(UPDATES) CHINESE applying for tourist visas at Philippine foreign service posts are now required to submit their social insurance record certificates (SIRCs) for easier verification, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
The DFA said the additional visa requirement is part of its continuing efforts to "enhance its visa policies and regulations for the safe and efficient entry of foreign visitors."
DFA Undersecretary for Consular Affairs Jesus Domingo, in a press briefing in May, said this was one of the measures that the government would adopt to ensure that visas are issued to legitimate tourists.
The submission of SIRCs by Chinese visitors was aimed at helping Philippine embassies and consulates weed out undesirable aliens from entering the Philippines.
The Philippine embassy in Beijing and the Philippine consulates in Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and in Macau issue visas to Chinese visitors.
"The submitted certificate must be registered for at least six months at the time of the submission of the visa application," the DFA said.
"Exceptions to the... visa requirement will only apply to Chinese currently enrolled in primary, secondary, or college education who will be required to submit proof of enrollment; and retirees above 55 years old," it said.
The other exceptions to the requirement "will only be considered on a case-to-case basis," the Foreign Affairs department said.
Domingo said overstaying aliens, mostly Chinese whose work visas as Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) have lapsed, have reached "thousands."
He, however, failed to provide exact figures of overstaying Chinese workers in the Philippines.
"The proof of social insurance is a way to verify their identity and it's easy to check," Domingo said.
He raised the need to adopt such security measures "given the discovery of fraudulently obtained passports and visas resulting in the illicit entry and overstaying of foreigner nationals leading to peace and order and criminality problems."
"To remedy this we're looking at the best practices by other foreign embassies in China such as Japan, South Korea, the US and the UK," Domingo said.