China visa requirements for Filipino citizens

Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Manila (6th floor, Noble Square, 6762 Ayala Avenue, Makati), for the Embassy of China

Since January 2024 the Embassy of China in the Philippines no longer takes ordinary-passport visa applications directly: they go to the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Manila, on Ayala Avenue (Makati). The centre decides nothing; the embassy decides whether to issue the visa, its validity, stay and number of entries, and may ask for more documents or an interview. Since 13 October 2025 the form and documents are uploaded online at visaforchina.cn (MNL4_EN), and the applicant then goes to the centre, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 15:00 to submit (rush service before 11:30) and 9:00 to 16:00 to collect. Fees are paid in Philippine pesos; the embassy keeps its temporary reduction until 31 December 2026, and the centre charges its service fee separately. The embassy warns that, apart from this centre, it has not authorised anyone else to accept applications.

Official application site →

Hong Kong and Macao: different entry rules

Hong Kong and Macao run their own immigration control and their own list of exemptions, so a Chinese visa does not get you into either. Hong Kong's Immigration Department requires a visa or entry permit from anyone without right of abode there who wants to stay longer than their visa-free period allows. Going back to the mainland from either counts as a fresh entry into China and needs a Chinese visa again.

Source: immd.gov.hk, "Immigration Guidelines for Entry to the HKSAR"; gov.mo, servicio PS-1474 (comprobado 18/09/2026)

Authorisation system

E-Arrival Card: not a visa

Since 20 November 2025 the arrival card can be filled in online before travelling, on the National Immigration Administration (NIA) website, in its official "NIA 12367" app or in its WeChat and Alipay mini-programs. It can also be submitted by scanning the official QR code with a phone. Anyone unable to do it in advance can fill it in on arrival using the devices provided at the border checkpoint, and the paper card is still available. It is free, and the NIA warns about fraudulent websites that charge for it. On 12 July 2024 a pilot port e-visa was launched for foreigners invited by companies in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area; the inviting party applies online. According to the NIA list of unilateral visa exemptions, updated on 17 February 2026, ordinary passport holders from 50 countries can enter visa-free for up to 30 days for business, tourism, visits to relatives and friends, exchanges or transit.

Apply on the official site →

Fee

Depends on the visa type if the passport's country of origin isn't on the 30-day exemption list; specific fee not verified.

Processing time

For extension, replacement and reissuance of visas and stay permits applied for inside China, the processing period is no more than 7 working days from the date the application is accepted.

Required documents

• A valid passport or other international travel document
• A duly completed visa, stay permit or residence permit application form
• A photograph meeting the requirements in the Guidelines for Travel Documents’ Photographs
• Materials relating to the purpose of the application

Health insurance

Not mandatory for this destination.

When travel insurance is mandatory → Travel insurance policies ↓

Transit rules

China runs a visa-free transit of up to 240 hours (10 days) for nationals of a group of countries that the National Immigration Administration widens from time to time. To use it you need an ordinary passport and an onward ticket to a third country or region with a confirmed date and seat, and you must enter through one of the 65 designated ports, spread across 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. During those ten days you may travel, do business, and make visits including to family, but working, studying or reporting news still require prior approval and the matching visa. One duty that is easy to miss: if you are not staying in a hotel (which registers you itself), you or your host must register your accommodation with the police within 24 hours of arrival, in person or through the NIA's online channels. Failing to do so draws a warning and a fine of up to CNY 2,000.