Consular section to open in the Philippines

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the news? The Polish Embassy in Manila is opening a consular section for citizens of the Philippines.

What does the news mean? The availability of consular services in Manila will make the visa application process easier and faster for Filipinos.

Implementation time frame: April 1, 2020.

• Visas/permits affected: All visas for Filipino citizens.
• Who is affected: Filipino citizens and their employers.
• Business impact: Employers will see a reduction in costs and delays when applying for visas for Filipino workers.
• Next steps: The Consular Section of the Polish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur will continue to handle all National Visa-related matters for citizens of the Philippines until March 31, 2020, as the consulate in Manila is not yet fully operational.

Background: Until now, applicants from the Philippines have faced difficulties obtaining Polish visas, especially long-term National Visas, since they could not apply for them in the Philippines and had to book an appointment and travel to Malaysia in order to obtain a visa for work. Those seeking to obtain a short-term Schengen visa had to submit their application at the Netherlands Embassy, which currently represents Poland in the Philippines.

Analysis & Comments: The new consular section is good news for Polish employers, as Filipino citizens will now be able to apply for work-related visas in the Philippines, saving the time and money that applying for such visas in Malaysia has entailed. Further, the new consular section in Manila should ease the workload of the consular section of the Polish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, which will likely speed up visa processing for other foreign nationals.

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