# 13a Visa



## philnz (Sep 5, 2011)

Is it true that a 13a visa issued by a Philippine Embassy (in my case in New Zealand) is permanent immediately and not probationary.

I have a strange case. My 13a visa has a term of one year. It just says on Visa........Visa Type 13a. Multiple Entry.

When I arrived here I applied for my ACR-I card. It says Visa Type Sec 13A. Visa valid until PERMANENT and has a term of five years.

I am confused.

Anyone got a clue as to what I am classified as?

Thank you.


----------



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

I too am somewhat confused, it's?..... I am married to a Philippina with the 13a visa but we all need to go in between Jan-Feb, first 60 days of every year to pay 310 peso's at the PBI, if you miss those first 60 days it ends up costing something close to 4,000 peso's in charges, this is for some sort of check in, after 5 years they had me get a new card, I had to run around just about every single floor at the PBI to get finger prints copied out and all this stuff is already on file on their computer's and they didn't even have me take another picture I noticed my card was updated with an expired date, that seemed to be the only change.

My Passport is good till 2016 and my Visa is the same, I got my Philippine Visa in the US in 2007, so in another year or two I will need a new passport and I will need another Philippine Visa, hopefully this will not be difficult or to expensive and I will be able to do this here, I am somewhat stressed about this.


----------



## philnz (Sep 5, 2011)

When they issued my ACR-I card in February they loaded on this years report fee so that's OK. I just don't know if I am a permanent resident or a probationary one.


----------



## rpmorley (Oct 30, 2012)

The visa is good for 90 days so you can enter and do the ACR-I card thing. But, and remember this, you will always have to show that visa for everything, expired or not, expired passport or not. The ACR-I card is good forever but has to be renewed every five years. I show my expired passport with my 13g (spouse is dual citizen hence 13g where a natural single citizenship Filipino' s spouse gets the 13a, as explained to me) in the expisred passport with the new passport. I am on my 2nd ACR-I card.


----------



## philnz (Sep 5, 2011)

I have already got the ACR card. My Visa is good until October this year. I have done everything I have to do it is just the discrepancy between the term of the Visa and the term of the ACR card that has me puzzled. Usually the ACR has a term that is concurrent with the Visa.


----------



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

rpmorley said:


> The visa is good for 90 days so you can enter and do the ACR-I card thing. But, and remember this, you will always have to show that visa for everything, expired or not, expired passport or not. The ACR-I card is good forever but has to be renewed every five years. I show my expired passport with my 13g (spouse is dual citizen hence 13g where a natural single citizenship Filipino' s spouse gets the 13a, as explained to me) in the expisred passport with the new passport. I am on my 2nd ACR-I card.



I have the 13A or ACR-I card, had it since 2007, Some good information, thank you. So if I get a new US passport I need to keep my old passport with the Philippine Visa in it and won't have to get another Visa? If this is true that's real good news.


----------



## philnz (Sep 5, 2011)

Probably it is best to go to BI and get them to transfer your visa to your new Passport.


----------



## rpmorley (Oct 30, 2012)

I went to Intramurous last visit home, Dec 2012 actually, right from the airport just for the purpose of getting a new 13g stamped in the new US passport. 3rd floor office in that place said they have no provision for restamping the visa, although expired, was just to get you in past the 21 day limit for the purpose of the ACR-I card. Like I said, I show the expired visa in the expired passport with the new passport. If you plan to ship anything to PI, you will also have to show the expired visa. I will be putting that to the test real soon as I plan to finally retire this year. Expired 13a/g visa is still a valuable commodity so do not lose your old passport.


----------



## IsaDa'wud (Mar 7, 2015)

RPMorley,
You said you show the permanent visa in the expired passport along with the new passport. If you are not planning to leave the Philippines do you have to renew your passport or can you just retain and show the expired passport?


----------



## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

IsaDa'wud said:


> RPMorley,
> You said you show the permanent visa in the expired passport along with the new passport. If you are not planning to leave the Philippines do you have to renew your passport or can you just retain and show the expired passport?


RP Morley has not posted in some time. So far as I know, one needs to always have a current passport to remain here in the Philippines. Everyone that I know of does so and a passport (for US citizens at least) can be renewed at the embassy in Manila.

Also, please be sure to go into your profile and list the to and from countries so the proper flags show on each post you make..


----------



## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

unggoy said:


> I am uncertain on the law of this one, but since immigrating, no one has ever asked me for my passport. Well, one landlord did, and I refused. You don't need a passport to rent an apartment. Passports are for international travel. You can have my ICR, Postal, NBI card, NBI Clearance, TIN ID, SSS, UMID, LTO, employment ID, BC, PNP, and anything else. But not my passport. That is stupid.


You forgot the PRC card ...

So foreigners resident in Philippines can obtain all of the above ? Do advise .. it will be great help .. unless of course you don't want to help struggling foreigners married to Filipino spouses ...


----------



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

*Immigrant card*



unggoy said:


> Who is telling you about needing visas? If you are an immigrant in a country, you do not need a visa. Only a ECC and an RP if you leave the country.


Not sure if your talking about the exit clearance where you need to check in 3 days prior to departure. I left in 2008 so there wasn't that requirement at the time, I'd been here one year and returned to the states, actually to be fair I had no idea you had to check in between the months of Jan-Feb, who does? you start finding these things out after you keep paying fines. So I was charged $75 on my exit and then on my return 3 years later 2010 I was fined 14,000 peso's because the PBI agent said I should have left my card here in the Philippines while I was stateside so that my wife cold perform the annual check in yearly to pay my 310 peso's, lol.... gosh, where's that written? Lessons learned and then it was in 2011 that my card was at the 5 year mark (I had no clue what was going on they said I needed a new card) but figured this out much later also.

You go through all the requirements to get the card (got my 13a Visa out of Chicago 2007)and then there's no such direction's given to you after you arrive here in the Philippines, we tried several times to ask questions but???? at that time there were two other people with paperwork trying to talk with the lady at the same dang and on my time, I still didn't get much of an answer so I asked my wife to ask the PBI agent one more time (I had her barge in on somebody else) how come I keep getting fined, finally she told us I need to check in at the first of the year from Jan-Feb, after that I found their website and started reading and it was a couple years later I found the Expat Forum but after all was said and done, so to those that don't know I hope your taking notes.

My card is up for renewal next year and so is my US passport, unsure of what will go on but my passport doesn't expire till June or July 2016 so I guess I'll get that after that fact because in Jan-Feb time frame it's still good? See I'm still learning I have no clue but if anyone has gone through this phase or my 10th year.... I'm all ears.


----------



## EuroBob (Feb 23, 2015)

mcalleyboy said:


> ...My card is up for renewal next year and so is my US passport, unsure of what will go on but my passport doesn't expire till June or July 2016 so I guess I'll get that after that fact because in Jan-Feb time frame it's still good? See I'm still learning I have no clue but if anyone has gone through this phase or my 10th year.... I'm all ears.


You can obtain a new passport before it expires.
I obtained a new U.S. passport about nine months before mine expired. 
When the U.S. embassy asked me why I was renewing so early, I reminded them that many countries want one to have at least 6 months validity remaining on their passports before they will be allowed to enter a country.


----------



## lkarlovsky (Jan 4, 2013)

When it is time to renew your US passport at the Embassy in Manila is this accomplished in one trip or do you have to return to pick up?


----------



## bidrod (Mar 31, 2015)

lkarlovsky said:


> When it is time to renew your US passport at the Embassy in Manila is this accomplished in one trip or do you have to return to pick up?


The following is from the US Embassy for passport renewal:

Renew the 10-Year validity Adult Passport | Manila, Philippines - Embassy of the United States


----------

