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Here you will find Information regarding
Last updated 14th November 2009 Updated with latest fees and current countries allowed to enter without a visa. Also corrected all outdated information and links |
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My friend, Perry Gamsby, has spent nearly 20 years experiencing the Philippines. He has been involved in several businesses including a bar on Malapscua island and the family piggery, been involved with property purchases, lived in the city and in the boondocks, worked plotting sites of interest for Philippines EZ maps, worked for an advertising company and has appeared in promotional videos. Perry is an expert in the Filipino martial art, ARNIS, and has taken part in competitions in the Philippines. He has experienced the schooling system, medical system, transport system and life in general throughout the Philippines. Perry has been in out of love many times but is now happily married to a beautiful Filipina and has several children. I have visited Perry when he was living in the boondocks. I have visited Perry when he was living in the city, where he conned me into helping paint a new boat he was building. In 2005, Perry and I got together to make a video about dealing with traffic in Cebu City. It is called DEFENSIVE DRIVING and is on page 2 of my videos. Perry has written 6 books about the Philippines. If you would like to benefit from his vast knowledge, click on the book links above. A full description of each book will be available after you click. |
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PERMANENT VISA INFORMATION For basic information about the Quota visa, Student visa, Special Investor's resident visa, Immigrant visas and others, click on this link: |
VISITOR VISA 9(a)
Before you arrive in the Philippines, you can arrange a 59 day visa from your nearest Philippines embassy or consulate.
This site lists some of the websites for Philippines embassies and consulates: Philippine Embassies : Department of Foreign Affairs However, I have noticed the information for some embassies is not always up to date. So, if you can't open an embassy website, use Google to seek for the latest information.
Before expiry of your 59 day visa, you can arrange to have it extended. Extensions are for two months at a time and you can extend your stay until you have been in the Philippines for for 2 years. In reality, this is only 1 year and 4 months. You can have up to 1 year and 4 months approved at any regional office. To have the last 8 months approved, you need to seek special permission to extend your visa through Manila. 2 good reasons I have heard of so far for the extra 8 months being approved are; too ill to travel and about to have a 13a visa approved.
When you read through any Philippines Embassy website, you will see the tourist visa offered in 3, 6 and 12 months. That does not mean you can arrange, in advance, to stay in the Philippines for 3, 6 or 12 months, as a tourist.
The 3 month visa means you have 3 months, from date of issue, to arrive in the Philippines. Once in the Philippines, you can only stay 59 days and if you want to stay longer, you have to arrange an extension.
The 6 month and 12 month visas are multiple entry visas. That is, you can come and go as many times as you like, within the 6 or 12 month period but you can still only stay 59 days at a time, unless you arrange an extension.
If you don't arrange a visa in advance, usually, you will be given a stamp in your passport, called a visa waiver, upon arrival in the Philippines, which allows you to stay 21 days. See guidelines below for people who qualify for 21 day visa waiver stamp.
If you need to stay longer than 21 days, you can arrange a Visa waiver extension. The initial extension is for 38 days and takes you up to 59 days, which is the length of the visa you could have obtained in advance. After the 38 day extension, extensions are arranged 2 months at a time. As previously stated, you can generally arrange extensions until you have been in the Philippines 16 months.
The earliest you can arrange a visa extension is one month before expiry. That means you can arrange the initial 38 day extension on the same day you arrive in the Philippines. It also means you can arrange extensions at a time convenient to you and should easily be able to avoid the late fee which is P500 per month plus an additional P510 in the first month.
It was previously possible to pay your extensions at the airport before departure but immigration officers at the airports have now been told not to accept any money and are directing overstayers to go to the nearest office of the Bureau of Immigration. So, If your plane is leaving within a few hours, expect to miss your plane.
You can arrange visa extensions in person at your nearest Bureau of Immigration (BI). Check this website for your nearest office Bureau of Immigration - BI support offices If that link isn't working, try the home page
For males, usually you have to make sure you are wearing long pants and shoes, otherwise you may not be admitted. However this can be a hit and miss thing. Some people have reported that they were admitted wearing shorts and others say they have been denied at the same office. Safer to just go in long pants in the first place.
Although it is supposed to be your choice, it seems that all BI offices charge P500 express fee whether or not you require express.
If you do not want to attend the BI in person, extensions can be arranged through many travel agencies at an additional cost . In Cebu City, the cost is about P500. In other parts of the Philippines, especially if there is no local Bureau of Immigration, the agent cost will be higher.
If you stay in the Philippines longer than 6 months, as a tourist, you will need permission to leave in the form of an Emigration Clearance Certificate. To obtain the Emigration Clearance Certificate, you have to attend the Bureau of Immigration in person. You are not supposed to be able to use an agent. However, some foreigners have claimed to have had their Emigration Clearance Certificate arranged with an agent.
To arrange the Emigration Clearance Certificate, you have to complete an application to leave the Philippines, pay a fee, provide 3 2″x2″ passport style photographs, provide your passport and give impressions of your left and right thumbs. (I believe the fee is now P1,010. The forms can be obtained from the BI. and can be completed while you are there. The Emigration Clearance Certificate can be arranged up to one month before you leave. Not all BI. offices will handle Emigration Clearance Certificates. For example, previously, a friend of mine attended the BI. in Tacloban and was told he had to arrange the Emigration Clearance Certificate in Cebu.
You can read more about arranging an Emigration Clearance Certificate in my blog, HERE -----------------------
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CHAN ROBLE LAW FIRM LINKS
Usually, a foreigner married to a former Filipino citizen, is allowed to enter the Philippines, without a visa and stay for up to a year. The foreigner and their Filipino spouse have to arrive in the Philippines together and just in case, they should have their marriage certificate with them to prove that they are husband and wife. Children of the marriage are allowed to enter for a year too. So, have the birth certificates for the children too, just in case. This arrangement is possible because of the Balikbayan programme.
The details of the Balikbayan programme are contained in Republican Act 6768 and it's amendment, Republican Act 9174. To learn more about the Balikbayan programme, click on this link: http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9174.html
Republican Act 9208 regarding anti trafficking of women. This also includes prostitution and pornography. http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9208.html
Republican Act 6955 declaring illegal the business of mail order brides. http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno6955.html
Republican Act 6425. Death to drug traffickers! Even if you are carrying only what would be considered personal use in other countries, you may still be arrested as a drug trafficker. http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno6425.htm
Republican Act 7658 prohibiting the employment of children below 15 years http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno7658.htm
Republican Act 7610 providing protection for children against abuse and exploitation. http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno7610.html
Republican Act 7811 declaring sexual harassment unlawful. http://www.chanrobles.com/republicacts/republicactno7877.html
Republican Act 9262 defining violence against women and children and providing protective measures for victims of abuse. http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9262.htm
Republican Act 8353 defining the crime of rape. This is the anti rape law which in some circumstances proscribes the death penalty. http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno8353.htm
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OTHER INFORMATION
For information about the ACR I-Card which all foreigners permanently residing in the Philippines are required to have, read here: Alien Certificate of registration, ACR I-CARD
For information about the airports in Manila and Cebu and their different terminals, read my blog article, here:
Information about how to access your money by ATM in the Philippines, read my blog article here:
Mike and Lorena's information for disabled travellers http://www.cebuonwheels.com.ph
My list of hotel links is here:
My list of links, with helpful information for tourists, is here:
My list of links for shipping companies, airlines and van hire companies, operating in the Philippines, is here:
My list of links for places to shop and places to eat, is here: /Malls, restaurants_and food_links
I don't agree with sex tourism but obviously some people reading this page are coming to the Philippines for that purpose. Procuring the services of a prostitute is illegal so if you are thinking of coming for a "fun" time, make sure you are very clear about the law and it's consequences by reading this http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9208.html One US marine who was thinking with the wrong head, has recently been jailed for 40 years! I have read through a number of forums offering information about adult nightlife in the Philippines. The PI at Night forum seems the most sensible. Before you click however, please remember, this really is an adult link and is not for kids: http://www.piatnight.com/forums
Philippines department of tourism website |
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DEPARTURE TAX AND TRAVEL TAX On your way home, make sure you keep some pesos for when you get to the airport. Most travellers departing the Philippines have to pay a departure tax. It was P550 but a security fee of P200 was added on 1st February 2007. So, the amount you require to leave the Philippines is now P750. Major domestic terminals are now charging a P200 terminal fee. However some smaller terminals are only about P60. So, if you have a flight from a domestic terminal before your international flight, you may need an additional P200. If you have a Filipino citizen with you, they will most probably have to pay a travel tax, which is usually P1,620 but varies according to the class of travel. In some circumstances, foreigners have to pay the travel tax too. You can read all about the travel tax here: http://www.philtourism.gov.ph/ttax.html Are you coming back? Consider taking some extra pesos with you for next time! I like to have between P1,000 and P3,000 when I depart the Philippines. This helps me to have a hassle free arrival next time, as I have money for taxis, snacks etc. I don't have to worry about where I have to get pesos until after I am comfortably settled! |
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CEBU EXPAT SERVICES TOURIST VISA EXTENSION SERVICE in Cebu City
http://www.cebuexpatservices.com
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| Current extension fees copied from the Bureau of Immigration website Click HERE to see the rates on the Bureau of Immigration website
When you do leave the Philippines, don't forget your Emigration Clearance Certificate. I believe that it is now P1,010. You can read more about that, HERE Also, make sure you have at least P750 when you arrive at the international airport so you can pay the departure tax. |
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New to the Philippines and would
like to know about the electricity?
Electricity in the Philippines is 220 volts at 60hz. There are some exceptions to this. The better hotels will have 110 volt outlets for their North American guests and the former homes of many Americans will have been fitted with some 110 volt outlets as well as 220 volt outlets. The chargers for most laptops, cell phones, shavers and many travel items will work with 220 volts outlets. This is because they are really 12 volts or some other small voltage and have inbuilt transformers. To check if your electrical item will work in the Philippines without a transformer, look on the power supply. If it says 110 volt to 240 volt 50hz /60hz or something similar, it will work in the Philippines. Next problem is your plug. If you are from North America, your plug will probably look like the ones on the left. If that is the case and the voltage range matches, you can plug straight in. If your plug is not from North America, you will need an adaptor. To the left is the front and rear picture of two plug adaptors. The top plug will handle Australian and Japanese plugs. The bottom plug will adapt to just about any plug in the world. If you are thinking about buying an adaptor before you visit the Philippines, consider this first. The top adaptor sells for less than P20 (about us 50c) and the bottom adaptor sells for less than P50 (about USD $1). Just drop by your nearest hardware store in the Philippines such as ACE hardware or the hardware section of a Gaisano department store. If your electrical item does not say what voltage it works with and you are from North America, do not plug it into any outlet in the Philippines unless it is marked 110 volts. Otherwise, you should seek a transformer first. These are available from as little as P200 in hardware stores for low wattage transformers. There are much higher rated transformers with multiple outlets also available but these cost thousands of pisos. Residents of Australia and other countries with voltage similar to 220 volts, should still only need an adaptor. Australia is 240 volts 50hz. I have bought many electrical items from Australia to the Philippines such as electric planer, drop saw, electric drill, microwave oven and more. I was told that the electric motors are likely to burn out quicker because of the 60hz. However I have had satisfactory use from all the equipment. If you would like to discuss your electrical concerns further, send me an email. |
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You can use the google search feature to search my website for what you are seeking. Eg. if you would like to see a picture of a banca boat, type in banca, click the option for BigJimsPhilippinesExperience.com then click on search.
Alternatively, you could click on one of the links below, to go to the part of my website which interests you the most.
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Guidelines on the Entry of Temporary Visitors to the Philippines(copied from Department of Foreign Affairs website) Check HERE for any changes/updates
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