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India joins nations, territories, and special administrative regions that enjoy visa-free access to the Philippines for tourism purposes
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has announced that Indian nationals can now enter the Philippines visa-free if they’re traveling for tourism purposes.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) informs the public that the Philippines has granted visa-free privileges for Indian nationals for tourism purposes,” the foreign affairs department announced on Saturday, June 7.
Last January, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said the country is eyeing more tourists from India.
Over 5 million Indian tourists visited the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2024, according to the Department of Tourism data cited by the Philippine Star, but only nearly 79,000 visited the Philippines from the said number. The DOT data also showed that India ranked 13th in terms of the total number of foreign visitors to the Philippines in 2024.
According to the Philippine embassy in India, the two countries’ diplomatic relations started as early as 1949. Years after India gained independence, the countries signed a Treaty of Friendship on July 11, 1952, in Manila, to strengthen ties.
“Culturally, like many of the countries in the region, [the] Philippines also enjoyed civilizational links with India,” the Indian embassy in Manila said on its website.
“The presence of numerous words with Sanskrit roots in Tagalog (the local language) and objects such as the Laguna Copper Plate inscription, the oldest artifact discovered in the Philippines written in Kavi derived from Pallava script; the golden statue of Agusan Tara; and the localized version of Indian epic Ramayana (Maharadia Lawana) testify to the historical links between the two countries,” it added.
The two countries also share strong relations on areas of politics, defense and security cooperation, and even in trade and commerce.
Foreign visitors from over a hundred nations, territories, and special administrative regions are free to enter the country without visas for tourism and business purposes — usually for a stay not exceeding 30 days.
The long list of countries include United States, Canada, and members of the ASEAN.
The DFA’s list of countries with visa-free entry to the Philippines may be accessed through this link. – Rappler.com
