Consular Services - VISA Section

Temporary Visa Non-quota Immigrant Visa Quota Immigrant Visa Waiver of Visa Under BALIKBAYAN Law Re-entry Permit Special Investor's Resident Visa Entry and Stay of Foreign Students

Unaccompanied Alien Minor Passengers (WEG) Pre-arranged Employment Visa Visa for Members of Foreign Info Media Personal History Statement Visa Application Form (FA Form 2-A)

CONSULAR INFORMATION BULLETIN NO. 04 Series of 2001

   The granting of Philippine Visa is, in effect, only a form of pre-entry clearance. It does not grant permission to enter the Philippines. Immigration Officers have authority to grant or deny admission. Visa holders are subject to normal immigration control at the port of entry.

    Application for a temporary visitor’s visa should be made in person.  In the case of a minor below 18 years of age, the application may be made for him/her by any person who, in the opinion of the Consular Officer, is responsible for his/her welfare. Applicants who cannot appear in person may send their applications duly notarized by anyone authorized by the UK government to take oaths, by post and should enclose a return, registered, stamped, self-addressed envelope.

    Visa applications are accepted from 9:00 a.m. to 5: 00 p.m. and processed visas can be collected after two (2) working days between 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS

• One (1) copy of FA Form 2-A (application form)
• Passport valid for at least six (6) months beyond the intended period of stay in the Philippines
• Present proof of financial capability to assure the maintenance of bonafide tourist  status during the intended stay in the Philippines (e.g. certificate of bank deposits, if  pensioner, proof that applicant receives pension benefits, or employment certificate)
• In the case of a businessman, letter from sponsoring firm in the Philippines  or in the UK stating purpose of visit
• One (1) photograph signed on the front
• Other documents that may be required by the Consular Officer.

    Personal cheques/credit cards are not accepted.  Payments should be made in CASH or BRITISH POSTAL ORDER only.

*SCHEDULE OF VISA FEES (effective 26 June 2000)

•  Single entry visa valid for three (3) months from date of issue  £22.00*
•  Multiple entry visa valid for six (6) months from date of issue  £43.00*
•  Multiple Entry visa valid for one (1) year from date of issue     £65.00*

    Generally, all aliens are required to secure visa before entering the Philippines.  The Philippines, however, has a 21-day no visa policy for bona fide British and Irish tourists who wish to visit the Philippines for not more than 21 days.  Those who wish to avail themselves of this privilege should have a passport valid for at least six (6) months beyond the intended period of stay in the Philippines and a plane or ship ticket valid for his onward or return journey to his/her country of origin or to the next country of destination, and a valid visa to that country if a visa is required.

LENGTH OF STAY IN THE PHILIPPINES

    The Philippine Immigration Officer at the port of entry determines the length of stay of a foreign visitor in the country.  Normally, a visitor with a visa is given a 59-day stay in the Philippines.  This is stated in the visa issued.  Should a visitor desire to remain longer than their authorized initial stay of 59 days, he/she may request extension of stay from the Bureau of Immigration Office and pay the necessary extension fees. The traveller will also have to pay the Emigration Clearance Certificate (ECC) and the corresponding Legal Research Fee (LRF) in the total amount of Philippine Pesos Seven Hundred Ten (P710.00) upon his/her departure.

VALIDITY OF TEMPORARY VISITOR’S VISA

    A temporary visitor’s visa may be valid for single or multiple entries.  A single entry visa is valid for three (3) months from the date of issuance.  A multiple entry visa is valid either for six (6) months or one (1) year depending on the fee paid. (Please refer to Schedule of Visa Fees).

    A validity of an entry visa should be differentiated from the length of stay in the Philippines.  A three-month validity means a person may enter the Philippines within three (3) months from the date of issuance of visa.  If a traveller is in possession of a six-month multiple visa, this means that he/she may enter the Philippines any number of times provided it is within the six-month period specified in the visa.
 

TAKING UP EMPLOYMENT OR STUDY IN THE PHILIPPINES

    A temporary visitor’s visa does not entitle an alien to take up employment or practice his or her profession or study in the Philippines.

HEALTH REGULATIONS

    Cholera and small pox vaccinations are not required for travellers from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.  If a person, however, arrives in the Philippines from a foreign port infected with cholera, small pox or plague, typhus or yellow fever, he /she will be required to present on arrival a certificate of immunization for the above mentioned disease(s).

REQUIREMENTS FOR HOLDERS OF COLLECTIVE PASSPORTS

    In cases where several persons are included in one (1) passport, a separate application and payment must be made for each person.  All persons included in the passport must be properly identified with a photograph affixed to the passport.  Lack of photograph is sufficient ground for denial of visa.
 

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY, LONDON 20 June 2001
 

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 CONSULAR INFORMATION BULLETIN NO. 2 Series of 2000

An application for non-quota immigrant visa must be made in person.  In the case of minor under eighteen (18) years of age, any person in the opinion of the Consular Officer, is responsible for his/her  welfare may make the application for him/her.  The minor, except in arms, shall be required to appear at the Embassy together with the person applying on his/her behalf.

A separate application must be made, and separate fee shall be collected for each person although several persons are included in a passport to be visaed.

WHO ARE QUALIFIED TO APPLY FOR NON-QUOTA IMMIGRANT VISA?

• Wife or husband or unmarried children under twenty-one years of age of Philippine citizens  (Sec. 13a)
• Child of alien parents born during visit abroad of permanent resident mother, if child if  accompaying or coming to join a parent (Sec. 13b)
• Child born born subsequent to issuance of immigration visa to accompaying parent, visa not  having expired (Section 13c)
• Filipino woman who lost her citizenship by marriage and her unmarried child under twenty-one  years of age, if accompaying or following to join her (Section 13d)
• Returning residents (Section 13e)
• Natural born Filipinos who were naturalized in a foreign country (Section 13g)

1. Three (3) original copies of completed FA Form No. 3(Application Form);
2. Three (3) orginal copies of completed FA Form No. 11(Medical Form):
   • Original and 2 photocopies of laboratory report
   • Chest X-ray film (11” x 17”)
   • Certification from the General Medical Council that the doctor who signed the Medical Form No. 11 is duly registered  to practise medicine in the United Kingdom.
3. Six (6) recent passport size photographs signed at the bottom front;
4. Original and three (3) photocopies of evidence of financial support (e.g. bank deposit certificate; if pensioner, proof that applicant receives pension benefits, property titles or holding);
5. Three (3) photocopies of Philippine passport  or authenticated birth certificate of Filipino spouse;
6. Original and three (3) photocopies of marriage certificate;
7. Original and three (3) photocopies of birth certificate of unmarried minor children;
8. Original and two (2) photocopies of Certification of Good Moral Character from applicant’s employer or parish priest;
9. Passport of applicant valid for at least six (6) months;
10. Fee of £108.00* (should be paid in CASH or BRITISH POSTAL ORDER).

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CONSULAR INFORMATION BULLETIN NO.  4, Series of  2000

Section 13 of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, as amended, provides  for the admission into the Philippines of quota immigrants not exceeding fifty (50) annually for any one nationality.  Stateless persons shall also have a quota of fifty (50).

Quota immigrant visas shall be issued to aliens of countries with which the Philippines has diplomatic relations and who grant the same immigration privileges to Filipino citizens.

In allotting quota numbers the Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration  will accord preference to immigrants who are the fathers and mothers of Filipino citizens who are twenty-one (21) years of age or over and the wives, husbands and unmarried children under twenty-one (21) years of age, of aliens lawfully admitted into the Philippines for  permanent residence and residing therein.   Such preference shall be accorded only upon peition made therefore under the regulations prescribed by the Commissioner.

When an alien desiring a quota immigration visa appears to be entitled to preference status, the consular officer acting upon his application should inform him that his relative in the Philippines may petition the Commissioner of Immigration for preference status for him.  However, should the relative be abroad, he may appear before any Philippine consular officer and execute the petition in behalf of the applicant.  The petition should be filed with the consulate which in turn will forward the same to the Department for transmittal to the Commissioner.

Every immigration visa applicant is presumed to be a non-preference immigrant applicant unless he establishes to the satisfaction of the consular officer and the immigration officer that he is entitled to preference status.  The allocation of a quota number to non-preferred immigrant applicants shall be made on a first-come, first-serve basis and only after allocation of numbers to preferred quota applicants.
 

PROCEDURE IN FILING PETITION FOR QUOTA ALLOTMENT:
 

1. The quota immigrant visa applicant  files a petition for quota immigrant in the country of which he is a citizen.
2. The consular  officer, if convinced of the existence of reciprocity and of the nationality and qualification of the applicant, shall transmit the petition to the Commissioner of Immigration through the Department of Foreign Affairs, with a request that a quota number be allocated to the applicant.
3. A quota immigrant visa shall not be issued until the consular officer shall have received from the Commissioner of Immigration through the Department of Foreign Affairs the allotment of a quota number to be placed on the visa of the applicant. Quotas terminate at the end of each calendar year and unused quota numbers cannot be utilized for the following year.  A quota number and the immigration visa must be issued during the same calendar or quota year.

1. Petition letter requesting allocation of quota number  addressed to the Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration;
2. Three (3) original copies of completed FA Form No. 3 (Application Form)
3. Three (3)  original copies of completed Personal History Statement Form
4. Photocopy of passport

DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS FOR PROCESSING/ISSUANCE OF QUOTA IMMIGRATION VISA

1. Passport valid for at least six months
2. Three (3) copies of completed FA Form No. 3;
3. Three (3) original copies of completed FA Form No.11(Medical Examination Form)
   • Original and 2 photocopies of laboratory report
   • Chest X-ray film (11” x 17”)
   • Certification from the General Medical Council that the doctor who signed the Medical Form No. 11 is duly registered to practise medicine in the United Kingdom.
4. AIDS clearance
5. Mental Health Certificate
6. Six (6) recent passport size photographs signed at the bottom front
7. Original and three(3) photocopies of evidence of financial support (e.g. lastest bank statement, bank deposit certificate, if pensioner, proof that applicant receives pension benefits, property titles or holding)
8. Police Clearance or certification that applicant has no criminal record
9. Certificate of Good Moral Character from applicant’s employer or parish priest
10. Visa Fee of £115.00*

EMBASSY OF THE PHILIPPINES, 04 April 2000

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 CONSULAR INFORMATION BULLETIN NO. 5 Series of 2001

    Upon representation of the Department of Foreign Affairs,  the  Department of Tourism  adopted a liberal interpretation of the Balikbayan Law to benefit all the balikbayans.

    No visa shall be required, as a privilege, for a  maximum stay of one (1) year for the following, everytime they enter the country to visit regardless of the frequency of their travel: former Filipino citizens (specifically Filipinos who have been naturalized British or Irish citizens)  and their families.

    The traveller has to declare before the Philippine Immigration Officer at the port of entry that he/she is availing of said privilege and has to present his/her current British or Irish passport plus any of the following documents:

• cancelled Philippine passport or birth certificate;
• naturalization papers to show former Philippine citizenship; or
• certification from adopted country.

    This privilege is extended as well to families of Filipino citizens (i.e. foreign spouse and minor unmarried children) provided:

• that the latter are not required entry visas under existing regulations; and
• that they are travelling together with the balikbayan spouse to the  Philippines.

1.  valid passport;
2.  marriage certificate in case of the spouse;
3.  birth certificates in the case of minor children; or
4.  adoption papers in the case of adopted children.

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY, LONDON 10 August 2001
 

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CONSULAR INFORMATION BULLETIN NO. 9 Series of 2000

    The holder of a re-entry permit who desires its extension must make an application for its extension in the form of an affidavit sworn to before a Philippine consular officer who shall forward the same to the Bureau of Immigration Office in Manila.

    The application for extension shall be made sixty (60) days before the date of expiration of the permit.  The prescribed extension fee is £ 108.00*

    The affidavit should contain the following information:

1. Name of holder of permit, temporary address abroad and permanent address in the Philippines;
2. Re-entry permit number;
3. Date of issuance and expiration;
4. Length of time, not exceeding one year, for which an extension is desired;
5. Reasons for the desired extension; and
6. Address to which extended permit is to be sent.

Source: 1995  Regulations of the Department of Foreign Affairs
PHILIPPINE EMBASSY, LONDON 22 June 2000
 

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 CONSULAR INFORMATION BULLETIN NO. 3 Series of 2000

 PERSONS ENTITLED TO SIRV:

Any alien who is able to prove the following qualifications  may be issued the Special Investor’s Resident Visas:

1. He/She has not been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude;
2. He/She is not afflicted with any loathsome, dangerous or contagious desease;
3. He/She has not been hospitalized for any mental disorder or disability;
4. He/She is willing to able to invest the amount of at least US$75,000.00 or an equivalent amount in acceptable foreign currency in the Philippines.

1. Six copies of completed SIRV application form, Initial Report of Investment and Undertaking;
2. Original and four (4) photocopies of Bank Certification, signed under oath by an officer with a rank not lower than Assistant Vice President (AVP) or officer of equivalent rank in case of branches of foreign banks in the Philippines.  The Certification must attest to the amount of US$75,000.00  in acceptable foreign exchange inwardly remitted to the Bank.  This must be accompanied by the copy of covering bank credit advice/voucher/ receipt/  conversion ticket and/or transfer instrument (T/T  intruction,D/D, M/T), certified as  true copy (for photocopies)  by an officer with a rank not lower that AVP.
3. Four (4) photocopies of passports of the applicant (specially the pages with arrival  and departure dates to and from the Philippines including the latest entry  stamped  by the Philippine Immigration).  Original must be presented for purposes of verification. Photocopies of the passport of applicant’s spouse and dependent children, if joining the applicant.
4. Four (4) photocopies of the marriage certificate of applicant;
5. Four (4) photocopies of the birth certificate of applicant’s spouse and dependent  children, if joining the applicant;
6. Police Clearance or certification that applicant has no criminal record;
7. Certificate of Good Moral Character from applicant’s employer or parish priest;
8. Three copies of completed Medical Examination Form No. 11 and AIDS clearance, original and two(2) photocopies of each laboratory examination reports.  (including dependents)
9. Mental Health Certificate
10. Filing Fee of US$ 500.00 (Five Hundred)
11. Visa fee of £286.00*, if application is approved.

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CONSULAR INFORMATION BULLETIN NO. 12 Series of 2000

1. A prospective secondary graduate foreign student (at least 18 years of age) while abroad applies in writing for admission directly to any Philippine school of his choice by submitting the following documents, duly authenticated by the Philippine Embassy:

a. Five (5) copies of Personal History Statement (PHS) forms duly accomplished by the student-applicant. PHS forms may be secured from the Philippine Embassy or from the school of his choice;
b. Original and a xerox copy of Transcript of Records;
c. Affidavit of support from abroad accompanied by a Bank Statement (at least £10,000 for  a four-year degree);
d. Data page of passport;
e. Certificate of Good Moral Character from the School Head of Institution where he last attended;

2. The school, having been satisfied that the academic requirements are complied with, issues a NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE.

3. School indorses a copy of the Notice of Acceptance together with the Personal History Statement and authenticated Transcript of Records to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), copy furnished the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

4. DFA, Manila approves applications and authorizes the Philippine foreign establishment abroad concerned on the issuance of a student visa.  Upon approval of the issuance of a student visa, the DFA- Manila also informs the school concerned on action taken, copy furnished CHED.

5. The Consular Officer issues a student visa upon receipt of the authority from DFA-Manila and after evaluation of the applicant’s identity and admissibility based on the submission of the following requirements.

a. Three copies of completed FA Form No. 2;
b. Medical Certificate (FA Form No. 11), together with the life size chest x-ray film and original laboratory reports;
c. Certificate of Good Moral Character from the School Head of the Institution where he last attended;
d. Copies of Notice of Acceptance and pertinent documents submitted by the student to the school and forwarded to the CHED in connection with his 9(f) visa application.
e. Visa fee £ 179.00*

6. As soon as the foreign student arrives in the Philippines with a student visa 9(f) marked in his passport, the school secures for its foreign student’s Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) and Certificate of Residence for Temporary Students (CRTS) at the Bureau of Immigration, Manila.

NOTE:
1. Foreign student-applicants are advised to apply only at colleges and institutions with accredited programs.
2. Submission of application for student visa for the 1st semester of each school year starts from January to March; and 2nd semester, from June to August.

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY, LONDON 22 June 2000

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CONSULAR INFORMATION BULLETIN NO. 03 Series of 2001

1. Affidavit of request, and consent by either parent or legally appointed guardian of the child, naming therein the person who will be accompanying the child to the Philippines and with whom the child will reside in the country, duly authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate which has jurisdiction over them.
    
2. Clear photocopy of the data page of the child’s passport;
    
3. Clear photocopy of the data page of the passport of the accompanying adult or guardian;
    
4. Payment of the following immigration fees upn arrival at the port of entry:
    
   •  Application Fee                  P2,000.00
   •  W.E.G. Fee                         P   600.00
   •  Legal Research Fee(LRF)   P      20.00
   •  Express Lane Fee              P    500.00

Sources:  Cir-327-OCA-2000 dated 27 April 2000, Cir 880-OCA-2000 dated  09 October 2000.
Embassy of the Philippines, London, 20 June 2001
 

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(Sample Affidavit)
 
 

 I, ___________________________, residing at ________________
___________________ am the father/mother of ___________________, a minor and holder of British/Irish Passport No. ___________________.

 That I wish to apply for Waiver of Exclusion Ground (W.E.G.) on behalf of my above named son/daughter.

 That I am giving full consent to my above named son/daughter to travel for a short holiday-visit to the Philippines from ________________ to _____________.

 That I am designating Mr./Mrs. ____________________________ as my son’s/daughter’s travelling companion and guardian with whom my child will be residing while in the Philippines.

 Further, I guarantee full support for, and defray all expenses of my son/daughter during his/her stay in the Philippines.
 
 

                                                 ___________________________________
                                                                       Father/Mother
 

Embassy of the Philippines)
Consular Section                )S.S.
London, United Kingdom  )

 SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this ___________ day of ____________ 2000, in the City of London, United Kingdom.
 

Document No.:
O.R. No.         :
Service No.     :
Fee Paid         :
 
 
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 CONSULAR INFORMATION BULLETIN NO. 10, Series of 2000

Definition

Pre-arranged employment  visa under Section 9(g) of the Immigration Act of 1940, as amended are issued  to aliens proceeding to the Philippines to engage in any lawful occupation, whether for wages or salary or for other form of compensation where bona fide employer-employee relation exists.  They may be professors, and teachers for educational institutions, doctors and nurses for hospitals, scientist, professionals and other workers for banking, commercial, industrial, agricultural and other business enterprises.

Dependents

The spouse and children under twenty-one (21) years of age of an alien coming under pre-arranged employment may be issued visas under Section 9(g), if accompanying or following to join employee within a period of six (6) months from the date of his admission into the Philippines.

Requirements in the Application for Pre-arranged Employment Visa

(a)  SKILLED WORKER.  A pre-arranged employment visa under Section 9(g) shall be issued only upon authorization of the Department of Foreign Affairs.   The petition shall be made under oath by the employer or his representative in the form and manner prescribed by the regulations.  The petition shall state fully the nature of the service for  which the non-immigrant is being hired, the probable length of time for which he is to be engaged, the wages and other compensation which he is to receive, the reasons why a person in the Philippines cannot be engaged to perform the service for which the non-immigrant is being hired and why the non-immigrant’s admission would be beneficial to the public interest.

 The petition shall be made under oath  by the employer or his representative in the form and manner prescribed by the regulations. The petition shall be accompanied by a certified copy of any written contract or agreement entered into for the applicant’s service and shall contain such additional information as may be deemed material.  Documentary proof of all allegations made in the petition shall be required, including the allegation that no person can be found in the Philippines willing and competent to perform the labor or service for which the non-immigrant is being hired.

(b) UNSKILLED WORKER. Persons coming to perform unskilled manual labor in pursuance of a promise or offer of employment, express or implied, are excluded from entry to the Philippines.

Venue of Issuance of 9(g) Visas

Pre-arranged employment under Section 9(g) visas shall be issued by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate in the applicant’s country of origin, upon prior  authorization by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Visa  Fee:  £286.00*

Source:  1995 Revised Regulations of the Department of Foreign Affairs
PHILIPPINE EMBASSY, LONDON 22 June 2000
 

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CONSULAR INFORMATION BULLETIN NO.  11, Series of 2000

A. Foreign Media Representatives

1. Foreign newsmen and journalists visiting the Philippines must file their visa applications with the corresponding Philippine Embassy/Consulate which  forwards the request to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila for consultation with the International Press Center.  A temporary visitor’s visa may be issued by the Philippine Embassy/Consulate once the application is given favorable indorsement by the International Press Center.

2. All foreign newsmen and journalists must report to the International Press Center, National Press Club Building, Intramuros, Manila upon arrival in Manila for accreditation.

3. The initial period of stay for foreign mass media resentatives is fifty-nine (59) calander days and is extendable up to one(1) year.  They are advised to report to the International Press Center before their 59-day stay expires so that they may be given proper assistance in extending their stay.

4. Prospective Philippine employers of foreign correspondents to be based in their bureau in the Philippines for more than a year will have to file directly with the Bureau of Immigration for their employees’  working visas.

B. Foreign Cinema and Television Groups Going to the Philippines to Film Documentaries and Other Motion Pictures Productions.

Foreign cinema and television groups going to the Philippines to film documentaries and other motion picture productions may be issued visas only upon prior authority of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Manila.  They are required to submit to the Consular Officer at the corresponding Philippine Embassy/Consulate the following:
 

• Letter requesting permission to film in the Philippine (for commercial film, addressed directly to the Chairman of the Movie and Television Review & Classification Board (MTRCB);  for documentary filming, letter of request should be addressed to the Chief, International Press Center);
• Story line/title of the proposed film;
• List of members of the group and designations;
• Complete list of equipment to be used;
• Photocopies of data page of passport of crewmembers;
• Time table of shooting proposed itinerary (identity of places and date of stay in each place).

    Filing of application  for visa should be made in person.  Applicants who cannot appear in person may send their applications duly notarized by anyone authorized by the UK government to take oaths.

    Documentary Requirements:

• One(1) copy of FA Form No. 2-A (application form)
• Passport valid for at least six months beyond the intended period of stay in the Philippines
• One(1) photograph signed at the bottom front taken in the last six months

• Administrative Fee . . . . . . . . . £12.00
• Visa fee for each applicant . . . £22.00*

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