# visas



## confussed1069 (Aug 29, 2014)

Can you get a visitors visa renewed in Davao city. And how long can you stay in the Philippines on a visitors visa. I want to stay permanently and I will be marring a Philippine girlfriend of mine that is a local. But it may be a few months down the road before we get married.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

Yes, A tourist (visitors) visa can be renewed/extended at ANY BI satellite office including Davao. However, if you decide to become a perm resident after marriage, that visa must be done at the main immigration office in Manila..


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## confussed1069 (Aug 29, 2014)

*visa*

How would I find out where the BI satellite office in Davao city is?


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## confussed1069 (Aug 29, 2014)

How many times can you renew/extend a visitors visa?


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

*BI Offices*



confussed1069 said:


> How many times can you renew/extend a visitors visa?





confussed1069 said:


> How would I find out where the BI satellite office in Davao city is?


There are satellite offices for BI throughout the country. There are many in your area including Davao. 
Follow This Page Link for a list and location of all offices nationwide
including Davao.

If things haven't changed, you can renew/extend your tourist visa every two months for up to two years. At that point, just catch a late night (before midnight) flight to Hong Kong and return after midnight and start the process over again..


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## confussed1069 (Aug 29, 2014)

Is there a fee to get the visitors visa and do they charge you for renewal / extensions? And I just wanted to thank you Jet Lag for all your help and great information. I hope maybe when I get to the Philippines that I will get to thank you in person. Thanks, Gerry


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

confussed1069 said:


> Is there a fee to get the visitors visa and do they charge you for renewal / extensions? And I just wanted to thank you Jet Lag for all your help and great information. I hope maybe when I get to the Philippines that I will get to thank you in person. Thanks, Gerry


You already have a visitors visa stamp in your passport when you enter the country.
But yes, there is a fee every two months when you renew/extend. The amount will differ every time you extend but usually is not much over $40.00us
If you don't want to mess around going to immigration yourself each time just locate a large travel agency and they will do the leg work for you. Most often times a travel agency will charge under $10.00 for this service. If the want to charge you more than that, choose another travel service..


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## confussed1069 (Aug 29, 2014)

When I get to the Philippines do I have to have a return flight ticket back to the USA? And if so how far out should the return date be?


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## Phil_expat (Jan 3, 2011)

confussed1069 said:


> When I get to the Philippines do I have to have a return flight ticket back to the USA? And if so how far out should the return date be?


You need an onward ticket leaving the Philippines do not have to be the USA. There are very cheap flights to Hong Kong. I have been told and read at this site that the onward ticket can be 6 months after your arrival to the Philippines. You can use the ticket again if you visit another country.

Tony


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## confussed1069 (Aug 29, 2014)

Tony what your saying is that I don't need the airline ticket until 6 months after I get to the Philippines? Because my understanding is that I don't need to leave the Philippines for up to 1 year with visa renewal every 2 months. Is this true? I know here in the USA our immigration really doesn't enforce the visa laws unless you do something wrong.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

confussed1069 said:


> Tony what your saying is that I don't need the airline ticket until 6 months after I get to the Philippines? Because my understanding is that I don't need to leave the Philippines for up to 1 year with visa renewal every 2 months. Is this true? I know here in the USA our immigration really doesn't enforce the visa laws unless you do something wrong.





Phil_expat said:


> You need an onward ticket leaving the Philippines do not have to be the USA. There are very cheap flights to Hong Kong. I have been told and read at this site that the onward ticket can be 6 months after your arrival to the Philippines. You can use the ticket again if you visit another country.
> 
> Tony


Don't know how soon Tony will log in again so I'll jump in quick. You need that onward ticket to board your flight from the US to the Philippines. The airline bringing you across the pacific to Manila will or should ask you to see the ticket and can not board you without it.

The onward ticket should have a flight date of at least 6 months from the time you arrive here.

If you stay longer it's no sweat as the round trip fares to some of the local countries are very low cost. Usually under $50.00us dollars.

Additionally, make sure that you passport is good for AT LEAST six(6) beyond your departure from there or they will not allow you to enter the country.
If you are stating here long term, you can also get a new passport issued at the 
US Embassy in Manila..


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## confussed1069 (Aug 29, 2014)

WOW they really make it difficult and confusing to retire to the Philippines. I don't know but maybe I should find a travel agent to help me with this transition so I don't mess it up. Because this is getting beyond me getting it right. It's really to bad that the Philippine government makes it so difficult to retire there from another country. But thanks for all your help. Gerry


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

Many if not all airlines will not issue a boarding pass for international travel until they are satisfied that you will not be turned away at the arrival country immigration.

They can be subjected to huge fines and financial penalities if they take you to another country without checking for some proof that you can either stay there ( i.e. your home country, residental visa etc) or have an onward ticket out of there.

You have a couple of options, one is get a cheap throw away ticket that you may not use. Another is to get a refundable ticket and cash it in when you clear customs ( that is what I do, but a ticket somewhere anywhere on Expedia that allows me to cancel within 24 hours without penality just before getting my boarding pass then cancel it as soon as I clear immigration) 

<Snip>

I have never in all my international travels (a couple hundred flights in the past decade, several passports filled) been asked for onward tickets by anyone other than the airline ticket agents but you have to show them one in order to get your boarding pass. (They do not always ask or can be easily confused. I have used my e-gate card for the UAE and claimed that it was a residency card and intend to use my ACR i card when I get it as proof of resicency for Philippines once I have that.)

Only place I really had an arguement was with an Emerites check in going to Afghanistan. I had a residency visa and the check in clerk still wanted an onward ticket


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## George6020 (Apr 18, 2014)

Confused.....I think you are really at the beginning stages of learning about the Philippines....try your best to learn as much as you can.........and keep asking those questions. These guys can really help you a lot.

In Davao, on J.P.Laurel St.....across from Victoria Plaza, is where the BI office is............Victoria Plaza is between Gaisano G-Mall and Ayala Mall.

Unless you got your Tourist Visa in the US before you arrived here........when you go through Immigration at the airport, you, being a US citizen, automatically get a 30 day Visa stamp FREE.

Before your Visa expires, go to the BI office, early in the morning is best, and you will get a Visa Extension of 29 days.........approx. P2830 Philippine pesos.
Then before that Visa expires, go back to the BI office, and decide between a 2 month and 6 month Extension...........2 month is approx. 2830 pesos, the 6 month is approx. 8500 pesos, but be prepared to pay a little more sometimes because of their "extra" fees.
The last I heard, you can continue getting extensions for 2 years before you have to leave the country.........upon your return, you start the extensions all over again. 
My advice, even though you are MADLY in love, is to wait at least 1 year before you decide on permanently living here............then there is a completely different process to go through...13A


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Jet Lag said:


> Don't know how soon Tony will log in again so I'll jump in quick. You need that onward ticket to board your flight from the US to the Philippines. The airline bringing you across the pacific to Manila will or should ask you to see the ticket and can not board you without it.
> 
> The onward ticket should have a flight date of at least 6 months from the time you arrive here.
> 
> ...


Just to clarify the passport situation. Your passport needs to be valid for 6 months after you leave the country you are entering, the Philippines in this case. So if you have an onward ticket for 6 months after your arrival your passport needs to be valid for at least 12 months on entry.


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## Phil_expat (Jan 3, 2011)

confussed1069 said:


> Tony what your saying is that I don't need the airline ticket until 6 months after I get to the Philippines? Because my understanding is that I don't need to leave the Philippines for up to 1 year with visa renewal every 2 months. Is this true? I know here in the USA our immigration really doesn't enforce the visa laws unless you do something wrong.


NO, I am not saying that! You need the onward ticket when coming to the Philippines. Both the airlines that you take to the Philippines and Philippines immigration when entering the Philippines are suppose to ask for it. I am saying the onward ticket can be a flight leaving the Philippines up to 6 months after you arrive. If during those 6 months you decided to visit another country when returning to the Philippines again you need an onward ticket again. You can use the same one again as long as the date of the flight has not passed. This has nothing to do with how long you can stay in the Philippines. The airlines can be fined if they let you board and not have an onward ticket. I usually fly on Philippine air lines into Manila. PAL has always asked me for an onward ticket but Phil immigration has never asked me for one. BUT some airlines do NOT check for an onward ticket and some immigration agents do ask for onward ticket. 

Tony


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

Confused,

The information given here for you is correct. There are numerous threads in the forum pages on ticketing and visa requirements that cover all aspects of travel to and from the Philippines.
As such, I am closing this thread for the time being..


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