   139 Thailand
20 Burundi   60 Haiti   100 Nepal   140 Togo
21 Cambodia   61 Honduras   101 Netherlands   141 Trinidad and Tobago
22 Cameroon   62 Hungary   102 New Zealand   142 Tunisia
23 Canada   63 Iceland   103 Nicaragua   143 Turkey
24 Cape Verde   64 Indonesia   104 Niger   144 Turkmenistan
25 Central African Republic   65 Ireland   105 Norway   145 Tuvalu
26 Chad   66 Israel**   106 Oman   146 Uganda
27 Chile   67 Italy   107 Palau   147 United Arab Emirates
28 Colombia   68 Jamaica   108 Panama   148 United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland
29 Comoros   69 Japan   109 Papua New Guinea   149 United States of America
30 Congo   70 Kazakhstan   110 Paraguay   150 Uruguay
31 Congo, Democratic Republic   71 Kenya   111 Peru   151 Uzbekistan
32 Costa Rica   72 Kiribati   112 Poland   152 Vanuatu
33 Cote d' Ivoire   73 Korea (ROK)   113 Portugal   153 Vatican
34 Croatia   74 Kuwait   114 Qatar   154 Venezuela
35 Cyprus   75 Kyrgyzstan   115 Romania   155 Vietnam
36 Czech Republic   76 Laos   116 Russia   156 Zambia
37 Denmark   77 Latvia   117 Rwanda   157 Zimbabwe
38 Djibouti   78 Lesotho   118 Saint Lucia      
39 Dominica   79 Liberia   119 Samoa      
40 Dominican Republic   80 Liechtenstein   120 San Marino      

** Nationals of Israel and Brazil are visa-free for a period of stay not exceeding 59 days from entry, pursuant to existing bilateral agreements with the Philippines.

 

Upon arrival in the Philippines, citizens of the above-listed countries who wish to stay longer than thirty (30) days can apply for an extension of their period of stay at the nearest Bureau of Immmigration office. Alternatively, they can submit an application for a temporary visitor's visa at the Consular Section prior to their departure from Indonesia.

All other foreign travelers with passports and travel documents issued by other countries not listed above need to secure an appropriate entry visa before travelling to the Philippines.

 

Balikbayan Program

The Philippines has instituted the Balikbayan Program (through Republic Act 6768), under the administration of the Department of Tourism to attract and encourage overseas Filipinos to come and visit their country of birth.

Under this program, Balikbayans (overseas Filipinos and former Filipino citizens who had been naturalized as a citizen of a foreign country), including their spouse and unmarried children, can avail of certain benefits and privileges when they visit / return to the Philippines. The privileges include the following:

  1. Tax-free maximum purchase in the amount of One thousand United States dollars (US$1,000.00) or its equivalent in other acceptable foreign currencies at Philippine duty-free shops subject to certain limitations as specified in Section 4 of RA 6768;
  2. For foreign passport holders with the exception of certain nationals*, visa-free entry to the Philippines for a period of one (1) year;
  3. Travel tax exemption as provided under Presidential Decree No. 1183, Executive Order No. 283, and other allied laws;

To avail of the visa-free entry with an allowed period of stay of up to one year, the foreign spouse and/or child of the overseas Filipino/former Filipino must observe the following requirements:

  1. Must travel together with the Filipino or former Filipino spouse or parent;
  2. Must travel with a valid passport with a period of validity not less than six months beyond the contemplated period of stay in the Philippines;
  3. Must be able to present a return ticket to country of origin or next country of destination;
  4. Must be able to show proof of blood relation to the overseas Filipino/former Filipino spouse or parent (i.e. NSO Marriage Contract / Report of Marriage, Report of Birth / Foreign Birth Certificate with English translation, etc.) to the satisfaction of the immigration authorities at the port of entry.

The overseas Filipino/former Filipino must be able to show proof of current Philippine citizenship (i.e. valid Philippine passport) or former Philippine citizenship as applicable (i.e. NSO Birth Certificate, old Philippine passport etc.) to the satisfaction of the immigration port authorities.

 

*Important Note

  • The term “balikbayan” shall mean a Filipino citizen who has been continuously out of the Philippines for a period of at least one (1) year, a Filipino overseas worker, or a former Filipino citizen and his family, as this term is defined hereunder, who had been naturalized in a foreign country and comes or returns to the Philippines; and
  • The term “family” shall mean the spouse and the children of the balikbayan who are not balikbayans in their own right traveling with the latter to the Philippines.
  • *Family members of balikbayans as well as former Philippine citizens who acquired the citizenship of countries NOT LISTED under EO 408 are not entitled to the Balikbayan privilege. THEY MUST SECURE APPROPRIATE ENTRY VISAS PRIOR TO THEIR TRAVEL TO THE PHILIPPINES.
  • Furthermore, nationals who are subjects of deportation/blacklist orders of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration are not covered by the Balikbayan privilege.