# How should I dress for going to banks and government offices?



## Howard_Z (7 mo ago)

How should I dress for going to banks and government offices ?

In the USA, I will wear long sleeve white dress shirt (no tie),
long black pants,
black leather shoes.

I think it will get me better service (might be wrong).

But, is this too much for Philippines ?


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## magsasaja (Jan 31, 2014)

I find a Mankini works well for me!


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## magsasaja (Jan 31, 2014)

Depends on the government office. If I go to our local municipality office I wear my daily clothes shorts, T-shirt and flip flops. Immigration used to have a no shorts/singlet rule but things have become more relaxed and you can now wear shorts. As for the bank you can wear whatever you want.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

magsasaja said:


> I find a Mankini works well for me!


 Now I got to clean up the mouthful of coffee I blew out when I saw this. 

Fred


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

I almost did the same when I saw the OP this morning.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

On my first visit to the Bureau of Immigration in Cebu, I didn't know the rules, so I stupidly showed up wearing cut off shorts and sandals. Needless to say the security guard wouldn't let me in, but as I was walking back towards our car, this local fellow came up to me, and offered to rent me a pair of sweat pants for 300 Php. I mean, these sweat pants were dirty, they were hot, and they had smelled like the unwashed sweat from 10,000 people. Well, I didn't want to spend the time driving back home and changing, so I paid the guy, and then I slipped the sweat pants on right over my Levi cut offs right there on the sidewalk. I walked right up to the security guard, he said, alright, you're wearing long pants, you can come right inside. Never mind the fact that I was clearly wearing a pair of sweat pants over another pair of short, and never mind the fact that he sweat pants were as dirty as my sister-in-law's imagination, all the security guard cared about was that I had "long" pants on. Well, after I was done conducting my business, I went outside and peeled off the sweat pants, and the guy who rented them to me gave me back 100 Php. Also, after that I had to get some anti-fungal cream to take care of a rash which developed on my legs.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

My first visit to the main immigration branch was similar to Maxx this was in 2007, but I was wearing Dockers shorts, a dress shirt, sox, and shoes and was belittled, and shamed the entire time, by each and every Immigration Officer they were offended and kept looking me up and down... man I was embarrassed, I wanted to go and buy some dress pants but this authorized helper told me no and he continued to run my paperwork for my ACR card, I had just arrived from the US with my 13a Visa completed, but they don't give the ACR card in the US, so you have to get that here upon arrival in the Philippines.

I won't enter any government office with shorts ever again. 

The bank, I'll wear my finest dress shorts, shirt, black socks and black walking shoes. 

Why not look your best the citizens here sure do if you glance around inside banks or shopping. You can't fool anyone by dressing down and it's not that comfortable "sandals" either walking without decent pair of quality shoes.


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## Trdbnlne (11 mo ago)

Howard_Z said:


> How should I dress for going to banks and government offices ?
> 
> In the USA, I will wear long sleeve white dress shirt (no tie),
> long black pants,
> ...


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