Philippines extends 14-day visa-free entry for Taiwanese travelers

Taipei, July 1 (CNA) The Philippines has extended its 14-day visa-free entry program for Taiwan passport holders until June 30, 2027, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) said in a statement released late Tuesday.

The measure "effectively extends the same privilege granted to Taiwan passport holders last year," said MECO, the Philippines' de facto embassy in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

In an exclusive interview with CNA in February, MECO Chairperson and Resident Representative Corazon Avecilla-Padiernos said her office was looking to attract more Taiwanese tourists to the Philippines by increasing flights.

The envoy said at the time that most Taiwanese know about the Philippines' beaches but are less familiar with other parts of the country, adding that she hoped to introduce Taiwan's travelers to destinations beyond well-known spots such as Palawan.

The extension is in line with "the Philippine government's directive to observe reciprocity in the visa-free privileges granted to Philippine passport holders traveling to Taiwan," MECO said in the Tuesday statement.

The office noted that Taiwan passport holders who intend to stay in the Philippines for more than 14 days are still required to secure a visa before entry.

The Philippines began allowing Taiwan travelers to enter visa-free for up to 14 days on July 1, 2025, under a measure originally set to expire on June 30, 2026.

Taiwan has offered Philippine nationals 14-day visa-free entry since November 2017. The current arrangement is valid until July 31, 2026, and Taiwan had yet to announce whether it would extend the time period, as of press time.

According to data from the Philippine Department of Tourism, 93,727 Taiwanese nationals visited the Philippines from January to May this year, accounting for 3.42 percent of the country's foreign visitor arrivals and making Taiwan its seventh-largest source of international tourists.

The figure represented a 12 percent increase from 83,685 Taiwanese visitors recorded during the same period last year, before the 14-day visa-free entry program was introduced, the data showed.