Philippine passport with map

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!

Visa-free

  1. Brunei Darussalam – 14 Days
  2. Cambodia – 21 Days –
  3. Indonesia – 30 Days
  4. Laos – 30 Days
  5. Kazakhstan – 30 days
  6. Malaysia – 30 Days
  7. Myanmar – 14 Days
  8. Singapore – 30 Days
  9. Thailand  – 30 Days
  10. Vietnam – 21 Days
  11. Hong Kong – 14 Days
  12. Taiwan – 14days
  13. Israel – 90 Days
  14. Macau – 30 Days
  15. Mongolia – 21 Days
  16. Gambia – 30 days
  17. Haiti
  18. Morocco – 90 Days
  19. Rwanda – 90 days
  20. Costa Rica – 30 Days
  21. Cote D’Ivoire ( Ivory coast) – 30 days
  22. Bolivia – 90 Days
  23. Brazil – 90 Days
  24. Colombia – 90 Days
  25. Ecuador – 90 Days
  26. Peru – 183 Days
  27. Suriname – 90 Days
  28. Fiji – 120 Days
  29. Micronesia – 30 Days
  30. Niue – 30 Days
  31. Vanuatu – 30 Days
  32. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – 30 days
  33. Palestinian Territories
  34. Turks and Caicos Islands – 21 days
  35. Cook Islands – 31 days
  36. Barbados – 90 days

Visa on arrival

  1. Armenia – 120 Days
  2. Kyrgyzstan – 30 Days
  3. Maldives – 30 Days, (Hotel bookings and Return flight are a MUST)
  4. Nepal – 21 Days
  5. Iran – 15 Days (must arrive in specific airports)
  6. Guinea-Bissau – 90 Days
  7. Kenya – 90 Days
  8. Madagascar – 30 Days
  9. Mauritania – ONLY available on Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport.
  10. Mauritius
  11. Mozambique – 30 Days
  12. Cape Verde Islands – 21 Days
  13. Comores Island – 21 Days
  14. Palau
  15. Dominica
  16. Tanzania – 30 days
  17. Togo – 7 Days, MUST have yellow fever vaccination
  18. Uganda – 90 Days (at Entebbe Airport)
  19. Nicaragua – 90 days,
  20. Marshall Islands – 90 Days
  21. Papua New Guinea – 60 days
  22. Samoa – 60 days
  23. Malawi
  24. Tuvalu – 30 days
  25. Saint Lucia – 30 days
  26. Timor-Leste (East Timor) – 30 Days (issued at the Dili Airport and Seaport)
  27. Trinidad and Tobago
  28. Seychelles – 3 months
  29. Senegal – 90 days

eVisa

  • 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.

image from twomonkeystravelgroup.com

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