THE Department of Foreign Affairs has chosen China as the site of its soft launch of the e-visa systems for visitors to the country.
DFA Undersecretary Jesus Domingo yesterday said the country’s seven foreign service posts, including the embassy in Beijing, will soft-launch the e-visa system starting August 24.
He said the department chose China as the pilot country for the program because it is a big source of tourists and it could pave the way for the entry of more Chinese visitors.
“The e-visa system is part of the DFA’s strategic goal of optimizing information and communications technology for its consular services and is in line with the President’s emphasis to embrace digitalization in the government’s transaction in his second State of the Nation Address last Monday,” Domingo said, adding the issuance of the e-visas will also support the thrust of the Department of Tourism to boost tourist arrivals in the country.
Under the setup, Chinese tourists who wish to visit the Philippines may either visit the website visa.e.gov.ph or download an app.
They will be asked to provide personal and travel details, answer security questions and upload the required documents.
Domingo said they can also choose between single entry and multiple entry visas for tourism, business, or other purposes in visiting the country.
They will be asked to pay $25 for a single-entry visa and $60 for multiple-entry visas.
He said processing for single-entry visas may take only from three to seven days but that those who want to avail of multiple-entry visas will need to wait for as much as 30 days since such documents will require security clearance from the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, the Bureau of Immigration and other law enforcement agencies.
Domingo said the DFA will also offer the e-visa system to other countries.
Government records showed 1.74 million Chinese nationals visited the country in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
The resulting travel restrictions due to the pandemic heavily affected the tourism industry.
