Philippines grants Taiwan visa-free entry starting July

Taipei, June 19 (CNA) The Philippine government on Thursday announced it is granting Taiwan passport holders visa-free entry starting in July, a decision Taipei welcomed saying that doing so could further boost two-way exchanges.

The Manila Economic and Cultural Office, the de facto Philippines embassy in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties, made the announcement in a press statement.

The announcement, titled "Revised Entry Requirements for Taiwan Passport Holders," says that starting July 1, Taiwan passport holders can enter the Philippines "for tourism purposes without a visa for a non-extendible and non-convertible period of 14 days."

Taiwan passport holders planning to visit the Philippines for more than two weeks or other purposes, still need to apply for a visa, it added.

Further details are available at the following website https://www.meco.org.tw/news/detail/1160.

In response, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said it welcomed the decision.

In its press statement, MOFA said the visa-free announcement targeting Taiwanese came less than a week after Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) announced on June 13 that Taipei would extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year starting Aug. 1.

Manila's decision to reciprocate visa-free entry is expected to further enhance already strong bilateral exchanges in economics, trade, investment and tourism, MOFA added.

The decision was the results of years-long efforts by both governments, it said.

Meanwhile, MOFA reminded Taiwanese travelers to the Philippines to follow local laws and exercise caution while in the Southeast Asian country. In case of an emergency, nationals can call the Taiwan representative office's emergency hotline at +63-917-819-4597 or ask their family in Taiwan to call MOFA's 24/7 toll-free emergency hotline at 0800-085-095.