The Philippines government said on Thursday that Chinese nationals will be allowed to enter and stay in the country without a visa for up to 14 days starting today (Friday, January 16).
“Chinese nationals travelling to the Philippines strictly for tourism or business purposes may avail of the new visa-free entry privilege,” said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in a statement.
The 14-day visa-waiver programme will apply only to those entering via either Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila, or Mactan-Cebu International Airport on the island of Cebu (pictured).
The move “allows for a non-extendable 14-day stay, which is not convertible to any other type of Philippine visa category,” the DFA added.
“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,” the department stated.
The body said the initiative was also “in line” with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “directive to facilitate trade, investments, and tourism, as well as strengthen people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and China”.
“The visa-free entry arrangement will be in effect for one year and will be reviewed accordingly before it expires,” the DFA added.
The announcement follows the relaunch in November of the electronic visa (e-Visa) programme for Chinese nationals, as part of a push to attract more Chinese visitors to the Philippines.
The Philippines recorded nearly 4.77 million foreign-tourist arrivals in the first 11 months of 2025, down 3.0 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the nation’s Department of Tourism.
China provided about 248,339 visitors in the January to November period, representing 5.2 percent of all arrivals. The tally was down 16.6 percent from a year ago.
China becomes the latest country granted visa-free entry privileges by the Philippines. In June, the government said Indian nationals were from June 8 being allowed to enter the country for tourism purposes for up to 30 days without a visa.
The number of Indian visitors to the Philippines was up 17.1 percent year-on-year in the first 11 months of 2025, to 85,885, showed official data.
