(From left to right): DFA Assistant Secretary Bensurto, Undersecretary Domingo, DOT Asec. Warner Andrada, and DICT Government Digital Transformation Bureau Director June Vincent Gaudan during a press conference on the e-Visa soft launch at the DFA in Pasay on Wednesday (July 26, 2023). (PNA photo by Joyce Rocamora)
MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will pilot the Philippines’ first-ever electronic Visa (e-Visa) system, starting with China next month.
The Philippine e-Visa will allow foreign nationals entering the country for tourism or business to apply for temporary visitors’ visas online.
“The e-Visa system is part of the DFA’s strategic goal of optimizing its consular services and is aligned with the President's emphasis to embrace digitalization in government's transactions in his State of the Nation Address last Monday,” said DFA Undersecretary Jesus Domingo in a press conference on Wednesday.
Chinese nationals may access the Philippine e-Visa website via https://visa.e.gov.ph, which will be operational on Aug. 24.
DFA Assistant Secretary Henry Bensurto Jr. said applicants can already fill up the application form at the portal, pay for the visa fee, submit via courier or personal appearance their printed and signed form along with their original documents, and wait for their e-Visa to be sent to their email.
An applicant, however, may still be required to undergo a face-to-face interview by the visa officer at the discretion of the embassy or consulate.
“If everything is clear, and NICA (National Intelligence Coordinating Agency) clears, then the visa officer from the consulate now has the discretion to require or not require an interview,” he said.
“If the visa officer is of the view that there are certain points that need to be clarified or there are certain questions that need to be amplified, then a visa interview can actually be required by the consular officer. And they will be given a date and time where they have to see the visa officer,” he added.
With this additional visa application platform, the DFA is optimistic its foreign service posts would be able to process more visas in China.
Prior to the pandemic, the Philippine Embassy and Consulates in China processed an average of 250 to 300 visas a day.
Since the beginning of the year, Bensurto said over 48,000 Philippine visas have so far been processed from the country.
The Department of Tourism targets to bring back pre-pandemic figures that placed China as the Philippines' second top tourist market in 2019, when over 1.7 million Chinese nationals visited the country.
From January 2023 up to the present, the Philippines has only recorded over 130,000 Chinese visitors.
The DFA plans to fully implement the e-Visa system by the end of 2023 once the pilot is complete to cover other visa-required nationals, including Indians.
Indian nationals at present may only be granted a visa-free entry for a stay of 14 up to 21 days provided they have valid or unexpired Japanese, Australian, Canadian, Schengen, Singapore, United Kingdom, or United States visa or permanent residence permit. (PNA)
