Whatever you do, not ask a visa for your Philippine girl-friend in Philippines

[indieke]

I just want to let people, having the luck to have a Philippine girl-friend, to know these facts.  

 

First, if a girl travels out of the country, PHILIPPINE immigration (very, very rarely Thai), will give her an interrogation, about her purpose of travel, and even refuse to board. So if she goes to join you, or even when you with her already, you have to show proof of your relation, like pictures and previous time together.  Most people with a Philippine girl-friend, know that.

 

Now, more valuable information is, whatever you do, if you travel MORE then 30 days, NOT ask for visa in Philippines. We tried to obtain a visa in Cebu consulate. We phoned first to ask if they were open (no opening hours on the site), and when the man (I tink he is the only one in that little office) asked us what we were coming for, he just say not to bother, as he cannot give a visa to a Philippine girl sponsored by a foreigner, that it was not legitimate, if we were not married.  This is of course NOT true. I had correspondance with the Thai Embassy in Manila, about the requirements for her, visa, and one was a bank statement of me having enough funds to support her!  So that man is just there to refuse visa.

 

Even if the Manila Embassy responded is a courteous way , I heard, they maybe let you apply, but very often also find a weird reason to refuse visa.

 

So, here some suggestions also, how to take her abroad, when going longer then the vise exemption, hopes this helps.

 

-  1. Buy a rent a ticket, valid for 24 or 48 hours.  Why? If you cross borders in Philippines, even if you can get extension in Thailand, it is a reason airline, or immigration can refuse boarding, as you have no visa, and visiting longer. So you not show the ticket, you are going to use, but the one needed to not have trouble.

- 2. Although Thai immigration, never ask that, or very seldom, it is good to show it too  if asked. One you approach the 30 days stay, you go to any immigration office in Thailand and ask for the 30 days extension.  You are all set. I never had any refusal. But maybe it can happen, if the officer, has a bad day. Then your only concern is to do a visa run. But again, never had to do that.

- 3. Another way, if ever you pass Kuala Lumpur, or some other places, you just go to Thai Embassy there, and obtain the visa much easier in a day.  

 

I cannot state enough, if it is her first trip, to have everything prepared for Philippine immigration. A letter of invitation, with a "who it may concern" letter attached to it for support, pictures of you, or even facebook conversation and adres of stay in Thailand, copy of your passport, and copy of stay. Again for local immigration, not so for Thai. I would suggest you go with her the fist time, after the first stamp, it is easier, but then also have all the documents above.

 

And please like I said not to worry too much about it then, following my suggestions, don't come with stories, I not needed this, was not asked anything, had my gf  visa easy. You were then very lucky!   

[muzmurray]

14 minutes ago, indieke said:

We tried to obtain a visa in Cebu consulate. We phoned first to ask if they were open (no opening hours on the site),

 

What website? I can't find an official website for the consulate in Cebu.

[IMA_FARANG]

The Phillip[ne government has had many problems with women were who left the Phillipines as 'girlfriends' of foreigners and then overstayed in the country they went to as workers and sex workers. in the past.

Therefore the Philipine  government is very strict about allowing women to leave the country with their 'boyfriends'.

This policy has been in effect for years.

 

[faxx]

I had this "problem" 15 years ago. Nothing has changed. The Filipino boards are full of similar stories from both: Women and men. They do discriminate against both. Many Filipino travelers claim officials suggested they were ready to accept a donation .... go figure. I think the best solution is if you invite your GF and 3 of her friends together for a 3 day trip and change return flight after arrival. Of course the foreign boyfriend should not be part of that group when going to passport control. Filipinos should always carry a work ID with them to show that they are working and can afford the trip on their own.

Edited February 16, 2017 by faxx

[Lovethailandelite]

It's not unusual Philippines immigration denying a girl to leave the Philippines even if she has a visa to travel. Thai immigration are not keen on Thai girls leaving Thailand alone to travel to Singapore for instance.

[TheFishman1]

Thai girls traveling to Singapore I know many that do just that

[DGS1244]

Nothing new in the Philippines, Thailand Embassy in Manila has been like that for years. As a 'Farang' try getting an 'O' there almost impossible.

[biggles45]

Filipina GF and I have both had Thai tourist visas issued, 10 times in the last 3 years without a problem., They do require a lot more paper work for Filipinas though. Immigration in the RP are a disgrace to locals travelling overseas. 

[Lovethailandelite]

57 minutes ago, TheFishman1 said:

Thai girls traveling to Singapore I know many that do just that

Not surprised.....That it took so long for a contradictory post to appear.

[humqdpf]

9 hours ago, IMA_FARANG said:

The Phillip[ne government has had many problems with women were who left the Phillipines as 'girlfriends' of foreigners and then overstayed in the country they went to as workers and sex workers. in the past.

Therefore the Philipine  government is very strict about allowing women to leave the country with their 'boyfriends'.

This policy has been in effect for years.

 

Actually there are even greater reasons. The Philippine government has a strict classification, which is Overseas Philippine Worker. For this, the person has to get a whole load of paperwork and go through a process through official agencies etc etc. The reason for this is because so many Philippine people are enticed overseas and then are exploited or find themselves in a foreign country without money etc - remember there are over 10 million officially documented Overseas Philippine Workers and millions who are not.

 

The country tries to catch people leaving the country who might be going abroad to work - so if you are very rich and have assets and plenty money in your bank account, no problem. Have a permanent job, no problem (although if you work for a government agency, you need permission to go abroad). But if you are a relatively poor Philippine citizen going abroad with no visible means of support and no Overseas Philippine Worker status, you could well be stopped.

[crocken]

7 hours ago, IMA_FARANG said:

The Phillip[ne government has had many problems with women were who left the Phillipines as 'girlfriends' of foreigners and then overstayed in the country they went to as workers and sex workers. in the past.

Therefore the Philipine  government is very strict about allowing women to leave the country with their 'boyfriends'.

This policy has been in effect for years.

 

I think the philippine government is worried about human traficing. .

Edited February 16, 2017 by crocken

[Dustdevil]

It's not only about Pinays overstaying to become sex workers. That is primarily the concern of the potential host nation. They are also often abused into slavery in the sex, housemaid and nanny sectors. Like Sri Lankan maids, they are commonly raped in Arab households, chained to their rooms like dogs, etc.

[buick]

i would be careful with the 'rent a ticket' program.  works fine to obtain a visa and to show immigration when entering via a land border, they just want to see a piece of paper and the ticket doesn't need to be valid any more.  however, they may not work when checking into your flight going to thailand on a visa exempt entry (assuming the 24-48 period of validity has passed).  in late january i flew from MNL to BKK and the thai airways agent asked me for visa or flight out of thailand.  i had a legitimate ticket BKK-HKG two weeks later and it looked to me like she checked to see if that ticket was legitimate.  she was looking at my ticket paper/info and typing stuff into her computer.  i didn't ask her about it so can't say with 100% certainty.  i would buy a legitimate cheap/throw away type ticket for that type of entry just to be safe. 

[gemguy]

It is not only difficult for Filipina girls as many Filipino men trying to travel are also restricted from leaving the country.

It is some what of a rigged game where if you try to do everything yourself then the Filipino person, often enough, is not allowed to leave the Philippines.

They will issue a passport to the Filipino National and the ticket agents and or airlines will sell them a 1 way or 2 way ticket to where ever ...but they will never tell them when they go to the airport they will most likely be turned down and not allowed to leave  ...even if they have a valid visa for that country that they are traveling to.

The Philippines immigration official(s) want to know why exactly you are leaving the country and exactly what reason you are going abroad for, while that is their job to screen the people and red flag them if they do not have a valid reason and valid documentation for leaving the country and relative to all the other people that have a valid employer or valid work arrangements and or valid documentation or a recognised packed tour arrangement where you are supposed to come back and the return date seen on the 2 way ticket...

If not, then.....NO ..NO.....NO ...you can not pass Philippines immigration..... end of story ,...no discussion..... then they ignore you completely.

Women going to visit their boy friend in Thailand or Singapore or Hong Kong is on the list of no go reasons for leaving the Philippines

 

However, as corruption is rampant in the Philippines there are numerous companies that arrange things in a  manner where the woman or man can leave with no problems ...but there is a price to be paid for the arrangements.

Many leave by way of a 3 day or 4 days packaged tour and they pay "the price" and then stay in the country they traveled to and do not come back to the Philippines as scheduled .....but, when they do come back it is on record as being in violation of the original agreement to come back in 3 or 4 days time with the rest of the people in the packaged tour.

And for those that are legally allowed to come and go as workers and employees of a valid company in a foreign land and known as OFW or Overseas Foreign Workers....it is also no easy task do so.

I can not begin to explain the Government bureaucracy that has evolved and when you are personally subjected to the stupidity involved and the whole exercise having to be fully completed, or the Filipino person can not leave the country, the whole affair becomes a real  test of ones patience.

Been there and done that several times now and it was growing worse and worse and all the more stupidity involved so the wife can leave the Philippines and back to Thailand.

Supposedly, President TOO-DIRTY promised to eliminate that stupidity and make it simple to come and go for OFW Filipino citizens....BUT...like Thailand ...no matter what new system, so to speak, is installed in an effort to streamline a government controlled affair the people involved in the administration of that system will, 110 percent guaranteed, find the means and ways to corrupt the process and make people pay to pass through the system and make it a money generating affair "for them".....always....    

 

Cheers 

 

[reenatinnakor]

It's not only about Pinays overstaying to become sex workers. That is primarily the concern of the potential host nation. They are also often abused into slavery in the sex, housemaid and nanny sectors. Like Sri Lankan maids, they are commonly raped in Arab households, chained to their rooms like dogs, etc.

And that's really common is it? Because you just said it is? Lol.

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[bangon04]

5 minutes ago, reenatinnakor said:

 

And that's really common is it? Because you just said it is? Lol.

Sent from my LG-H990 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

 

It is not as uncommon as it should be...... lots of news reports, youtube articles, public protests, government pleading with arab authorities, and crowdfunding efforts....

[saakura]

11 hours ago, IMA_FARANG said:

The Phillip[ne government has had many problems with women were who left the Phillipines as 'girlfriends' of foreigners and then overstayed in the country they went to as workers and sex workers. in the past.

Therefore the Philipine  government is very strict about allowing women to leave the country with their 'boyfriends'.

This policy has been in effect for years.

 

I also heard that the Phillip[ne government has had many problems with unsuspecting women who left the Phillipines as girlfriends of foreigners who were just mongers and then were abandoned in the new country forcing them to survive as sex workers. Dont know if any truth in that.

[Ulic]

The policy has been in affect for years. The UN pressures the Philippine government to stop human trafficking.

Of course they are nutters similar to McCarthy era seeing communists everywhere. Everyone is being trafficked.

 On top of that Philippine immigration likes to impose their Catholic morals on the public. Heaven forbid your GF

has ever been married.No divorce in the Philippines, just annulment. A long and expensive process. Best of luck

to everyone as they navigate the draconian immigration exit process. I personally know 5-6 people that have had

girlfriends stranded at the gate denied boarding. Not sure if it is not partly an airline scam. When tickets are

oversold they have immigration deny boarding. Seriously. No ticket refunds. At Clark I have seen as many as

20 girls in tears pleading with immigration to be allowed to board while the plane appears to be fully loaded

when it departs.

 

[The Old Bull]

I cannot believe the Philippine government cares about it's people that travel overseas. I believe it's more about brown envelopes , lots of scope with a deal like this, brown envelopes all over the place.

[crocken]

6 hours ago, Ulic said:

The policy has been in affect for years. The UN pressures the Philippine government to stop human trafficking.

Of course they are nutters similar to McCarthy era seeing communists everywhere. Everyone is being trafficked.

 On top of that Philippine immigration likes to impose their Catholic morals on the public. Heaven forbid your GF

has ever been married.No divorce in the Philippines, just annulment. A long and expensive process. Best of luck

to everyone as they navigate the draconian immigration exit process. I personally know 5-6 people that have had

girlfriends stranded at the gate denied boarding. Not sure if it is not partly an airline scam. When tickets are

oversold they have immigration deny boarding. Seriously. No ticket refunds. At Clark I have seen as many as

20 girls in tears pleading with immigration to be allowed to board while the plane appears to be fully loaded

when it departs.

 

All true ...very sad to see...I had to go to manila to get my lady thru the immigration interview...lucky for us after she see the pics of me with her family back in the village....she just asked me to fill out a statdec and give a copy of my passport and she was then allowed to fly out of the Philippines. ..without me being there it would never have happened..

[Kasset Tak]

1 hour ago, crocken said:

All true ...very sad to see...I had to go to manila to get my lady thru the immigration interview...lucky for us after she see the pics of me with her family back in the village....she just asked me to fill out a statdec and give a copy of my passport and she was then allowed to fly out of the Philippines. ..without me being there it would never have happened..

One of my Filipino friends was almost denied to leave the Philippines after a trip back home to see her family. She had Thai non-B visa, contract and work permit but still the Filipino immigration refused to let her go, luckily she had her mind set straight so she called the school she was working at and had them talk to the Filipino immigration officer and after that she was allowed to leave for Thailand. After that incident she didn't go back to see her family for 3 years just because she worried about the Filipino immigration!

And then we complain about how we are treated by the Thai immigration...

[lungnorm]

Its all about not taking the women out of the Philippines unless your married to them here. Lots of Honey but you cannot take it home with you.  

[Khon Kaen Dave]

Thereis a very dangerous problem concerning PI girls and foreign men.i saw a case on the programme 'banged up abroad'

Uk guy goes to PI for a holiday.Meets a girl,she tells him she has a kiddy from her former marriage and has custody.Guy excepts it says he will be back to the PI soon.While he is at home, girl contacts him and tells him she is pregnant.He goes back with the intention of bringing her back to the UK.Unfortuanatley she didnt tell him that her ex husband has not signed the divorce papers.When he returns, she and him are arrested.The gf for adultery and the guy for having sex with a married woman.The ex wants a big payout or he will take her son from her(because now she is an unfit mother and planning to take the son out of the Pi)According to Pi she was in the wrong, but the husband was a chancer and after a deal.They both go to prison.I cant quite remember the outcome,but the Lawyer has to get the Uk guy a gun to protect himself from the  ex and his friends.The uk guy had to pay to get out of prison and for the girl too.I think it all ended well,and they escaped the PI with their lawyers help, and now they are back in the Uk.If anyone saw the prog, maybe they could let me know if all my facts are correct.

 

[lungnorm]

20 minutes ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

Thereis a very dangerous problem concerning PI girls and foreign men.i saw a case on the programme 'banged up abroad'

Uk guy goes to PI for a holiday.Meets a girl,she tells him she has a kiddy from her former marriage and has custody.Guy excepts it says he will be back to the PI soon.While he is at home, girl contacts him and tells him she is pregnant.He goes back with the intention of bringing her back to the UK.Unfortuanatley she didnt tell him that her ex husband has not signed the divorce papers.When he returns, she and him are arrested.The gf for adultery and the guy for having sex with a married woman.The ex wants a big payout or he will take her son from her(because now she is an unfit mother and planning to take the son out of the Pi)According to Pi she was in the wrong, but the husband was a chancer and after a deal.They both go to prison.I cant quite remember the outcome,but the Lawyer has to get the Uk guy a gun to protect himself from the  ex and his friends.The uk guy had to pay to get out of prison and for the girl too.I think it all ended well,and they escaped the PI with their lawyers help, and now they are back in the Uk.If anyone saw the prog, maybe they could let me know if all my facts are correct.

 

I remember that case, it all ended up well with he woman and baby and the guy escaping the country to the UK with the aid of the British Consul.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

lungnorm

 Hi norm.thanx for that,i couldn't remember what the end result was,but i do now.I was there for a while over the years.One time i was on Cebu,when a tourist was put in prison for having an underage girl in his room.This was, of course set up by the mother and the cops.Cost him fortunes to get out of it.same thing when they got Gary Glitter(Paul Gadd) Not for one minute do i sympathise with him,he was a filthy pervert and deserved all he got,,but it was a setup between the mother(she sold the girls to him) the police and The Daily Mirror.

thanx again.

[Number 6]

Philippine 'girlfriend', lol. Maybe in Philippines. Here it just looks like what it is. You're not supporting the home team bro. Why don't you move to where your girlfriend LIVES? Problem solved.

 

Not meaning to troll but Thai women too complicated or actually have some standards you're having difficulty with?

 

Move to her hometown (which you've lived in already and visited dozens of times). Problem solved.

[Number 6]

3 hours ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

Thereis a very dangerous problem concerning PI girls and foreign men.i saw a case on the programme 'banged up abroad'

Uk guy goes to PI for a holiday.Meets a girl,she tells him she has a kiddy from her former marriage and has custody.Guy excepts it says he will be back to the PI soon.While he is at home, girl contacts him and tells him she is pregnant.He goes back with the intention of bringing her back to the UK.Unfortuanatley she didnt tell him that her ex husband has not signed the divorce papers.When he returns, she and him are arrested.The gf for adultery and the guy for having sex with a married woman.The ex wants a big payout or he will take her son from her(because now she is an unfit mother and planning to take the son out of the Pi)According to Pi she was in the wrong, but the husband was a chancer and after a deal.They both go to prison.I cant quite remember the outcome,but the Lawyer has to get the Uk guy a gun to protect himself from the  ex and his friends.The uk guy had to pay to get out of prison and for the girl too.I think it all ended well,and they escaped the PI with their lawyers help, and now they are back in the Uk.If anyone saw the prog, maybe they could let me know if all my facts are correct.

 

This sort of stuff is never ending and is merely one of dozens of reasons the place is not packed out with farang. It is one of the most backward, corrupt and venal countries on the planet. Makes Cambodia look like Singapore. You are never safe from their deceit and desperation. Not a girlfriend, not even a wife.

 

Millions of young , pretty, desperate women with insanely low standards and yet the vast majority of farang would not live there if it were free.

 

If you think I'm only slagging Filipinos, I have equal disdain for the foreigners living there. Seems they are all hiding, all on the run. All on pension scams, petty criminals. Only exceptions are US servicemen.

 

Dirty, dangerous and broken.

Edited February 17, 2017 by Number 6

[lungnorm]

37 minutes ago, Number 6 said:

This sort of stuff is never ending and is merely one of dozens of reasons the place is not packed out with farang. It is one of the most backward, corrupt and venal countries on the planet. Makes Cambodia look like Singapore. You are never safe from their deceit and desperation. Not a girlfriend, not even a wife.

 

Millions of young , pretty, desperate women with insanely low standards and yet the vast majority of farang would not live there if it were free.

 

If you think I'm only slagging Filipinos, I have equal disdain for the foreigners living there. Seems they are all hiding, all on the run. All on pension scams, petty criminals. Only exceptions are US servicemen.

 

Dirty, dangerous and broken.

I disagree with your opinion. I am living in the Philippines and I am not hiding or on the run or on a pension scam and neither am I a petty criminal. I have lived in Thailand and there is no difference between the farangs living there or in the Philippines. Hope to see you in a bar sometime and re educate you.

[Number 6]

13 hours ago, lungnorm said:

I disagree with your opinion. I am living in the Philippines and I am not hiding or on the run or on a pension scam and neither am I a petty criminal. I have lived in Thailand and there is no difference between the farangs living there or in the Philippines. Hope to see you in a bar sometime and re educate you.

Well, it comes directly from experience.

 

And here you are, still on TV bc the lack of intelligence of 95% of foreigners living there is shocking. Alcohol, women (boys). That's it...

 

Perhaps you are one of the exceptions that prove the rule.

 

Everyone has two and three names. You have your original name you give to no one. Then fake1 which are given to the more trusting of your 'friends' then another you give to the world so to avoid schemes and blackmail.

 

The guys that can't make a life in Thailand with Thai women downshift to Philippines. No standards.

 

Everyone thinks of beautiful beaches but it could not be further from the truth.

 

It's like living in a penal colony, everything is caged. A karaoke joint on one corner, a pawn shop on the other and two of each in between.

 

The food is disgusting.

 

Everything and I mean everything is imported. Phils could have industries but mafias choose to import everything bc it's easier to control ALL goods. Govt gets its taxes and VAT commoners can just piss off. Chinese run everything.

 

It's more the South Pacific than Asia. Hell, it's more Africa than Asia. People living in 60b a day. Most marginal of unemployment.

 

No wonder ten percent up and leaves the country for ANYWHERE.

 

I felt I had to warn people. I apologise for hijacking the thread and I'm done here.

 

I do not feel the least bit sorry for the OP that he cannot bring his Filipina 'girlfriend' here to shack up with him in Thailand. As I stated before it is exactly as it appears. Stop complaining.

Edited February 18, 2017 by Number 6

[evadgib]

Asean?