# Balik Visa



## william_c (Oct 2, 2015)

We entered 6 months ago and wife secured me a Balik Visa. 

If I were to leave by myself before the Visa expires would I be challenged at the
airport for not having the wife with me on the flight? Would taking a copy of the marriage
license mitigate the challenge? If the issue is moot then I assume the exit fee is still
around P500 and that is the only interference I would incur? Wife plans to leave a few
months later with daughter when school ends. I need to work on house right away. 

Thanks for any responses.
Wm


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Technically it's not a visa but you are free to leave whenever you like, there's no reason for your wife to accompany you out of the country. The BB privilege expires as you leave the Philippines so your wife would need to accompany you when you re-entre.


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## william_c (Oct 2, 2015)

Thank you Gary.


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## Jerry123 (Sep 21, 2013)

Gary
Once I am expat in Philippines with wife, does BALIK visa allow me to travel to Singapore etc. and return without re-apply ?


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## Jerry123 (Sep 21, 2013)

??! I am not expat in Poland! I have to fix that.
I'm hoping to relocate from US to Laoag City in March 2016.
Where is the easiest office to apply for BALIK (from Manila heading north)?


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## bidrod (Mar 31, 2015)

Jerry123 said:


> Gary
> Once I am expat in Philippines with wife, does BALIK visa allow me to travel to Singapore etc. and return without re-apply ?


You can travel to anywhere you want, but you must reenter with your wife to get another Balikbayan Stamp(it is not a visa).


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## bidrod (Mar 31, 2015)

Jerry123 said:


> ??! I am not expat in Poland! I have to fix that.
> I'm hoping to relocate from US to Laoag City in March 2016.
> Where is the easiest office to apply for BALIK (from Manila heading north)?


You get the Balikbayan Stamp at the BI counter at your port of entry. You and your wife together hand over your passports and normally a copy of marriage certificate and let her ask for the stamp for you.

Chuck


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

bidrod said:


> You can travel to anywhere you want, but you must reenter with your wife to get another Balikbayan Stamp(it is not a visa).


When you enter the Philippines you will receive a stamp in your passport which will have hand written your length of stay. Visitors will get 30 day or whatever they can receive, different countries have different wavier free periods. When accompanied with your filipino wife you will have hand written 1 year. If I recall correctly many years ago the BB was a differnt stamp, now it's just the same.


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

William is it possible for you to get the Non-quota Immigrant Visa 13a? Not sure if you still travel but if your retired it would make life easier with that I-Card, you can apply from any Philippine Consulate abroad and also at the Philippine Bureau of Immigration in Manila, if so here's a link if applied from Manila.

Conversion to Non-Quota Immigrant Visa by Marriage


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## JM101 (Jan 6, 2015)

I just got a BB stamp about 5 hours ago when my wife and I reentered PI from a quick 4 day trip to Hong Kong. 

Very simply done, as we just presented our passports together along with our marriage cert and told the Immigration Officer what we wanted. A few seconds later after a couple of look overs we were on our way.

Of course baggage claim at NAIA is another story....

JM101


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## Strapsure (Nov 13, 2015)

william_c said:


> We entered 6 months ago and wife secured me a Balik Visa.
> 
> If I were to leave by myself before the Visa expires would I be challenged at the
> airport for not having the wife with me on the flight? Would taking a copy of the marriage
> ...


I have used the Balikbayan concession several times and always return to Europe alone to do house repairs etc back home before my wife joins me and have never had a problem with this at NAIA. However, I always return alone also so only get the 30days. Once in my wife and I nip off for a quick holiday in KK or KL and so the Balikbayan concession applies in reverse (if you follow my drift). We travel out.. and in together which gives me 12 months. Hope this helps.


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## ragbone13 (Jun 17, 2015)

I thought the Balik required the Filipino citizen to have been out of the country fo 1 year or more. Did I misread this?

Thanks,
Dennis


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

ragbone13 said:


> I thought the Balik required the Filipino citizen to have been out of the country fo 1 year or more. Did I misread this?
> 
> Thanks,
> Dennis


It's all a bit grey, she doesn't receive the BB privilege because as you say she hasn't been out of the country for more than one year, and has a Philippine passport. It's the husband that receives it. There's more to it than just the 1 year visa waiver there are also dutyfree privileges which is the reason for the one year limit, to stop people popping in and out to gain them.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

We have done it both ways, by only taking a couple days jaunt to Hong Kong and back, and when she lived with me in Arizona for almost 2 years and back to here. They just stamp my Passport with the date and handwritten "one year" in the box. She still uses her Philippine Passport and I use my US Passport. Just show a xerox of the Marriage Certificate and all is fine even though her Passport still has her prior Name on it. 

Fred


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

ragbone13 said:


> I thought the Balik required the Filipino citizen to have been out of the country fo 1 year or more. Did I misread this?
> 
> Thanks,
> Dennis


When I read the rules I saw that the Filipino spouse had to be out of the country for 1 year... but from talking to everyone it does not seem to be the case. 

We went to Hong Kong for a few days, back in April, it was her first time to ever leave the PI's. Coming back in we did not even have to request it or show a marriage license (we had it with us). We handed the immigration guy both passports and just stamped mine with a years stamp. 

Many times here you will find a big difference between posted rules and real life. Very common.


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