Planning to visit the Philippines? Indians can now apply for an e-visa, following an announcement last week by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
The rollout of the e-visa system has been in development since 2019, with collaboration between the DFA, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Initially tested in 2021, the system allowed limited access for select nationalities and visa types during its pilot phase. By 2023, plans to expand its scope were confirmed, though full activation in India experienced delays.
After beta testing in August 2023, the e-visa system became fully operational on October 28,2024 at the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi, along with consulates in Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai.
By the end of October 2024, 7,259 e-visas had been issued, according to a DFA press release.
“We welcome the announcement of the Department of Foreign Affairs on the full automation of the electronic visa system for India. This is something the administration has been working on for some time. We greatly appreciate the efforts to launch this, especially since we’re looking at India as a very robust outbound market for the Philippines,” said Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco in an interview with Philippines News Agency (PNA).
“Local destinations are prepared to host more Indian tourists,” she added.
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