Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 12) — Citizens of Hong Kong and Macau are now allowed to enter and stay in the Philippines visa-free for two weeks, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has announced.
Citing a resolution issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the policy was a revival of a Philippine foreign service circular that was in effect prior to the pandemic.
Before the virus reached the Philippines, BI said over 5,000 Hong Kong nationals and 3,000 Macau nationals entered the country in 2019.
Based on the latest resolution, foreigners wanting to visit the Philippines visa-free should have completed their COVID-19 vaccination, except only for minors below 12 years of age traveling with their fully vaccinated parents.
They should also present a negative RT-PCR test result taken within 48 hours, or a negative antigen test taken within 24 hours prior to their departure from the country of origin.
The government is also requiring foreign nationals to secure travel insurance for COVID-19 treatment costs with a minimum coverage of $35,000.
Nationals from Israel and Brazil can also enter the Philippines as temporary visitors. They can stay in the country for 59 days without a visa.
“Said 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,” the BI said.
The BI said the Philippines accepted almost 25,000 Israelis and around 13,000 Brazilians in 2019.
Almost two years into the global health crisis, the Philippines reopened its borders to foreign tourists in early February as the Omicron surge subsided.
