page_title: Tourism in the Philippines
section_title: Visa policy
hierarchical_section_title: Tourism in the Philippines / Visa policy
context_page_description: Tourism is an important sector for Philippine economy. In 2019, the travel and tourism industry contributed 12.7% to the country's GDP. Philippines is an archipelagic country composed of 7,641 islands with 82 provinces divided in 17 regions. The country is known for having its rich biodiversity as its main tourist attraction. Its beaches, heritage towns and monuments, mountains, rainforests, islands and diving spots are among the country's most popular tourist destinations. The country's rich historical and cultural heritage, including its festivals and indigenous traditions, are also one of the attractions of Philippines. Popular destinations among tourists are Cebu, Boracay, Palawan, Siargao, and many more. However, despite these large potential, the tourist industry of the Philippines has lagged behind its Southeast Asian fellows like Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, due to political and social problems.
  As of 2015, 4.99 million Filipinos have been employed in the tourism sector and the government collected P227.62 billion pesos from foreign tourists, almost 25% of which came from Boracay.
context_section_description: The visa policy of the Philippines is governed by Commonwealth Act No. 613, also known as the Philippine Immigration Act, and by subsequent legislation amending it. The Act is jointly enforced by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
  Generally, foreign nationals who wish to enter the Philippines require a visa unless:
  He/she is a citizen of a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
  He/she is a citizen of a non-ASEAN member state whose nationals are allowed to enter the Philippines visa-free
  He/she is a balikbayan and is only returning to the Philippines temporarily
  Most foreign nationals are visa-free for 14 days, 30 days, or 59 days. Of more than 200 countries and territories, 39 need visas to enter the Philippines.
caption: Department of Tourism (Philippines) logo.