MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has fully implemented the e-Visa system in India, allowing Indian nationals to apply for an e-Visa online.
Applicants may apply for the e-Visas remotely by visiting the official website evisa.gov.ph and paying the e-Visa fees online via direct bank transfer in a secure manner.
The DFA announced the full implementation in an advisory dated November 29, after the system’s successful soft-launch and beta testing in August 2023.
The DFA officially rolled out the e-Visa operations in the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi and all three Philippine Honorary Consulates in India (Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai) on October 28.
As of October 31, at least 7, 259 applicants were issued e-Visas.
“The applicants were able to navigate the e-Visa system with general ease and reported positive feedback for its convenience, user-friendliness, and reliability,” it said.
The DFA said enhancements to further improve user experience have since been integrated into the e-Visa system in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
The first e-Visa holder from India entered the Philippines on April 13 during the e-Visa beta testing, and passed through immigration counters smoothly.
“This milestone affirmed the full integration of the e-Visa and the e-Travel registration system in coordination with DICT and the Bureau of Immigration,” the agency said.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. issued a policy directive in January 2023, ordering government agencies to extend e-visa for Chinese and Indian nationals.
The full implementation of the Philippine e-Visa system has been announced as the next deliverable of the Philippines’ digital transformation agenda during the President’s State of the Nation Address on July 22, 2024. (PNA)