# Same sex Couple



## Twotomove (Jul 26, 2016)

This may be a bit tricky. I am a US citizen and I have a same sex partner in marriage and he is from the Philippines. In about 4 years I will be looking to retire in the Philippines. Here is the tricky part. If we move to the Philippines, he will have dual citizenship, will we have trouble getting in. He will be able to buy property because he is Filipino and I will be living there retired. We want to make that our home base as we travel to different parts of Asia for 3 to 6 months at a time. Will we have difficulty with visas? I know things can change in 4 years, but I thought I would start looking for help and answers now.
Thanks


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

Twotomove said:


> This may be a bit tricky. I am a US citizen and I have a same sex partner in marriage and he is from the Philippines. In about 4 years I will be looking to retire in the Philippines. Here is the tricky part. If we move to the Philippines, he will have dual citizenship, will we have trouble getting in. He will be able to buy property because he is Filipino and I will be living there retired. We want to make that our home base as we travel to different parts of Asia for 3 to 6 months at a time. Will we have difficulty with visas? I know things can change in 4 years, but I thought I would start looking for help and answers now.
> Thanks


Howdy in NorCal,

The two of you should have no trouble entering the Philippines. However, even if the two of you are legally married there, the Philippines will not recognize a same sex marriage. That leaves you out of many married benefits such as permanent residency based on marriage. As such, you can renew your tourist (stamped in your passport upon arrival) visa over and over again. At the end of two (2) years you will need to exit the country to like Hong Kong and return the following day and start the process over again.

It is advisable to visit the Philippines several times and spend as much time here as possible before a move. This is to help make sure that living in a 3rd world country is something you can learn to tolerate long term. There is a vast difference between here and there so make very sure.

When old enough, you can have Social Security direct deposited to an approved bank in the Philippines. The US Embassy in Manila will be your best friend in helping with that and they are a great help answering questions and concerns if you go there in person.

Be sure when you make the move that you both bring with you any and all medical records as doctors here will not send and request records as they do there at home.

Lastly, spend time reading many of the threads here in the forum and other forums as will. You will gain loads of info that helps a lot.



Best Of Luck

Jet Lag


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## bidrod (Mar 31, 2015)

You can actually stay 3 years before you need to exit the country. You can also look at the retirement Visa(SRRV) which if you had US military service you can acquire for $1500 deposit and $1400 application fee. Amounts are last I am aware of.

Chuck


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

You said "same sex partner in marriage". Are you legally married, do you have a legal Marriage Certificate fully executed and registered with the Philippine consulate responsible for your area in the states? In order to avail yourself of the Balikbayan status, you will have to produce a legal Marriage Certificate. 

Fred


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## Twotomove (Jul 26, 2016)

Thank you. I have been there once and we plan on visiting and staying for a few weeks every break we can get so I can see what I have in store. His family is there and they are very supportive of our relationship so that is one thing we don't need to worry about. We understand that our marriage will not be recognized and that will be okay with us.
Thanks and I will read the treads as suggested.
Thanks


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## Twotomove (Jul 26, 2016)

Thank you. I have been there once and we plan on visiting and staying for a few weeks every break we can get so I can see what I have in store. His family is there and they are very supportive of our relationship so that is one thing we don't need to worry about. We understand that our marriage will not be recognized and that will be okay with us.
Thanks and I will read the treads as suggested.
Thanks


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## Twotomove (Jul 26, 2016)

We are married in the US not in the Philippines. Thanks Fred


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

As bidrod said, you can stay in the PI for 3 years on a tourist visa. You get the 1st 30 days free, and then have to pay for extensions every couple of months. Some BI offices in places like Cebu and Manila offer 6 month extensions. Last I saw, it costs about $560 per year for a tourist visa. At the end of 3 years you will need to fly out of country to reset the visa clock. You will also need a follow on ticket on your trip to the PI. Some people buy cheap one way fares to places like Hong Kong or Bangkok. Otherwise you run the risk of being turned away at check in for your flight to the PI. 

After your second extension of your tourist visa, you will apply for your ACR I-Card as part of that. That ID card enables you to open a bank account in the PI. 

There is an annual requirement with the BI for all foreigners to register with their local BI office between January to the end of February. The cost is about 300p. The excuse is for them to run you for a warrants check.


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

*SRRV Visa*



Twotomove said:


> This may be a bit tricky. I am a US citizen and I have a same sex partner in marriage and he is from the Philippines. In about 4 years I will be looking to retire in the Philippines. Here is the tricky part. If we move to the Philippines, he will have dual citizenship, will we have trouble getting in. He will be able to buy property because he is Filipino and I will be living there retired. We want to make that our home base as we travel to different parts of Asia for 3 to 6 months at a time. Will we have difficulty with visas? I know things can change in 4 years, but I thought I would start looking for help and answers now.
> Thanks


Have some shortcuts that could help, and if I'm not mistaken a Condo unit or house might qualify you for the SRRV but check with your local Philippine Consulate here's a link to consulates stateside. Embassy of the Philippines - Consulate Finder Map

Links to SRRV and also a detailed document.

PRA: Philippine Retirement Authority

http://www.pra.gov.ph/As_in_detailed_SRRV_Explanation_090613_2.pdf


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## Ekspurlo (Dec 20, 2021)

fmartin_gila said:


> You said "same sex partner in marriage". Are you legally married, do you have a legal Marriage Certificate fully executed and registered with the Philippine consulate responsible for your area in the states? In order to avail yourself of the Balikbayan status, you will have to produce a legal Marriage Certificate.
> 
> Fred


I wish this was the case. I just lost roughly $10,000 because the port of entry would not accept our legal married paperwork and Marriage Certificate to enter under the Balikbayan program because "the phillippines does not recognize same sex marriage so the program is unavailable to me and my former Filipina wife"

I was also unable to enter right now visa free for 30 days as you normally can because of the covid restrictions you have to have a Visa. We are USA citizens but due to restrictions as of 12/19/21 visa free entry is not available.

This really hurt us as this would be my wife's first Christmas in the Philippines after 15 years.

The really messed up part is we called the PH embassy in the US and they said that they would accept our marriage certificate as long as we are legally married in the United States. (Which we are)

But when we arrived the point of entry denied us and we had to spend $2000 just to fly back home.

If you read the law for the Balikbayan program it doesn't specify a heterosexual marriage. It just says "family" with the definition of spouse and children of a former Filipino can enter for a 1 year visa free stay. 

I saw 4 other same-sex couples turned away the Same day. 

This needs to be changed or at least state specify that it doesn't recognize Same Sex Marriage. This made me lose out on roughly $10,000

I would like to start a petition for this but have to do some research as this just happened to me a couple days ago.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Ekspurlo said:


> I wish this was the case. I just lost roughly $10,000 because the port of entry would not accept our legal married paperwork and Marriage Certificate to enter under the Balikbayan program because "the phillippines does not recognize same sex marriage so the program is unavailable to me and my former Filipina wife"
> 
> I was also unable to enter right now visa free for 30 days as you normally can because of the covid restrictions you have to have a Visa. We are USA citizens but due to restrictions as of 12/19/21 visa free entry is not available.
> 
> ...


Start a petition and get black listed, your choice.


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

Ekspurlo said:


> I wish this was the case. I just lost roughly $10,000 because the port of entry would not accept our legal married paperwork and Marriage Certificate to enter under the Balikbayan program because "the phillippines does not recognize same sex marriage so the program is unavailable to me and my former Filipina wife"
> 
> I was also unable to enter right now visa free for 30 days as you normally can because of the covid restrictions you have to have a Visa. We are USA citizens but due to restrictions as of 12/19/21 visa free entry is not available.
> 
> ...


Ekspurlo, Sorry to hear you lost so much money but Gary D makes a good point, if you cause the government troubles here you'll be Black Listed and banned from entry, also Philippine law prohibits foreigners from posting ANY issues with the Philippine Government, you also cannot film or take photos of Government workers and you could be arrested for taking someone's photo or filming a citizen without their permission. If caught protesting or causing trouble with the Philippine Administration you'll also be arrested, detained, fined, Black Listed, and then deported from a few months or worst case scenario years later, so stuck in a Philippine jail. 

One of our members was stuck in a Philippine Jail or detention center for 3 years for an error caused by the travel agency, he was black-listed and deported and after paying some hefty fines he was allowed back into the country, you need to wake up yesterday on how things work here, I recommend you start reading some books on Philippine culture and Philippine politics.

You have to remember that we don't have the same rights and there's no such thing as freedom of speech like we know and experience in the US, we also can not protest or be involved or supported in any form of protest.

So it's best that you and your partner check with the Philippine Consulate that works with your home state of Georgia, you'd be working with the Washington DC Philippine Consulate. Don't ever take anyone's word for how things work here and I'm not sure who you talked with at the PH embassy in the US, they sure weren't Philippine Bureau Agents, and wow did they give some bad advice and how in the world did you manage to get a plane ticket here in the first place? 

The Philippines will not accept any tourists from the US and you shouldn't even be able to fly to the Philippines and you can't fly there unless you have an *entry exemption document* EED clearance letter from the Philippine Consulate in the US and it's because of the high cases of Covid so? Nothing makes sense in how you got here.

I've talked with many Expats from the US and they can't even get a plane ticket to the Philippines unless they have all their supporting documentation in order, also your partner who is a Philippine citizen is aware of all the rules here and so I find that troubling also, they know that there's no such thing as a same-sex marriage recognized, so please... that's just too ridiculous.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

@M.C.A. absolutely eye opening reply, thank you for that. Didn't know about the filming part, I shudder now because I was filming extensively from jeepneys when with my GF. I will not do that ever again. 

I saw a post from a guy on the IATF Facebook page. He called the President a "clown" and said the Philippines was a "circus". Others warned him that such comments have a high chance of being noted down and the persons name recorded. 

It really pays to get all the intel about a new country, its laws and its culture or you're in trouble. 

Reminds me of the UK couple who went to Dubai on holiday and got caught getting busy on the beach. Flung in jail. I mean...hello.....Islamic country? Think a little. Read a little.


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

KatanaDV20 said:


> @M.C.A. absolutely eye opening reply, thank you for that. Didn't know about the filming part, I shudder now because I was filming extensively from jeepneys when with my GF. I will not do that ever again.
> 
> I saw a post from a guy on the IATF Facebook page. He called the President a "clown" and said the Philippines was a "circus". Others warned him that such comments have a high chance of being noted down and the persons name recorded.
> 
> ...


Glad to hear that you got some valuable information from my posting and I do my best to inform you because unfortunately many of our fellow Expats end up regretting their freedom of speech and violent outbursts, some of us have kids and now grandkids, and to be kicked out would be devasting, so always... we must mind our own business when it comes to politics and our own personal privacy, our names our photographs, we must also respect the privacy of the Philippine Citizen they don't like to be filmed or photographed unless you ask if it's okay, you never want to get caught filming ANY government official.

A Philippine citizen or in-law that has a beef with you or jealous neighbor that knows you Vlog or a run-in with your local barangay, Police can get you deported, but before your flight leaves, they'll do their damnest to make sure you won't be returning so here's my final warning.... there's a block off to the upper right on every Visa renewal forum labeled "Derragatory Record".

YouTube vloggers, it'll get you eventually, especially if you're here on a tourist Visa or as a Permanent Resident without a business permit, you might not make more than $10,000 USD off your channel to worry about it, but they can make trouble for you if you don't have a business permit, the fines are very heavy. For those that won't listen I know many, I've done my best as a fellow Expat to warn you, just retire and enjoy what's left of your life, you don't need to share it with anyone, do your best to make the people around you including yourself happy.

I end up deleting many starter threads because of these worries, we also don't want to draw attention to our forum and so when our new Expat mentioned that we start or join a protest, petition... We don't need that kind of talk here and "No thanks," I'll pass.


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

M.C.A. said:


> I end up deleting many starter threads because of these worries, we also don't want to draw attention to our forum


 Sorry. Swedes have hard to shut up when we notice bad things  including horrible treatments of animals.

((Normaly Sweden is safe concerning assassins related to protesting, e g ministers walk around mostly without body guards, but many years ago a Swedish prime minister got murdered after he had protested officialy against both Sovjet, USA and South Africa (appartheit. Sweden was the only country outside Africa who took side with Mandela early). 
The Swedish security police was sure involved somehow, because they cant be that incompetent during the investigations afterwards, but unclear who they protect. It was SURE NOT any of the three the official investigations tried to fool Swedes to believe... 🤣 Very clumbsy stupid to believe Swedish people is that easy fooled, the "closing of the case murderer" was the most STUPID, no one believe.. The official investigators have never mensioned a PROOF !!! it was an organisation not single maniac, because several witnesses saw walkietalkies at different places around the murder... (This was back before mobile phones.) My father worked for the party in government ppwer handling databases and distribution and were friend with him, who became prime minister after the murdered, and he told us some later he knew who did the murder, but he was very secret so he never told us even what party he voted at. I suspect he voted for an other party than them he worked for  because he had similar oppinions as one of the other parties. (Sweden have a bunch of different political parties.)


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## Hey_Joe (Sep 13, 2016)

Ekspurlo said:


> I would like to start a petition for this but have to do some research as this just happened to me a couple days ago.


Result of a previous petition.

Philippines: Supreme Court Rules on Same-Sex Marriage
SOURCE: Philippines: Supreme Court Rules on Same-Sex Marriage


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Good info Joe. That is the law here and needs to be respected and can be a double edged sword in many ways.

Separation settlements and alimony. Leasing property from your partner in an unrecognised marriage/partnership etc.

Big wheels turn slowly in all countries but much slower in some. The Philippines will eventually come into line with popular thinking eventually. Golly I'm still waiting for voicemail here that we had in Australia 25 to 30 years ago.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.


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