DFA to soft-launch PH e-Visa in China
THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will soft-launch the Philippine e-Visa system in Philippine Foreign Service Posts in China on August 24, 2023, an effort that is expected to boost Chinese tourist arrivals.
This is part of ongoing efforts to further improve consular services.
The Philippine e-Visa will allow foreign nationals entering the country for tourism or business to apply for temporary visitors’ visas remotely through their personal computers, laptops, and mobile devices.
The e-Visa system is being developed in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) since December 2022.
This project is part of the DFA’s strategic goal of optimizing ICT for its consular services, and is affirmed by the policy directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to reinvigorate the tourism industry on 26 January 2023.
On July 11, 2023, the DFA conducted a pilot testing of the prototype e-Visa system with DICT representatives and Consuls General, Visa Officers, and Visa Assistants of Philippine Foreign Service Posts in China.
The features of the e-Visa system are currently being refined and enhanced based on the results of the pilot testing.
The e-Visa system is one of the deliverables of the DFA and DICT in their Memorandum of Understanding on collaboration on a well-coordinated and synchronized ICT system for consular services signed on April 17, 2023 at the DFA headquarters.
The e-Visa marks the transition of the DFA’s primordial mandate of issuing Philippine visas for foreign nationals entering the country in a secure digital environment. The service is expected to contribute to the Philippine government’s thrust to promote tourism and business mobility.
