Stay in the Philippines? Getting your Philippines Visa? That’s a great idea. But… where do you start?
The first thing to sort out is immigration. The best part about the Philippines is that they make staying here in the country extremely easy. As a foreigner its easy to get a Philippines visa and also when you are ready to extend your visa.
You need a visa to stay here for an extended period of time. If you plan on staying longer than 21 days and in most cases depending on which country you will be arriving from, you will get an automatic 21 days upon your arrival. Next, you may be asking yourself…
Philipines Visa
What is the best way for you to get a visa?
That’s hard to say. There is no “one size fits all” solution to getting a Philippines visa. Every situation is different, every person has a unique set of requirements, and every visa has its own criteria and limitations as well… I am not even going to try to give you advice on this without knowing your specific situation.
The best advice I can possibly give you is to research, research and research for the best possible solution to which visa works best for you. There are many sources available where you can start your research, but I strongly suggest you go directly to the Philippine Immigration website for the information you need (sometimes their website is down – if that’s the case, just try again in a few days)
Philippines Immigration
Opinions on immigration matters are like buttholes: everybody has one and most of them stink. There are a lot of websites with information on this and everybody you talk to in the Philippines will know something about it whether it is correct or not they will have their own opinion. Plus, there are many, many “fixers” to a particular visa problem you may be having.
These range from people that want to take your money to accomplish what you need (and are actually helpful), people who have no clue what they’re talking about, and people that will take your money to accomplish what THEY need (which is to take your money). Of course, nobody here is liable for the bad advice they give, so the trouble you get in you will face alone. Therefore I highly recommend doing your own research on this one. It’s just not worth the risk.
The process has gotten much simpler than it was 15 years ago, and the truth of the matter is that most of these people will be charging you a bunch of money to lead you by the hand from door-to-door and counter to counter because you have to be there anyway.
Philippines Immigration Process
Immigration is all about personal appearances, interviews, medical tests, etc, so there is no getting around the process. Do not even try to bribe or buy your way through this process. Things like this will come back to haunt you later and probably make it impossible to try again.
I recently saw a notorious character I call the “Hobbit”, a toothless little white con man, selling I-CARDS in a bar not far from one of our Adventure Resorts. These are the official ID cards for Permanent Residents. Foreigners were lining up to give him money for this quick fix.
I know these guys and warned them not to buy from this derelict based on my experience in the past with this shady character. Needless to say, they ignored me, paid the cash and got fake cards. One of them nearly went to jail when he tried to use it re-entering the country some weeks later which again, I warned them about in the first place.
Honestly, this is not magic or rocket science, just go to the immigration website, go to the immigration office, ask questions and study the possibilities. Do not be intimidated by the thought of doing this. The Philippines really, really wants you to stay here. They want the money for the visas, they want the money that you’re going to spend here on housing, food, tourism, business, and entertainment.
Remember, this is the only country in Asia that allows you to stay in the country for 18 months on a tourist visa! This country is really very user-friendly. Everybody at immigration speaks English and all the signs, websites, and literature are in English.
Some Practical Advice
When you go to the Immigration department, bring a book or Kindle and a pocket full of patience because, like every other government officials in every other country in the world, you will be waiting in line or sitting and waiting for your number to come up.
Photocopy EVERYTHING! Make at least 3 copies of every document and each page of your passport if there is a Philippines stamp on it. Wear pants and shoes, no shorts or flip flops.
Bring a friend to do some of the running or hold your place in line. The bonus is, at the main immigration office in Intramuros Manila, there is a Starbucks across the street and a couple of little food stalls and coffee shops located inside the immigration office itself. As a tourist, you automatically get 21 days upon arrival for free.
The latest change is that you can now, in 2013, request a ” tourist visa upon Arrival” at the airport. It gives you an extra 38 days so a total of 59 days without having to worry. Start asking as soon as you arrive, it will be in a separate office.
Anything more than a tourist visa, just DIY. Do It Yourself. They really do want us to stay here.
If you are still having issues with trying to work out your visa situation and would like some solid useful information based on your unique situation come say hello at any one of our BADLADZ Resorts here in Puerto Galera and we will do our best to help you in any way we can to make sure your visit to the Philippines will be an enjoyable experience.
Cheers,
Sean
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