Chinese tourists' visa-free Philippines entry faces review; travel rules unchanged

The Philippines will review its recently introduced visa-free entry scheme for Chinese citizens to see whether it is being exploited to revive illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) activity, the Presidential Palace said. No changes to the scheme have been announced yet, and no date has been given for the outcome of the review.

Key facts

• Who is reviewing it: the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), at the request of the Presidential Palace
• Who is affected: Chinese citizens using the visa-free entry arrangement
• Stay length: the arrangement allows 14 days of visa-free entry
• Current entry points: Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Mactan-Cebu International Airport
• Background: 101 foreign nationals were slated for deportation after raids on suspected illegal POGO sites, 82 of them Chinese citizens who entered visa-free

What is being investigated?

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro raised concerns with the DFA about issues arising from the visa-free entry arrangement for Chinese nationals. She said the department would look into whether the policy is producing adverse consequences, in particular whether it is being used to facilitate criminal activity in the Philippines.

The announcement followed a series of raids on suspected illegal POGO hubs. Those operations led to 101 foreign nationals being slated for deportation, including 82 Chinese citizens who had entered the Philippines under the visa-free arrangement.

Why is this happening?

POGO was originally intended to establish the Philippines as a hub for licensed offshore gaming, but the sector was widely exploited as a front for illegal activity. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. banned the POGO industry effective from January 2027 after a sharp increase in crimes including human trafficking, kidnappings and scams.

What about expanding the visa-free scheme?

The review comes while other officials have been calling for the visa-free programme to grow rather than shrink. Policymakers have considered extending the current 14-day visa-free arrangement for Chinese travellers beyond Manila and Cebu, allowing direct flights to more airports across the Philippines.

Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said last month that she hoped to widen the programme beyond its existing gateways at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Mactan-Cebu International Airport, proposing additional entry points such as the Clark Freeport Zone. She cited a significant increase in arrivals from China in 2026.

The Department of Tourism hopes broader visa-free access will help the country reach its target of 6.4 million to 6.8 million international visitors in 2026. The Philippines welcomed 4.42 million visitors in the first eight months of 2026, a slight rise on the same period a year earlier. China was the fourth-largest source market over that period, with more than 300,000 arrivals, or about 7% of all visitors.

What this means for travellers

Chinese passport holders can currently still enter the Philippines visa-free for 14 days through Manila and Cebu; nothing in the announcement changes that immediately. Travellers planning to use the arrangement should keep track of the DFA's findings and confirm the rules in force before booking.

The DFA has not said when its investigation will conclude, and no decision to suspend, restrict or expand the visa-free arrangement has been made public. Any next steps are expected to follow the department's review.