Asia's leading beach destination to resume e-visa for Chinese visitors

By Hoang Vu October 17, 2025 | 03:00 pm PT

Passengers queue at airline counters in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, Jan. 2, 2023. Photo by Reuters

The Philippine government is set to resume its e-visa program for Chinese nationals next month after nearly two years of suspension.

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing, along with consulates in Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Xiamen, will soon begin issuing e-visas to qualified applicants, Inquirer news site reported.

The embassy stated it will soon provide more details about the system, including relevant websites and procedures for submitting the required documents, Philippine News Agency reported.

The e-visa system allows visa applications to be made online, streamlining the process for those visiting the Philippines for a non-extendible period of 14 days.

The Philippines began issuing e-visas to Chinese tourists in August 2023 but suspended the program a few months later to curb the influx of illegal online gaming workers into the country.

Before the Covid pandemic, China was the Philippines' second-largest source market, with 1.7 million visitors in 2019, just behind South Korea with 1.9 million.

In 2024, only 300,000 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines.

The Philippines was named "Asia's Leading Beach Destination" at the 2025 World Travel Awards, the second consecutive year.