Philippine e-visa system is still in "trial operation", blind application, payment fees will not be recognized

The Philippine e-visa system was officially launched on August 24, 2023 in Manila, Philippines.

The e-visa system is still in the "trial operation" stage until further notice from the Philippine government. Please let the public know:

The e-visa system will initially be limited to a trial run by the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai.

* Only a limited number of e-visa applicants can be received daily, and applicants must be of Chinese nationality. Once the daily limit is reached, the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai reserves the control power to limit the number of daily e-visa applications.

* In view of the fact that the trial operation is the final stage of the acceptance test of the system, and in order to better guide and assist the first batch of sub-applicants, at present, the e-visa application is only submitted at the residence of the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai. This means that currently only unscheduled applicants who the Consulate General deems available can try to apply for a visa through the system.

* In addition to applying through the e-visa system, Chinese citizens can still apply for a general individual temporary visit visa or a Philippine group visit visa through an approved travel agency.

The Consulate General assured the public that the above arrangements are temporary and the e-visa system will be open to the public in the near future.

Accordingly, until the end of the limited pilot phase, the public is strongly reminded not to blindly attempt to remotely access or apply for a visa through the Philippine e-visa portal, nor to blindly transfer payment fees to the Consulate General's bank account. Blind application or payment of fees will not be recognized.

As the Philippines enters the final sprint to fully launch a stable electronic visa system, we look forward to gaining the understanding of all Chinese citizens. The eventual launch of the system will connect our two countries and allow more Chinese citizens to come to the Philippines.