Marriage Visa "Marriage Visa" (13A)

When I began the process myself I read the Government Web Site and read it as you needed the particular medical tests done, which I went ahead with and had them all done only to be told by the Agent at the Travel Agency next door to the Dumaguete Immigration that I did not need to do so, turned out to be correct advice as the Officer in Cebu during my interview never once asked to see a single medical test, so wasted pesos following what is supposed to be Governmental procedure... :/

 

I gained a Police Clearance from Australia before I came to the Philippines with the intention to stay permanently as again I am sure I read online (Government Web Page) that it was a requirement, I had it notarized by the Philippines Embassy in Brisbane who placed a fancy Ribbon and Wax Seal on the page but again during my interview in Cebu they did not ask to view it... Cebu seems to be much more relaxed than Manila from my experience...

 

I found them very VERY Helpful as well as the Agent in Cebu who I thankfully tipped for his extra effort in filling out forms etc due to me leaving my glasses at the hotel room...
Compared to the expected 4 to 5 trips (doing things yourself and not a fan of being a tourist) I was grateful to cut it down to two simple trips where they (Travel Agency) both times found nice clean modern Hotel rooms in Mandaue within a few minutes taxi ride of the J Centre Mall where Immigration is situated in Cebu and around 15 minutes drive from the Cebu Air Terminal...

 

If you need it quicker, you can pay a "Fee" to fast track your application in Manila, due to the time frame involved I did so and in 'I think' 3 working days my NBi Clearance was ready to be picked up at the NBi Office in Dumaguete...

 

Thank you Brian oinks for your replies, if you don't mind me asking...........what actual services do the travel agent in Dumaguete offer for the 13A visa ......??

 

Thank you; it will save me a small fortune on monthly Visa Extensions and no bothersome yearly trips out of the country to 'Balikbayan' my way here, may sound strange but growing up in a 'Tourist region' I HATE travelling and doing 'Tourist things' so the `3a made perfect sense for me...

 

I had to gain my NBi Clearance myself, a strange process for me as I was Finger Printed on my Probationary Application by the NBi who then repeated the process when I had to go back to gain approval for my 13a Visa, odd as I assume your fingerprints do not change (unless you lose a digit in the meantime hehe)

Everything else was done by them, MANY Forms to fill in and sign, then the Agent in Cebu is Authorised to go in and act on your behalf, (they sent my Passport and ACR Card to the Agent so he could act on my behalf) which I got back when I went there. They also process the ACR renewal where you get a new Card for the Probationary period as well as once you are approved (I have to wait I think 2 months before I receive my new ACR Card now that I am approved)

Once Immigration sets your appointment date, they (The Travel Agency) can if you wish, arrange for your Travel requirements (I chose to fly compared to catching the Ferry/Bus to Cebu as it is much quicker) and search for suitable accomodation (depending on your requirements) We chose a Hotel close to the J-Centre Mall where the BOI is situated which was very nice due to the fact that they served meals to your room from 6.30am to 8.30pm and provided a Free Breakfast as a part of taking the Supreme Room (with Free Wi-fi) etc

I found using an Agent much easier as I suffer short term memory problems which make reading documents very confusing at times as the information just doesn't seem to sink in, especially when I went in one day to sign a barrage of Forms only to be called in the next morning to re-sign new Forms which had changed overnight simply due to the appointment of a new Officer in Charge! I also experienced where I downloaded the Forms from the PH Govt. Werb Page and spent time filling everything in, and running around like a blue @ss fly having them Notarized, but when I took them to the Agency, it turned out those Forms were obselete and thankfully they had the new Forms ready for me to sign, (as well as using their own Attorney to have all Forms notarized saving me much time and effort) so many small things would have tripped me up if I had attempted doing this myself meaning wasted trips to Cebu and no doubt failure lodging obselete Forms.

Due in part to the Short term memory problems due to a Bike accident in my youth and just plain growing older and grumpier, I honestly believe I could not have done this without the excellent service supplied by the Owners/Staff of the Travel Agency who are so conveniently situated right beside the Dumaguete Bureau of Immigration, it an all in one experience apart from the Nbi Clearance...

 

Just had my 13A renewed in Cebu P3013. Arrived at 08:30 and left at 09:30. Lots of customers, but very efficient.

Bureau Of Immigration Government Office
2nd Floor, J Centre Building, A. S. Fortuna Street, Cebu
0943 547 2246
Hours 08:00 to 18:30 Monday to Friday

http://www.immigration.gov.ph/images/FORMS/ACRICARD/BI FORM 2015-08-002 Rev 0.pdf (form)
http://www.immigration.gov.ph/images/FORMS/Checklist/4AlienRegistration/Renewal.pdf (requirements)