A few questions about trip to Philippines in a week

[jg121783 3,907]

As the title says I will be going to the Philippines in a week to visit my girlfriend and plan our wedding (in January if everyting goes as planned). I have some questions about the trip but first I have a few questions about the wedding and the visa application after. The first question I have is regarding the "Affidavit In Lieu of Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry" I have to get from the embassy. I have an appointment scheduled the morning of the 15th to get this document. Is this a fairly quick process or should I plan on waiting for a while? I will be arriving in Manila on the 13th and staying there with my girlfriend until after I go to the embassy then we will be traveling to the town she lives in and staying there for a couple weeks. The embassy website basically says no one is allowed to go with you for your appointment if I understand correctly. Does this mean my girlfriend will not be able to go to the embassy with me at all or is there an area she can wait in? She insists on going with me everywhere I go in Manila because she thinks everyone will try to take advantage of me because I am an American lol. Anyways my other question regards paperwork I will need for the visa application. I basically want to have everything togeter and ready to go ahead of time so when I get back in January I can file it right away. So what should I get as far as documents while I am over there (besides getting a G325-a form filled out for her and her son).

My other questions are about the trip. Forgive me if some of them are stupid questions. I have never been out of the country before (or even on a plane) so this is all new to me. The first thing is I have a laptop and a few other eectronics (headphones, ect.) I want to bring to give to my girlfriend. Will there be an issue at customs if I have 2 laptops and things of that nature? The other thing is she wanted me to bring a few cans of spam (seems like spam is hard to come by in the Philippines or at least where she lives. I dont care for it too much myself.) and I will be bringing some cocolate and stuff like that for the kids. Will there be any issues with these things? The last thing is my girlfriend was telling me she saw on the news that customs agents at the airport were caught planting stuff in people's luggage to try to get money from them. Is this something I should worry about and what precautions can I take against this if it is? That is all I have for now. I will let you all know if I think of anything else..

[ralphdarwin 13]

when we went to us embassy in manila to get my husband's affidavit it only took us thirty minutes or so and it's not a problem to take your fiance with u, some of the staffs there are nice and just tell them that you want her with you inside, also about the papers make her sign the biographic info and let her fill it out and make sure to get your marriage certificate and all necessary papers before you leave so you can save time and money for the mail services. and she is right about having her by your side all the time specially in manila, about the customs thing i'm not sure about that. there is this very useful guide in filing for ir1/cr1 visa here in vj i just don't have the link but it will surely help you!

[pacerman 5]

I cant answer your visa questions, but I can answer your questions about being "new" in the phils. You WILL have culture shock, sounds smells, the way things look and operate, you will be VERY out of your comfort zone the first time there. I have been to the phils, all over the phils 8 times now , for several months each time, I actually will arrive there just a few days after you, the 16th I arrive manila,for my hunnies medical and interview. You would be very very wise to have your girl "teach you" and guide you, your gonna need it, I did. remember, you will stick out, and all though the Filipino are great people, there you will be considered rich. and yes you are an opportunity to them for a few extra pesos. its not like here, if someone offers to help you carry a bag there, they are expected to get paid, no favors are done by strangers. also there is much petty theft, hang on to your belongings tight. just be "street smart" and youll love it. take your GFs advise for the first week for sure to observe the way things are. have fun!!!

[Hank_ 9,173]

As the title says I will be going to the Philippines in a week to visit my girlfriend and plan our wedding (in January if everyting goes as planned). I have some questions about the trip but first I have a few questions about the wedding and the visa application after. The first question I have is regarding the "Affidavit In Lieu of Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry" I have to get from the embassy. I have an appointment scheduled the morning of the 15th to get this document. Is this a fairly quick process or should I plan on waiting for a while? I will be arriving in Manila on the 13th and staying there with my girlfriend until after I go to the embassy then we will be traveling to the town she lives in and staying there for a couple weeks. The embassy website basically says no one is allowed to go with you for your appointment if I understand correctly. Does this mean my girlfriend will not be able to go to the embassy with me at all or is there an area she can wait in? She insists on going with me everywhere I go in Manila because she thinks everyone will try to take advantage of me because I am an American lol. Anyways my other question regards paperwork I will need for the visa application. I basically want to have everything togeter and ready to go ahead of time so when I get back in January I can file it right away. So what should I get as far as documents while I am over there (besides getting a G325-a form filled out for her and her son).

My other questions are about the trip. Forgive me if some of them are stupid questions. I have never been out of the country before (or even on a plane) so this is all new to me. The first thing is I have a laptop and a few other eectronics (headphones, ect.) I want to bring to give to my girlfriend. Will there be an issue at customs if I have 2 laptops and things of that nature? The other thing is she wanted me to bring a few cans of spam (seems like spam is hard to come by in the Philippines or at least where she lives. I dont care for it too much myself.) and I will be bringing some cocolate and stuff like that for the kids. Will there be any issues with these things? The last thing is my girlfriend was telling me she saw on the news that customs agents at the airport were caught planting stuff in people's luggage to try to get money from them. Is this something I should worry about and what precautions can I take against this if it is? That is all I have for now. I will let you all know if I think of anything else..

You will have no issues bringing electronics, chocolate and such into the Philippines. I have never had issues with customs at NAIA, they have always been professional and helpful.

As for what is needed to file your I-130 to bring your wife to the USA follow the GUIDE here on VJ, link at the topic of the page

[j&ana 363]

Yes you can bring your girlfriend with you to the Embassy. She will have to wait in the waiting area. It is a vey short easy process to get the affavadite. Once you get that you can go to the registar office and apply for your marriage license. There is a 10 day waiting period after you apply before your license is issue. You should have enough time as me and my wife got married there in bohol in may of 2014. After you get married ask the local registar where you have gotten married to expedite your marriage certificate to the PSA use to be NSO) that is the copy the Imigration will want.

you can have your girlfriend fill out the g-325a form. You should take some extra copies and case there is a mistake made

Is it good that your girlfriend will be with you, the people there for the most part are very friendly but there is a big culture shock. However in the daytime in most parts of manila you should be ok walking around. I have been there 4 times and walk around in the daytime while my wife was working there Around the embassy is fairly safe. Malikita area is safe Just have common sense. Do not flash a lot of money around. Night time use extra caution.

You will see lots and lots of people on the street. Selling all kinds of things do not buy anything for the most part everthing is fake and if others see you giving money away. they will follow you around. just tell the people on the street, ayawko ( which means i do not want or like). Traffic is very bad in Manila it is probably 10 times as bad as the worst city in the U.S.A. Also you will see a lot of beggars on the streets but if you help one then others will want money so it is best to not give any money to beggars;

you should not have any problems with customs, bringing your laptop over. I bought one before over there

I have never heard of customs agents planting anything but it is possible as the PHilippines is a corupt country and officials a lot of time do try to get more money.As far as bringing spam over. I will not there is lots of spam in Manila. My wife and sister in law both Filippina and living in U.S.A told me spam made in the PHilippines taste better then the spam made here

At the bottom of my signature I have a link to a webpage that I am putting together to help people getting married there and doing a cr-1 process. Since I went thru that process

I got married there in may 2014 my wife arrived in the USA june 2015

Another advice is to take lots of pictures of you and her and family while you are there that will help for evidence of your marriage and relationship to the USCIS

Edited October 4, 2015 by j&ana

[Tahoma 2,291]

I didn't know there was a place in the Philippines where you couldn't find Spam. I think I'd like to visit there.

[thespoons 33]

Your fiancee won't be able to go inside the embassy with you since the only people allowed in are the ones with appointment or us citizen. She can wait outside the embassy for you though. Make sure to follow the guide for i130 (am sure you'll need 2x2 photos so make sure its 30 days old or less when you submit your application)

As for the trip:

#1 do not lose sight of your passport esp when going through immigration (better be safe)

#2 look after your belongings esp during xray scan. It would be best to have a bag/s without pockets to avoid people "planting" stuff in your bags (yep peace of mind)

#3 you can bring spam but i think customs has a rule that you can only bring a dozen of it (same items) lol better yet buy it in duty free shop (less hassle but a little more expensive)

#4 there are some security people who will make sure you get the expensive cabs there (white vans yup i was a victim of this) who will charge a lot of money (and in dollars. we ended up paying $40). There are yellow cabs / airport cabs who will charge less... make sure your fiancee knows this.

#5 if you're going to bring cash to have it exchanged into pesos, make sure the bills dont have stains on it. For some reason a lot of forex dont accept bills with that, weird i know.... or just call your bank and let them know youre travelling so that you can use your cards when youre in the PI

#6 Be very aware of your surroundings esp if you are in an area with a lot of people (like the mall perhas).

#7 Oh and another thing, it would be best to have an itinerary and give it to your family here in the us so they know where your locations will be during your vacay in the PI (yup we did this too hahaha! Paranoid much...)

and... YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE BEACH! Hahahaha!

So far thats all i remember. Enjoy your vacay!

[Tahoma 2,291]

...call your bank and let them know youre travelling so that you can use your cards when youre in the PI...

^^^ This!

[Thozelle 16]

Enjoy your trip. Expect some rainy days and nights this time of year.

[jg121783 3,907]

5 if you're going to bring cash to have it exchanged into pesos, make sure the bills dont have stains on it. For some reason a lot of forex dont accept bills with that, weird i know.... or just call your bank and let them know youre travelling so that you can use your cards when youre in the PI

I called the bank and let them know a few weeks ago. Will I be able to use my card a lot of places there? I was going to just bring most of my money in cash but I'm not sure how much to bring in cash and how much to keep on the card. Also what is the best way to get cash from my account while I'm over there while avoiding lots of fees? I will be getting a paycheck in the middle of my trip and might need some of that money. I was thinking about maybe using a service like moneygram to send myself some money unless there is a better way.

[thespoons 33]

I called the bank and let them know a few weeks ago. Will I be able to use my card a lot of places there? I was going to just bring most of my money in cash but I'm not sure how much to bring in cash and how much to keep on the card. Also what is the best way to get cash from my account while I'm over there while avoiding lots of fees? I will be getting a paycheck in the middle of my trip and might need some of that money. I was thinking about maybe using a service like moneygram to send myself some money unless there is a better way.

You can definitely use your card in manila. But am not sure when youre at your fiancee's place. If they have banco de oro or metrobank atms you can use your card. Its best to check online which banks / atms you can use. We have wells fargo and we mostly used banco de oro (they are everyehere) to get cash but they charge about $10 per atm transaction.

There would be a lot of fees anyway if you use moneygram or atm. Lol we had about $500 in cash at the start of our vacay but that wasnt enough esp when we're in boracay (beach) hahaha! Its up to you how much cash you'll bring. Note that you cant bring more than $10000.

[Hank_ 9,173]

I called the bank and let them know a few weeks ago. Will I be able to use my card a lot of places there? I was going to just bring most of my money in cash but I'm not sure how much to bring in cash and how much to keep on the card. Also what is the best way to get cash from my account while I'm over there while avoiding lots of fees? I will be getting a paycheck in the middle of my trip and might need some of that money. I was thinking about maybe using a service like moneygram to send myself some money unless there is a better way.

For sending money to yourself REMITLEY or XOOM are both good and not heavy on fees. REMITLY has the best exchange rate, and no fees for the 3 day service.

You may want to check with your bank about international charges on the CC, some charge a fee some don't.

Not sure how long you are staying or your plans, that will determine how much cash you will need. Don't plan on using a CC if you are not in the big cites.

[jg121783 3,907]

For sending money to yourself REMITLEY or XOOM are both good and not heavy on fees. REMITLY has the best exchange rate, and no fees for the 3 day service.

You may want to check with your bank about international charges on the CC, some charge a fee some don't.

Not sure how long you are staying or your plans, that will determine how much cash you will need. Don't plan on using a CC if you are not in the big cites.

I will be staying about 2 weeks and I plan on bringing about $1000 cash and I I'll be recieving a paycheck in the middle of my time there if that is not enough. I would imagine I will be spending some money in Manila but once we leave Manila we are going to try to save as much as we can by cooking our own meals and stuff like that. We will be staying at her families house so I wont have any hotel costs once we leave Manila. I bought an air conditioner (cheaper than a hotel) that was installed at her families house so I wont have to worry about it being too hot either.

[Hank_ 9,173]

You should be fine if you are staying with family. If you are planning to send money, make sure to get your account setup before you leave with whatever service you plan to use .

Good move on the AC. Gotta have Air Con in the bedroom for sure

[Zanby 1]

On the finance side...

Use whenever you can, anything that has no fees. I guess that's simple to say?

How,

For ATM machines... Get the Charles Schwab bank account and their ATM card. Fund this account! Withdrawing money via Flipino ATM banks has no fees. Plus, the rate is very close to market and there is no foreign transaction fees.

For entities that accept credit cards get the Capital One credit card. They don't change any transaction or foreign fees. Same with HSBC credit card, btw.

One warning though..

DO NOT give away money to her family or whatever. Unless you don't care, of course. They will not stop and will ask for more (Parents, Sisters, brothers, cousins, cousins of cousins, friends, neighbors, etc.). They will all come of no where

Keep in mind that you are looked at as a walking ATM machine coz of your skin, nose, eyes..etc. No matter how poor you are you are filthy rich!

The USEM thing takes at most half a day .. I did it just last June.

The rest .. well ... you will find out...

Best...