Philippines Lists 46 African Countries Eligible for Visa-Free Entry Under Balikbayan Programme

• The Philippine government published the names of African countries whose citizens can enter the country without a visa under the Balikbayan Program
• The Balikbayan Program was established through Republic Act 6768 and later amended by Republic Act 9174 to encourage former Filipinos living abroad to return home
• African citizens on the list must meet a key travel condition to qualify for visa-free entry into the Philippines

The Philippine government has officially named 46 African countries whose citizens may enter the Philippines without a visa, under a longstanding national initiative known as the Balikbayan Program.

The programme, created through Republic Act 6768 and later amended by Republic Act 9174, was originally designed to encourage former Filipino nationals living abroad to return home.

However, it also extends entry privileges to citizens of certain foreign nations, provided they travel alongside a returning former Filipino, referred to as a balikbayan.

African countries on Philippines' Balikbayan programme list

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The 46 African countries included in the programme are:

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

According to information published on the programme's official page, citizens from countries not appearing on this list are still required to obtain a valid entry visa before travelling to the Philippines.

Key condition for Philippines' visa-free entry

While the list covers a broad range of African nations, qualifying nationals do not gain automatic visa-free access independently.

The programme states: "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."

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In other words, an eligible African passport holder must be in the physical company of a former Filipino national to benefit from this arrangement. Travelling alone, even if your country appears on the list, does not confer visa-free status under the programme.

African citizens whose countries do not feature on the list must go through the standard visa application process before their visit.

Source: YEN.com.gh