Philippines reinstates visa-free travel from Hong Kong, Macau

The Philippine government has waived visas for travelers from Hong Kong and Macau who enter the country as temporary visitors for up to14 days.

The Bureau of Immigration’s Commissioner Jaime Morente said the relaxed policy is included in the latest resolution passed last Friday by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. 

Morente said the resolution revived a Philippine foreign service circular that was in effect prior to the Covid-19 pandemic wherein nationals of Hong Kong-SAR and Macau-SAR were allowed entry into the country for 14 days visa-free. Pre-pandemic, in 2019, the BI saw the arrival of more than 5,000 Hong Kong nationals, and more than 3,000 Macau nationals.

In the same resolution, the IATF-EID ruled that nationals from Israel and Brazil may now again enter the Philippines visa-free for an initial stay of 59 days.

This privilege was extended to citizens of the two countries in accordance with a reciprocal arrangement wherein Filipinos are also allowed entry into Israel and Brazil for 59 days without a visa. 

Back in February, the Philippines reopened to international travelers for the first time in almost two years, aiming to boost the economy that was hit hard by the pandemic.

Tourists from 157 countries are permitted to enter the country with no visa required, as long as they are fully vaccinated and can present a negative nucleic acid test. 

As the spread of Covid-19 continues to slow, the government is operating under a new normal. It has reopened its entertainment venues at 100% capacity, and some schools have already been allowed to hold in-person classes at 100% capacity in areas under the least restrictive alert level 1.