Imigration exit clearance

[BRIAN WEBSTER]

hi all, just a quick 1 over the last 4 years i have lived in & out of philippines / uk ! average time in each place was 6 months, but on my last visit march 2012 till october 2012 i went through usual visa extensions every 2 months, same as any other time i was there, but this time while leaving via NAIA oct 17 2012 i cleared passport control, then went to imigration and was told to visit imigration and see if have to pay ? i asked pay for what ? they said exit clearance fee's, so on going to the desk i just asumed they had miss read my visa dates and thought i had over stayed ? but no the nice lady who spoke little flicked through my visa's and said that's p1320 ??? WHAT I ASK ? she said you have to pay sir ? i asked what do i have to pay for ' my visa is upto date and still had over 1 month to run, she replied you have to pay sir ! i asked again what am i paying for and she would not give me an answer only you have to pay ! i asked is this a new rule or did i do some thing wrong ? she said no you have to pay exit clearance ? does any body know of this exit clearance and what is it for ? is it a fine for staying over 6 months or a new foreigner tax ?

[Arthur Little]

Was this over and above the statutory terminal fee ... ?

[BRIAN WEBSTER]

yes it was , i already paid airport tax p550, and i still cant find any info on ph web site stating any tourest exit clearance fee's

[tiger31]

you only have to pay 550 exit fee if you stay longer than 6 months .she was trying to extract money from you by the sound of it ,did you pay up ?

[junior02]

hi all, just a quick 1 over the last 4 years i have lived in & out of philippines / uk ! average time in each place was 6 months, but on my last visit march 2012 till october 2012 i went through usual visa extensions every 2 months, same as any other time i was there, but this time while leaving via NAIA oct 17 2012 i cleared passport control, then went to imigration and was told to visit imigration and see if have to pay ? i asked pay for what ? they said exit clearance fee's, so on going to the desk i just asumed they had miss read my visa dates and thought i had over stayed ? but no the nice lady who spoke little flicked through my visa's and said that's p1320 ??? WHAT I ASK ? she said you have to pay sir ? i asked what do i have to pay for ' my visa is upto date and still had over 1 month to run, she replied you have to pay sir ! i asked again what am i paying for and she would not give me an answer only you have to pay ! i asked is this a new rule or did i do some thing wrong ? she said no you have to pay exit clearance ? does any body know of this exit clearance and what is it for ? is it a fine for staying over 6 months or a new foreigner tax ?

Yes it is a fine 500 peso for every month you overstay payable on the 7 month. I cant remember exactly what i used to pay, i might have paper work some where, but a bit out of date as about 3 years old. But what you paid sounds about right as i think i used to pay more than that at bureau of immigration in manila. I will see if i can find old paper work out 1 day.

[malditako]

my husband stayed in philippines for 6 months a year for nearly 10 years and never he paid exit clearance at all upon departure but my son does...but only b'coz he was born in phils and he used british passport when we left the country. Unless it is a new rule if not then you have been ripped off

[grahame 1]

Hi when i left the philippines 10 days ago. i had to pay 200 peso at cebu airport on my flight to manila and a further 550 pesos when i left manila for heathrow

[jake]

After you have been here for over six months you have to pay a exit clearance fee. This is supposedly to check if you have any outstanding court cases. You are supposed to get this at your nearest immigration office before you leave. The cost is 710 so they probably added a express fee at the airport. The airport tax is a separate thing and costs 550.

[Michael Parnham]

Yes Brian, I also had to pay P1320 exit clearance fee in June this year, I was told that I should have told Dumaguete Immigration that I was coming back to UK and that they would have issued me with an exit clearance certificate. I assume that I would still have had to pay the same fee.

[tiger31]

i,m really getting confused with some of these posts here .if you have been here less than 6 months there is no exit fee only the terminal fee is due when you pass through the airport .now after you have been here more than 6 months you are required to pay an exit fee of 550 pesos plus terminal fee when you leave .so how some of you are getting charged 1300 or so pesos is beyond me .

[jake]

Correct if you have been here less than six months there is no exit clearance fee. After six months you are supposed to report to immigration that you will be leaving quite soon. The fee is roughly 700 pesos. If you do not you will pay this fee you will be charged it at the airport plus another 500/600 pesos for the express fee.
The 550 is the airport tax. Everybody pays this whether you have been here one day or 2 years

[BRIAN WEBSTER]

yes me too (tiger31) so many answers now, seems like some know the rules about staying over 6 month's, this is what i had to do = entered main door where i put my bags through xray, 1st charge was gaurd said i have to pay tax on my cig's because i have too many in my bag ? so he instructed me to visit the CR office (toilet) where he took my p500, next i check in, (free ) next i go to pay my airport tax p550, then go to passport controll, no fee, next port is imigration controll, it's at this point they say i have to pay another p1320 for exit clearance ?? but she would not explain the reason for this fee (only thing she kept saying was i have to pay sir) over the last 4 years i know i stayed over 6 months and never had to pay this ? but trying to get the true rules is not easy ? but as some say maybe there is a fine for staying over 6 months and they just charge this if your face dont fit ? but im not a happy man ! im fed up of being told that's how it is ? lets see if we ever find out the truth about this fee ? is it real or just another scam ? i will dig for the truth and hopfully get the real rules on this lol,, ps thanks for replies ,,,

[jake]

Brian,

Do you still have a copy of the receipt you where given at immigration? All the fees should be written on there and it might be a bit easier to understand. The exit clearance after six months is 700. As you didn't do it at the immigration offices before you left they will have charged you roughly 500 express fee and another 100 or so for legal research fees etc.
How many cigs did you have? Sounds strange!

[tiger31]

brian next time you are asked for the 1320 fee ask to see his or her manager if does,nt give you the answer ask to see his boss that usually does the trick the way they think here is your about to board a plane and you wont argue as you dont wanna miss your flight but you have to stand up to these rip off merchants .I wonder how philippino,s leaving heathrow would react if THEY were harrassed for fee,s in pounds as they were leaving the country rant over

[tiger31]

yes me too (tiger31) so many answers now, seems like some know the rules about staying over 6 month's, this is what i had to do = entered main door where i put my bags through xray, 1st charge was gaurd said i have to pay tax on my cig's because i have too many in my bag ? so he instructed me to visit the CR office (toilet) where he took my p500, next i check in, (free ) next i go to pay my airport tax p550, then go to passport controll, no fee, next port is imigration controll, it's at this point they say i have to pay another p1320 for exit clearance ?? but she would not explain the reason for this fee (only thing she kept saying was i have to pay sir) over the last 4 years i know i stayed over 6 months and never had to pay this ? but trying to get the true rules is not easy ? but as some say maybe there is a fine for staying over 6 months and they just charge this if your face dont fit ? but im not a happy man ! im fed up of being told that's how it is ? lets see if we ever find out the truth about this fee ? is it real or just another scam ? i will dig for the truth and hopfully get the real rules on this lol,, ps thanks for replies ,,,

I am trying to figure out why the hell your getting charged for taking more fags out since when did they start charging export tax ????? you pay the tax when your imbound to uk as far as i know they should not be charging you when your leaving the philippines

[fred]

Exit Clearances
If you meet the following classifications below, you will need to follow the instructions and apply for the proper exit clearance at one of the five BI regional offices. Sub-ports cannot process exit clearance permits. All fees and conditions are subject to change. Normal processing time of 4-5 business days (expedite option available in most cases for +Php500).

Tourist: 59 days - 6 months
Tourists staying more than 59 days but less than 6 months must pay an exit clearance fee of Php 1,210. If your date of departure is certain, this can be paid through one of the five BI regional offices; otherwise, the exit fee can be paid at the airport upon your departure.

Tourist 6 months+
Tourists staying more than 6 months must obtain an Exit Clearance Certificate (ECC) from BI. You must submit the proper form along with 3 passport-sized photographs and the fee of Php 1,000.

Permanent residents temporarily leaving the country must apply for a re-entry permit with BI. Applicant must submit 3 passport-sized photographs, proof of residency status, and the fee of Php 3,470.

http://www.gtalawphil.com/working_in_rp2.htm

Its just as well I dont fly out often as Im looking at about 5k each time for tax and re entry fees.

[tiger31]

Exit Clearances
If you meet the following classifications below, you will need to follow the instructions and apply for the proper exit clearance at one of the five BI regional offices. Sub-ports cannot process exit clearance permits. All fees and conditions are subject to change. Normal processing time of 4-5 business days (expedite option available in most cases for +Php500).

Tourist: 59 days - 6 months
Tourists staying more than 59 days but less than 6 months must pay an exit clearance fee of Php 1,210. If your date of departure is certain, this can be paid through one of the five BI regional offices; otherwise, the exit fee can be paid at the airport upon your departure.

Tourist 6 months+
Tourists staying more than 6 months must obtain an Exit Clearance Certificate (ECC) from BI. You must submit the proper form along with 3 passport-sized photographs and the fee of Php 1,000.

Permanent residents temporarily leaving the country must apply for a re-entry permit with BI. Applicant must submit 3 passport-sized photographs, proof of residency status, and the fee of Php 3,470.

http://www.gtalawphil.com/working_in_rp2.htm

Its just as well I dont fly out often as Im looking at about 5k each time for tax and re entry fees.

your posting wrong imformation on 2 accounts fred
if you stay under 6 months there is no exit fee to pay only the airport exit fee of 500 pesos .if you stay over 6 months you must pay at the immigration office 500 pesos 3 photos and have your finger prints taken plus a further 200 pesos at the airport and the exit clearance does,nt take 4 to 4 days to process it took me about 2 hours in cebu

[fred]

Tiger..If thats the wrong info,I apologize.. I did a search for myself as still a bit un sure what my exit fees are as a resident.. Thats what I found and took it as gospel.. Must remember not to do that again!! (if its not correct)
Cheers,
Fred.

[tiger31]

poster number 5 also gives strange reply may I suggest that only the correct imformation is posted as it only confuses people heading out here i,m going to immigration tomoro to extend month 7 and 8 I will ask for printed costs and fees and post them on here to clarify everything I am assuming manila and cebu are chargeing the same tarif which i will also ask at the immigration office here in cebu .

[BRIAN WEBSTER]

thanks to all replies but im still confused as to the real rules THE cig tax issue is just the guards bribing me for having 4 ream's of cig's, yes i agree its me who should pay tax on arrival in uk AND NOT IN THE PHILIPPINES ! but im really trying to find the rules on the main issue and still find it hard to get correct info ? still waiting a reply (after 5 days) from my email to them ? good job im not stuck in NAIA

[malditako]

poster number 5 also gives strange reply may I suggest that only the correct imformation is posted as it only confuses people heading out here i,m going to immigration tomoro to extend month 7 and 8 I will ask for printed costs and fees and post them on here to clarify everything I am assuming manila and cebu are chargeing the same tarif which i will also ask at the immigration office here in cebu .

look what i posted is base on our experience for nearly ten years...my husband never paid exit clearance upon departure at the airport only terminal fee. sorry if my statement confuses you but exit clearance fees are normally included when you apply for visa extension at the BI.

i totally agree with fred's first post. processing normally takes 3 to 4 days but you can get same day for additional fee of 500php waiting 2 hours or more or 20mins waiting but paying another under the table extra if you know what i mean.

[raynaputi]

I found this on the Bureau of Immigration website..I'm not sure if these are the fees you all are looking for..

Visa Extension Fees: http://immigration.gov.ph/index.php?...=118&Itemid=43

For aliens admitted as tourist visas who would extend more than 59 days: http://immigration.gov.ph/index.php?...d=61&Itemid=43

[fred]

look what i posted is base on our experience for nearly ten years...my husband never paid exit clearance upon departure at the airport only terminal fee. sorry if my statement confuses you but exit clearance fees are normally included when you apply for visa extension at the BI.

i totally agree with fred's first post. processing normally takes 3 to 4 days but you can get same day for additional fee of 500php waiting 2 hours or more or 20mins waiting but paying another under the table extra if you know what i mean.

You mean my post and link was correct?? Cant believe I apologized now!!

[tiger31]

look what i posted is base on our experience for nearly ten years...my husband never paid exit clearance upon departure at the airport only terminal fee. sorry if my statement confuses you but exit clearance fees are normally included when you apply for visa extension at the BI.

i totally agree with fred's first post. processing normally takes 3 to 4 days but you can get same day for additional fee of 500php waiting 2 hours or more or 20mins waiting but paying another under the table extra if you know what i mean.

well that was,nt my experince here in cebu I took my 3 photos had my finger prints taken paid 550 pesos had my passport stamped in 2 hours 3 days before departure from the country no money paid under no counter and when i left the airport it cost 500 pesos so it looks like the fees are not universal but the mood of the various employees at the time judgeing by all these different fees that are flying about

[tiger31]

well since I left in february and returned in may the exit fee has gone up by 150 pesos accordinging to that website also they have added yet another fee called the temp residence tourist fee 1400 which ive never paid before .so I now appoligise for the increase that I never spotted .

[fred]

temp residence tourist fee 1400 ?
Thats a bit of a contradiction in terms!!
Money for old rope!

[tiger31]

why can,t they just keep it simple so that we tourists can understand one price instead of adding a multitude of fees that most of us don,t understand .its just a revenue raising excercise to pay the overstaffed immigration offices .

[Terpe]

I found this on the Bureau of Immigration website..I'm not sure if these are the fees you all are looking for..

Visa Extension Fees: http://immigration.gov.ph/index.php?...=118&Itemid=43

For aliens admitted as tourist visas who would extend more than 59 days: http://immigration.gov.ph/index.php?...d=61&Itemid=43

Rayna,
I had problems with those links.

[raynaputi]

Rayna,
I had problems with those links.

What problems? I just copied and pasted the links..

[Terpe]

What problems? I just copied and pasted the links..

Sorry Rayna, I should have said they don't work (well for me at least)