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Yes, We Went There Again — Casablanca Hotel, Subic

August 23, 2010 By Philly 9 Comments

Well, what else would you do if it were a rainy Friday and your favorite nephews had finished their term in pre-school … sit around and watch it drizzle, or hit the road.

We took off for the former US Navy base at Subic, now called the Subic Bay Special Economic Zone just before ten am and arrived at our first destination, Texas Joe’s, where the boys thoroughly enjoyed the classic wood hobby hours in the outside waiting area and then everyone enjoyed a delicious Texas-style lunch. I can highly recommend the “Bubba Burger” … friend Paul who had visited there recently suggested that would be a good choice and indeed it was. Hard to believe now that we can drive from Marilao, right outside the city limits of Metro Manila to the central business district on Subic in about two hours, but it’s easy now with the new roads, even for a relatively slow driver like me.

The boys ate fast though, and after all, they had been promised swimming (the sun was out by now, an absolutely lovely day). So we piled in the trusty Adventure (almost 40,000 km on it now and it hasn’t skipped a beat, what a great investment that car was … those of you who refuse to have a car and drive yourself in the Philippines just don’t realize what you are missing).

Our main destination was the Casablanca hotel, restaurant and condominium complex, just a 20 minute drive out on the Argonaut Highway, heading toward the airport.

(For those who might not have driven in the US for a while, or those who seldom see a traffic light even powered, let alone being observed, let me remind you … on the SBEZ, people actually stop for stop signs, observe traffic signals, follow speed limits, and if you happened to get stopped by a traffic officer, do not, under any circumstances attempt to bribe him .. it’s against the law. Oh, and did I mention no smoke belching, road clogging tricycles allowed either?)

Arriving at the Casablanca, the ever hospitable host, Kristian had our room already ready, right at poolside. We were in a ground floor unit, exactly like the one pictured, the patio doors in the center were out main entrance and the ample living/dining/kitchen area, along with the generous private bedroom would be behind the windows to the right. At over 7 meters by over 7 meters these are very ample single bedroom units, about twice the size of what passes for a one bedroom condo in Metro manila. You can see floor plans and more details on Casablanca’ own excellent website, here and here.

Splash, and the boys were in the pool before I even finished locking up the car and signing the register in the reception office. P3600 for a unit like this (rainy season special) seemed like a pretty darn good bargain to me. I’ve paid more and gotten a lot less, even here in the Philippines.

Notice also that these rooms have very decent monthly rates available. Especially the one and two bedroom condos are equipped and sized so that a couple (or a couple with several children, could just live there as long as you cared to ..they are that big and comfortable.

There are a number of units for sale as well (see the inquiry form here to get a personal condo sale quotation), and the management stands ready to managed purchased units for absentee owners … in other words you can live here part time and rent your unit out to recoup expenses when you are living elsewhere. Very flexible arrangements.

After a few Margaritas (the only good ones I have found so far in the Philippines, I was hungry again (time had passed, it was getting dark, time for dinner anyway). Rather than go inside the restaurant, where the Friday night special was an excellent Mongolian barbeque, we just ordered at our table right at poolside and right outside the door to our unit.

The boys, of course, were very interested in why we adults were drinking out of strange (to them) looking margarita glasses. So we ordered them pineapple juice in margarita glasses .. oh what a hit that was.

The restaurant has a top quality Swiss chef, and I have found the food excellent and quite reasonably priced … all except the steak I ordered that night … very tasty and excellently presented, but with way too much gristle to suit me … you have to watch out for steaks in the Philippines, almost always better not to order one, because they almost always disappoint … Filipinos in general love fat and gristle, personally I can’t abide it. Likewise, as a general rule, the salt. I’ve had more meals ruined for me by excessive salt than for any other reason … Philippine-branded soy sauces are exceptionally salty, thus anything that might be soy sauce flavored is likely to be over salted by along shot. It’s no wonder hypertension (high blood) is a big problem in the Philippines, the vast majority of restaurants just tip the salt shaker way, way too much. Anyway, enough on the salt rant.

There’s enough on the international menu to please any palate. A cousin came by to chat later in the evening and stayed for Friday night special, Mongolian barbeque. He pronounced it excellent and finished every morsel, so I believed him For a guy who said he wasn’t hungry to begin with, he did a darn good job enjoying the Mongolian barbeque.

Sleeping in the extremely quiet area where the Casablanca is located is excellent …no traffic noises to speak of, fresh breezes off the water which is only a few feet from the whole complex … restful and relaxing, and if you aren’t sleepy the Wi-Fi Internet is excellent … worked very well and much faster than my Wi-Fi at home.

In the morning the boys were up early and of course, into the pool. after a suitable time of soaking and splashing around … measured by the amount of ‘prune skin’ visible, we got them out and went into the restaurant for breakfast.

What do you want to drink, boys? Easy … margaritas …their special ones. What do you want to eat? Calamari rings and pizza, the hits, for them of last night’s supper.

Well, they’re o
nly young one, and therefore if they want calamari rings and pizza for breakfast, then that’s what they shall have. Their mom had American style hotcakes, made well, with good maple syrup, often hard to find in the Philippines. Mita had an excellent cheese omelet and I had a man size American breakfast with a big portion of scrambled eggs, sausage, good beacon and excellent toast … tasted like home cooked bread, very nice indeed.

All too soon it was time to pack up and get on the road for some family commitments and our trip home. Will we be back to visit the Casablanca again? You bet we will. There are far too many places in the Philippines that “say” they are interested in the tourism business, far too few, that like the Casablanca actual ‘walk the walk” of making tourist feel wanted and welcome. A big thanks to the owner, Gunnar, who made it all happen to begin with, Kristian, the general manager, and all the friendly, accommodating staff. Recommended.

Popularity: 38% [?]

Filed Under: Travel Reviews Tagged With: Casablanca, Live in the Philippines, Living in the Philippines, Subic

Now This Is The Way To Fly To The Philipines

June 29, 2010 By Philly Leave a Comment

Interesting offer I received this morning from Cathay Pacific … one of my all time favorite trans-Pacific airlines:

U.S. to Hong Kong First Class*
Lay back in first-class with a round-trip plane ticket to Hong Kong for just $2,000 (regularly $25,940)! Fly from New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco in a seat that reclines to a full, 81"-long bed.

Wow! that’s like almost $24,000 off! Great deal.

But Dave, you say,aren’t you missing something here? The flights are to Hong Kong, not the Philippines.

True that, but it’s easy and cheap to fly from Hong Kong to the Philippines and back. Check out Cebu Pacific. It’s pretty easy to find Hong Kong/Manila fares for about $100 USD.

Now, of course, maybe even $2200 or so is too much fare for your budget. Or perhaps the time constraints on this offer are too strict. No problem. We here at PhilFAQS can still help you find the lowest fares.

One way is to visit one of our recommend providers, Ed Mabunga Travel International. Ed and his family operate a full service travel agency out of the Salt Lake City area and I have personally used their services and been well satisfied., Ed “knows” Philippine travel and he knows what US travelers need, coming and going. Several close friends and also my son have used Ed for their Philippines trips and they were all very happy with Ed’s services as well. Recommended. (Note, I have no financial interest in this company nor do I receive remuneration for this recommendation or any airfares you may decide to purchase from them)

(note: Not long ago several readers reported difficulty with reaching Ed via email. I have been emailing Ed regularly and never had a problem …Ed’s email provider, though, seems to have difficulty in operating along with Yahoo Mail addresses, so perhaps this is part of the perceived problem? I frequently have the problem here at PhilFAQS that people write me with a question and when I answer them their email box is full, or closed, or otherwise rejects me. I don’t know, though, if this could be a factor in the reports I have received, as I said he always responds very quickly to me .. and if in doubt, use the toll free number: 1-888-MABUNGA-)

Way number two, and I always think intelligent people should shop and compare, is to contact another of my recommended suppliers, Travelph.com This company is located in Los Angeles and Manila and is owned and operated by an old friend, Manny Paez (also head on Manila Forwarders LLC). I only recommend companies I would use myself, and TravelPH is the company who sold us the tickets to move to the Philippine sin the first place, back in 2006. They are a full-service company, run by Filipino-Americans who know the markets and can usually help you find the lowest fares. And they’re friendly and helpful and use the principles of geography smartly, you should always get an answer if you phone them, because if it’s middle of the nigh in LA, the Manila office should answer. Again, I’ve used them personally and recommend them. (Note, I have no financial interest in this company nor do I receive remuneration for this recommendation or any airfares you may decide to purchase from them)

Or, for a third choice, you might want to look at something I do earn a small commission on, but still highly recommend. It comes with not only a 60 money back guarantee, but a Double Your Money Back guarantee … now that is exceptional. A fact-filled, informative eBook that tells you the secrets the airlines don’t want you to know about getting cheap fares … domestic or overseas. It’s kind of a “revenge book”, written by an airline ticketing agent who was ‘downsized”, according to his boss, because he and some of his fellow agents were being too good to prospective customers … working too hard to make callers happy with better fares. Don’t think a situation like that can happen? … well it does, and this is what a disgruntled employee can do to even up the score ;-). From the author:

Here is my personal promise:
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I am so confident that my secret techniques can save you money that I guarantee you will save at least double what you paid for my guide within 60 days, or your money back, no questions asked.

The moment you begin reading over my information, your eyes will be opened to the deepest and darkest secrets of the airline companies. With these powerful secrets, you will finally be able to stop getting ripped off by the greedy airlines for good.

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Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed Under: Travel Reports Tagged With: air fare Philippines, Living in the Philippines, travel to the Philippines

Is It Time To Travel To The Philippines?

June 28, 2010 By Philly 4 Comments

I know there are a number of folks reading this who have the title question on their mind. It’s one that so many of you seem to think about, and so many also never seem to come to a conclusion about.

Notice I didn’t phrase the question is “this” a good time, because then we would get into issues about rainy season, temperature, kids in school, kids out of school, Easter travel, Christmas madness and all the other side issues. Some of them I have covered here many times, (check out my Get There page for a pertinent listing of a hundred or so articles on travel or moving to the Philippines) others are easily researched or asked about.

But the most important question I can’t answer, only you can answer … is it time for you?

All I can offer as guidance is my oft-repeated homily, “More is lost by indecision than by wrong decisions”. If you think you want to travel here, or especially if you have the idea you want to move here to live or perhaps retire here … and you haven’t even been here to experience things first hand yet, then DO IT.

You can spend another 6 months or a year (or more) trying to total up all the sums, trying to second guess the weather, trying to ‘wait and see’ if air fares are going to creep up or down a few dollars or whatever else it is that has you sitting on the fence … but the real answer is there has never been a better time than to just make the move.

I was prompted to write this today by a nice article I read this morning entitled Peter Greenberg’s 10 Best Travel Secrets on CBS’s Moneywatch It’s an excellent read and Peter has a couple really good tips there … especially the suggestion you not waste time with online ticketing sources which NEVER have all the fares that a decent travel agent (or even a call to the airline direct) will get you. Recommended.

Just a few days ago I got an email from a reader who asked me a bunch of questions regarding a trip here … and I was happy to answer them. But in researching some of his questions I noticed that not only had I seen the questions before, I had answered them for the very same chap, a year or more ago.

I continually get these sort of queries, mostly summed up by statements like, “I want to make sure I do all my planning properly and get answers to each and every question because I do so desperately want to get things right.”

Well friends, it will never happen quite that way. Of course we want to plan and make sure we avoid common mistakes, but in a larger sense, most of you are making the whole issue way, way too complicated. basically, you get on a plane, they close the door, when they open it again, you’re here. from then on, you deal with things. It’s really not that hard.

You just need to pick a time and do it. I can guarantee you this. No matter how hard you plan, certain things on your trip will not go according to plan. This will be true whether you plan your trip in an afternoon, or agonize over it for years. But, so what? There is virtually nothing that you can control that can go so far wrong you can’t just make do …change your plan, use a different hotel, pull more money from the ATM, lop a leg off a trip to a remote island, play one round of golf in a day rather than two, ride an “ordinary” bus instead of the “Air-Con” one … you’ll survive just fine … and often, the unplanned parts of a trip turn out to be the most memorable.

I just noticed the date here and the year is darn close to 50% over already. Will you let yet another year slip by while you ‘wait and see”, or will you “come and see for yourself” instead?

And just in case my “do it now” urgings have made you decide to make the decision and you want insider info that can save you real money how you could still afford to fly you might be interesting in this:

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Popularity: 6% [?]

Filed Under: Travel Tools Tagged With: travel to the Philippines

Things You Can Do For Fun At Subic Bay, Philippines

June 3, 2010 By Philly 3 Comments

I spend quite a bit of time here on the blog and in many personal conversations, explaining to people that living in the Philippines is nothing like the lady enjoying life in this picture.

Yet, on the other hand, I have been to the exact patch of sand where that picture was taken and I guarantee you it is real, and within a two or two and a half hour drive from the smoggy heart of Manila, along modern toll roads with no traffic lights or tricycle snarls.

So maybe life in the Philippines is a beach … and I just don’t go there often enough?

As I mentioned last time, we frequently visit the Subic Bay Freeport. And one of the absolute prime attractions on Subic is the Ocean View Adventure theme park. A comment often thrown about in the Philippines is “world class”. Sometimes it refers to something that truly is worth the adjective and other times it is what some hopeful resort entrepreneur wants you to think is world class, when the place doesn’t even have toilet seats, toilet paper and soap in the washroom.

Well I can personally attest, as a satisfied customer, that ocean Adventure delivers on their promises. What exactly is Ocean Adventure? Well it’s loosely called a theme park, and that part is true. But there are quite a few attractions when you sit down and list them all out … more than you can do on a one day visit, that is for sure.

What To See:

Here’s the “Main Course” .. what you get for a very reasonable one day admission … 500 Pesos … about $11.50USD the day I was there. … all-in, no ups, mo extras

Ocean Discovery Aquarium

aquarium1

Bright colors. Strange shapes. Mysterious creatures. Welcome to the World of the Discovery Aquarium. Explore the fascinating waters of Subic Bay and the South China Sea – without getting wet. Inside our air conditioned aquarium explore many habitats and the amazing animals that live in them – fresh water streams, mangrove forests, coral reefs and deep dark caves. Discover actions you can take to protect these fragile marine environments.

This is the first attraction we visited. (they are all close together in easy kids waling distance, and connected by covered walkways to shade you from the sun, or the rainy season showers. This is one of the few attractions up here in the Northland that is pretty much a rain or shine environment. Good for the “gray season’ “cabin fever “blahs”.

Small, but exquisitely maintained … not just a bunch of fish in a tank.

Learning Center

learningcenter

What’s the difference between a fish and a mammal? What is Baleen? What do you call a group of dolphins? Discover the answers to these fun facts and many more in the learning center. Find out how you can get involved in conservation action. Colorful graphics,fun activities, and interesting talks by our friendly Park Guides – there’s always something going on in the Learning Center!

This will be more appropriate for my nephews when they are a little older. At 3 and (almost) five they are already veterans of organized school, but we made this trip on their summer vacations, so give them a break, OK?

The International Champions High Dive Show

Back by popular demand, Ocean Adventure is proud to present the International Champion High Divers. This exciting show features amazing divers from around the world, all here for a summer season of great entertainment. From precision diving to wild and crazy comic antics to the drama of a high dive 85 feet in the air, the high divers show is guaranteed to thrill and amaze the entire family.

Sadly I didn’t get to see the diving show itself .. the kids were already tuckered out … the show itself normally runs at 1330 or 1400 and you can believe me I’ll be back to see it RSN (Real Soon Now).

The next time we visit I think one of my grown nieces who is a bit of a high diver herself (I have a picture of her around her somewhere going off a 30 foot platform) will be along. I’ll tell her to bring her swimsuit … can there be much difference between 30 feet and 85 feet?

I’ll say one thing … you have to tilt your head back really, really far just to look up far enough to see that 85 foot platform. Impressive.

Dolphin Friends Show

dolphinfriends1

Enjoy our dolphin friends in their lovely lagoon by the rain forest. Learn about these fascinating animals, while being thrilled by their grace, agility, power, and intelligence. This presentation is packed with action, smiles, interesting information, and an important conservation message.

This is by far the one and only centerpiece show not to miss.

The dolphins and false killer whales are close up and personal and they seem trained to the highest standards … they put on quite a show. And they don’t have to live in relatively tiny tanks like so many performing animals in the US do … plus, good quality fresh fish is cheap here, they are well fed … and I can tell there is a genuine rapport between the animals and their trainers .. you can tell when an animal is performing by rote, or when s/he loves to show off, and these animals are living the good life here in the Philippines as I am … they enjoy their work.

These are just about half the attractions your standard admission gives you. The full list of Ocean Adventure attractions is here. It will be a full day, believe me. Hard for me to believe the bargain we got and the kids … wish you were here to ask them … they loved it.

Inside the park you’ll find everything is clean and neat and perfectly laid out for the visitor. There’s even an excellent cafe that serves quite good food … Filipino and Western and normal, outside the park prices … no gouging the tourist here. Learn more about the dozens of other attractions … organized diving adventures, swim with the dolphins, be a dolphin trainer and more here at their excellent website

Where To Stay

There’s good quality lodging directly across the parking lot from Ocean Park, Camayan Beach Resort … it’s run by the same folks who operate Ocean Adventure. I haven’t tried it though, I’d rather be back at the Venezia or one of the other hotels along the beachfront across the Freeport and adjacent to Olongapo City.

Do I recommend visiting Subic and Ocean Adventure? You bet I do.

Ocean Adventure
Telephone Nos. , +63 (47) 252-5885
Fax No. +63 (47) 252-5883

Camayan Beach Resort
Telephone No. +63 (47) 252-8000
Fax No. +63 (47) 252-2959

Manila Marketing Office
Telephone No. +63 (2) 706-3344 to 46
Mobile Number: +63 (908) 885-4911

E-Mail: info@oceanadventure.com.ph

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Filed Under: Travel Reviews Tagged With: Live in the Philippines, ocean Adventure Philippines, Philippine living

Having More Fun in the Philippines

June 3, 2010 By Philly 9 Comments

I wrote recently about how I try to have more fun out of life rather than pondering on all the problems of the world. For sure one of the major reasons I enjoy living in the Philippines is the absence of almost all the FUD … Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt … sensationalism of the US media those of you still back in the USA subject themselves to every night.

I also try to get out of the house and travel as often as possible. One of my favorite destinations is relatively close by, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Freeport, one of of the more common names for the former US Navy base at Subic Bay, now run by an agency of the Philippine government.

There are many places to stay at Subic, more every day it seems, and I have stayed at a number of them. Here’s the one that is definitely my favorite though, the Venezia Hotel. One big reason we like to make the Venezia our first destination choice is their special promo room rates, as low as P1,800 … about $39 USD at today’s rate of exchange. I plan to be there this coming Saturday and Sunday nights, actually, and if I decide to make any blog posts, I already know what “blog central” will look like on those nights. (no wires and other paraphernalia needed, good quality high speed Wi-Fi is included with the room)

This is how a typical low-end promo room is furnished and this left-hand photo will give you an idea of the overall size of the room you get for the discount promo price.

Now I did say these are promos … they only have a limited number of rooms available at these rates … but so far in several stays I have never failed to be early enough to get one. The “promo rooms” are on the third floor too, there is no elevator, but quite frankly, I need the exercise so that’s fine with me.

Also, the most expensive rooms are only into the low &100 USD range,(with many lesser choices in between), and compared with the rooms I paid well over $100 USD in Florida last February, even the Venezia’s top executive suite is a bargain.

The hotel is attached to a PAGCOR Casino (only electronic games at this one) and free shuttle service is available to a brand new ‘real” casino on the beach.

There’s an excellent Chinese restaurant in the hotel proper, as well as a small coffee shop/cafe, and many local restaurants to chose from who deliver to your room. Free parking, excellent, near silent air-conditioning, and most important to me, a staff who is ever-present without being intrusive in any way, and who is unfailingly courteous and friendly

In case you didn’t get the drift from this article yet, I like the place and highly recommend it. Next article I’ll write up some of the attractions you can visit right there on the Freeport which I also feel are well worth their price.

Subic Bay Venezia Hotel
Bldg. 675 Canal Road
Subic Bay Freeport Zone
Zambales 2222
Telephone : ; 252-8399
Fax: (+63)(47) 252-8404

Mobile: 0917-836-3942
customer_service@subicbayveneziahotel.com

Popularity: 12% [?]

Filed Under: Travel Reviews Tagged With: hotels philippines, Live in the Philippines, Living in the Philippines

Coming to the Philippines as a Balikbayan

May 13, 2010 By Philly 19 Comments

New readers will want to refer to my recently update article on Why I Left the Philippines.

A reader, (thanks, Sam), left a couple great comments, full of questions that many people aside from him want to know, so decided to make another article out of it.

Also, in case anyone has been living under a rock, you already know that we have a new President-Elect here in the Philippines, Mr. "Noynoy" Aquino. Many of the provisions we currently rely on under the Balik Bayan Privilege program are not part of the law itself, but are administered under Executive Orders issued by the outgoing President, Ms. Gloria Arroyo.

Executive orders do not automatically cancel themselves when a president leaves office, but a new president often "cleans house" quite early in his/her term. I have no knowledge of, not even heard any rumors of, changes Mr. Aquino may make after he assumes office … but I’m just bringing the issue up to encourage people to be aware over the next few months … significant changes might be in the offing.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on to Sam’s questions, shall we?

… However, there are two things that wondering me about your situation, if I understand/read it well which are-

(1) Why airline clerk at Macau airport refused you to board at first when you have had a US passport? I mean, regardless of your marriage to a Filipina or previous stay in the PH, airlines can take you to PH because as a US citizen you could have allowed 21 days stay with or without your wife accompanied with you. Then why clerk refused you to board on a plane? Is there something I’m missing in your story or didn’t read it well? I mean, it was not like that airline was taking someone who shouldn’t have been taken to the PH because you are allowed to go to the PH without any visa or without your Filipino spouse anyway being a US citizen then why airline clerk stopped you at first?

Sam, the reason the airline initially did not want to board me was a very common one. I had no evidence of "follow-on" or return travel within 21 days of my projected arrival in the Philippines. Philippine law requires that airlines enforce this rule. There’s a tremendous amount of argument and contention that circulates around this issue, including more stories than you can shake a stick at regarding folks who did not have onward travel confirmed … but the fact and the law remains … to board a plane to the Philippines with no Philippine visa in your passport, you must have onward travel (back home or on to another country). One legal exception is, as happened with my wife and I, if the foreigner is accompanied by his Filipino or former-Filipino spouse, and otherwise eligible to use the Balikbayan Privilege program, then the airline may carry you … which they did.

(2) I’m greatly curious as to why you have not applied for immigrant visa (13a) so far given how dearly you love living in the PH given your length of stay in the PH. I mean, I see you have suggested to some to get this immigrant visa than going thru all the hassle and more expensive route of extending stay. I’m sure you have your reason for not having applied for this visa which you don’t have tell if you don’t want but I’m very curious as to why you didn’t obtain this visa for yourself.

Number One, most honest answer? I’m lazy.

Number Iwo answer? I’m cheap. Zero Pesos is the lowest fee I know of, and that is what a balikbayan stamp currently costs.

Number Three answer? Any time I can avoid setting foot inside a Bureau of Immigration facility, I do. Read my blogging colleague Claudette’s account of getting a 13(a) visa for her husband. And remember, she’s not only Filipino but a legal professional and a fellow government employee with the folks whose behavior she comments on.

Eventually, I’ll get a 13(a) visa. But, under the present conditions, I see no reason to. By all means, if you are still in the USA, I recommend you get the resident visa through the Philippine Embassy or the Consulate which serves you state of residence. I had every intention of doing it this way myself, when we moved to the Philippines in 2006 … but personal issues and time requirements came together in a way that didn’t work out for me.

(3) Can you please tell me the advantages and disadvantages of obtaining immigrant visa (13a)? I’m a US citizen, married with a green card hold Filipina wife, living together in NY, who visited very first time to the Philippines two months ago with my wife and completely fell in love with PH. I’m planning to visit PH again in this December for at least 5 months but I will not be arriving to the PH with my wife because I’ll be going there from another country while she will go there from NY. So I know that me going there alone means obtaining only 21 days unless I obtain tourist visa and then usual extension until its enternity which might make me bankrupt…lols. Thus, I’m contemplating to obtain this immigrant visa. Any info, procedure and any other information about this visa will help.

Well, I’ve written at least a dozen articles that touch on this issue in one way or another … try the search box in the right-hand column for more info, or look at the related articles list at the bottom of this page.

There are advantages to the Balikbayan privilege stamp and advantages to getting a permanent resident visa, but most of those advantages are not chiseled in stone. Even for the same couple under different situations, sometimes a 13(a) or 13(g) visa is best, sometimes a BB Stamp is much better, easier and cheaper.

My wife and I travel at least once a year. We (so far), always travel together. So for us, at this stage of our life, and under the present rules of the BB program, it’s best for us. It’s not the best deal for everyone, though, as you point out … if you need to travel without your spouse an BB solution doesn’t work at all.

So which one is best? As we like to say here in the Philippines, " ‘Sup to you". Use the legal method that works for you at the time, and run with it .. don’t over analyze the issue. If you have to change to a different method later, fine … I used to wear skinny, shiny double-knit pants, but I changed to loose, relaxed Docker’s look and feel and they now suit me better.

Could you please tell me what kinds of fees I should expect in the PH, at BI office and at the airport at the time departure, if I would be an immigrant visa (13a) holder and would leave the PH after 5 months of stay? I have heard of the requirement of everyone to have ACR-I card now if one would be staying in there for more than 59 days. And, I also know that immigrants are required to pay exit fees and might other fees as well which I’m not sure of.

photo credit: Rob the moment

If you come to the Philippines with a 13-series visa in your passport … as we have pretty much decided in this discus
sion is the best for you and tour wife at this moment, you will likely have to visit a BI office upon arrival. You’ll get instructed on your requirements by the Philippines Embassy before you leave the States. Will you have to pay them anything upon arrival? No, so far as I know.

When you leave after 5 months, probably the only thing you have to pay for is the standard 500 or 600 Peso Airport Security fee … Us passport holder … or Green Card holders too, are exempt from Travel Tax for stays of less than one year. Your ACR-I card takes care of other items like exit fees and such.

Now one or two other thoughts to wind up the article here.

There’s a very easy way for you and your wife to legally enter the Philippines free under the Balik Bayan Privilege program. Coordinate your travel so you meet in Hong Kong or Macau or Singapore, and then take a cheap flight to the Philippines together … just as my wife and I did from Macau. Might not be doable, but it’s a thought.

Second, you mentioned that your wife is a US LPR (Legal Permanent Resident … i.e. Green Card). Take care that she doesn’t stay too long outside the US. Although the law says she can stay away as long as one year, Filipinos have regularly reported being hassled by US Immigration over stays outside the US as short as 6 months. Also, the time she stays outside the US is not credited to her required three-year residency in the IS while married to a US citizen for her naturalization … which ought to be the goal of every Phil-Am couple in my view … makes life a lot simpler.

Godspeed.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Filed Under: Phils Visas, Visas Tagged With: BalikBayan Stamp, BalokBayan Privilege, Philippine permanent visa

Enter a Lottery, Win a Green Card — Maybe

May 2, 2010 By Philly 3 Comments

Just a short note this morning to highlight a perennial old wives tale scam that so frequently circulates on Philippine and Philippine related sites and communities.

The scam revolves around a perfectly legal and time-honored program of the USA that has been going on for years now … the Diversity Visa Program … I guess because that doesn’t sound profitable … or for our propensity to insist on calling things what they are not, most people know this as the Green Card Lottery program.

And that’s where the scam comes in. At almost any time of the year you may receive emails or see vague ads that claim you can enter a lottery and, if you win, presto, you get a Resident Alien Card … commonly known as a Green Card.

Not only can you get into this program for free, you can even enter online.

Sounds like a great deal, and I suppose for the 50,000 people per year (maximum allowed by law) it certainly is a good thing.

But those of us from the Philippines … or very importantly, those of us who are foreigners in the Philippines and might be called upon for advice or assistance from our Filipino families and friends need to become a bit of an expert on this lottery … for a very special reason:

Filipino Citizens are NOT eligible!

Yep. Only certain country’s citizens qualify and the Philippines does not.

Unfair? Discrimination? Maybe so, but the problem, if there be one, has to be fixed within the law … don’t write me, write you Congressman or Senator. But whatever you do, don’t help perpetrate this cruel scam, especially on or Filipino friends and family. The reason the Philippines and a number of other countries are excluded is that they already send more than 50,000 immigrants in the past five years to the US, and the program is supposed to diversify immigration but boosting the number of applicants from countries who don’t send so many to our shores.:

….natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because the countries sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the previous five years:

BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PERU, PHILIPPINES, POLAND, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM.

Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible. For DV-2011, no countries have been added or removed from the previous year’s list of eligible countries.

Here’s where you can find out more about the specifics of the program:

The Congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program makes available 50,000 diversity visas (DV) annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States….

And also where you can read official information on the frequent scams.

Fraud Warning

Please Note: There have been instances of fraudulent websites posing as official U.S. Government sites. Some companies posing as the U.S. Government have sought money in order to "complete" lottery entry forms. There is no charge to download and complete the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form. The Department of State notifies successful Diversity Visa applicants by letter, and NOT by email. To learn more see the Department of State Warning and the Federal Trade Commission Warning.

So keep it simple, folks.

==>> The Diversity Visa (Green Card) lottery is a real program of the USA

==>> It does not cost anything to join it … so do not pay money to predators who claim they will help you!

==>> But remember that Filipinos can’t enter it, so don’t go running off to help you girlfriend or brother in law and then disappoint them.

As they say in the Navy, “That is All”.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Filed Under: US Visas Tagged With: green card philippines, Live in the Philippines, Living in the Philippines, us visa

Philippines Passport, Visa & Health travel document requirements

April 28, 2010 By Philly 2 Comments

Just recently I had a reader leave a comment, which at first struck me as angry. Upon reflection, though, I realize he was probably just frustrated because he kept getting so much information, some of it conflicting, about travel requirements to the Philippines.

I’ve always published sources whenever possible … but some sources, like the official Philippine Bureau of Immigration site are (necessarily) packed with a lot of information. Too much information can be as much problem as too little.

I went out and checked some of my references last night because sites do change …and especially with government sites, links change (break). I’m surely glad I did.

While researching the best sources I came upon this one, Know Before You Go … IATA Travel Centre which I had never seen before … it’s excellent, especially for first time travelers. It’s published by the IATA. IATA (International Air Transport Association) is an international trade body, created over 60 years ago by a group of airlines. Today, IATA represents some 230 airlines comprising 93% of scheduled international air traffic. The organization also represents, leads and serves the airline industry in general.

If you go to the information centre, you’ll see this screen. It’s a bit busy, but just look for these two boxes … Passport and Visa information and Customs, Currency and Airport Information.

There’s a drop-down box for each, select the Philippines (or whatever other country you are interested in visiting) and continue to the next page.

Here you can enter your trip details, where you are coming from, the length of time you’ll be staying and so forth. (if you haven’t been to any other countries, just don’t make a selection in that box.)

You’ll notice I "front loaded" this example to cause a possible conflict … staying for longer than 21 days without a visa. Let’s see how the system handles this.

The next page is where you enter your nationality, passport information. I also ‘front loaded’ a common error in this page, showed my passport having less than 6 months validity upon arrival.

Now we’ll look at the results page. Sure enough it tells us that we have a problem with passport validity dates and lets us know a visa is required.

Although there is supposed to be "Instant Visa issuance" at the airport, be aware there have been problems recently with this service and I would personally not depend upon it. Much easier to get a visa from the Philippine Embassy and avoid any chance of problems.

Also, although you will also note a "legal loophole" regarding entry with less than 6 months validity, read the exception carefully … it’s strictly up to the officer you happen to walk up to at the Immigration wicket .. would you travel 7,000 or more miles taking a chance on the officer’s good nature? Personally, I’d update my passport in advance … but hey, that’s just me.

All in all this is a great tool provided by the IATA .. about as authoritative as you can get when it comes to air travel information.

Use it in good health and enjoy your hassle-free trip to the Philippines. There’s never been a better time.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Filed Under: Travel Tools, Uncategorized Tagged With: Philippine travel requirements, Philippine Visa

Do I need a Visa?

March 11, 2010 By Philly 15 Comments

Since I was just involved in a small way with someone running afoul of Philippine Immigration regulations I though I ought to post some more clarification on this … there never seems to be any lack of self-styled information on this subject, but there is always a lot of information that is partially or totally incorrect. Mine comes from official sources at the time of writing … updated 10 March 2010.

Do you need a visa to visit as a tourist? Simple question, two different answers depending on your answer to this question … are you planning to stay longer than 21 days in the Philippines. (you count this from the first full day you are in the Philippines, that is the calendar day after the calendar your plane arrives to the calendar day your outbound plane lifts off the ground.) 21 full days or less? No visa required. 22 days or more, visa required. Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it, yet more people seem to have a problem with this simple rule than anything else I can think of with traveling to the Philippines.

One reason I suppose this is often confused is that it is not always routinely applied. The persons I mentioned at the beginning of the article arrive here on US passports for an actual 22 day stay. They should have gotten a visa, both by law and for a very practical consideration …. cost … but 90% percent of the Americans I’ve dealt with on these issues just travel onward, expecting the lovely blue US passport to heal all wounds.

By law these ladies’ airline should have refused them boarding … the airlines use a database called Timatic which keeps track of all these immigration and documentation niceties) and it is very commonly for ‘name brand’ airline to deny boarding in these cases … since they can be heavily fined by the Philippine government for failing to comply with the law.

However, like many things I write about here, it didn’t happen the ‘book’ way … they both got on the airplane, landed at NAIA and met two separate Immigration Officers. One stamped the first lady’s passport with a visa waiver that expired March 8. 2008. I have no idea where he got that date from. The second lady had her passport stamped with a visa waiver expiring(correctly, according to the law) on 30 January 2008, exactly 21 full days of presence allowed.

Again, why different? Why are certain regulations followed while others don’t seem to be? Why do different airlines seem to have different ways of applying the rules? I can not answer these questions. I can only report on what the law says and on what happens to people in particular situations.

Since both ladies were leaving together on the 31st of January … 22 days after arrival, they were concerned when this matter came up. So I drove both of them to the closest Bureau of Immigration office for a ‘reading’ on their status.

Person one … with the strange expiration date in March?

“AOK, you need nothing, just leave on Jan 31st and enjoy your stay.”

Person two, with the correctly dated stamp expiring one day before her flight.

“You will be fined for overstaying if you wait until 31 Jan … better fill up this form and purchase a 30 day extension (the shortest one sold) for 3,800 pesos while you are here.”

So that’s what we did. And all was well. All would have been just as well, if not better, though, had they ladies done their home work. If you are staying longer than 21 days … even ‘just one day’, then you need a visa.

If you are wanting to avoid getting a visa, easy, just select your arrival and departure dates that are 21 days or less apart … seems simple enough to me.

I want to stay longer, is it hard to get a tourist visa?

Nope, it is absolutely simple. Where you get one depends upon where you live in the US> See this page to tell you the embassy or consulate to use and download and fill up this tourist visa application form to apply.

You send the form, a 2×2 ID picture, your US passport and the fee of $30 USD and a USPS Express Mail envelope addresses back to you in a USPS (post office) Express mail envelope and in a few days you’ll have your passport complete with visa … nor visa waiver … stamped inside.

photo credit: Daquella manera

That gives you 59 days in the Philippines. If you want to stay longer, you can renew for two months at a time for at least a year. Do not by the more expensive multi-entry visas unless you are planning to come and go from the Philippines. All the tourist visas grant 59 days per stay or until renewal … the cheapest single entry is the best.

Now, to wind this up I hear the question coming from many people already … why not come on the 21 day visa waiver program and then extend as your friend, person two, did. Dave?

Answer, there is no reason you can not do this … aside from the fact you are the person who will know that you are violating the laws of the Philippines by doing so, intentionally. But in 8 years I have never heard of anyone having a problem in extending their 21 day Visa Waiver stamp. I am not your lawyer nor your conscience.

I will note this, from the schedule of fees to get a tourist visa issued in advance:

FEES:
US $ 30.00 for single entry visa valid for three (3) months
US $ 60.00 for multiple entry visa valid for six (6) months
US $ 90.00 for multiple entry visa valid for twelve (12) months
(For each entry, a visa is usually good for an initial stay of 59 days)
PAYMENTS MUST BE MADE IN CASH, POSTAL MONEY ORDER, BANK DRAFT, OR CASHIER’S CHECK ONLY. PERSONAL CHECKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED.

And these fees from the schedule of fees for renewing tourist visa waivers and tourist visas:

TOURIST (NON-RESTRICTED) ADMITTED INITIALLY FOR 21 DAYS MAY BE EXTENDED FOR ANOTHER 38 DAYS

Visa Waiver Application Fee P1,000.00

Visa Waiver P   500.00

LRF P     30.00

Express lane fee P   500.00

Add it all up and it comes out to right at $50 USD at today’s exchange rate … so since even a 10 peso overcharge is a big thing to a lot of visitors, tell me why you think it’s smarter to ‘skirt’ the law if not out an out breaking it, pay nearly twice as much and lose at least a day of your vacation wearing shoes and long pants (you know you can’t go in shorts and sandals, don’t you?) at the Bureau of Immigration.

Myself, when the legal way is also the easiest and cheapest way, the choice seems clear. YMMV.

There’s more on the subject of Philippine Visas and Philippine Visa Waivers here.

All information contained in this article and the entire website is personal opinion/experience only. If you need legal advice, seek it from a competent practitioner.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Filed Under: Phils Visas, Visas

Back From the Deep Freeze

February 26, 2010 By Philly 6 Comments

Well on Wednesday am my dear wife and I arrived back in the Philippines after three weeks in Florida. Broke, happy and COLD. I’ve been to Florida in the winter before, I don’t know what could have possessed me to go there again in February … momentary insanity perhaps.

It was my first trip back to the USA since I left to move here to the Philippines in October 2006. One really good thing about the trip is,it helped me cement my decision to live here in the Philippines. Those of you who say you want to move here and would do so in a minute given the chance should remember something … the tug of your home country is strong … and kind of like a reformed smoker who still gets the urge at times, the USA is going to tug at your heart strings. To think otherwise is to kid yourself … or to be running from the law.

I met a lot of nice people in Florida … my son flew in from Colorado for a week of his vacation and we had some quality time together, then we stayed two weeks with one of Mita’s sisters, (a critical care nurse (now US citizen) who has lived in the USA many years already) graciously put us up at her lovely home. All in all, a good time was had by all, but I’ll tell you what … the terminal at NAIA looked mighty good to me as we were taxing in to park last Wednesday.

A few sort of ‘stream of consciousness’ updates … things I don’t feel like writing separate posts about….

ECC/Exit Clearances: A year ago on my last trip out of the Philippines I was told by a person in a BI office that _everyone_ regardless of status must apply for and receive an ECC before leaving the Philippines once they have been here more than 60 days. So far as I know this is still true, however, once again, the Balikbayan program seems to sneak through a loophole. After I wrote last year’s article, I was questioned several times regarding ECC’s for balikbayan foreigners, because it seemed that contrary to what my BI contact told me, ECC’s are not required for those leaving the country while in their one year BB privilege period. Once again, I report my experiences here, others experiences may be different and in all things reported here, YMMV.

Travel Tax: A lot of foreigners run afoul of a legal issue regarding the Philippine travel tax. Up to one year of stay, foreigners are mostly exempt, while Filipinos pay tax upon departure. However, at and beyond the one year “in country” point, everyone pays. Since my wife and I had each stayed less than a year (she using her US passport) neither of us had to pay travel tax … sounded good to me.

Delta/Northwest/Online Reservations and Check-in: During the time of our trip, another proud US air carrier”flag” has fallen … Northwest Airlines … very much the face of the US to a lot of Asian countries … has now ceased to exist … folded into their purchaser, Delta Airlines. To the flyer this is somewhat transparent, if you forget to go to delta.com, nwa.com will redirect you there.

I bought our tickets online as the price was good and time was short. A few years ago you couldn’t even buy tickets originating in Manila online, now, at least with my US credit card, it’s easy.

Not only easy, but a fantastic service. You can pick your seats, and you can check in and print your boarding pass online. OK, so maybe doing Delta’s job of printing the boarding passes may not seem like a big advantage, but here’s what happened when we arrived at NAIA terminal one in the o-dark-hundred hours of 2 February, home-printed boarding passes in hand.
Once we passed the entrance to the terminal x-ray checkpoint (hint, wy don’t US airports protect the thousands of people on the ‘grounsd side of the terminal?) … anyway, once safely inside the terminal a Northwest/Delta employ went up and down the typical hundreds os people long ‘snake’ line going to the checkout counter, asking for Internet check-in folks. When he saw my boarding passes, he whisked us past all the lines to a lonely fellow at a window with no line, marked “Internet Check-in”. Tags for the bags (remember you only get 50 pounds each bag now, not 70 like in the old days), and a quick send off to Immigration …faster even than First Class check-in … hooray for the Internet

Exactly the same on our return from MCO (Orlando). Because I checked-in on line and printed our boarding passes, I was able to check our bags in curbside … less than 20 feet from where our sis-in-law dropped us. Then no stops at all (except for the standard TSA security check point) until we got on the airplane.

No hassles about onward travel tickets, no physical inspection of passports (already entered into the system during check-in … convenient and better than frequent flier service just because we checked in online … hooray for you, Delta.

photo credit: markhillary

Another BB Stamp: Upon return to NAIA, we went to the shortest Immigration line, approached the officer together and my Dual Citizen wife told the officer, “I request Balikbayan privilege for my husband and I.

I also handed the officer my passport and our Philippine Consulate-certified marriage certificate. The officer stamped my passport with the notation BB and the date I need to leave the Philippines NLT (23 Feb 2011). He also stamped my wife’s US passport (she no longer has a current Philippine passport) with an entry stamp and a reference number to her reacquired Philippine Citizenship papers, which she also showed the officer. 3 minutes at the immigration booth, tops … gotta love the BB privilege Program, thanks PGMA, hope your successor keeps it working this well.

OK, that’s enough rambling for now. Talk to you next time I get a bout of “walk about” fever.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Filed Under: Get There Tagged With: Balikbayan staus, BB stamp, Fly to the Philippines, Live in the Philippines, Living in the Philippines, Philippine travel tax

You're Reading This and Yet You Think You Aren't Lucky?

February 16, 2010 By Philly 6 Comments

So many people visit or write looking for that elusive “job for a foreigner” in the Philippines, or some other elusive ‘key’ that will unlock the door that is holding them back from moving to the Philippines, or getting out of debt and being able to ‘live large’ in the Philippines, or finding that all important Filipina sweetheart who is going to solve all the sad problems of man-woman relationships in their background, or … well you name it, they are a-looking.

Many times people leave no doubt that they think I am lucky because I m earning money without a job, because I already found my one-and-only Filipina, because both my wife and I can come and go from the Philippines or the US or most any other country we want to … and yes, I suppose they would be right if they call me lucky.

But I wasn’t born that way. Nor, did I just happen across a streak of good fortune that’s going to be slipped out from under me in a heart beat. And I don’t worry about black cats or walking under ladders or stepping on cracks the way so many do.

I wasn’t born lucky. I believe in God and I believe God has blessed me, but in my personal theology, I don’t thing God worries much about my income or my visa status. I think He pretty well leaves the ordinary working side of my life up to me. And I, in turn, spend quite a bit of my time making myself lucky.

Making myself lucky? “Oh no”, I hear some of you saying,”That can’t happen Dave, you are just deluding yourself.” Well, maybe so, life itself is sometimes just one big delusion, but I just came across this impressive article that pretty well proves, scientifically, what I already know to be true, personally.

Tune in to Lisa Hoover’s great article on Changing Your Own Luck by Changing Your Perspective

Think you have no control over how lucky you are in life? Psychologist Richard Wiseman says think again. Turns out you can learn to be a luckier person just by changing how you look at the world around you.

Wiseman studied the lives of 400 people over the course of 10 years and watched for any lucky breaks or chance encounters—both good and bad—they had along the way. He discovered that some people are prone to worse luck than others, but it may be possible to create your own good fortune by tweaking your perspective on things.

In interviews with the study’s volunteers, he realized that unlucky people are typically more anxious and tend to more hyperfocused on the specifics of a situation. Lucky people, on the other hand, are more laid-back and open to whatever opportunities present themselves.

My research revealed that lucky people generate good fortune via four basic principles. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good….

You can read the rest of the article, and I recommend you do, but everything that needs to be said has been said in the two places I have rendered in bold, above.

In my own experience with living in the Philippines, and in the experience of many of the folks I know who have also made the move, I find that the ‘lucky’ ones, including me, are the ones who made the best choices they could with the information available to them, and then went ahead and did it.

photo credit: JohnSeb

For example … people like to know about costs in the Philippines, and I publish a lot of information on that subject. But I often don’t publish a lot of information I have because people will hound me about how ‘current’ the info is, or even critique my information and that provided by others on third-party sites, complaining about prices that aren’t “current enough” to suit them, exactly as if they were paying for the data and complaining about poor quality work that had bene delivered to them.

I got news for you. If my electric bill information in July isn’t current enough for you in december of the same year, then you aren’t suited for living in the Philippines. You’d be much better off as an IRS auditor in the USA trying to niggle an extra nickel out of taxpayers who might have checked the wrong box.

I live in the Philippines in a large sense because the life here is more varied and less certain (another word for this is BORING) as life in the US. If you base your life on ‘certainties’ and “due diligence”, then the Philippines is certainly not the place for you … I predict you won’t be very “lucky”.

Most of you know I make money operating some web sites. Many of them are involved with selling something. In order to decide on a web site that you might want to establish that sells something, one of the first things you need to do is find out if people are buying.

I looked today on eBay for top items that people are buying, as I wanted to show a friend a way she could find potentially profitable “niches”. Among the top ten items … on eBay, mind you, a discount auction site … were two different versions of auto insurance, health insurance and something about an extended life insurance plan. Four out of the top ten things Americans were interested in buying were insurance for Christ’s sake. Blew my mind.

You want good luck, folks? Start thinking about the good things and making your own good luck instead of obsessing about how “other people” are “so lucky” while you spend your days buying and paying for products that lucky people don’t even need.

Try Professor Wiseman’s (and Dave’s) method for a few months and see if you own luck doesn’t seem to magically change. A famous saying about the future I’ve heard from several sources is, “The best way to live happily ever after is just to build your life that way and live it.”

Popularity: 8% [?]

Filed Under: Moving There Tagged With: Live in the Philippines, move to the Philippines

What About Phones and Mail

January 4, 2010 By Philly 6 Comments

A lot of questions I get about moving to the Philippines come from folks in the USA who want to know how they can deal with getting mail and phone service there. In particular they are worried about how they can stay in relatively instant touch electronically, and very cheaply in a matter of a few days with US mail. (most of these questions and answers also apply to prospective Philippine residents from any country, if you filter out a few of the US-specific rules).

Well, I have some answers. Most of them are even good Let me attack the mail situation in a little detail first.

— You Are Getting Too Much Mail: Here’s the first thought you should consider. Especially in the US we have become mail junkies, addicted since childhood to one of the absolutely best mail services in the world. So while it is impossible to get the kind of service at the price you pay in the US, step one should be to look carefully at what comes to your mail box today and the what and why of your outbound mail. I did this some time before I moved to the Philippines, and by the time my wife and I were ready to move, we found we were getting little or any First Class mail that we wanted or needed.

—– Bills: Ask yourself or the person billing you why you are getting paper bills in this day and age, anyway? Ninety plus percent of the folks who send you paper bills today can be paid electronically, so move them online now and save yourself time, money and hassle even if you later decide not to make a move. If your US bank doesn’t have a free, online bill paying system as part of their web services, then open an account at a bank that does. Not only is this convenient, it is far more secure than sending checks through the mail. My own bank’s system, in common with many other bill payer services, allows me to not only pay bills electronically, but, on my command, will write a check and send it to anyone, business or personal, in the US of A. And consider carefully what bills you will still be getting through US mail when you are in the Philippines … a whole ot of bills will just disappear … part of the lure of moving here in my book.

—– Legal Letters and Such: I wouldn’t recommend moving if you were in the middle of an active court case, selling a business or something of that nature. I would get that process wrapped up before I moved. But suppose something unforeseen comes up while you are in the Philippines … a rich uncle dies and leaves you a million bucks, let’s say. (of course if that happened to me, I’d fly back the next day, First Class, but let’s imagine you just can’t bear to go home even for that incentive ).

Not to worry, in my personal experience, lawyers and many other professionals are addicted to fax machines anyway … you can rely on a fax machine in your home here in the Philippines, or even easier and cheaper, just use an online email to fax service. Many provide you with a discrete US phone number, anyone can fax to that number with a standard fax machine and presto, it’s in your email box. You can also opt to use the fax in the outbound direction to a fax machine anywhere in the world for a cheap, per page charge.

—– Personal Letters: This comes under the heading of, ‘it depends’, but if one of the things that always brightens your day are notes from your grandmother or some other favorite relative, consider doing them the favor of getting them active on-line before you make the move. I can’t help relating a true story here … my mother-in-law comes from a big family. Her eldest brother lives mostly in the US now and a whole big branch of the family tree that lives near him have been out of touch for some years … occasional phone calls at the most.

One day my wife received a surprise email from a long-lost cousin, the daughter of that eldest brother. It went something like, “Oh I am so glad to find you online. I had no idea how to get in touch until “daddy” called me over to the computer and showed me your website that he just found.”

Internet makes Brain Better

“Daddy” is my wife’s 94 year-old uncle who found her site because he was trying something he had learned on-line, he typed his own name into Google and looked at all the web sites that made mention of him. In fact, according to this article on improving the brain activity of the elderly, getting grandma on-line might be doing them a huge health favor, never mind the mail versus email convenience.

— But there is mail I just can’t eliminate: This can be true. For those cases there are many commercial mail services that will legally receive your mail in the US … offering you a street address back in the US in case you don’t ave property or relatives you want to burden remaining there .. and forward your mail to you in the Philippines. The better services will open your mail for you, scan the mail and email you the scan so that you can decide if you want to invest in the additional cost of getting the mail sent on to you here in the Philippines. Bob recently wrote about one of these email forwarding companies he has used for years, there are many other’s as well. Just as my wife’s Tito Casto found out, Google is your friend on these issues.

Special note for US military retirees: You are authorized US Military mail privileges, provided via the State Department and volunteers of the several RAO (Retired Activity Offices) throughout the Philippines. This gives you a limited (first class letters and magazines only) for the same fee as US domestic mail. You can read more about RAO’s and US mail in the Philippines here.)

Ok, that pretty much beats the mail subject to death for a little while, what about phone calls? Don’t worry, this won’t be nearly as complicated, there are some great solutions out there, mainly (yet again) due to the wonders of the Internet.

— POTS: This is “industry insider” talk for the Plain Old Telephone System that is probably on your desk as you read this. It’s relatively easy and cheap to get so-called “land-line” phone service from local telephone companies here in the Philippines, just about the same way you would get it in the US. In nearly four years here, I find no need for a “land line” and perhaps never will, but it is available in populated areas, and people would then call you as simply as dialing 011 63 from their regular US phones. I’ve seen rates as low as 11 cents a minute to the Philippines.

— VOIP: (Voice Over Internet Protocol) This is a catch phrase that refers to the technical process of converting the analog sound of ‘people talk’ to a string of digital bits, (packets) strung together and controlled by the same protocol which managed and decoded the bits that made this message into analog light ways that your eyes are reading. Many VOIP options are available, here’s what I think are the “top three” choices.

—— Vonage: A successful commercial phone company in the US, Vonage offers monthly phone subscriptions very much like the conventual phone carriers in the US. The unique part of Vonage is, you get a small box, or router, that you plug into a high-speed internet connection, and then plug any standard telephone into. Voice from the phone is converted to digital signals in the router, sent to any other phone, and the person receiving the call hears the same thing as if you called from a regular phone. Internet service is need, but no computer is. Vonage works the closest to “old-fashioned” phones as a new technology can … even grandma can use it

Two minor drawbacks to Vonage is, the company doesn’t sell their routers overseas, so you need to get one before you move to the Philippines, and the service is more expensive than some of its competitors … but both these issues are minor.

—– Skype: This Luxembourg-based company is now the largest commercial long-distance carrier in the world, bar none. At any given moment as many as 12,000,000 folks are on-line with Skype. Three Skype services can make your stay in the Philippines easier … I use all three:

——- Skype to Skype: Using nothing more than your computer with headset and cam, you can talk and even video conference with any other Skype computer anywhere in the world, 100% free. It’s good stuff.

——- Skype Out: You can pay Skype some money in advance and use your computer to call any telephone number in the world. The call will appear to the other person as if it were just any other call to their phone, and you will pay a minute by minute rate, deducted from the Skype balance you established. Rates are typically much cheaper than standard commercial rates, but vary from destination country to destination country.

——- Skype In: This is a companion service to Skype Out. For about $60 USD per year you can a telephone number in any one of Skype’s current 21 countries. If you opt for a US number it will be just like any other phone number in an area code of your choosing. Anyone with a phone, anywhere in the world, calls that number and it rings on your computer. Neat stuff. And. of course like having a conventional land line phone, you pay nothing for the call.

— Google Voice: The last example I’ll wind this up with is Google Voice. Yes, Google is showing up here in the vice telephony world just as they seem to be everywhere else. They bought up a really neat service known as GrandCentral, which ‘answers’ any phone number you may have, at work, at home, cell phone, etc. and rings it on one central number you designate. Now, as google rolls the service out, that “one central number” can be anywhere in the world that there is Internet. This could prove exceptionally helpful to anyone who might be living in the Philippines and needing to conduct business back in the USA … a subject for a soon-to-come future article.

Meanwhile. happy communicating, and if you need any other help, call me … 1-719-966-4295.

Welcome Google Voice!

We are happy to announce the launch of Google Voice, the next version of GrandCentral. We’ve kept all the things people like about GrandCentral and added new features like transcripts, SMS, international calling, and conference calling. If you haven’t yet upgraded from GrandCentral to Google Voice, log in to GrandCentral and click the upgrade instructions at the top of your inbox to get started.

For more information about Google Voice, click here.

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Filed Under: Moving There Tagged With: Living in the Philippines, mail in the Philippines, phone in the Philippines

Smells Like America

December 30, 2009 By Philly 4 Comments

Some readers may have noticed there is a rather lively (lively for this blog, anyway) discussion going on in the comments for this article:

http://philfaqs.com/get-there/travel-reports/philippine-resources-manila-forwarders/#comment-27306

It really just occurred to me that there are readers here who may not even be aware of what a “balikbayan” box is, and others who may not realize just what a big part of the “Living in the Philippines” they are.

Balikbayan is a Filipino word that translates to “back to the home country”. There is no such thing as a “balikabayan” type box service in many countries of the world, but years ago, some entrepreneurial Filipinos came up with the idea of providing a large, rugged cardboard carton, allowing people with relatives and friends in the Philippines to fill the box with items folks back in the Philippines might want, and providing a service where the boxes get collected at a large seaport in the US, where they get packed into one of those large, steel ocean freight containers you see on the road. The container then gets shipped to a central point in the Philippines, where it is unpacked and the individual boxes get delivered to the intended recipient, all around the country.

Since there is essentially no weight charge for shipping a container, they normally go for a standard, per container rate, you can stuff a lot of these individual boxes into a single container and pass the savings on to the clients.

Many balikbayan boxes couldn’t even be sent by air freight or postal parcel post rates … too heavy …and if they were light enough, the costs would be hundreds to thousands per box … so the service is a real savings in cost, traded off for time. In round numbers it takes a month to get a box from US to a Philippines address, and in holiday times it usually takes much more.

The Philippine Customs Service allows the boxes to flow freely in most cases, depending upon the shipping company to enforce some pretty definitive regulations … these are supposed to be for personal use, so filling one with LED TV’s to re-sell in the Philippines, packing them with liquor or porn or guns or other contraband will get you and the shipper in big trouble, quickly. In reality, anything that isn’t listed as prohibited (see box packing and prohibited items guidelines here) just sail through customs and gets delivered with no problem.

Like everything else in this world, though, problems do occur and while you never seem to hear about all the successful boxes that do get delivered, day in and day out, you sure do hear about the small percentage that have a problem.

here’s how I have successfully shipped many a box. The same procedures are all pretty much recommended ny all the shipping companies in the business.

First of all, use a strong box. The boxes you can buy at retail outlets like U-Haul are, to but it as charitably as I can, crap. They can’t stand up to the rigors of light-duty US domestic moves. Likewise boxes you can get from a supermarket or retail store as well. Most box shipping companies have agents around the country, or will ship you out empty boxes (yes, this may cost something, but if the object is to get your stuff there in one piece, using a lightweight, easily collapsible box is really false economy.

photo credit: daryl_mitchell

Second, tape the bottom of the box securely, then put a larger plastic trash bag inside as an inner liner. The shipper can not control the weather or where the container with the boxes gets placed on the ship. Pack the box than as full as practicable with your items. Write down every single item that goes in … watch the limits on quantities and such mentioned earlier. I have never yet heard of an unresolved issue about missing items where there was a true list of what was in the box. In today’s digital world it is easy enough to photograph items as they go in as well … but without a true paper list, no insurance company is going to just pay you for what you say was in the box.

Seal up the bag, put a copy of the list inside the box (the original should go to the shipper, and address the box clearly (all four sides is best) with something indelible … don’t use some cheap pen lying around, spend big and use a genuine “Sharpie” brand marker is what I recommend.

Most reputable shippers will seal the box with security labels in your presence. In addition to the paperwork you’ll receive, take picture of the box as it looks when it leaves your hands. again, cheap insurance.

Speaking of insurance, reputable companies provide insurance up to a certain value, and the opportunity to buy more. If you think the contents are worth a lot more to you than the included insurance amount, then for goodness sake, declare so and pay the additional charge … and don’t put anything ‘pricelss’ in there in the first place, these are cardboard boxes not bank safety deposit vaults.

Double check, just before you et the box go, that the name and address of the recipient is correct. In particular make sure the same person is still living at the same address … people do move, or go away to the provinces to take care of a sick grandmother or some such … and as you have read from me before, the Philippines is the country of “after the fact” … “Oh, I forgot to tell you, we moved to a bigger house last month.”

Text the recipient with the tracking number, the date and place shipped and the expected delivery date and make sure someone plans to be there two months down the road. Boxes can’t be delivered if the delivery contractor can’t find the person … and believe me, tis happens more often than you might think here in the Philippines.

Lastly, sit back and anticipate the enjoyment you will get when you hear how happy everyone is when the box arrives. The house will be filled with happy excitement, and virtually guaranteed, when the box is opened, st least one person is going to shout out, “Amoy ng Amerika” … “The Smell of America”. And if you don’t think the USA has a unique, readily identifiable odor? You ain’t never opened a balikbayan box You can’t buy happiness and excitement like that for mere money.

Oh one other thing that I never did before, but would recommend. Scan the list, or fax it to an online fax service, and email the image to some one at the receiving end. My funniest “box experience” so far happened last year when my in-laws received a box sent from Florida. The box came in great shape, no signs of tampering, but right away as stuff was coming out and being passed around there where howls of dismay. Some bags of candy, opened and many of the candies gone. Some packs of soup mix (IIRC), opened and not all the packs there, some boxes of Crystal Light beverage mix (a really, really sought after ‘box stuffer’, BTW) opened and many packs missing.

The happy occasion was now marred by complaints of who the “low life’s” who had stolen the items could be, how did they get in the box with without breaking the seals, why did they steal just the items they did when the were things of more value, and so on. I tell you, that box company’s “stock” in my in-laws house was at a pretty low ebb, to say the least.

Then someone decided to call the sister who had shipped the box from Florida and give her the bad news about how unlucky her choice of shipping companies had been. Want to guess what happened?

Yep, you probably guessed. The items to go in the box had sat around for a couple weeks waiting for someone to finish packing the box, and the missing items were ‘borrowed’ back at the shipping end, before anything even got packed. Mystery solved … but remember the consternation it caused, I sure will … if you ship something that isn’t a full pack, say so,or everyone from the innocent delivery boy to the captain of the container ship will get cussed at for weeks, and the people running the box company … whoa, you don’t want to be the one answering their phone when someone gets her own economy size Crystal Light pack delivered with packets missing … box shipping can be a risky business

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Filed Under: Moving There Tagged With: balikbayan box, Live in the Philippines, retire in the Philippines

Why I Left The Philippines

December 2, 2009 By Philly 38 Comments

Note: this post has been corrected, significantly expanded and re-published. Part of our on-going effort to make PhilFAQS.com your best source for answers to the frequently Asked Questions about Traveling to the Philippines, Retiring in the Philippines, or just plain living here in my second home, the Philippines.

Yes, that’s right, after living in continuously in Marilao, Bulacan, Republic of the Philippines since 31 October 2006, on 1 March 2009 I boarded a plane and left. Somewhat of a surprise, eh?

Well it was almost a surprise to me, also, but don’t worry, it was all my decision, and for those who may be wondering, I’m back, same house, same place, just newly rejuvenated in the visa department. There were several courses of action open to me and this was the one my wife and I chose to take.

You see when I entered the Philippines back in 2006 my wife and I took advantage of the basically 100% cost and hassle-free Balikbayan Privilege Program )often called the BB program or BB stamp). (Balikbayan means literally to return to one’s homeland). I’ve written before about the advantages of this program, here Do I need a Visa? as well as a few other places I am sure.

The chief disadvantage of this program is, it lasts for one year only. So when I entered in 2006 my passport was stamped with a little entry that said BB, expires 1 November 2007.

(a lot of folks get confused with how the Philippine BI (Bureau of Immigration) counts days. It’s actually quite simple … the day you arrive in the Philippines, no matter what time it is here locally, is a day “in country”. The day you depart, again no matter what the local time, is a day not in the Philippines, so arriving on the 31st of a month and leaving on the first of the following month 1 year later is exactly a one year stay).

During that year you really have nothing whatsoever to do with the BI. You are just here, legally, and able to go about as you please. A very nice benefit for those of married to Philippine citizens or former Philippine citizens.

At the end of the BB period you have several choices.

You can apply for a permanent residency visa, based on the sponsorship of you Filipino/Former Filipino spouse,
You can leave the country not later than the date stamped in your passport.
You can convert your Balikbayan status to an ordinary tourist visa waiver status.

Converting to tourist visa waiver status at the end of my first, free BB year was what I chose to do, strictly because it was the course of action that “fit” best with what was going on in my life at the time.

Under current rules as a A Tourist Visa or Tourist Visa Waiver holder you can stay 24 months in the Philippines, applying for and paying for an extension every 59 days (two months under BI counting rules). You can extend your stay your stay every 2 months at any BI office for the first 16 months of stay. After month 16 you are still eligible to extend but you can only do so at the BI main office in Intramuros, Manila.

If you have been following along, and counting, my 12 months of BB status and 16 months of tourist status was up 28 February. 1 March as the date stamped in my passport that indicated when I had to leave.

Shopping and Stair Ckimbing in Macau

My wife and I decided to take a trip outside the Philippines to get me back onto free BB status.

Checking around I found the best fare deal at the time with Cebu Pacific, mainly because I wanted to fly out of DMIA, the new/old USAF terminal at Clark. I could have saved more by buying farther in advance, but a round trip for two Clark to Macau (the former Portuguese colony next door to Hong Kong, now a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China) came up to an all-in price of PhP 13,400, about $275 USD at today’s rate.

I’ll go into the actual costs of extending tourist status another time, because it is different almost every extension period, but it’s very safe to say that the cost of extending 16 months easily comes up to more than an overnight trip to Hong Kong, Macau or Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia … again especially if you keep your eye on the calendar and plan ahead, buying a ticket when rates are good.

We found a nice looking hotel in Macau, the Best Western, Taipa, five minutes from the Macau airport for about $62 USD per night through my old friends, Asia Travel … I’ve been using them for years and I recommend them, they even answer emails Everything done online in just a few minutes. Took longer to print out the Cebu Pacific eTicket confirmation sheet (you’ll always need this to enter any airport) than to do anything else.

I chose Clark because it is close to our home here in Marilao, has parking at the door (long term is PhP 90 per day) and not crowded. After we went into the terminal I realized how long it had been since I had flown out of the Philippines … we made a couple wrong turns, but everything was worked out easily, people were nice and helpful and no long lines.

(All the procedures and costs of leaving and returning are detailed in a bullet list at the end of this article)

Macau was a really interesting place. It has really kept it’s European (Portuguese) flavor much strongly than Hong Kong. There are certain similarities between former Spanish colonies and those that belonged to Portugal, but many more differences than similarities. being so close, you might wonder why the Philippines wasn’t a Portuguese colony instead of Mexican/Spanish. The answer to that one is, under international law the Philippines was supposed to be a Portuguese possession … in fact the Portuguese were poised to attack manila and make a war over the issue, but king Philip of Spain (yeah, the guy the Philippines is named after) married the right girl and also became the king of Portugal at exactly the right time and decided not to fight a war with himself … so the Philippines stayed under Spanish authority and new Espana (Mexican) rule and administration.

Because both Hong Kong and Macau are part of China’s SAR program, US passport or Filipino passport holders do not need visas in advance. Money changing is pretty easy, you can use Portuguese Pataca, Hong Kong Dollars or Chinese Yuan, all of them are roughly 7 to 8 to the US Dollar.

Returning to the Macau airport at the end of our stay was even easier than getting there. A taxi glided up to the hotel portico as we walked out the door and we were at the airport in less than 8 minutes. Fare in either direction (always metered) is about $4 USD.

No lines, no waiting at the airport. The Cebu Pacific counter agents were at first worried about my status. Many airlines seem a little hesitant about the Balikbayan program, but their own official Timatic database regarding Passport and Visa requirements for Travel to the Philippines clearly states that spouses and children of former Filipinos are allowed to travel to the Philippines with the qualifying spouse with no requirement for onward travel or advance visa.

The airline can demand to see proof of marital status … after a couple minutes of hemming and hawing I asked the counter agent if she wanted to see our marriage certificate. When I produced it … apparently they get a lot of people who insist they take their word for it … she suddenly smiled, looked relieved and handed us our boarding passes. All was well … when in doubt, show.

This is a good place to interject that many foreigners have told me that the Balikbayan program privilege can be granted to the foreigner spouse traveling on his or her own, so long as they can produce a certified marriage license/marriage contract. It may well be that some people have had this experience, but don’t depend upon it happening. The Balikbayan law, Republic Act 6768 (you really should read the whole Balikbayan law, it’s only a few paragraphs) clearly states that the law applies to “… the spouse and the children of the balikbayan who are not balikbayan in their own right traveling with the latter to the Philippines. …”. That seems rather explicit to me. The law also states that:

“… Any person who shall willfully derive, obtain, receive or enjoy or cause another to derive, obtain, receive or enjoy the benefits and privileges under this Act without being entitled thereto shall be punished by a fine of not less than Twenty thousand pesos (P20,000.00) but not more than Forty thousand pesos (P40,000.00) or imprisonment of not less than two (2) years or more than four (4) years, or both at the discretion of the court. Any alien found guilty under this section shall be summarily deported upon completion of service of sentence and be permanently barred from reentering the country without the special permission of the President. …”

Frankly, for my own actions, I am going to comply with the law as it seems to be written (in my lay opinion) and not try to circumvent the intent of the law simply to try to get a free year. When they start talking about jail and then deportation at the end of the jail term, the hair goes up on the back of my neck … no thanks. I like playing poker, but not at those odds Of course, as we say on-line, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary), so roll the dice if you choose to.

Both the outbound flight and the return flight to Clark pushed back from the gate exactly on time and both arrived a full 20 minutes ahead of schedule. A refreshing change from flying out of Manila.

Upon our return to Clark we walked up to a line at the Immigration counter with only one other person in front of us. Mita handed the officer both our passports and said, “I request a Balikbayan stamp for my husband, please” while I dug into our bag for the marriage certificate. The Immigration Officer stopped me by handing me my passport. “No problem sir, since you both have the same surname we trust you, you are good for another year.”

Out the door, a short walk to the car, fire up the mighty Mitsubishi Motors diesel digester, show the guard our pre-paid parking receipt and we were out the gate of the parking lot before 5 pm, the time the flight was scheduled to land.

I won’t go into yet another discussion of the merits of the BB versus a permanent residency visa, there are advantages/disadvantages for both, but when I hear people agonize and complain about the trials and tribulations of leaving the country for a fresh visa I wonder what their real problem is.

This couldn’t have been an easier and more pleasant trip, and one thing about the BB program you have to agree with, no matter what method you chose for living here in the Philippines, the combination of totally free and not one single form to “fill up” has to count for something.

So now I am back and good until 3 March 2010. No need to fear I’m leaving again any time soon. Here are a few notes/reminders for anyone planning to follow in our footsteps. The procedures are the same no matter which airport you leave from/return to:

Except for people with permanent residency iCard, every foreigner who stays in the Philippines more than 60 days requires an exit clearance document to leave. You can get this at any BI office, (bring 3 each 2×2 ID photos, white background, no glasses). The clearance costs PhP 310 and is good for 60 days from date of issue. It typically takes 3 working days to process, so plan ahead.
Bring with you to the airport A Ball Pen, your eTicket receipt (or “real” tickets), your passport, your clearance document and, of course, your spouse and your marriage certificate or contract… unless you are meeting up with her somewhere else).
First stop upon entering the terminal is the Travel Tax desk. (at Clark make a sharp ‘U’ turn to the left, it is easy to miss). All Filipinos are subject to this fee unless they also have a US Green Card or US Passport and have been in the Philippines less than one year. Everyone gets tagged, yes, US citizens also, if you are “in country” more than a year. PhP 1620 each.
Then check in with your airline and get your boarding pass.
Next comes Airport Security fee … International departures all pay PhP 550 each, no matter what passport you hold.
Once through the security ‘wicket” you’ll see Immigration up ahead, but don’t rush to the shortest line as we did. You need a “Departure card”. These are on the wall to the right at Clark.
Present your departure card, passport and clearance if needed to the Immigration officer.
Go through second (or third) security checkpoint
Board plane.
On the plane you will be given an arrival card to fill-up for Macau.
Upon arrival just proceed through immigration, handing over your passport and arrival card. Typically no smiles, but no questions asked.
Watch closely, the Immigration Officer at Macau should slip your arrival card back into your passport. Hang on to it because it is you departure card for leaving as well. (if you lose it, you can fill up another when you depart, saving it just saves you time.)
Enjoy your stay … be careful in the casinos
Coming back is basically the same process. If you come from Macau you will be let in the terminal with your eTicket receipt. No taxes or other fees to pay.
Go to the airline counter and recall what I wrote about above. If they seem reluctant about boarding you just stay calm, remind them that you are returning under the Balikbayan privilege program, that accompanied spouses are authorized, and show them your marriage certification. Should be no problem.
Get boarding pass
Pass through Immigration
Board plane.
On the plane back to the Philippines you will get an Arrival card. this is a two-part form, one for immigration, one for customs. Do not fill up the part of the card that says for returning OFW’s … unless you are one.
Upon arrival proceed direct to immigration, WITH YOuR SPOUSE, politely request that the officer stamp you foreign passport with a BB stamp (I know of a few guys/gals who never asked, and thus only got a regular 21 day Tourist Visa waiver stamp … they were pissed, but hey, the immigration officer isn’t a mind reader, you don’t ask specifically for what you want, you don’t get).
If asked, produce your proof of marriage to your Filipino/former Filipino spouse.
When handed your passport LOOK At THE STAMP before you leave the counter. This whole trip was abut getting that stamp, remember? Don’t grab your passport and rush off because you are thinking about getting home. You can not get Balikbayan status “after the fact”: it is a benefit granted upon arrival only, so if you can’t read the stamp (it will be just a hand-written “BB” inside the standard arrival stamp), politely ask the officer to point it out to you. After you leave the counter it will be too late.
Proceed directly to the Duty Free counter to by the passalubong that wouldn’t fit in your luggage.
Hand the customs man your arrival form
Go home and enjoy another free year in the Philippines.

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Filed Under: Get There, Phils Visas, Travel Reports, Visas Tagged With: Philippine Balikbayan visa, Philippine tourist visa

Reacquire Philippines Citizenship in the US or in the Philippines?

November 28, 2009 By Philly 9 Comments

(Was formerly Philippines Questions — Round 11)

This is an update or amplification of a post first made back in 2008. I’m going through the blog and updating, correcting, and amplifying some of the posts to make them more useful to my readers. I’m also redoing some non-descriptive titles so that Google Search will find you the information you need, faster and more accurately, so you can better make the decisions you need to about Moving to the Philippines.

Today’s question involves a basic one and I’ll add a few amplifying comments

Should I Reacquire Philippine Citizenship before leaving the US or After I Return to the Philippines?

The simplest answer is, either way will work fine. It’s a matter of dollars and cents and time factors. Pros and cons sort of shake out like this:

If you reacquire while still living in the US the costs and the process at the Philippine Embassy in DC or at the Consulate office which serves your state

(you can’t pick and chose, here’s where you find out which Philippine Consulate office serves you)

may well be cheaper than after you move to the Philippines. You have to consider that If you reacquire in
photo credit: markhillary

the Philippines you will have to travel to the Bureau of Immigration in Intramuros, Manila at least once, according to my most recent information. Thus the cost difference between the two will vary, depending on where you live now and where you will live in the Philippines.

You can save a little, on either side of the pond if you get your 13 series visa … Philippine Permanent Resident visa … at the same time the spouse reacquires. Items such as passport renewal, registration of foreign marriage, registration of children and such can be accomplished at the same time as well. A couple ‘think it through carefully’ thoughts:

Registration of your marriage: If you married in the US, sooner or later you are going to be asked for your marriage contract when you live in the Philippines. Trust me, you will. You can not use a US marriage certificate for many Philippine government requirements unless it is certified by the Philippine department of Foreign Affairs in the US. This can not be done later in the Philippines, so get it done before you leave.

Re-reading this it occurs to me that even though I have made this number one on my list and even bolded a few things to set them off, I still wish there was a way to highlight it more brightly. You made need your marriage certificate (or more often here called marriage contract) for many things you may not be thinking of now, as well as the common reason for acquiring a spousal permanent residency visa, traveling and availing of the Balikbayan Privilege program, etc. Get it done before you leave your home country!!

Registration of Children: Even if your children were born in the US, as long as one of their parents was a Philippine citizen at the time of their birth, they are natural born Filipinos under Philippine law. You may think holding Philippine citizenship could never be an advantage to them, but unless you can predict the future better than I can, you may want to make sure they are registered now so that they can avail of things restricted to Filipino citizens in the future … voting, land ownership, etc. (they can’t vote or own land until they reach maturity under Philippine law).

By the way, these children do not need to reacquire Philippine citizenship, since they ‘performed no act’ to lose their citizenship, as their parent did, they are still 100% Philippine citizens whether the parents think of then as Filipinos or not. Only the person who ‘performs and act’ such as as swearing allegiance to the US loses their citizenship. Children, under Philippine law can not legally perform such an act, so they are what they were legally at birth.

Philippine Passports: Depending upon your decision on the children’s citizenship, you may wish to get them Philippine passports. If you intend for them to travel with their US passports, they will have to either travel with the Filipino/former Filipino parent and enter as Balikbayan or they will have to have a permanent residency visa, so Philippine passports may be a useful thing to have. Just the money and time you’d save in visas and processing alone makes this seem a useful choice.

Are You Sure Reacquiring is the Right Thing?: My wife, who lost her Philippine citizenship by becoming a US citizen was sure she wanted her Philippine citizenship back. So she now has it and is a full-fledged dual citizen. When I get around to applying for my permanent residency visa I will be able to do so based on her Filipino citizenship. But suppose, for whatever reason, she had chosen not to reacquire Philippines citizenship? I could also be living here based on her former Filipino status just as easily.
- Both a Filipino spouse or a spouse with former Filipino status can acquire a permanent residency visa in his or her own right as well as sponsor a spouse and all minor children of their marriage.
- There is no compelling need to reacquire just so the family can live in the Philippines.
- Another alternative open to former Filipinos is the SRRV program. I have several foreign former Filipino friends who did not wish to reacquire, one is a US citizen and one is a Turkish citizen. They chose to avail of the SRRV (Special Resident’s Retirement Visa) program instead. A former Filipino can invest as little as $1500 USD (which can be part of the payment for a residence (former Filipinos can still own land, unlike non-Filipinos)) and bring his or her spouse and minor children along under the program.

So in summary, decide first if you are positive you want to reacquire Philippine citizenship and then decide if you wish to spend the money and time before you travel here or after you make the move to the Philippines. Many seem to be ‘stuck’ on this issue and in truth, it is just not that big a deal. You can succeed in your move using either method.

A good decision aid in this somewhat complex area of planning your Philippine move is Bob’s excellent Philippine Immigration Guide

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Filed Under: Get There, Visas Tagged With: move to the Philippines, Philippine dual citizenship, Philippine visas

When is a Philippine Visa not a Philippine Visa?

November 26, 2009 By Philly 4 Comments

In years or reading and participating in a lot of Philippine interest groups I think I’ve seen more misinformation about entry visas than I have seen regarding anything. This really doesn’t seem so complicated, but it certainly does seem to stump a lot of people. I certainly won’t be able to dispel all the myths and clear up the confusion in one post, but I’m going to make a start at chipping away the iceberg.

T DMIA Clark passenger terminal he simplest and most common visa situation is for the tourist who is not married to a Filipino or former Filipino citizen … which constitutes about 90% of the travelers getting off airplanes at Manila (Niñoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)), Cebu-Mactan International Airport or Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DIMA)) at Clark, Pampanga.

To visit the Philippines the simplest thing to do is just get on an airplane and travel. Citizens of the majority of the world’s countries are authorized entry into the Philippines on the 21 day visa waiver program. Show up at the immigration wicket, present you passport, and the immigration officer will stamp your passport with a visa waiver stamp good for 21 days. This stamp can later be extended if you desire to stay longer, up to two years (24 months) from your date of entry. A lot more detail on these procedures will follow. I am writing this post to start the discussion of right, by clarifying that the stamp you get at the airport is a visa waiver, and not a visa. Do you think I am being to persnickety or too over precise in making this distinction?

Perhaps I am, but there is a lot, I mean a lot of things to follow-on this subject, and it’s better, by far, to call things by their legal and proper names.

For one reason, when you enter the country under this program, you are actually admitted under a different Republic of the Philippines law than when you enter with an actual Tourist Visa, the stamp in your passport that you get from a Philippine embassy or consulate while OUTSIDE the Philippines.

Example of a passport stamp
The tourist visa is covered under a different public law. At present, immigration handles Tourist Visas and Tourist Visa waivers pretty much the same, but that may not always be the case. Also claiming to be the holder of something you do not, in fact possess (stating on an official document that you hold a tourist visa, when you hold a tourist visa waiver, as an example) might be the cause of legal action. It is actually falsifying a government document.

The fact it happens every day and many people interchange the terms with impunity does not make it right. Nor, does it make you safe if, as just one example, someone decides to try to find some technicality under the law to deport you on, or otherwise give you a hard time.

photo credit: MPD01605

So, better safe than sorry. Just remember rule number one in the sticky wickets of visiting the Philippines as a tourist. If you got the stamp in your passport upon entry into the Philippines, you do not have a tourist visa, you have a tourist visa waiver .. that is a stamp issued by the government as a substitute for an actual visa.

)I’ve written more on the Philippine Tourist Visa and Philippine Tourist Visa Waiver here, and you can of course always use the “search Box” in the right hand side column to find more information.

More as it happens.

All information contained in this article and the entire website is personal opinion/experience only. If you need legal advice, seek it from a competent practitioner.

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Filed Under: Phils Visas Tagged With: Licing in the Philippines, Live in the Philippines, Philippine travel, Philippine Visa

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