Philippine Exit Requirements For My Fillipina Girlfriend?

[davee58]

Hi.

Can anybody share their experience of travel requirements for a Filipina girlfriend.

My Filipina girlfriend has had big problems getting her passport. Finally after more than a year, several failed attempts, and a dfa training course?, she is due to collect it on Tuesday morning ($$), the Philippine bureaucracy is a nightmare.

We plan to have a three month Christmas break in Thailand and Cambodia, what can go wrong?

I want to ensure that we are not turned back by the Philippine emigration officers because we have not completed clearance form XYZ, or because she has no "letter of invitiation". What do all the Philippine people leaving Manila have in those big envelopes they show to the emigration staff.

Thanks for any help with this.

Dave..

Edited September 7, 2008 by davee58

[gunnyd]

What country are you trying to get your girlfriend an entry visa?

Holders of Philippine passports are visa exempt when traveling to Thailand:

From Thai immigration website: Country Philippines Allowed 30 days for tourism without visa, and From Cambodian Immigration: Visa-Free Entry Philippines

21 days. This is because of a deal between the Philippines and Cambodia so a visa is not required for tourism.

I know. I have had my step children visit with me and my wife (Filipina, Naturalized U.S. citizen) here in Bangkok and there is no problem. They got 30 day exempt stamps right at the airport, and I found out the Cambodian rule when they went with us on a border run and on I noticed Jack Golf International's website that they charge 800 baht less for the run because there is no visa requirement for Filipinos.

All your girlfriend needs is a Valid Passport with more than 6 months left before expiration. The large envelope that you speak of is for Filipino's immigrating to Western countries (mostly USA, my stepson had what you describe) and only them.

There is no "exit requirement" other than a valid passport when visiting LOS or Cambodia

Edited September 7, 2008 by gunnyd

[davee58]

Thanks.

That confirms what I thought.

I know that we can get into Thailand and Cambodia OK, but I am trying to ensure that there are no problems leaving the Philippines, she would be most upset.

Thailand I know is 30 days (29 nights) without a visa, the same as for when I enter.

The 21 days visa free for a Philippine national in Cambodia is a surprise, useful if we visit again. However we plan to visit from 5th Dec to 5th Jan so we will both need one month visas.

Maybe I am being too careful, but after the trouble she has had getting her passport I want to make sure that there are no last minute hitches.

Thanks for your help

Dave..

[dumball]

Thanks.

That confirms what I thought.

I know that we can get into Thailand and Cambodia OK, but I am trying to ensure that there are no problems leaving the Philippines, she would be most upset.

Thailand I know is 30 days (29 nights) without a visa, the same as for when I enter.

The 21 days visa free for a Philippine national in Cambodia is a surprise, useful if we visit again. However we plan to visit from 5th Dec to 5th Jan so we will both need one month visas.

Maybe I am being too careful, but after the trouble she has had getting her passport I want to make sure that there are no last minute hitches.

Thanks for your help

Dave..

Funny you should mention the difficulties obtaining a Philpino passport , it took my friend almost 3 months to get a passport for his Khymer wife earlier this year , i obtained one for my wife in 5 days early last year . The only thing that has changed that is visible , is that men are running the applications now where-as last year it was all females .

[dumball]

Thanks.

That confirms what I thought.

I know that we can get into Thailand and Cambodia OK, but I am trying to ensure that there are no problems leaving the Philippines, she would be most upset.

Thailand I know is 30 days (29 nights) without a visa, the same as for when I enter.

The 21 days visa free for a Philippine national in Cambodia is a surprise, useful if we visit again. However we plan to visit from 5th Dec to 5th Jan so we will both need one month visas.

Maybe I am being too careful, but after the trouble she has had getting her passport I want to make sure that there are no last minute hitches.

Thanks for your help

Dave..

Funny you should mention the difficulties obtaining a Philpino passport , it took my friend almost 3 months to get a passport for his Khymer wife earlier this year , i obtained one for my wife in 5 days early last year . The only thing that has changed that is visible , is that men are running the applications now where-as last year it was all females .

Oh , i forgot to mention that Cambodians need to purchase a visa to visit Thailand .

[Palace]

My Filipina girlfriend has had big problems getting her passport. Finally after more than a year, several failed attempts, and a dfa training course?, she is due to collect it on Tuesday morning ($$), the Philippine bureaucracy is a nightmare.

Am surprised it took her that long. Philippine passports are now common for most Filipinos thanks to the government's effort to make it more accessible (online application, satellite processing centers, express lanes etc).

If you have the required documents (govt certified birth certificates, several sets of accredited IDs and a certification from the NBI - our FBI), the whole process shouldn't take more than a week, 3 days at best if you avail of the premium express lane.

The problem is if you don't have one of those documents or one of those documents are in conflict with the other, then the process could really drag for months, even years for some.

The most common problem for first time passport applicants is securing a certified birth certificate. THis problem is common to Filipinos who were born on remote towns whose records have been destroyed by natural calamites or other reasons. Another problem is if the given name in the records conflict that of the current IDs that the person is using, thus requiring legal proceedings to change the name in the records.

THe second one is a nasty case. My ex-gf had to hire a lawyer for that one and took her almost a year of hearings before a judge to finally have the records set straight and match it with the name she has been using.

Otherwise, the whole process should be a cinch.

[Palace]

davee,

while we're on this subject, and since your gf now has a philippine passport, you might be interested to know which countries you can take her without the need for visas. here are your choices :

Africa

Burkina Faso 3-month visa issued upon arrival for XOF10,000

Burundi Burundi visa issued upon arrival

Cape Verde Cape Verde visa issued upon arrival

Comoros visa issued upon arrival

Djibouti 10-day visa issued upon arrival for DJF3,000; 1-month visa issued upon arrival for DJF5,000

Egypt (South Sinai only) 14-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Kenya 3-month visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Madagascar 90-day visa issued upon arrival for MGA28,000

Morocco 3 months

Mozambique 30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$25

Niger 1-month visa issued upon arrival for XOF25,000

Saint Helena visa issued upon arrival

Seychelles 1 month

Tanzania visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Togo 7-day visa issued upon arrival

Uganda 6-month visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Zambia visa issued upon arrival for US$25 (single), US$40 (double), and US$80 (multiple)

Asia

ASEAN

Brunei Darussalam 14 days

Cambodia 21 days

Indonesia 30 days

Laos 30 days

Malaysia 1 month

Singapore 30 days

Thailand 30 days

Vietnam 21 days

Non-ASEAN

Bangladesh 90-day visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Hong Kong 14 days

Iran 17-day visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Israel 3 months

South Korea (Jeju Island only) 30 days

Macau 30 days

Maldives 30-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Mongolia 21 days

Nepal 60-day visa issued upon arrival for US$30

Sri Lanka 30 days

Timor-Leste 30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$30

Europe

Armenia 21-day visa issued upon arrival for US$30

Azerbaijan 30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$100

Georgia 3 month visa issued on arrival for US$10 ~ US$200

Oceania

Cook Islands 31 days

Fiji 6-month Visitor's Permit issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Marshall Islands 30-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Federated States of Micronesia 30 days

Niue 30 days

Palau 30-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Samoa 60-day Visitor's Permit issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Tuvalu 1-month visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)

Vanuatu 30 days

North America

Bermuda 6 months

Costa Rica 30 days

Dominica 21 days

Haiti 3 months

Saint Kitts and Nevis 14 days

Saint Lucia 6-week visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 month

Turks and Caicos Islands 30 days

South America

Bolivia 59 days

Brazil 90 days

Colombia 90 days

Ecuador 90 days

Peru 90 days

Suriname 120 days

[bigmove]

Can anybody share their experience of travel requirements for a Filipina girlfriend.

My Filipina girlfriend has had big problems getting her passport. Finally after more than a year, several failed attempts, and a dfa training course?, she is due to collect it on Tuesday morning ($$), the Philippine bureaucracy is a nightmare.

If you're accompanying your gf from the Philippines, then I think it will be a lot easier. I heard that some immigration officers are asking about the purpose of travel and whe you say for a vacation, then they will ask for how long. They are doing this because a lot of people (mostly tourist) that go out of the country do not intend to go back especially Filipinas as most of them are being recruited to work for a club leading to prostitution. Sometimes they will asked if you have an invitation letter(moslty for US, Canada, Aus) bank accounts and others just to prove you can afford to stay as what your return ticket indicated. But if you know for yourselt that you really are a tourist then there will be any problem. I remember 2 years ago during my first visit to Thailand, I was asked bu Kuwait airways how much money do I have as they require at least US 500. I said I only have US300 and but I have all my credit cards and ATM so I can withdraw anytime I need money.Imagine what will happen to those who have none?

As for the visa, Maybe your gf has a problem with her name like spelling or something. Passport application just takes maximum 1 week cost Php 500 and Php 750 if express (2 days only) not sure if the amount changed. But also nevr heard of the DFA training course when applying for a passport. Maybe is PDOS (Pre-departure trainign Seminar) for 1st time travellers but this one is under POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Agnecy) usually done if you're hired for a job abroad, but in this case she is just a tourist so I dn't think she should have attended this.

BM

[huggybear]

Hi.

Can anybody share their experience of travel requirements for a Filipina girlfriend.

How about longterm stay in Thailand for a Filipina? I have noticed a few here, as well as some have applied for work with me. Is it easier for them to get longer or permanent visas for Thailand?

[Palace]

Hi.

Can anybody share their experience of travel requirements for a Filipina girlfriend.

How about longterm stay in Thailand for a Filipina? I have noticed a few here, as well as some have applied for work with me. Is it easier for them to get longer or permanent visas for Thailand?

if they're working, they need to apply for a non-resident visa and a work permit.

if not, another option is for a student visa.

if neither, they need to apply for an extended tourist visa. shouldn't be a problem as long as someone's going to sponsor their stay here.

[davee58]

Am surprised it took her that long. Philippine passports are now common for most Filipinos thanks to the government's effort to make it more accessible (online application, satellite processing centers, express lanes etc).

If you have the required documents (govt certified birth certificates, several sets of accredited IDs and a certification from the NBI - our FBI), the whole process shouldn't take more than a week, 3 days at best if you avail of the premium express lane.

The problem is if you don't have one of those documents or one of those documents are in conflict with the other, then the process could really drag for months, even years for some.

The most common problem for first time passport applicants is securing a certified birth certificate. THis problem is common to Filipinos who were born on remote towns whose records have been destroyed by natural calamites or other reasons. Another problem is if the given name in the records conflict that of the current IDs that the person is using, thus requiring legal proceedings to change the name in the records.

THe second one is a nasty case. My ex-gf had to hire a lawyer for that one and took her almost a year of hearings before a judge to finally have the records set straight and match it with the name she has been using.

Otherwise, the whole process should be a cinch.

I believe that my girlfriends difficulty in getting a Philippine passport was caused by a "V" instead of a "B" in her middle name on her voters-id, and the inability of the local barangay (village) officials to issue a replacement one.

There might be other reasons as well, I did hear SS-ID being talked about quite a lot.

As far as local calamities go, her family home has been blown away in typhoons twice in the two years I have known her so perhaps other bits of paper were missing.

Finally an attorney was hired, all the problems vanished, and she got her passport.

[davee58]

davee,

while we're on this subject, and since your gf now has a philippine passport, you might be interested to know which countries you can take her without the need for visas. here are your choices :

Africa

Burkina Faso 3-month visa issued upon arrival for XOF10,000

Burundi Burundi visa issued upon arrival . . .

continued ....

Thanks for the list, a very useful reference.

I just need to keep it hidden from the girlfriend..

Cheers