The Philippines has a liberal visa policy with a long list of visa-exempt nationalities. The nationalities that require a Philippines visa must apply for it at the Philippine embassy in their country of nationality or legal residence.
An e-Visa website was introduced in 2023 for Indian and Chinese nationals. It’s now expanded to all nationalies of which most are already visa-exempt.
Visa extensions are permitted for all tourists entering on a visa-exempt or a sticker visa. Extensions on e-Visas are not permitted. Extensions can also be done online under certain circumstances.
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Philippines Visa Policy for Tourists
The Philippines has a liberal visa policy offering visa exemption to 162 nationalities. Indian nationals can get a 30-day entry and Chinese nationals a 7-day entry if holding a substitute visa, such as the US, Canada, etc.
Here is the summary of the Philippines visa types for tourists.
- Visa Exemption: 162 countries can enter VISA-FREE for 14, 30, or 59 days.
- Visa Exemption with substitute visa: India (30 days, non-extendable) and China (7 days + 14 days extendable) can enter VISA-FREE if holding a strong third-country visa.
- e-Visa: All nationalities residing in specific 45 countries are eligible to apply for e-Visa.
- Tourist Visa: 36 countries require a tourist visa from an embassy.
- Transit Visa: A transit visa is required for all visa-required nationals plus China.
Tourists traveling to the Philippines must meet the following entry requirements.
01. Passport validity: The passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the allowed period of stay in the Philippines.
If you are entering on a 30-day visa exemption, your passport must have a minimum validity of 6 months + 30 days (total of 7 months) at the time of arrival.
02. Blank pages: There is no specific blank page requirement for the Philippines. Immigration requires sufficient space for 1 entry and 1 exit stamp in your passport. The airline may require you to have at least 1 blank page in your passport.
03. Onward ticket: Airlines, especially the low-cost ones, may enforce the proof of onward ticket requirement. Immigration is not that strict when it comes to the onward ticket requirement.
04. Electronic arrival card: Philippine eTravel registration must be filled out within 72 hours (3 days) before arrival in the Philippines.
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Visa Exemption (VISA-FREE)
The following 162 countries are visa-exempt.
59-day entry
- Brazil
- Israel
30-day entry
- Andorra
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo, Dem. Rep. of
- Congo, Rep. of
- Costa Rica
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritria
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- 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
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vatican
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
14 Days
- China (starting from 16 Jan 2026)
- Hong Kong SAR
- India (starting from 08 Jun 2025)
- Macau SAR
- Taiwan
NOTE: Hong Kong British passports and Macau Portuguese passports get only 7 days visa-free.
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Visa Exemption with Substitute Visa (VISA-FREE)
Indian passport holders who hold a valid used/unused multiple-entry tourist, business, or resident visa or permanent residence permit from Australia, Canada, Japan, Schengen, Singapore, UK or the US can enter the Philippines VISA-FREE for 30 days. This is non-extendable and non-convertible to any other type of visa.
Chinese nationals who hold a valid or unexpired tourist, business, or resident visa or permanent residence permit from Australia, Canada, Japan, Schengen, or the US can enter the Philippines VISA-FREE for up to 7 days. This is extendable by 14 days up to a total of 21 days.
The visa or residence permit must be valid for the entire duration of the stay.
The day you enter is considered Day 0.
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Philippines e-Visa
The Philippines e-Visa website was introduced in August 2023 as a pilot to facilitate simpler visa application processing. It was initially intended for use by Indian and Chinese passport holders. Now, the e-Visa system is expanded to all nationalities currently residing in the following 45 countries.
e-Visa Eligibility
All nationalities residing in the following 45 countries.
- Austria
- Benin
- Brazil
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Central African Republic
- China (14 days)
- Comoros
- Congo, Dem. Rep. of,
- Congo, Rep. of
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Equatorial Guinea
- France
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Greece
- India
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Monoco
- Netherlands
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Somalia
- South Korea
- South Sudan
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Uganda
- United Arab Emirates
- United States
You can refer to the Philippines e-Visa guide to learn about the documents, fee and step-by-step instructions on how to apply for the e-Visa.
In my opinion, e-Visa sounds great on paper, but it is not really useful. Most nationalities in the above list are already visa-exempt. Visa-exemption is extendable and convertible to other visas, whereas the e-Visa is non-extendable and non-convertible. So I really don’t understand why anyone would go through the pain of applying for an e-Visa when they can just enter on visa-exemption.
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Philippines Tourist Visa (9A)
You can apply for a Philippines tourist visa only in person and only at the Philippine Embassy in your country of passport or legal residence. If there is no embassy in your country, you must apply at the embassy in the region with jurisdiction over your country. You cannot apply in any other country while traveling.
Visa required countries
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Cuba
- Egypt
- Georgia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kosovo
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- Nauru
- Nigeria
- North Korea
- North Macedonia
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Syria
- Timor-Leste
- Tonga
- Ukraine
- Yemen
Tourist visas can be either single-entry or multiple-entry. Multiple-entry visas may be granted only to foreign nationals affiliated with a Filipino citizen or if you have family in the Philippines.
Single-entry visas cost 30-40 USD, whereas multiple-entry visas cost 60-80 USD. They are valid for 3 months and allow stays of up to 30 days on each entry.
Some embassies will require you to book an appointment, while others accept walk-in applications. Some will need you to send the documents via email, some via courier, and some in person.
For more information, such as what documents to prepare and how to apply, check the Philippines Tourist Visa Guide.
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Philippines Transit Visa (9B)
All visa-required nationals transiting in the Philippines must hold a visa. You can apply for a Philippine transit visa (9B), which allows you to transit and stay in the country for up to 72 hours.
Transit visa applications must be made at your nearest embassy. The fee is about 20 USD.
You will need the following documents:
- Completed visa application FA Form No. 2-A (sample form, get an actual one from your embassy)
- Passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of intended departure from the Philippines
- One recent color photo 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm, showing a clear front view of your face, with a white background; no eyeglasses or sleeveless attire.
- Round-trip flight itinerary to the country of origin or the next country of destination
- Payment of visa fee (20 USD)
For more information, check with your nearest Philippine embassy.
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Philippines Visa Extension
Visa-Exempt nationalities: Visa Exemption or standard tourist visa (9A) can be extended for up to a total of 36 months of stay. Usually, no questions are asked, and you can continue to extend your stay every 1 or 2 months.
Visa-Required nationalities: On paper, standard tourist visa (9A) can be extended for up to 24 months. In reality, you will be asked to leave the country after 2-3 extensions unless you have a very strong reason.
Some extensions can be done online at the eServices website. For others, you have to go to the Bureau of Immigration in Manila or other provinces. Extensions cost roughly between 25 and 75 USD per month.
Extension rules depend on how long you’ve already spent inside the Philippines and become more confusing the longer you stay. For specific and detailed information, check out this Philippines visa extension guide.
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Entry and Exit Procedure at the Border
Visa-Required nationals with a valid Philippines visa will receive a passport stamp for 30 days of stay, whereas Visa-Exempt nationals will get 14, 30, or 59 days, depending on nationality.
e-Travel Registration
All arriving passengers must fill out the Philippines eTravel registration within 72 hours (3 days) before arrival in the Philippines.
Completing and submitting the registration is completely free of charge. You will be issued a QR code, which you should show when asked.
e-Gates
Currently, the e-Gates at certain airports in the Philippines can only be used by Filipino travelers.
