The Philippines requires travelers to register for an eTravel card within 72 hours before departure.
After registering at etravel.gov.ph, take a screenshot or download your personal QR code.
What are the entry requirements for tourists to the Philippines?
The Philippines' visa policy is governed by Commonwealth Act No. 63, also known as the Philippine Immigration Act. This law is enforced by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration.
The Philippines has two categories of visas:
- Non-immigrant visas to the Philippines: these Philippines visas can be obtained for temporary visitation for tourism, transit, business, study or work.
- Immigrant visas to the Philippines: these visas to the Philippines are for foreign nationals who want to become permanent residents of the country.
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Do I need a tourist visa for the Philippines?
Whether a person needs a visitor visa to the Philippines or not depends primarily on their citizenship.
Here is a list of countries whose citizens are allowed to enter the Philippines without a visa for stays of thirty (30) days or less. Visa waiver travelers must have a passport valid for at least six months beyond their intended period of stay.
Visitors from Taiwan are required to obtain an electronic travel authorization (eTA) for the Philippines. An eTA can be easily obtained by filling out an online form with the applicant's personal information and passport details.
Online visa for the Philippines
An electronic travel authorization for the Philippines (Philippines eTA) is available for Taiwanese nationals.
The eTA (also known as Philippine Online Visa or Philippine e-Visa, although this is not the official name) can be easily obtained by filling out an online form.
The eTA Philippines (electronic online visa for the Philippines) is available to those who have a passport with a validity period of six months longer than the intended period of stay in the Philippines.
The application process takes only a few minutes and the only documents required are
- a completed application form in all its parts
- digital copies of a passport that meets the requirements
- debit or credit card to pay the application fee
Once the e-visa for the Philippines is approved, it should be printed in A4 format to be presented upon arrival.
The traveler must present the Philippines e-Visa and a valid Taiwan passport to immigration officials at the port of entry. An e-visa to the Philippines does not guarantee automatic entry into the country. Philippine immigration officials may still deny admission if they find that the traveler is in violation of Philippine immigration laws or visitor regulations.
A tourist visa or 9(a) visa for the Philippines is issued after proper consideration of the visa application.
The Philippines visitor visa (another way of referring to a tourist permit) is an entry requirement for citizens of a number of countries. A tourist visa holder can come to the Philippines and present their documents at any port of entry. However, the issued visa does not guarantee that the holder will be automatically admitted to the country. The final decision rests with the immigration officers at the border.
As defined by the Philippine government, a "foreign tourist" is a person who arrives in the Philippines for a legitimate non-immigrant purpose such as sightseeing, sports, health, family visitation, education or short-term study (excluding enrollment in a Philippine school for a title or degree), religious pilgrimage, business, cultural and scientific activities.
Requirements for the standard procedure for obtaining a tourist visa
Foreigners who need a tourist visa for the Philippines must apply in person at an embassy or consulate. In the case of a minor, the application may be submitted by a parent or guardian.
A minor, except for an infant in arms, must also be interviewed at a Philippine mission together with the person who filed the application on his/her behalf.
Below are the minimum requirements for applying for a temporary visitor visa of the Philippines:
- A passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the intended period of stay in the Philippines
- Duly completed visa application forms
- Passport photos (2 pcs.)
- Confirmation of bona fide tourist or businessman status
- Confirmed return or direct flight tickets to the next port of destination
- Payment of visa fees
- Hotel or other accommodation reservation
- Cash or debit or credit card
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Visa requirements for traveling to the Philippines
As mentioned earlier, foreign visitors (including those who can enter without a visa) must have a valid passport with a validity period of 6 months beyond the expected stay in the country.
All foreign travelers arriving in the Philippines must go through immigration control and submit the necessary documents. It is necessary to answer all questions honestly and directly.
As mentioned above, tourists from a number of countries do not need to obtain a tourist visa, while others must apply in person at the nearest embassy or consulate.
Microchip for pets
Your dog or cat must be microchipped with an ISO 11784/11785 microchip, which consists of 15 digits and is not encrypted.
Vaccination
Your dog or cat must have a rabies certificate that will show a current rabies vaccination given between 30 days and 12 months before entry into the Philippines. Your dog should also be vaccinated against distemper, infectious hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, adenovirus type 2, and your cat should be vaccinated against herpes, calicivirus, panleukopenia, and feline leukemia.
Import permit
You must obtain a sanitary and phytosanitary import permit from the Bureau of Animal Industry before your pet arrives. This permit is valid for 3 pets and 2 months. The permit application must be submitted online or in person. All dogs and cats import permits require an application, a proforma invoice (for cargo only), and any other permits (such as CITES or local permits). If you are a Filipino importing a pet, you must also submit a notarized declaration of the undertaking. If you are a foreign animal owner or agent importing an animal into the Philippines, you will need to submit an Undertaking for Foreign Importer form. In any case, it is necessary to provide all information about the health and identification of the animal.
Rabies test
The Philippines does not require rabies titration (RNATT) for pets imported from any country.
Veterinary certificate
Within 30 days of entering the country, the Philippine Veterinary Certificate must be completed by a licensed veterinarian in your country and certified by the USDA or CFIA if you are entering the Philippines from the US or Canada. If you are coming to the Philippines from another country, your veterinarian can advise you on the approval process.
The health certificate and import permit must be presented to the quarantine officer on duty upon arrival at the Manila airport; a fee is charged for issuing a permit.
Internal and external parasites
Treatment for ticks and tapeworms must be done within 48 hours of entering the Philippines. Cats are not treated for tapeworms.
Entering the Philippines by air
Pets can arrive in the Philippines in the cabin of an aircraft or as checked baggage or air cargo at the international airport in Manila or Cebu City. A thirty-day home quarantine is required. If you import more than 5 animals, a housing inspection is required. All domestic dogs and cats must be free of signs of human-transmissible disease when inspected at the port of entry into the Philippines. If your dog or cat is clearly unwell, further examination by a licensed veterinarian may be required at your expense.
Puppies and kittens
In the Philippines, puppies, and kittens are required to be 4 months old and vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days before entering the country.
Export of domestic animals living in the Philippines
A veterinary health certificate approved by the National Veterinary Quarantine Service (NVQS) must be provided before an export permit can be issued. Your pet can be examined at this facility or a health certificate can be issued by a private veterinarian.
The certificate can be issued by a private veterinarian no earlier than 3 days after the NVQS visit. Puppies and kittens must be at least 3 1/2 - 4 months old before exportation. They must be vaccinated against rabies at least 14 days before export or according to the regulations of the country of destination. Dogs must have proof of vaccination against distemper, hepaabovespirosis, and parvovirus; and cats should be vaccinated against feline panleukopenia.
All necessary permits and certificates for the importing country must be provided. For domestic transportation, your dog or cat must be at least 3 1/2 months old if vaccinated against rabies at 91 days of age. When applying for a permit, you will need a certificate of vaccination against rabies in the period from 14 days to 12 months from the moment of transportation.
Other animals
For transportation of other pets, a written request must be submitted containing the following information: species and breed of animal, sex, age and number of animals, expected date of arrival, country of origin, address, phone, email address and contact details of the importer. The letter must be submitted in person to the Animal Health Division. CITES certificate/permit (if applicable) must be submitted. If you import more than 5 animals, it is necessary to inspect the premises for home quarantine.
CITES
Unless your animal is a dog, cat, or ferret, and especially if it is a turtle or parrot, you should make sure that it is not under the protection of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). In this case, you need to apply for additional permission, if this is the case. More than 180 countries participate in and enforce CITES rules.
Driving with a foreign license in the Philippines
If you are a tourist with a valid driver's license from your home country, you will have no difficulty getting a driver's license here. The Philippines has an international agreement with most Western countries, including the United States, that allows its residents to legally drive in that country for 90 days after arrival, as long as the licenses are still valid.
A foreign driver must have a driver's license written in English or an International Driver's Permit (IDP) to drive in the Philippines. If a foreign driver does not have an IDP or their driver's license is written in a language other than English, they can obtain an official translation from the consulate/embassy.
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) handles the registration and issuance of driver's licenses. This is an agency of the Philippine government under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) responsible for all land transportation in the country. Its main functions include registering vehicles, issuing licenses and permits, enforcing laws, solving traffic cases, etc.
Obtaining a driver's license in the Philippines
You may only be allowed to exchange your foreign driver's license for a Philippine driver's license after you have been here for more than 90 days. You can apply through the LTO main office along East Avenue in Quezon City. The classification you must apply for is a non-professional driver's license if you do not drive for a living.
Several necessary documents need to be prepared.First of all, this is the original and a photocopy of your valid driver's license. The original and photocopy of the visa and stamp or Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) are also required along with your valid passport. Your medical certificate and a negative drug test result from a Department of Health (DOH)-accredited hospital and LTO-accredited drug testing centers are also required. If you are employed, your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) will be required for processing.
Another important thing to remember is that the license is not convertible if the country that issued it does not have an embassy here in the Philippines.
If your foreign driver's license has already expired or you are applying as a new driver, you will need to pass the written and practical tests at the LTO. The cost of these tests is quite low (around 1500 pesos) and getting a driver's license in the Philippines can be quite inexpensive compared to getting such a license in other countries.
- The Philippines requires everyone to drive on the right side of the road, and all vehicles must have a left-hand drive. Unlike most countries where both left- and right-hand drive cars are allowed, as long as drivers follow the road they are supposed to drive on, right-hand drive cars are not allowed to drive here.
- The Anti-Distracted Driving Act (ADDA) or Republic Act No. 10913. It is a law in the Philippines that prohibits distracted driving by prohibiting the use of cell phones and other electronic devices and punishes drCitys who do so while driving on a public highway with a 5,000 Philippine peso fine for the first-time offense.
- Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013 or Republic Act No. 10586
- The Seat Belt Use Act of 1999 or Republic Act No. 8750
- The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority or EDSA yellow lane policy is one of the traffic rules in the Philippines that drivers must strictly follow and understand. Road markings in the Philippines are yellow or white, single or double, continuous or dashed. A yellow line is defined as a marking to separate lanes of traffic moving in opposite directions.
- Many private drivers tend to stay in that particular lane longer than necessary, which disrupts public transport, causing traffic congestion. There are three yellow lane dividers: 1, 2, and 3. According to the policy, private and public vehicles must move within the 3rd lane. If they are caught driving on yellow lines that are prohibited, they will be detained.
Speed limit
- Open country roads with no “blind corners,” not closely bordered by habitation: 80 kph for cars and smaller vehicles; 50 kph for trucks, busses, and bigger vehicles
- Through streets or boulevards, clear of traffic: 40 kph for cars and smaller vehicles; 30 kph for trucks, busses, and bigger vehicles
- City and municipal roads with light traffic: 30 kph for cars and smaller vehicles; 30 kph for trucks, busses, and bigger vehicles
- Crowded streets approaching intersections at blind corners, school zones, passing stationary cars, or other dangerous circumstances: 20 kph for cars and smaller vehicles; 20 kph for trucks, busses, and bigger vehicles
Philippines