Tourist Visa 59 Day visa Expiry

Hi,
My 59 Day Visa is due to expire early March. What are best options? Apply for extension with all Alien card hassles / expense OR get out of Dodge, and return with another 59 day visa, Initial visa issued in Cebu was really no hassle, other than receipt was for 2500 but requested by Officials 3000! If get out is better option where is economical destination?
Thanks for any advice.

 

I assume you are fully aware of this, but if married to a Filipino then a Balikbayan Waiver is a very good option.

 

Agree. It is a fantastic option. There are a few little kinks in the law that could on rare occasions cause problems. 1. It is up to the Immigration officer to grant the waiver. He may refuse for any reason. 2. Technically, for renewal, you should have been out of the Philippines for a year. My understanding is that this requirement is rarely enforced, if ever. But if you are a person who always befalls bad luck, (like me), it could be enforced on you.

Regarding B.B. waiver renewal, have a friend from the USA who took the trip to Hong Kong with his Filipina wife, in about the 2010 time period. This would give them a vacation in HK plus inexpensively allow them to renew the BB waiver. They came back through Manila, not Cebu (Cebu is MUCH friendlier for these things). While standing in line, the word was that to renew the BB, that is, to make the officer “want to voluntarily grant the privilege”, there should be a US C-note or equivalent placed in your passport. My friend is very stubborn in these kinds of situations and even I would never do that because if someone was watching on camera or whatever, one could be accused of attempted bribery. So he was smart to not do that. Unfortunately he only received the 21 day visa and I think he got an extension to 59 days at the airport. Then he went to a lawyer; there are good lawyers and bad lawyers for these purposes. It seems difficult to find a good lawyer.

Still I think the repeated renewal of B.B. waiver is a great option. For one, corruption at immigration is way down due to Duterte. And they are still not enforcing the 1 year absence, at least not in Cebu. Again it is the sole discretion of the officer to grant the waiver.

I think if one is married to an ex-citizen who does not want to go the dual citizen route, the best option is to have your ex-Filipina spouse obtain a COURTESY SSRV visa (ex- filipina citizens are eligible for this). She can then sponsor the foreign spouse. Total cost is US$ 1.7K(no deposit of pension checks required, no 10k or 20k or 50k deposit requirements, You will be a permanent resident with no ECC requirements, you come and go as you please, you deal with the PRA in nice, modern surroundings instead of waiting in line in sweaty BIR locations. That is what we plan to do later this year. Sorry for writing a book but these things are never as simple as we would like.


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1. I agree... it is a privilege. And when asking for a privilege (although my wife has to ask for that one) I find it best to be ULTRA polite (and carry a shoe polishing kit just in case). I have so far been lucky in always meeting pleasant immigration officials at the airport in Manila - the fact they have always been females could have helped (I don't mean because I am male but because the female gender tends to be more caring). 2. You are correct about the technicality but I know someone who took the risk of leaving a few hours before midnight on one day and returning a few hours after midnight the next day (I think he was out for about 5 hours) - he was given a BB but it is not a risk I would take as it sails too close to the rocks. Anyway, when paying the air fare it makes sense if possible to spend a few days out, perhaps somewhere new each year.

I also totally agree with your friend on the issue of bribes - you never know if it is a trap, so always best to follow the law and accept the end result.

 

Depends how long you plan to stay. Your next visa will be the expensive one but if you plan to stay for a long time it is probably worth it.

If you are just touring around and only want to stay in Philippines another couple months then it may be worth it to pop out to visit somewhere else and back in for another 2 months.

For me that would be a pain in the arse as I don't want to be flying in and out of the country that much. For me I would get a 6 month visa renewal and stay away from BI for as long as I can.

 

I am going back to UK early May.

 

Then if I were you I'd seriously consider going to a close by country at about the time my 59 days was up and come back for another 59 days which will take you up to early May.

The math is: about 8K pesos for that particular 2 month extension (including mandatory ACR card) vs the cost of the trip out of the country and getting another 59 days on your return. You won't save money doing that (due to the airfare) but you can see more of South East Asia in the same time frame.

EDIT: Where to go is up to you. Look for specials on airfare to places you may want to go. I just looked up Cebu to Singapore and back on Cebu Pacific in early March and it would cost you roughly 7K pesos with no luggage.

 

Anyone know what the prices are for a second 2 month extension, the one After you already have the ACR card? Is it just around 4,500?


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Yesterday I extended my Visa for two months and it cost me P2930 that included P1000 express lane fees, at the time of handing in your application you can say no to the extra fees and return to collect your passport a few days later, they do not like you to do that but the express fees are not mandatory.