VFS Global reports that visa application volumes from the Philippines rose by eight percent year on year in 2025.
The increase is attributed to renewed traveller confidence in exploring global destinations which, for Filipinos, includes Australia, Canada, Germany, Greece, Japan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and the UK.
According to VFS Global’s regional head in North Asia Atul Lall: “This healthy rise in visa applications from the Philippines last year indicates that travellers' confidence has been restored and people are exploring their favourite global destinations again. We are confident that this positive travel momentum will sustain in 2026 as well. We urge applicants planning to travel overseas from the Philippines to apply for their visas in advance to avoid the last-minute rush.”
Personalised services help spur on numbers
Strong demand for personalised services, designed to enhance convenience for visa applicants, continued to be a defining trend in 2025 visa application patterns.
Visa At Your Doorstep (VAYD), a service that empowers applicants to complete their entire visa application submission process from the comfort of their homes or any other location of their choice, registered a significant 62 percent year-on-year increase in 2025.
Similarly, the demand for Premium Lounge, an optional service which provides end-to-end personalised assistance with visa application submission from the comfort of a lounge, is rising with the rise in application volumes.
Another service named Prime Time, which allows visa application submission outside of working hours and even on weekends, has seen a healthy adoption since the pandemic.
Lall remarked: “We continue to see a healthy adoption of personalised services such as VAYD and Premium Lounge by discerning travellers post the pandemic due to health considerations. These services enhance the overall visa application experience for applicants by avoiding the need for them to stand in a queue. We foresee higher demand for such premium services prioritising safe travel this year as well.”
