Sterling

My Filipina wife and kids live in Manila while I'm abroad working. Here is the latest based on my experience.

Most western citizens (Americans, Canadians, Australians, Europeans, etc) can get a 30 day visa on arrival.

You may or may not be asked to show an onward ticket, so I would buy or rent one beforehand.

The last time I entered I was asked if I had one and I told them yes but they didnt ask to see it.

You can ask the IO at Arrivals in Manila/Cebu for a 29 day extension right there. Not a lot of people do this but I know a few folks who have.

They asked for it when they handed over their passports and they were taken to a side office and paid the ~p3k right then and got 59 days.

If you get the 30 days on arrival, you'll need to go in to an immigration office before the 30 days is up and get a 29 day extension.

When your 59 days is up, I believe you can extend for up to 6 months and you will need to pay for an ACR (Alien Certificate of Registration) approximately p3k.

Maximum stay in the Philippines is 3 years at which time you will need to leave for a day and then you can come back.

I have heard on other forums where some guys who have been in the PI for over a year are getting questions from Immigration about why they need to stay on a tourist visa for so long. I think this is to push Expats to get Retirement visas.

The Philippines Government has a dedicated Philippines Retirement Agency (PRA) that offers a Special Resident Retirees Visa (SRRV). This is to try and get more expats to retire in the Philippines and pump money into the local economy. There are different versions of the SRRV, depending on your age and deposit requirements.

The last time I looked, over 50 you had to deposit US$10k if you have a pension and US$20k without a pension. Ages 35-49 have to deposit US$50k.

If you buy a condo there for at least US$50k, that can count toward the deposit but you have to follow their buying procedures to the T for it to count.

If you are married to a Filipina and you arrive on the same flight, they can ask the IO to give you a 1 year Balikbayan visa. This is a courtesy visa that Immigration gives to Filipinas for their foreigner spouse and kids. If you arrive on different flights at different times, you probably wont get it. You both have to go to the IO at the airport the same time to get it.

Most Expats who stay longer than 6 months will need to get an Exit Clearance Certificate before they leave and that can take a few days.

Also, not every immigration office can produce the different flavors of ECCs, so you will need to plan your exit accordingly.

If you've been in the PI for more than 6 months and have a family emergency, you cant just roll up to the airport and get on a plane.

You will probably have to go to immigration in Manila or Cebu to get an expedited ECC. I believe SRRV holders are exempt from the ECC requirement.

I'm sure I've forgotten a few things and I may be off on some of the exact requirements but this is a decent starting point on current Visa requirements.

Feel free to reply if you have any questions or if I need to make any corrections.