The Philippines Visa Process is Simple, But Avoid these Mistakes to Ensure You Don’t Get Your Application Rejected
Traveling to the
Philippines is generally a hassle free process as long as you have all the
required, up to date documents and follow the correct procedures for your home
country. Nationals traveling from the countries on the list here, can enter the Philippines without a visa for
up to 30 days.
Some countries will be
allowed entry for up to 59 days’ visa free, while others are only allowed for
14 and 7 days without a visa. If you’ve ever been subject to deportation or a
blacklist, you will not be allowed to re-enter the Philippines.
If your country is not
on the list of visa exempt countries, you’ll have to apply for a visa before
you travel in your home country and show proof of financial status via a bank
statement. The process will tend to be a lot stricter and you must ensure you
have all the required documents.
Tips to Avoid Visa Rejection
While it’s very
unlikely you’ll not be allowed entry to the Philippines, if you’re from one of
the visa exempt countries make sure;
- You have at least 6 months’ validity on your passport from the date you enter
- You have sufficient blank pages in your passport to support stamps
- You have a print out of your onward flights (this is not always asked for but is good practice to have)
If you’re applying for
a work visa or longer stay visa:
- Have paperwork to show why you’ll be staying long-term in the Philippines e.g.; business registration, ITR and employment certificate, proof of investment, a contract of a lease, marriage certificate etc. Officials will want proof of your intentions in the country and that you have the financial capacity to support yourself
- If you don’t have any of these, make sure you write out a cover letter stating your intentions and have back-up paperwork showing sufficient funds for your time there
What to Do If Your Visa request is Rejected?
- Not having the right paperwork
- Officials not seeing proof of sufficient funds for you to support yourself or onward travel
- If you have overstayed multiple times before, been blacklisted or have the wrong pre-arranged visa when you try to gain entry
If you get denied the Philippines
visa while applying in your home country, double check you have all the correct
paperwork, fees and check online for any changes to visa requirements and
requirements for visa applications from your specific country. Check the
official embassy website for specific rules for your country.
It could just be
simply you’ve applied for the wrong category of visa. Check all the information
you’ve filled out is true and correct to the best of your knowledge and when
you apply again you should get your visa easily.
