# balikayan



## robbiemarshall (Oct 14, 2010)

ive recently married a ph national and soon will have her passport change to my surname and we will travel to thailand in april 2013
my understanding is that upon arrival back in the ph i can request a balikayan at the immagration counter which will give me a free entree into the ph for 12 months before im required to leave again is this correct and when i return to the ph and ask for this do i have to already have an on going ticket as is required of me now or is it just on the understanding thet you will leave within the allotted time 
i would appreciate your input especially from those who have done this or are doing it


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## c_uk (Oct 24, 2012)

robbiemarshall said:


> ive recently married a ph national and soon will have her passport change to my surname and we will travel to thailand in april 2013
> my understanding is that upon arrival back in the ph i can request a balikayan at the immagration counter which will give me a free entree into the ph for 12 months before im required to leave again is this correct and when i return to the ph and ask for this do i have to already have an on going ticket as is required of me now or is it just on the understanding thet you will leave within the allotted time
> i would appreciate your input especially from those who have done this or are doing it


Hi Robbie, I hope this helps http://www.philembassy.se/tourist-information/balikbayan-privileges.


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## robbiemarshall (Oct 14, 2010)

whilst i appreciate your help my more important question was do i have to have an ongoing ticket upon arrival when i apply for this visa or do they just accept that i shall leave before the 12 months is up


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## c_uk (Oct 24, 2012)

robbiemarshall said:


> whilst i appreciate your help my more important question was do i have to have an ongoing ticket upon arrival when i apply for this visa or do they just accept that i shall leave before the 12 months is up


Hi Robbie,

My understanding and only base on my experience is you will have the Balikbayan stamp on your passport when you enter the Philippines providing you are travelling with your wife who is a citizen or a former citizen of the Philippines. 

I travel to Philippines on a regular basis and I get the stamp every time. My husband get the same Balikbayan stamp on his passport providing he is travelling with me . On those occasions we travel together they never have asked for a return or any ticket when entering the country. Also, I have never been asked nor I carry any documents apart from the passport. I understand some people may have a different experience than me. 

I do apologise I cannot give you a definite yes or no answer regarding the ongoing ticket. I believe return tickets are usually airlines policy. The airline I use regularly have never suggested that I require return or other ticket other than the one I need for my travel to Philippines nor we were ask for any proof of any ticket prior to exiting the country. 

It maybe a good idea just to purchase a cheap ticket just to be sure and can always cash it back . Yes, I know you will lose some money if you didn't use the ticket. If still in doubt, perhaps, you can email the Philippine embassy where you are residing.. I hope some people will post regarding your concern to put your mind at ease.

All the best, .C '


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## robbiemarshall (Oct 14, 2010)

i thank you for your reply i am currently in the ph and will travel to thailand and return back to the ph the ph embessy is non to responsive to emails unfortunitly
but thank you


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

*Flight Tickets*



robbiemarshall said:


> i thank you for your reply i am currently in the ph and will travel to thailand and return back to the ph the ph embassy is non to responsive to emails unfortunitly
> but thank you


Since you are here in country, to play it safe and get the info you need, I'd suggest a visit to the closest immigration office and ask them. Short of that, you can get accurate information by visiting a "trusted" travel agency. They deal with the immigration office on a daily basis and will have the information or for a very low fee, find out for you. If an extra ticket is needed, many people buy a ticket Manila to either Hong Kong or Singapore one way. That satisfies the law and can just be tossed in the trash after you are here as a refund is not worth the effort


Gene


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## c_uk (Oct 24, 2012)

robbiemarshall said:


> i thank you for your reply i am currently in the ph and will travel to thailand and return back to the ph the ph embessy is non to responsive to emails unfortunitly
> but thank you


Hi Robbie,

Since you are already in Philippines and going to Thailand - I guess your concern is solved. Good luck and Have a good Holiday!


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## richardsinger (Oct 30, 2012)

Even if your Balikbayan status means that Philippines Immigration do not require you to have an ongoing air ticket, the airline staff at the place you are flying from might not be conversant with the fine details and could insist on you having an ongoing ticket before allowing you to board. I hope you get lucky.

Richard


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## robbiemarshall (Oct 14, 2010)

i thank you all for your input i think gene probably has the best answer as i do not wish to get this wrong looking up ph web sites is a night mare most are years old and have not been updated and 1 will tell you 1 thing and another some thing else


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

richardsinger said:


> Even if your Balikbayan status means that Philippines Immigration do not require you to have an ongoing air ticket, the airline staff at the place you are flying from might not be conversant with the fine details and could insist on you having an ongoing ticket before allowing you to board. I hope you get lucky.
> 
> Richard


I know Delta requires a round trip ticket and claimed they're fined if you don't have one. BUT I have never been asked for a return ticket at PI Immigration, with and without the Balikbayan stamp.


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## raconnor (Oct 30, 2012)

I was in your exact situation last year. I entered the country a month after my wife arrived so I alone with a throwaway outbound ticket to HK. No issues there--I simply received a tourist visa. 

During my stay, though, my wife and I decided to take a vacation to Thailand for 5 days. When we got back to the airport we got in the line for our Balikbayan sticker but when we got to the counter they asked to see my return documents. I didn't have a return ticket or anything, so I simply told them the truth. 

The immigration officer told me I would not be allowed to enter the country without proof that I had the means to leave the country. We asked if I could just buy a ticket right then and the officer said as long as I showed proof I had plans to leave then it made no difference.. so my wife got out her phone, went to the cebuair website and found the cheapest international promo they were offering. They had a deal for Clark to Macau for P188 ($5). 

We bought it, got back in line, showed the receipt to the officer right on the screen and he stamped my passport and let us go. 

I suggest you buy one of those throw away tickets before you leave, just to be safe.


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## paybaxz (Jun 22, 2011)

Here's an update..... I was married in Cebu in December, and we travelled to Thailand for our honeymoon. 

Based upon a recent experience by an Aussie friend.... he was denied permission to board in Hong Kong at the check-in counter as he did not have a ticket OUT of the Philippines....he had to buy a ticket the at the airport with CebuPacificAir in order to board his flight to Manila.

When my wife and I checked in at the CebuPacificAir counter in Thailand, the very first question we were asked was... do you have a ticket to leave the Philippines? Fortunately, based on my friend's experience I had purchased a one way ticket from Manila to Hong Kong for 16,000php ($40.00) before we left. It was a 'promo price' which is not valid for a refund. ..... so, I was good to go. I was NOT asked if I had a ticket out by Immigration in Cebu...whom promptly and happily stamped a balikbuyan 12 month visa in my passport!

Hope this helps.... Gooed luck!

Ken


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

paybaxz said:


> Here's an update..... I was married in Cebu in December, and we travelled to Thailand for our honeymoon.
> 
> Based upon a recent experience by an Aussie friend.... he was denied permission to board in Hong Kong at the check-in counter as he did not have a ticket OUT of the Philippines....he had to buy a ticket the at the airport with CebuPacificAir in order to board his flight to Manila.
> 
> ...


That's 100% correct. No matter what origin city or country you fly FROM, you are requited to have a return or onward ticket in your possession by Philippine Law. So the airline is required to check and verify this before boarding because if you, the passenger, should be turned away for this reason when arriving here, the airline that boards you is subject to very high fines. This is why they check ahead of time :couch2:


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## c_uk (Oct 24, 2012)

And they live happily ever after..


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## Phil_expat (Jan 3, 2011)

robbiemarshall said:


> ive recently married a ph national and soon will have her passport change to my surname and we will travel to thailand in april 2013
> my understanding is that upon arrival back in the ph i can request a balikayan at the immagration counter which will give me a free entree into the ph for 12 months before im required to leave again is this correct and when i return to the ph and ask for this do i have to already have an on going ticket as is required of me now or is it just on the understanding thet you will leave within the allotted time
> i would appreciate your input especially from those who have done this or are doing it


I travel to the USA one or two times a year from the Philippines. The airlines are fined if one does not have the proper documents to enter the Philippines. They will not let you board without a resident card (13a) or an onward ticket. Philippine Immigration never checked although it is required. I believe they know the airlines check before you board. I would suggest you buy a cheap ticket leaving the Philippines. The airlines might not let you board even though your wife is with you. In the Philippines you can apply for an “I” card with a 13a stamp. The card gives you all the privileges in the future even though your wife does not travel with you. With a 13a “I” card you will have no trouble with the airlines or immigration entering the Philippines alone without an onward ticket.


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## Taswegian (Dec 2, 2011)

Hi All,
This must be a little different in Australia and its airline as I live in Philippines and still work in Australia, I always travel with only a one way ticket as I never know when my works wants me back each time, I have been doing this for the last 7 years and have had no trouble with the airlines letting me board or immigration. 

Cheers


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## robbiemarshall (Oct 14, 2010)

i thank all of youfor your experiance and advice


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## Phil_expat (Jan 3, 2011)

Taswegian said:


> Hi All,
> This must be a little different in Australia and its airline as I live in Philippines and still work in Australia, I always travel with only a one way ticket as I never know when my works wants me back each time, I have been doing this for the last 7 years and have had no trouble with the airlines letting me board or immigration.
> 
> Cheers


I have heard this before. Some airlines do not check for onward tickets even though they could be fined. Twice (as a test) I did not show my onward ticket when checking in at the airport. They clerk either ask for it or said I could not board. I always fly Philippine air lines the only non-stop from Manila to San Francisco California. I guess since some airlines have never been fined since Phil immigration does not check they do not check either. I think the exception is the airlines not the country.


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## robbiemarshall (Oct 14, 2010)

Phil_expat said:


> I have heard this before. Some airlines do not check for onward tickets even though they could be fined. Twice (as a test) I did not show my onward ticket when checking in at the airport. They clerk either ask for it or said I could not board. I always fly Philippine air lines the only non-stop from Manila to San Francisco California. I guess since some airlines have never been fined since Phil immigration does not check they do not check either. I think the exception is the airlines not the country.


i have only ever been asked by ph immagration if i had an ongowing ticket but never by an airline


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## Guest (Feb 9, 2013)

paybaxz said:


> Here's an update..... I was married in Cebu in December, and we travelled to Thailand for our honeymoon.
> 
> Based upon a recent experience by an Aussie friend.... he was denied permission to board in Hong Kong at the check-in counter as he did not have a ticket OUT of the Philippines....he had to buy a ticket the at the airport with CebuPacificAir in order to board his flight to Manila.
> 
> ...


Can you clarify the cost of that ticket for me please. 16,000 Peso was about $400.00 last time I checked.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

Munchie said:


> Can you clarify the cost of that ticket for me please. 16,000 Peso was about $400.00 last time I checked.


He must have made a "typo" in that post. Current exchange rate now is right about 40% so you are correct in that is $400 US dollars...


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## mikeshane (Dec 29, 2010)

One of my business partners flew to the Philippines from San Francisco without a return ticket October 2012. We were going to get him a Clark visa once he go here so didn't have a return ticket. He got to immigration and was denied entry. They also denied him to buy a new ticket. I even have friends at immigration that could not help because it the commissioner had just issued a memo the week before to enforce that the passengers have the return ticket. There where about 5 other people along with him from different airlines that had to sleep in the airport under guard overnight and he then had to buy a ticket from Delta to go to Japan and back which cost almost $700. We bought him a $20 throw away for his trip back from Japan the next day. So moral of the story, buy the cheapest ticket you can and don't take the risk. You never know what will happen in this country.

Mike


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## Guest (Feb 11, 2013)

mikeshane said:


> One of my business partners flew to the Philippines from San Francisco without a return ticket October 2012. We were going to get him a Clark visa once he go here so didn't have a return ticket. He got to immigration and was denied entry. They also denied him to buy a new ticket. I even have friends at immigration that could not help because it the commissioner had just issued a memo the week before to enforce that the passengers have the return ticket. There where about 5 other people along with him from different airlines that had to sleep in the airport under guard overnight and he then had to buy a ticket from Delta to go to Japan and back which cost almost $700. We bought him a $20 throw away for his trip back from Japan the next day. So moral of the story, buy the cheapest ticket you can and don't take the risk. You never know what will happen in this country.
> 
> Mike


It's the old story of who you bump into at the BI gate. I arrived Dec 11th 2012 in Terminal 2. Got my 21 day visa and was not asked for an outbound ticket.


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## robbiemarshall (Oct 14, 2010)

Munchie said:


> Can you clarify the cost of that ticket for me please. 16,000 Peso was about $400.00 last time I checked.


thank it sounds the plausible answer


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## Phil_expat (Jan 3, 2011)

mikeshane said:


> One of my business partners flew to the Philippines from San Francisco without a return ticket October 2012. We were going to get him a Clark visa once he go here so didn't have a return ticket. He got to immigration and was denied entry. They also denied him to buy a new ticket. I even have friends at immigration that could not help because it the commissioner had just issued a memo the week before to enforce that the passengers have the return ticket. There where about 5 other people along with him from different airlines that had to sleep in the airport under guard overnight and he then had to buy a ticket from Delta to go to Japan and back which cost almost $700. We bought him a $20 throw away for his trip back from Japan the next day. So moral of the story, buy the cheapest ticket you can and don't take the risk. You never know what will happen in this country.
> 
> Mike


That is life in the Philippines, things change constantly and the way the rules are enforced also changes! The airlines and the immigration are suppose to check for an exit (ongoing) ticket but seem not all airlines do even thou they could be fined. I have never been check by Philippine immigration even thou they are suppose to. I always fly Philippines airline between San Francisco (they always check) and Manila, it seem Clark’s immigration is following the rules FOR NOW. I have tested Philippine airline by not showing my exit ticket until they ask for it. I agree!


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## paybaxz (Jun 22, 2011)

oooops..... my error...yes you are correct.... I should have said 1,600php.... (I'm a newlywed... so I'm prone to creating forpars until I settle down... {wink} )


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## Kevin_S (Feb 13, 2013)

Keep in mind that to avail of the Balikbayan stamp, the Filipino citizen must have been out of the country for 1 year. That is what is written, but not how it is enforced. I have flown out of the Philippines with my wife twice for only 3 days, and on the return, I was granted the Balikbayan stamp. They only wanted our NSO marriage certificate as evidence. As a member of another forum, one member pointed out that he was denied the Balikbayan stamp due to his wife not being out of the country for 1 year. It's like a lot of laws in the Philippines, randomly enforced?

As far as the return ticket onward, I've always bought a throw away ticket just in case. But it is up to you if you want to risk it. Without one, you take the risk of the airline not letting you board to return to the Philippines, or if you are denied the Balikbayan stamp, then you will be a tourist without an onward ticket. 

Best of luck.


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