The Philippines has opened digital nomad visas.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos recently officially signed a presidential decree authorizing the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to launch the "Digital Nomad Visa" program. This initiative allows global remote workers to enter the Philippines temporarily as non-immigrants and work remotely within the country freely, marking the first time the Philippines has established a specialized visa system for digital nomads.

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

- Be at least 18 years old

- Provide valid proof of overseas remote work

- Have no criminal record

- Possess health insurance covering the duration of stay

- Be a national of a "reciprocal country" (i.e., the country also offers similar visas to Filipinos and has diplomatic establishments in the Philippines)

- Not be employed by a local company in the Philippines

- Not pose a threat to national security

The visa will be issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs, with the implementation process being monitored by multiple departments including the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Tourism (DOT), Bureau of Immigration (BI), and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). The DFA is also required to establish a database for visa holders and ensure compliance with the Data Privacy Act.

This visa program aims to attract legal, economically capable international remote workers for short to medium-term stays in the Philippines, boosting local consumption and tourism development while not affecting the local labor market. This move also signifies the Philippines' formal entry into the global digital nomad economy competition, actively positioning alongside countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and Portugal in the remote workers' market.