Advice on Visa for Philippines for stay over 21 days

[isimpson01]

Hi All
Can someone please advise whether I need a visitor visa for a stay of 25 days in the philippines when I travel from the UK with my wife for a holiday next year ?
Also would I need a visa for the same period for my Mum to travel with us ? Num meeting mother-in-law trip
I looked for a link to download a visa application form from the Philippine UK embassy but it just returns http errors so a link to apply early would be great rather than paying or applying after we arrive in the Philippines.
Thanks in advance for any advice given..

[purple]

I'll ride on this post.. I've got the same question for my hubby as well.
Because its the maximum days visit.. the 21 days.. it can be shorter than that.

[tomboo]

it reads like your married to a filipina? if so go to the immigration desk together and ask for a 1 year stamp, they usually give it no problem at all.

not sure about your mum though, but its easy enough to extend once here

[bher]

tomboo so it is possible for my husband to get a one year visa?.. and how much?.. coz everytime hubby will visit me here he gets 21 days free then the following 38 days need to pay them.. another 59 days costs almost 6,000 php.. thank you in advance..

[Terpe]

Any foreign spouse travelling with RP citizen can receive a balikbayan privilege
with entitles you, the spouse and any unmarried children below 18 to stay in the
Philippines for a maximum of one year without visa.

The mum-in-law will require a visa.
You can get one at Phil Embassy in London (costs little bit more but less hassle)
Or you can extend the 21 day visa by additional 38 days once in Phils.

For Balikbayan stamp the spouse must be travelling with the RP citizen at the same time. As tomboo said the RP citizen must approach the immigration desk with the spouse and request it. Please do check that it is understood, and check the stamp immediately just to be sure. It's no cost at all

[isimpson01]

Thanks Terpe and tomboo.
Can we do the extended days for my Mum at the airport in Manila when we arrive or does it have to be done at a BI (Bureau Immigration such as in Manila, Cagayan, Davo etc..) ?

[Sim11UK]

You'll need to do it at the Bureau of Immigration...I've done it in Cagayan de Oro.

[grahamw48]

I think you can get the extended (59 day) visa at immigration when arriving at Manila airport now.

Otherwise, very easy for your mother to extend while she's there. Some of the larger hotels and lots of travel agencies there (like Swagman Travel) will do it for you for a small fee.

For Balikbayan, upon presenting YOUR (husband's) passport at the immigration arrivals desk ASK for a Balikbayan stamp, pointing out that your wife is with you. They will want to confirm that with her.Take your marriage certificate to show them the proof. Very important.

[Queenbee]

hello mr Graham!Does that apply to my fiance as well?How and where can he extend his visa??Im from Cebu by the way...We're discussing about the option of getting married here.If work will permit,he wanted to stay for almost 2 months then we fly together after we apply for spouse visa....And what papers does he need if he's divorces already in the UK...

I think you can get the extended (59 day) visa at immigration when arriving at Manila airport now.

Otherwise, very easy for your mother to extend while she's there. Some of the larger hotels and lots of travel agencies there (like Swagman Travel) will do it for you for a small fee.

For Balikbayan, upon presenting YOUR (husband's) passport at the immigration arrivals desk ASK for a Balikbayan stamp, pointing out that your wife is with you. They will want to confirm that with her.Take your marriage certificate to show them the proof. Very important.

[grahamw48]

Your fiancee can extend his visa the same as any tourist, which is very easy.
I believe there is an Immigration office in Cebu, isn't there ?

For other facts about divorce papers, etc you need to look on the UK Border Agency website for the latest information.

[aposhark]

Hi Queenbee

The immigration office for Cebu City is in Mandaue (approx. 20 mins by taxi from Cebu City):

Bureau of Immigration Cebu District Office
P. Burgos St., Tribunal, Mandaue City 6014
Mr. Casimiro P. Madarang III - Acting Regional Director and Alien Control Officer
ROMEO L. JUNIA - Technical Assistant to the Commissioner for Region 7
Tel. # (032) 345-6442-4 Fax:345-6441
Airport - (032) 340-1473/3400-751

[mary_drew]

Hi sorry if this has been answered already i might need it braking down a little more, so you can extend your stay past the 21 days by going to an imagration office. Its just im planning a 5 week stay in the phils next year while we get married. as I was thinking of just getting a visa before i travel.

Again sorry if this has been answered

[RickyR]

OK, just to make sure this is clear for everyone.

Firstly, as a visitor you may be granted a 21 day visa on arrival.

You must have return flight details showing that you will depart within 21 days to show to the airline and immigration official. The airline can refuse to allow you to board if you do not have return flight details within 21 days and will not accept the excuse that you can extend on arrival. It's very rare that they check, but Cathay Pacific in London Heathrow and Hong Kong occasionally check and Cebu Pacific in Hong Kong and Singapore almost always check. Be warned, you might be lucky, you might not!

If you are a spouse of a Filipino Citizen AND are travelling TOGETHER, you may be issued a visa of upto 1 year on arrival.

You can get visa extensions at the local Bureau of Immigration. If you check the www.cebuexpatservices.com website he has a full list of hte prices of extensions. The first extension is 3030 PHP if you do it yourself, plus whatever agency fee if they do it for you.

You can alternatively obtain a 59 day visa from the Embassy in London prior to departure. Think it works at at around 3000 PHP as well.

Essentially, if your going to stay over 21 days and don't have return flight details, then your putting yourself at risk. There are options such as getting a dummy ticket from an agent, booking a cheap low cost flight out of a the Philippines from Clark to Hong Kong or similar. On that note, I have never been asked by immigration for a return ticket, have never been asked by KLM, Singapore Airlines, Qatar or Etihad (not to say that you won't be asked by them though), but have been asked by Cathay in London and also in Hong Kong when collecting boarding passes after coming off a BA flight. Also by Cebu Pacific almost everytime.

If your going to Cebu, I can highly recommend a friend of mine Paul Whiteway, who is a straight up and honest Brit (not that many expats you can trust in the Philippines), who does a lot of a visa services and knows the system inside out. He also has helped arrange Driving Licenses and setup my friends Philippines Branch of his business in the PEZA IT Park in Cebu. Very knowlegable.
www.cebuexpatservices.com