QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is set to launch the Philippine e-Visa system in Philippine Foreign Service Posts in China on 24 August 2023.

In a statement, the DFA said, the e-Visa system launch is pursuant to the policy directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to facilitate the ease in doing business and reinvigorate the country's tourism industry.

The DFA said the project is being developed in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). The issuance of e-Visas aims to support the thrust of the Department of Tourism (DOT) in augmenting tourism arrivals.

The DFA announced the date of the e-Visa soft launching in a press briefing on 26 July 2023 in Pasay City, which was led by Undersecretary Jesus S. Domingo and Assistant Secretary Henry S. Bensurto, Jr. of the DFA, DOT OIC-Assistant Secretary Warner Andrada, and DICT Bureau Director June Vincent Manuel Gaudan.

A demonstration of an e-Visa application was conducted at the press briefing  to provide a glimpse of the system's progress and its convenient features.

The Philippine e-Visa will allow foreign nationals entering the country for tourism or business to apply for temporary visitors' visas remotely through their personal computers, laptops, and mobile devices.

This project is part of the DFA's strategic goal of optimizing ICT for its consular services, and is aligned with the President's emphasis to embrace digitalization in government transactions in his State of the Nation Address on 24 July 2023.

The DFA and DICT have been closely coordinating on the development of the e-Visa system since December 2022. It is one of the deliverables of the DFA and DICT in their Memorandum of Understanding on collaboration on a well-coordinated and synchronized ICT system for consular services.

The e-Visa marks the transition of the DFA's primordial mandate of issuing Philippine visas for foreign nationals entering the country in a secure digital environment. The efficient and user-friendly e-Visa service is expected to contribute to the Philippine government's thrust to promote tourism and business mobility. (dfa/pia-ncr)