How Far Can The Philippine Passport Take You?
In this year’s passport ranking by henleypassportindex.com, Japan is hailed as the most powerful passport, while our neighboring nation Singapore is now in second place.
The long time number 1 passport which is Germany is now trailing behind Singapore on the third spot with South Korea also reigning on the same rank.
Meanwhile, the rest of the top 10 countries in the list includes the following in correct order: Italy and Finland at the 4th spot; Spain, Luxembourg, and Denmark on the 5th; Sweden and France on the 6th; Switzerland, Netherland, Ireland, Austria and Portugal on the 7th; The USA, UK, Norway, Greece, and Belgium on the 8th; New Zealand, Malta, Czech Republic, Canada, and Australia on the 9th; Slovakia, Lithuania, and Hungary on the 10th.
The Philippines passport may be far down the list, however, it has seen a slight improvement from the previous years in terms of visa-free score. Also, on a more localized scope, the Philippines’ passport ranked 6th out of 10 among all the ASEAN nations.
Visa-on arrival
What many Filipinos don’t know is that, just like any other visa-free countries, nations that issue “Visa on arrival” visa generally do not go through the tremendous background check process. Instead, upon your arrival in the destination country, immigration officers will simply issue you with a visa provided that you are able to present the basic tourist requirements such as pocket money, hotel booking, return flight, and of course payment for the visa. The chances of getting ‘rejected’ are extremely low.
In many instances, the only reason why these countries issue visas upon arrival is money – they charge you for the visa but do basically nothing in return.
New visa-free destination
Taiwan has officially become a visa-free destination for Philippine passport holders after it temporarily offered the privilege to Filipinos in November 2017 and further extended it a year after.
Filipinos can enter Taiwan for 14 days for business and leisure purposes. This visa-free initiative is part of Taiwan’s goodwill and its “New Southbound Policy” to build a people-to-people exchange of visits and an economic community between the Philippines and Taiwan.
List of Visa-free countries for Filipinos in 2020
How far can you go? Take your pick, here’s a quick rundown of the countries where a Philippine passport could easily take you!
- Brunei Darussalam – 14 Days
- Cambodia – 21 Days –
- Indonesia – 30 Days
- Laos – 30 Days
- Kazakhstan – 30 days
- Malaysia – 30 Days
- Myanmar – 14 Days
- Singapore – 30 Days
- Thailand – 30 Days
- Vietnam – 21 Days
- Hong Kong – 14 Days
- Taiwan – 14days
- Israel – 90 Days
- Macau – 30 Days
- Mongolia – 21 Days
- Gambia – 30 days
- Haiti
- Morocco – 90 Days
- Rwanda – 90 days
- Costa Rica – 30 Days
- Cote D’Ivoire ( Ivory coast) – 30 days
- Bolivia – 90 Days
- Brazil – 90 Days
- Colombia – 90 Days
- Ecuador – 90 Days
- Peru – 183 Days
- Suriname – 90 Days
- Fiji – 120 Days
- Micronesia – 30 Days
- Niue – 30 Days
- Vanuatu – 30 Days
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – 30 days
- Palestinian Territories
- Turks and Caicos Islands – 21 days
- Cook Islands – 31 days
- Barbados – 90 days
- Armenia – 120 Days
- Kyrgyzstan – 30 Days
- Maldives – 30 Days, (Hotel bookings and Return flight are a MUST)
- Nepal – 21 Days
- Iran – 15 Days (must arrive in specific airports)
- Guinea-Bissau – 90 Days
- Kenya – 90 Days
- Madagascar – 30 Days
- Mauritania – ONLY available on Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport.
- Mauritius
- Mozambique – 30 Days
- Cape Verde Islands – 21 Days
- Comores Island – 21 Days
- Palau
- Dominica
- Tanzania – 30 days
- Togo – 7 Days, MUST have yellow fever vaccination
- Uganda – 90 Days (at Entebbe Airport)
- Nicaragua – 90 days,
- Marshall Islands – 90 Days
- Papua New Guinea – 60 days
- Samoa – 60 days
- Malawi
- Tuvalu – 30 days
- Saint Lucia – 30 days
- Timor-Leste (East Timor) – 30 Days (issued at the Dili Airport and Seaport)
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Seychelles – 3 months
- Senegal – 90 days
- Tajikistan
- Sri Lanka – 30 days
- Djibouti – 30 Days
- Russia – through St Petersburg and Kaliningrad Oblast. You can check our eVisa guide to St. Petersburg, Russia for more in-depth information.
eVisas only require minimum documents and a small fee (Russia doesn’t even require a fee). They’re considerably cheaper and easier to get than a visa that you secure through the nation’s consulate.
Despite not being a top-ranking passport, 67 visa-free destinations are still more than enough to satisfy anyone’s wish for an out of the country adventure. All it takes is the desire to see the world beyond and the guts to be lost in an unfamiliar city.
Do you have a need to renew your passport but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you’re looking to apply for a new passport? We can simplify the process for you with our complete guide to applying for a Philippine passport.
This article was first published in 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.
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