If You’re Traveling the Philippines and Wish to Extend Your Visa Beyond 30 Days, Here’s What to Do
It’s highly likely once you get to the Philippines, you’ll want to extend your time there beyond 30 days! Stunning beaches, beautiful landscapes, great weather and welcoming locals make this a place tourists flock to and expats never want to leave.
If you’re
lucky enough to have the time to extend your stay in the Philippines beyond 30
days, the process is usually pretty simple. There are a few different types of
visa you might have, that you will want to extend.
Here are the visas we’ll discuss extending today:
Here are the visas we’ll discuss extending today:
- Tourist visa
- Balik Bayan Visa
- Permanent resident visa (13A)
- Retirement visa
- ACR-I Card
Tourist Visa Extensions
Many countries can enter the Philippines for a 30-day visa free period. Check on the Filipino consulate website to check if this applies to you. If you wish to extend beyond the 30 days, you’ll need to visit the local Philippines immigration.
You can
renew for up to one, two or six months at a time for up to three years. After
three years you’ll have to leave the country but can return after 24 hours to
start the process again. If you stay beyond 59 days, you’ll have to get an ACR-I card. Check below for details.
Balik Bayan Stamp
This is available to those married to a Filipino, is free and lasts for up to a year. To get the stamp, you must be with your spouse when entering the country and have proof of your marriage in the form of the certificate.
After your
one year free is finished, you can apply for a permanent resident visa. The
first application will get you one year, then on your second application you’ll
get 10 years at a time.
Permanent Resident Visa (13A)
You have to be married to a Filipino to get a permanent resident visa. After submitting all your paperwork, it can take weeks or months for your resident visa to finally get approved.
Your
initial application for the permanent resident visa in the Philippines will be good for one year. After that, you’ll get a visa that is good
for 10 years with the renewal process being a lot simpler.
Retirement Resident Visa
This is a type of permanent resident visa (SSRV), that doesn’t depend on you being married to a Filipino. There are various types including; the smile, the classic, the courtesy and the human touch. Each one has slightly different requirements, but they’re mostly based around you depositing enough money into to a Philippines bank.
Some
benefits of the SSRV visa are; permanent non-immigrant status and exemption
from exit clearance and re-entry permits. These visas are not just for old
retirees either, you can apply for them from age 35 and above!
ACR-I Card
ACR is short for; Alien Certificate of Registration. It’s basically an ID card like you might have in your home country and is the size of a credit card. Your picture, address, fingerprints and exit/entry data will be held on the card in a small chip.
If you are
a foreign national who came into the country on a 30-day visa exemption or hold
a temporary visitor visa and extended for up to 59 days, you’ll need to apply
for this if you wish to stay longer. If you have a SRRV visa, you won’t need
this card as you’ll be issued a separate card for that programme.
