New Delhi: In a notable development, entrepreneur Tarina Sardana made history as the inaugural Indian holder of an e-Visa to embark on a journey to the Philippines, as announced by the Philippines embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday.
According to the embassy, Sardana smoothly navigated the check-in and immigration processes at Indira Gandhi International Airport with the aid of her e-Visa, arriving in Manila later that very day.
Present to witness this pioneering use of the e-Visa were Vice Consul Mark Anthony P. Dizon, Jose Elpidio B. Espinosa Jr., Rogelio B. Silva, Jr., and Rina Isabel P. De Chavez, the embassy noted.
“The application of the new Philippine e-Visa was seamless,” Sardana expressed with satisfaction after successfully completing pre-departure procedures at the airport. The beta test and the subsequent triumphant utilization of the e-Visa by an Indian traveler represent a significant advance in Philippine consular services and the enhancement of ties between the Philippines and India.
The anticipated broad implementation of the e-Visa framework is expected to stimulate a greater influx of Indian tourists and business endeavors into the Philippines. Sources disclosed that the Philippine Embassy in Delhi has initiated the beta testing phase of the Philippine e-Visa System for Indian nationals. This system is a collaborative effort of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
As a precursor to full deployment, the current beta phase aims to appraise the system’s functionality and user experience. Observations and conclusions are then relayed to the DFA and DICT for further system refinement.
What is the e-Visa beta test?
The e-Visa beta test provides authentic and legitimate 9(a) temporary visitor visas for travel to the Philippines. Presently, applications must be processed and assessed on-site. Consequently, applicants for the e-Visa beta test must schedule appointments to visit the embassy and access the system.
Since April 5, the Consular Section of the embassy has already facilitated several Indian e-Visa applicants, seizing the opportunity to gather feedback on both the client experience and system performance. By and large, Indian applicants described their application experience as favorable, according to the embassy.
