GOVPH

Philippines welcomes first e-visa travelers

Historic first PH e-Visas issued at Shanghai Consulate General

SHANGHAI – A 38-year-old Chinese mother and her three-year-old daughter made history by becoming the very first foreigners to enter the Philippines using the country’s newly minted e-Visa.

Flying out on a China Eastern Airlines red-eye from Pudong Airport in Shanghai, the mother-daughter duo was sent off by a team from the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai – the first and currently only Philippine foreign service mission issuing e-Visas.

Bidding them farewell were Consul John Francis S. Herrera, Attaché Julie Cris L. Dominguez, Attaché Jennifer M. Ranches, and DOT-Shanghai Administrative Officer Ghienel S. Gustilo.

The two arrived at NAIA Terminal 1 at 5:12 A.M., where they cleared immigration smoothly using their e-Visas. Warmly welcoming them were DFA officials led by Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Henry S. Bensurto, Jr., and BI Commissioner Norman G. Tansingco.

Another Chinese national, a male passenger also flying out of Shanghai via Cebu Pacific Air, became the Philippines’ third e-Visa arrival, clearing immigration at NAIA Terminal 3 later in the same hour.

Co-developed by DFA and the DICT, the Philippine e-Visa was soft launched by DFA Secretary Enrique A. Manalo on 24 August in Manila. The following day, the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai commenced limited trials of e-Visa processing and opened to the first group of e-Visa applicants. The first three e-Visa arrivals all hailed from this batch.

The e-Visa allows foreign nationals to lodge their visa applications and supporting documents online. Holders will no longer need a visa sticker on their passports, and need only to present a digital (mobile) image or print-out of their e-Visa. The e-Visa is already fully integrated with and verifiable using the Philippines e-Travel registration system.

“The e-Visa stands to be gamechanger in the Philippines’ effort to lure in more Chinese travelers and in the ability of Philippine consular offices in China to ramp up visa issuance”, said Philippine Consul General in Shanghai Josel F. Ignacio. “Our Consulate General in Shanghai is privileged to be part of this historic milestone in the digitization of visa services”.

While currently only available in Shanghai, the e-Visa is set for an eventual full and expanded launch at Philippine missions across China, at a date to be announced in due course by the Department of Foreign Affairs. END

Press Release - Chinese Version

ADVISORY: On the Soft Launch of the Philippine E-Visa in Shanghai

The Philippine e-Visa System was formally launched on 24 August 2023 in Manila, Philippines.

The e-Visa system is still in the “soft launch” phase, and until otherwise announced by the Philippine Government:

• The e-Visa system will initially be limited exclusively to the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai.

• Only a controlled number of e-Visa applicants, who must be Chinese nationals, shall initially be accommodated per day. The Consulate General in Shanghai reserves the right to limit the number of daily e-Visa applicants based on its capacity.

• As the soft launch is part of the final phase of the system’s beta-testing, and to better guide and assist the first batches of applicants, e-Visa applications can for now only be exclusively undertaken within the premises of the Consulate General in Shanghai. This means that currently, only walk-in applicants as may be accommodated by the Consulate General may try to apply via the system.

• Outside of the e-Visa system, Chinese nationals continue to have the option to apply for a regular individual temporary visitor's visa; or to apply with an accredited travel agency to be part of a Philippine tour group visa.

The Consulate General assures the public that these arrangements are temporary, and that the e-Visa System will be open to the general Chinese public at a not so distant date.

Correspondingly, until the completion of the limited soft launch phase, the general public is strongly cautioned against attempting to access or apply remotely over the Philippine e-Visa portal, or transferring any bank payments to the Consulate General’s bank account. Such applications or payments made will not be recognized.

We request the kind understanding of all Chinese nationals, as the Philippines undertakes the final phase leading to the full launch of a robust Philippine e-Visa System, one that will bridge our two nations and allow Chinese nationals in far larger numbers to visit the Philippines.

通知: 菲律宾电子签证（上海领区）试运行

菲律宾电子签证系统已于2023年08月24日在菲律宾马尼拉正式上线。

电子签证系统目前仍在“试运行”阶段，直至菲律宾政府另行通知，请公众周知：

• 电子签证系统初期将仅限于菲律宾驻上海总领事馆试运行。

• 每日仅能接待有限的电子签证申请人数，申请人需为中国籍。一旦达到每日限额，菲律宾驻上海总领事馆保留限制每日电子签证申请人数的控制权力。

• 鉴于试运行是系统的验收测试最后阶段，且为了更好地指导并协助首批次申请人，目前，电子签证申请仅限于在菲律宾驻上海总领事馆官邸内注册提交。这意味着目前只有总领馆认为可以接待的未经预约的申请人可以尝试通过系统申请签证。

• 除了通过电子签证系统申请外，中国公民仍可申请普通个人临时访问签证，或通过认可的旅行社申请菲律宾团队旅游签证。

总领事馆向公众保证，上述安排都是临时性举措，电子签证系统将于不远的将来面向公众开放。

相应地，直至有限的试运行阶段结束为止，强烈提醒公众切勿盲目地试图通过菲律宾电子签证门户网站远程访问或申请签证，也切勿向总领事馆的银行账号盲目转账支付费用。盲目申请或支付费用将不予承认。

在菲律宾进入全面启动稳定的电子签证系统的最后冲刺阶段，我们期盼取得所有中国公民的理解。该系统的最终启用将连接我们两国，让更多的中国公民前来菲律宾。

PH Country Team receives first-aid training on National Disability Prevention Week

SHANGHAI – Personnel and family members of the Philippine country team in Shanghai received instruction on the fundamentals of First Aid from medical practitioners affiliated with Shanghai Ren’ai Hospital-International Medical Center (SRIMC) on 21 July.

The training was organized in pursuit of the Consulate General’s Gender and Development (GAD) and Personnel Wellness objectives. It was also in commemoration of National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week, observed by the Philippines every third week of July, culminating every 23 July – the birthdate of paralytic revolutionary and statesman Apolinario Mabini (1864-1903).

Conducting the training was surgeon and physician Dr. Khelu Shrestha, assisted by nurse Ellen Su Lin and interpreter Hou Shili.

The session covered lectures on the key principles of First Aid and the proper conduct of techniques such as cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, the Heimlich maneuver and the administration of initial care for fractures, wounds and burns.

These were complementation by demonstrations and simulations that saw the enthusiastic participation of staff.

Within the context of disability prevention, the WHO recognizes First Aid as key to identifying and caring for impairments -- any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function -- that could lead to disability.

Consul General Josel F. Ignacio keynoted the activity, and at its conclusion, presented Certificates of Appreciation to the resource persons. SRIMC, in turn, turned over a donation consisting of a wheelchair and some medical supplies for the Consulate General’s use.

The PCG regularly conducts GAD and wellness trainings and activities for its personnel. In 2021, PCG personnel attended a Lecture-Workshop on Traditional Chinese Medicine (or TCM) for Neck and Low Back Pain to promote occupational wellness. In 2022 and early 2023, introductory Yoga sessions were held in cooperation with certified practitioners.

The Philippine country team in Shanghai consists of the Philippine Consulate General and its attached agencies, the Philippine Trade and Investment Center and the Philippine Department of Tourism Office. END