August 6, 2025
MANILA – Filipinos will soon no longer pay any amount to obtain a tourist visa to travel to India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement on Tuesday, following his bilateral meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is on a five-day state visit to the South Asian nation.
Modi said India would reciprocate the Philippines’ decision in June to grant visa-free entry to Indian tourists for 14 days, by providing free visa facilities to travelers from the Philippines.
READ: Marcos arrives in India for five-day state visit
Marcos welcomed the move and thanked Modi for the initiative and extended an invitation for more Indian tourists to visit the Philippines.
“I thank Prime Minister Modi in turn for the introduction of a scheme to grant visa free of charge to Filipino tourists traveling to India,” Marcos said.
According to the Embassy of India in the Philippines, Filipino nationals need to pay P5,970 for an Indian tourist visa under current policies: P5,920 for the visa fee and P50 for banking charges.
There is still no specific date on when this new policy will take effect.
The move aims to boost tourism and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, alongside the resumption of direct flights between India and the Philippines starting October.
Nonstop flights
India’s flag carrier Air India is set to roll out its nonstop flights from Manila and Delhi starting Oct. 1, which the Philippine tourism sector anticipates to boost visitor arrivals in the country.
The Department of Tourism is looking into new foreign markets, such as India, to increase the Philippines’ tourist arrivals amid the decreasing numbers of tourists from China.
India is the 11th among the tourist markets of the Philippines. From January to August 2024, a total of 55,836 Indian tourists arrived in the country, up by 17 percent from the previous year.
“The Department of Tourism has placed strategic focus on the Indian market, recognizing its vast potential—from enhancing connectivity and visa facilitation, to promoting travel experiences for Indian tourists,” Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said.
READ: DOT targets Indian tourists to offset decline in Chinese arrivals
An implementation program for tourism cooperation between Manila and New Delhi from 2025 to 2028 was among the 13 bilateral agreements exchanged after the meeting of President Marcos and Modi.
The leaders of the two countries also announced that they leveled up their bilateral relations by entering into a “strategic partnership,” with both leaders committing to further intensify defense cooperation and strengthen trading partnerships.
As part of the delegation of President Marcos, Frasco is expected to hold a series of high-level meetings with Indian stakeholders in business, aviation, tourism, and entertainment.
She is scheduled to meet with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry to discuss strategies for increasing Indian tourist arrivals in the Philippines.
Additional meetings with hotel operators, resort developers, and travel companies aim to create strong linkages for tourism growth.