MANILA, Philippines – If you have relatives or friends from 151 countries including the United States, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates, here’s good news for them.

To boost tourism, the Philippine government on Monday, July 29, said it will lengthen the visa-free stay of foreigners from 151 countries that enjoy the visa-free privilege.

Starting Thursday, August 1, nationals from these 151 countries can stay in the Philippines for up to 30 days instead of only 21 days previously, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The DFA said this move targets foreigners “who plan to engage in tourism activities or explore the Philippines as an investment destination.”

“This move will hopefully encourage more tourists and investors to visit and stay in the Philippines by removing the need for them to report to immigration offices for a stay of up to a month. It will also give them more flexibility in planning and managing their schedules,” said DFA’s assistant secretary for the Office of Consular Affairs, Jaime Victor Ledda.

What to bring

To avail of the visa-free privilege, the DFA said qualified foreigners only need to present two things: 

• A national passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the contemplated stay; and
• An onward ticket

The DFA noted that the 59-day visa-free entry still applies to Brazil and Israel, in line with these countries’ bilateral agreements with the Philippines.

On its website, the DFA lists the following countries that enjoy the visa-free privilege:

• Andorra
• Angola
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Bahrain
• Barbados
• Belgium
• Benin
• Bhutan
• Bolivia
• Botswana
• Brazil*
• Brunei Darussalam
• Bulgaria
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Canada
• Cape Verde
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Chile
• Colombia
• Comoros
• Congo
• Costa Rica
• Cote d’Ivoire
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Denmark
• Djibouti
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Estonia
• Ethiopia
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Germany
• Ghana
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Guinea Bissau
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Honduras
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Israel*
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• Kuwait
• Lao People’s Democratic Republic
• Latvia
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Mali
• Malta
• Marshall Islands
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Micronesia
• Monaco
• Mongolia
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Myanmar
• Namibia
• Nepal
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Norway
• Oman
• Palau
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
• Qatar
• Republic of Korea
• Romania
• Russia
• Rwanda
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Seychelles
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Suriname
• Swaziland
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• Togo
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Tuvalu
• Uganda
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• United Republic of Tanzania
• United States of America
• Uruguay
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

– Rappler.com