BRUSSELS - The Philippine Embassy in Brussels began implementing the Philippine e-Visa system for eligible applicants in Belgium and Luxembourg on July 20.

The embassy announced the start date beforehand through its official Facebook page. Applicants covered by the Brussels mission can now lodge temporary-visitor visa applications through the Philippine e-Visa portal, rather than relying on a process that ended with a physical visa sticker inside the passport.

The service covers eligible foreign nationals in Belgium and Luxembourg seeking temporary entry for purposes including tourism and business. 

Belgian and Luxembourg passport holders remain entitled to visa-free entry for stays of up to 30 days, subject to the usual passport and onward-travel conditions. Travellers planning longer temporary stays must secure the appropriate visa before departure. 

The Brussels start follows several European launches during July. The Philippines opened the system to eligible applicants in Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands on July 8, according to a Philippine News Agency report. The Philippine Embassy in Berlin followed with its Germany rollout on July 14. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs first launched the e-Visa platform for beta testing with Chinese travellers in Shanghai in August 2023. China operations were later expanded across several cities in November 2025 before the system’s latest push into Europe. 

The expansion comes as international travel to the Philippines continues to rise. The Bureau of Immigration recorded 15,608,868 passenger arrivals in 2025, including 6,704,007 foreign nationals, an increase of almost six percent from the previous year.