The Philippines is set to launch an e-Visa system for foreign travellers in the third quarter of 2023, according to an announcement by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday.

During a press conference, Foreign Affairs Under-Secretary Jesus Domingo stated that the e-Visa system will enable foreign nationals to apply for Philippine visas online. This digital solution aims to simplify and expedite the visa application process, providing greater efficiency and convenience for those visiting the Philippines for leisure and business purposes.

The DFA is currently collaborating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology to develop the Philippine e-Visa system.

Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz, speaking at the same press conference, expressed optimism that this initiative would attract more Chinese tourists and students to the Philippines. While domestic travel in China has seen a rebound, international travel from China has yet to fully recover.

Although the number of Chinese tourists visiting the Philippines has not reached pre-pandemic levels, the DFA highlighted the continued demand for visas from Chinese travellers. The foreign service posts in China have been operating beyond their capacity to process and issue visas to accommodate this demand.

Before the pandemic, China ranked as the second country with the highest number of visitors to the Philippines in 2019, surpassing 1.7 million visitors, with South Korea being the top-ranking country.

The introduction of the e-Visa system is expected to streamline the visa application process, attract more visitors to the Philippines, and facilitate the recovery of the tourism sector.