Philippines Balikbayan Program: 46 African Countries That Qualify for Visa-Free Entry
- The Philippine government named African countries whose citizens can enter the country without a visa under a special programme
- Citizens of qualifying African nations can access the Philippines under the Balikbayan Program if they travel with a former Filipino national
- A total of 46 African countries made the official list, spanning every sub-region of the continent
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The Philippine government has revealed the African countries whose citizens can enter the country visa-free through a long-standing national programme designed to welcome overseas Filipinos and their companions.
Under the Balikbayan Program, established through Republic Act 6768 and later amended by Republic Act 9174, the Philippine government created a framework to encourage former Filipino nationals living abroad to visit their home country.
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Philippines Balikbayan program
Crucially, the programme also extends entry privileges to citizens of select foreign countries, provided they travel alongside a former Filipino, known as a balikbayan.
According to information published on the programme's official page:
"Citizens of countries listed below are permitted to enter the Philippines under the Balikbayan Program if travelling with the former-Filipino balikbayan. If the country of citizenship is not listed below, a valid entry visa is required."
African countries on the Balikbayan Program list
1. Angola
2. Benin
3. Botswana
4. Burkina Faso
5. Burundi
6. Cameroon
7. Cape Verde
8. Central African Republic
9. Chad
10. Comoros
11. Congo
12. Côte d’Ivoire
13. Democratic Republic of the Congo
14. Djibouti
15. Equatorial Guinea
16. Eritrea
17. Eswatini
18. Ethiopia
19. Gabon
20. Gambia
21. Ghana
22. Guinea
23. Guinea-Bissau
24. Kenya
25. Lesotho
26. Liberia
27. Madagascar
28. Malawi
29. Mali
30. Mauritania
31. Mauritius
32. Morocco
33. Mozambique
34. Namibia
35. Niger
36. Rwanda
37. Sao Tome and Principe
38. Senegal
39. Seychelles
40. South Africa
41. United Republic of Tanzania
42. Togo
43. Tunisia
44. Uganda
45. Zambia
46. Zimbabwe
Key condition for visa-free entry
While the list is extensive, qualifying African nationals do not gain automatic visa-free access on their own. Entry under the Balikbayan Program is contingent on travelling together with a former Filipino national.
Any African citizen whose country does not appear on the list above would still be required to obtain a valid entry visa before travelling to the Philippines.
US names countries eligible for ESTA
Meanwhile, Legit.ng recently reported that the United States government had released the full list of countries whose citizens are eligible to travel to America using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
The ESTA programme allows eligible nationals to travel to the US for tourism, business, or transit without applying for a traditional visa before their trip.
Source: Legit.ng
