IMMIGRATION chief Norman Tansingco poses with the mother-daughter tourist from China, the first holders of Philippine electronic visa.
BI WELCOMES FIRST E-VISA HOLDER
THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday welcomed the first holder of the Philippine electronic visa (e-visa).
It can be recalled that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) launched last month an e-visa system that allows foreign tourists to apply for their temporary visitors’ visa online.
The e-visa system is an initiative of the national government to attract more foreign visitors to the country post-pandemic.
The DFA earlier announced that the soft launch of the system was conducted in Shanghai, China.
The first e-visa holder was a mother-daughter tandem who arrived on board a China Eastern flight from Shanghai, China.
The BI said the DFA had a series of meetings with the bureau who ensured that the e-visa is integrated in the BI’s e-travel system, as part of the BI’s efforts to streamline its procedures and expedite the process through less paper-based documents.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco and DFA Office of the Consular Affairs (OCA) Assistant Secretary Henry Bensurto Jr. personally welcomed the arrival of the first e-visa holder.
Also in attendance were DFA Deputy Assistant Secretary Christian de Jesus, Director Leilani Feliciano, and Assistant Director Antonio Emmanuel Miranda together with officials of the BI.
The BI said that they are expecting an increase in the number of passengers during the ‘ber’ months, following the re-opening of the country’s borders and the massive promotional campaigns of the Department of Tourism.
