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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
August 6, 2025 | 7:00am
Philippine and Indian flags set up side by side at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on August 5, 2025.
Jean Mangaluz / Philstar.com
NEW DELHI, India — Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, August 5 announced that electronic visas for Filipino tourists visiting India will now be free.
The development follows a bilateral meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is in New Delhi for his first state visit to India.
“We welcome the Philippines' decision to grant visa-free entry to Indian tourists. India has also decided to provide free e-visa facility to tourists from the Philippines. This year, work will also be done to start direct flights between Delhi and Manila,” Modi said in Hindi, according to a Google Translate interpretation.
Direct flights resume. Marcos thanked Modi for the e-visa facility and welcomed the resumption of direct flights between India and the Philippines, set to begin in October.
“For over a millennium, civilizational, cultural and people-to-people ties have bridge our geographic distance. They will continue to be the enduring foundation of our friendship,” Marcos said.
13 deals forged. India and the Philippines also announced the elevation of their relationship to a “strategic partnership,” a designation that signifies enhanced cooperation and diplomatic weight.
The move opens the door to deeper collaboration in various sectors.
Modi and Marcos oversaw the signing of 13 agreements between the two countries during the Philippine leader’s visit.
