Visa suspension won’t affect foreigners already in PH: DFA

On Thursday, the department temporarily suspended visa issuance and visa-free privilege for foreigners in all of its foreign service posts amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. (File Photo By Patrick Roque, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

MANILA – The country’s suspension of visa issuance does not affect foreigners already in the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) clarified on Friday.

“This temporary suspension has no impact on foreign nationals that are already in the country or on holders of visas issued by other government agencies,” the DFA said in a statement.

On Thursday, the department temporarily suspended visa issuance and visa-free privilege for foreigners in all of its foreign service posts amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

In an advisory following Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s announcement, the DFA clarified that the visa issuance abroad is effective immediately while the visa-free privileges including “those based on visa waiver agreements, those under Executive Order 408, s. 1960, and for holders of Hong Kong and Macau SAR passports, Macau-Portuguese passports, and British National Overseas passports”, would be temporarily suspended beginning March 22.

All previously issued visas are also deemed canceled and holders of visas issued by embassies and consulates, such as tourists, will not be allowed entry into the country starting March 22.

Meanwhile, exempted from the suspension are foreign spouses and children of Filipino nationals, as well as holders of visas previously issued to accredited foreign government and international organization officials and their dependents.