PH to expand visa-upon-arrival, e-visa scope
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is ordering government agencies to offer visa-upon-arrival to Chinese, Indian, South Korean and Japanese nationals.
Marcos also asked the concerned agencies to extend e-visa.
According to a press release, Marcos issued the directive during the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Tourism Sector group meeting in Malacañang.
To capture the tourism markets of China and India, PSAC has recommended the inclusion of Indian nationals under the visa-upon-arrival program and the extension of e-visa, which is currently available only for Taiwanese citizens, to Chinese, Indian, South Korean, and Japanese nationals.
According to Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is collaborating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on the development of the technical plans with regard to e-visa.
Manalo also said that foreign nationals such as Americans, Japanese, Australian, Canadians, and Europeans could have a 14-day visa upon arrival.
Aside from e-visa, PSAC recommended the implementation of a Value-Added Tax (VAT) Refund Program for foreign tourists by 2024; the removal of One Health Pass (OHP) or requirement of one form only for health, immigration, and customs; revocation of outdated advisories and loud-speaker announcements at airports; and automatic inclusion of travel tax in all airline tickets.
