The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday said it had started implementing an order to stop stamping Chinese passports that bear a map of China extending its territory to include disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea.
The new procedure for stamping Philippine visas on a separate visa form will apply to holders of both old and new Chinese e-passports to avoid confusion among Filipino immigration and consular officers, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.
The Philippines would continue to process visa applications of Chinese nationals carrying e-passports (computer-chipped passports) that contained a map which included the West Philippine Sea and islands being claimed by the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday.
