PH grants 14-day visa-free entry to Chinese tourists

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora, Philippine News Agency

WELCOME TO THE PHILIPPINES. Chinese tourists arrive in Kalibo, Aklan on April 18, 2023, marking the first chartered flight from China since the market reopened to international travel on Jan. 8. The Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday (Jan. 15, 2025) said Chinese travelers are allowed to enter the country visa-free for 14 days starting Jan. 16. (Photo: PNA)

MANILA – Chinese nationals planning to visit the Philippines for tourism and business purposes are allowed to enter the country visa-free for 14 days, starting Jan. 16, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Thursday.

The program allows for a non-extendable 14-day stay, which is non-convertible to any other type of Philippine visa category.

The visa-free privilege, DFA added, is valid only for those entering the Philippines through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in Cebu, and is effective for one year.

”[E]ffective 16 January 2026, Chinese nationals may enter the Philippines without the requirement of obtaining a visa for a stay of up to fourteen days,” the agency said in a statement.

“This is in line with the President’s directive to facilitate trade, investments, and tourism, as well as strengthen people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and China,” it added.

Chinese nationals availing of the visa-free program need only to present a passport valid for at least six months beyond the contemplated stay, confirmed hotel accommodation/booking, and a return or onward ticket to the next country of destination upon arrival.

The DFA said checks on derogatory records of travelers will continue to apply to “ensure that security and public order are maintained while facilitating the entry of legitimate travelers.”

China ranks sixth in the country’s overall inbound arrivals as of Dec. 20, 2025 with 262,144, lagging behind South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia and Canada.

Before the pandemic, Chinese nationals were the Philippines’ second largest source of foreign visitors, with 1.7 million, trailing only South Korea in 2019.