According to softwareleverage, Philippines (Filipino: Pilipina) is a country in Asia consisting of about 7000 islands. The two largest islands are: Luzon and Mindanao. A number of other large and well-known islands are: Samar, Negros, Palawan, Panay and Mindoro. The capital of the Philippines is Manila, located on the island of Luzon. A number of major cities in the Philippines are: Quezon city, Caloocan, Davao City, Cebu City and Zamboanga City.
The Philippines is known for its beautiful beaches, green rice fields and nature. There are several National Parks where caves, rainforests and volcanoes can be found. In addition, it is one of the best diving destinations in the world. The water is clear and you can dive to coral reefs, wrecks and caves. Many fish species live in this underwater world, such as: reef sharks, clownfish, batfish and razorfish. In addition, divers often come for the wide variety of nudibranchs. The Philippines has always been known for its many natural disasters. The population is regularly confronted with earthquakes, typhoons and volcanic eruptions. In recent years, the Philippines has been the setting for the well-known TV series Expedition Robinson. See shoefrantics for thousands of islands in the Philippines.
Where are the Philippines?
Travel information of Philippines
Official name: Republic of the Philippines
Continent: Asia
Area: 300,000 km²
Capital: Manila (Manila)
Country code: PH, PHL
Population: 109,035,343 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Republic
Highest point: 2,954 m (Mount Apo)
Distance (Amsterdam – Manila): 10,404 km
Flight time: approximately 11 hours and 30 minutes
Travel advice
Current status: All travel to certain areas in the Philippines is discouraged.
Current color code: Yellow and red. Due to this status, a partial negative travel advice
is in effect for the Philippines.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), there may be (temporary) measures in place in the Philippines that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs in the Philippines, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
On our travel offer page you will find an overview of reliable travel organizations that offer complete trips and holidays to the Philippines. In addition, you will find an overview of separate travel components (car rental, hotels and airline tickets) with which you can compose your ideal trip yourself.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, hiking map, cycling map, book or DVD about the Philippines?
Excursions, activities and day trips
With the help of Countryaah you can reserve an excursion, activity, tour, entrance ticket and/or day trip for your stay in the Philippines at a discount. This way you are assured of a place, in some cases you can skip the queue and you can already plan your travel program.
Weather and climate
The Philippines has a tropical climate. The temperature on almost all islands is between 25 and 35 degrees. In the higher areas the temperatures are between 15 and 20 degrees.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for the Philippines can be found on our extensive weather page.
Detailed information about the climate of the Philippines can be found at Climate info.
Best time
January, February, March, April, May and December are the best months to travel to the Philippines. This will avoid the rainy and typhoon season.
Language
Filipino (Tagalog) is the official language in the Philippines. In the tourist areas, English is the most spoken language. In addition, there are approximately 172 indigenous languages and dialects in the Philippines.
Do you want to translate from or to Filipino (Tagalog) for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months upon arrival in the Philippines.
A visa is not necessary if you stay in the Philippines for less than 30 days.
When departing from the Philippines, you must pay a departure tax of 750 Philippine pesos per person at most airports.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in the Philippines: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands: thehaguepe.dfa.gov.ph.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
Before visiting the Philippines, it is advisable to get one or more vaccinations.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).
Malaria
Malaria occurs in the Philippines (with the exception of Cebu, Davao, Manila, Quezon and Zamboanga). Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by malaria mosquitoes. This infectious disease can lead to death if not treated in time and/or incorrectly.
For prevention and control of malaria, please visit our malaria page.
Money and Currency
In the Philippines, payment is made with the Philippine peso (PHP).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs in the Philippines can be found on our ATMs page. These ATMs only accept Dutch bank cards with a Cirrus logo.
Price level
Prices in the Philippines are much lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -52% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (75% cheaper), food (39% cheaper), imported beer in catering (54% cheaper), cigarettes (82% cheaper) and public transport (94% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
In the Philippines it is customary to tip, especially in tourist areas. It is enough to leave the change coins as a tip. Any service charges on the bill almost never end up with the serving staff.
Time difference
During our summer time it is 6 hours later in the Philippines.
During our winter time it is 7 hours later in the Philippines.
The Philippines has no difference between winter time and summer time.
The local time, date and time zone of the Philippines can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
In the Philippines you have to drive on the right.
To drive and/or rent a motor vehicle in the Philippines, you must have an international driver’s license or a legalized English translation of the Dutch driver’s license. The international driver’s license is available at an ANWB shop.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within the Philippines.
Electricity
In the Philippines you need a travel plug.
More information about common plugs and sockets in the Philippines can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 117
– Fire: 117
– Ambulance: 117
With a mobile phone, you can also use the international numbers 112 and 911.
Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap.
If you are unable to buy bottled water, use a water purifier to purify the water or boil the water for 5 minutes. After this you can safely use it as drinking water and for things like brushing teeth, cleaning lenses and washing vegetables and / or fruit. More information about drinking water and/or the purchase of water purification products can be found on our drinking water page.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to the Philippines can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from the Philippines can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from the Philippines end in.ph.
Official websites of the Philippines: gov.ph and tourism.gov.ph.
Telephony
The country code (international prefix) to call someone in the Philippines is 0063 or +63.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from the Philippines? Then use the Dutch country code 0031 or +31.
(If using a country code, omit the leading 0 of the number to be called.)
Phone numbers can be found in the Philippines Telephone Directory.
Company details can be found in the Yellow Pages of the Philippines.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos from the Philippines.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from the Philippines.
Public holidays
An overview of all public holidays in the Philippines can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations in the Philippines, supplemented with photos, videos and places of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about the Philippines?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited the Philippines. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in the Philippines can be found on Protected Planet.
An overview of the world heritage sites in the Philippines can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to the Philippines? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol and money, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. In addition, on this website you will find the laws and regulations regarding the importation of pets and a list of everything that may not be imported and/or exported to the Philippines.
Entrepreneurship and doing business
If you intend to do business in or do business with the Philippines, it is wise to prepare well. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency can help you with this. On PaulSourcing.com you will find a large amount of information about the Philippines, including: opportunities, import and export regulations, trade figures, do’s and don’ts, business partners and subsidies.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant laws and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to the Philippines.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking from the age of 18.
– Alcohol and traffic: The maximum permitted alcohol content is 0.5.
– Tobacco: Buying and/or smoking from the age of 18.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Allowed
– Clothing: Wearing camouflage clothing is prohibited.
Did you know that…
…Only 35% of the Philippine landscape is flat?
…An average of 8 typhoons rage across the Philippines every year?
…The Philippines has a custom flag for wars?
…350 million text messages are sent every day in the Philippines?
…Karaoke was invented in the Philippines?
…Basketball is national sport number 1 in the Philippines?
