Balikbayan Program: Names of 157 Countries Whose Citizens Can Enter Philippines Without Visa

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  • The Philippines published the full list of 157 countries whose citizens are eligible to enter under the Balikbayan Program when travelling with a former Filipino
  • The Balikbayan Program was established under Republic Act 6768 and later amended by Republic Act 9174 to encourage overseas Filipinos to visit their home country
  • Several African nations made the list, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Ethiopia, among dozens of others across five continents

The Philippine government has published the full list of 157 countries whose nationals are eligible to enter the Philippines under the Balikbayan Program, provided they are travelling alongside a former Filipino citizen.

The programme was established through Republic Act 6768 and later amended by Republic Act 9174.

Balikbayan Program: Philippines lists 157 countries whose citizens can enter the country. Images for illustration purposes only. Photo Source: Getty Images/Ezra Acayan/Bloomberg CreativeSource: Getty Images

African countries on the Balikbayan Program list

According to the official programme description, it was "launched by the Philippine Government to attract and encourage overseas Filipinos to come and visit their motherland."

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The government has made clear that eligibility is conditional: citizens from countries not included on the list must obtain a valid entry visa before travelling.

Full list of all 157 countries

The complete list of countries whose citizens qualify under the Balikbayan Program is as follows:

1. Andorra

2. Angola

3. Antigua and Barbuda

4. Argentina

5. Australia

6. Austria

7. Bahamas

8. Bahrain

9. Barbados

10. Belgium

11. Belize

12. Benin

13. Bhutan

14. Bolivia

15. Botswana

16. Brazil

17. Brunei Darussalam

18. Bulgaria

19. Burkina Faso

20. Burundi

21. Cambodia

22. Cameroon

23. Canada

24. Cape Verde

25. Central African Republic

26. Chad

27. Chile

28. Colombia

29. Comoros

30. Congo

31. Costa Rica

32. Côte d’Ivoire

33. Croatia

34. Cyprus

35. Czech Republic

36. Democratic Republic of the Congo

37. Denmark

38. Djibouti

39. Dominica

40. Dominican Republic

41. Ecuador

42. El Salvador

43. Equatorial Guinea

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44. Eritrea

45. Estonia

46. Ethiopia

47. Fiji

48. Finland

49. France

50. Gabon

51. Gambia

52. Germany

53. Ghana

54. Greece

55. Grenada

56. Guatemala

57. Guinea

58. Guinea-Bissau

59. Guyana

60. Haiti

61. Honduras

62. Hungary

63. Iceland

64. Indonesia

65. Ireland

66. Israel

67. Italy

68. Jamaica

69. Japan

70. Kazakhstan

71. Kenya

72. Kiribati

73. Kuwait

74. Kyrgyzstan

75. Lao People’s Democratic Republic

76. Latvia

77. Lesotho

78. Liberia

79. Liechtenstein

80. Lithuania

81. Luxembourg

82. Madagascar

83. Malawi

84. Malaysia

85. Maldives

86. Mali

87. Malta

88. Marshall Islands

89. Mauritania

90. Mauritius

91. Mexico

92. Micronesia

93. Monaco

94. Mongolia

95. Morocco

96. Mozambique

97. Myanmar

98. Namibia

99. Nepal

100. Netherlands

101. New Zealand

102. Nicaragua

103. Niger

104. Norway

105. Oman

106. Palau

107. Panama

108. Papua New Guinea

109. Paraguay

110. Peru

111. Poland

112. Portugal

113. Qatar

114. Republic of Korea

115. Romania

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116. Russia

117. Rwanda

118. Saint Kitts and Nevis

119. Saint Lucia

120. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

121. Samoa

122. San Marino

123. Sao Tome and Principe

124. Saudi Arabia

125. Senegal

126. Seychelles

127. Singapore

128. Slovak Republic

129. Slovenia

130. Solomon Islands

131. South Africa

132. Spain

133. Suriname

134. Swaziland (Eswatini)

135. Sweden

136. Switzerland

137. Tajikistan

138. Thailand

139. Togo

140. Trinidad and Tobago

141. Tunisia

142. Turkey (Türkiye)

143. Turkmenistan

144. Tuvalu

145. Uganda

146. United Arab Emirates

147. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

148. United Republic of Tanzania

149. United States of America

150. Uruguay

151. Uzbekistan

152. Vanuatu

153. Vatican

154. Venezuela

155. Vietnam

156. Zambia

157. Zimbabwe

Citizens from countries not appearing on this list are required to secure a valid entry visa before entering the Philippines under any accompanying former Filipino national.

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US lists countries eligible for ESTA

Meanwhile, Legit.ng recently reported that the United States government had released the full list of countries whose citizens can 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 obtaining a traditional visa before their trip.