New US Citizen Filipina Visiting Home - How does the Stamp/Visa work?

[SemperAye 2]

Congrats to my wife for becoming a US citizen today! We have plans to file for dual citizenship when we arrive back in the Philippines this August while I attend school there. I understand now how the process works thanks to the help of the great people here on Visa Journey, thank you! But.....

...we have one more question

When we fly together we are obviously using her US passport (her PH passport is expired anyway). It is my understanding that I will receive a balikbayan visa, but what kind of visa will my wife receive on her new us passport? I understand that she can stay as long as she wants in the Philippines because PI is her country of birth, so does that mean that she will not need to have her passport stamped with a visa? Or can she only stay for the 1 year balikbayan until she obtains dual citizenship, and if that's the case, will she get re-stamped, and on what passport lol?

Just wanted some clarification on how this stamp thing is going to work. Thank you!

[Hank_ 9,171]

Congrats to my wife for becoming a US citizen today! We have plans to file for dual citizenship when we arrive back in the Philippines this August while I attend school there. I understand now how the process works thanks to the help of the great people here on Visa Journey, thank you! But.....

...we have one more question

When we fly together we are obviously using her US passport (her PH passport is expired anyway). It is my understanding that I will receive a balikbayan visa, but what kind of visa will my wife receive on her new us passport? I understand that she can stay as long as she wants in the Philippines because PI is her country of birth, so does that mean that she will not need to have her passport stamped with a visa? Or can she only stay for the 1 year balikbayan until she obtains dual citizenship, and if that's the case, will she get re-stamped, and on what passport lol?

Just wanted some clarification on how this stamp thing is going to work. Thank you!

Congrats to your wife!!! My wife takes her test in two weeks.

When you arrive in the Phils (making sure your wife has her expired Philippine passport). You and your wife with both receive the balikbayan stamp (it is not a visa) I got the balikbayan stamp last visit.

BTW your wife is NO longer a Philippine citizen unless she has already completed her dual citizenship. If dual citizenship is on your list you can complete this while in the Phils (not sure how long you are staying)

http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1362%3Adual-citizenship&catid=145%3Aintegration-and-reintegration&Itemid=833

Edited February 12, 2016 by Hank_

[SemperAye 2]

Congrats to your wife!!! My wife takes her test in two weeks.

When you arrive in the Phils (making sure your wife has her expired Philippine passport). You and your wife with both receive the balikbayan stamp (it is not a visa) I got the balikbayan stamp last visit.

BTW your wife is NO longer a Philippine citizen unless she has already completed her dual citizenship. If dual citizenship is on your list you can complete this while in the Phils (not sure how long you are staying)

http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1362%3Adual-citizenship&catid=145%3Aintegration-and-reintegration&Itemid=833

Thanx Hank, best of luck to your wife.

By your reply I'm assuming that she can only stay the year, thats what I guessed. We plan on staying for 3 years, so yes, we plan on filing for her dual citizenship.

So the second part to my question is once she gets her dual citizenship, how does the Philippines upgrade her balikbayan stamp since her stay would no longer be held by that program? Will she have to get her US passport re-stamped with something that says "permanent extension." Or will she be caring around a US passport with an expired visa, and a new Filipino passport that is blank or has some special stamp in it I have no idea. I can see issues when we return to the US, when they look at her US passport and ask "why did you outstay your visa!?"

By this post:

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140306084915AA2ipZZ

I would assume that nothing is done to the US passport, and on the trip back to the states she should bring along with her, her Filipino passport and her certificate of dual citizenship, and the officer will know that she was able to over stay the 1 year and pay no penalties. The officer will use her US passport to leave the Philippines? Anyone here ever done this?

Edited February 13, 2016 by SemperAye

[Tahoma 2,291]

When you arrive in the Philippines, the immigration officer will stamp both of your U.S. passports and will write in the date of how long you can stay. It will be valid for one year because your wife is a balikbayan and you both entered the Philippines together. This is called the balikbayan privilege.

My wife is a dual citizen and we routinely receive a one-year stamp when we visit the Philippines. We have never had to ask for the balikbayan privilege. They automatically give it to us. My wife has both a U.S. passport and a Philippines passport, but she travels exclusively on her U.S. passport. She has never been asked by the Philippines immigration officers to show her Philippines passport. They take one look at her U.S. passport and see that her country of birth is the Philippines, and there are no questions asked.

If your wife reacquires her Philippines citizenship and receives a new Philippines passport while she's in the Philippines, and she wants to stay longer than the one-year balikbayan privilege allows, I'm not sure of the protocol in that case.

[SemperAye 2]

When you arrive in the Philippines, the immigration officer will stamp both of your U.S. passports and will write in the date of how long you can stay. It will be valid for one year because your wife is a balikbayan and you both entered the Philippines together. This is called the balikbayan privilege.

My wife is a dual citizen and we routinely receive a one-year stamp when we visit the Philippines. We have never had to ask for the balikbayan privilege. They automatically give it to us. My wife has both a U.S. passport and a Philippines passport, but she travels exclusively on her U.S. passport. She has never been asked by the Philippines immigration officers to show her Philippines passport. They take one look at her U.S. passport and see that her country of birth is the Philippines, and there are no questions asked.

If your wife reacquires her Philippines citizenship and receives a new Philippines passport while she's in the Philippines, and she wants to stay longer than the one-year balikbayan privilege allows, I'm not sure of the protocol in that case.

Tahoma, thanx. Yeah I need to know how she can stay longer then the one year and how that is handled legally without flying to hongkong and back and getting re-stamped balikbayan. I know that my school will be upgrading me to a student visa, but my poor wife I have no idea lol.

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070815082503AAm6s1L

This post^ says if you show both passports you can stay as long as you want. Perhaps your wife was never offered a permanent stay because you never brought both passports? Anyway, if this is true...I still wonder how it is handled by the officers at the airport...traveling back to America with an expired visa.

Edited February 13, 2016 by SemperAye

[Tahoma 2,291]

I trust Yahoo answers about as far as I can spit, but it may be as easy as reacquiring her Philippines citizenship, getting a new Philippines passport, and leaving the Philippines on her Philippines passport after her three-year stay.

In any case, she would want to check it out while she's in the Philippines, maybe with the DFA.

[SemperAye 2]

My guess is this:

1.) that she needs to enter the philippines as a balikbayan showing the us passport.

2.) upgrade to dual citizenship and get new Philippines passport same name as us passport before 1 year.

3.) leave the country showing new Philippines passport and fly back to Philippines (fly to hongkong or whatever) and stay without visa.

4.) When leaving the philippines show both passports AND DUAL CITIZENSHIP DOCUMENT?, they will stamp the US one and not penalize her because of the dual citizenship.

does this sound right?

[Tahoma 2,291]

Perhaps your wife was never offered a permanent stay because you never brought both passports? Anyway, if this is true...I still wonder how it is handled by the officers at the airport...traveling back to America with an expired visa.

We never wanted to stay in the Philippines for more than a year. However, my wife does actually bring along both of her passports.

[Hank_ 9,171]

Thanx Hank, best of luck to your wife.

By your reply I'm assuming that she can only stay the year, thats what I guessed. We plan on staying for 3 years, so yes, we plan on filing for her dual citizenship.

So the second part to my question is once she gets her dual citizenship, how does the Philippines upgrade her balikbayan stamp since her stay would no longer be held by that program? Will she have to get her US passport re-stamped with something that says "permanent extension." Or will she be caring around a US passport with an expired visa, and a new Filipino passport that is blank or has some special stamp in it I have no idea. I can see issues when we return to the US, when they look at her US passport and ask "why did you outstay your visa!?"

By this post:

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140306084915AA2ipZZ

I would assume that nothing is done to the US passport, and on the trip back to the states she should bring along with her, her Filipino passport and her certificate of dual citizenship, and the officer will know that she was able to over stay the 1 year and pay no penalties. The officer will use her US passport to leave the Philippines? Anyone here ever done this?

Forget about the YAHOO thing, ONE DAY SHORT of a year all you need to do is take a weekend trip to HK or whatever is cheap, then when you fly back you get another balikbayan stamp.. REPEAT...

Yes when your wife flies out use the U.S. passport... otherwise "they" will nail her for travel tax.

Edited February 13, 2016 by Hank_

[SemperAye 2]

We never wanted to stay in the Philippines for more than a year. However, my wife does actually bring along both of her passports.

I found this!

http://www.philcongen-toronto.com/travel/4/guidelines-for-dual-citizens-travelling-to-the-philippines

^2. Filipinos with dual or multiple citizenship who presents a foreign passport, may be admitted for an indefinite period of stay, being a Filipino, provided, he/she also possesses and shows a genuine and valid Philippine passport and/or Identification Certificate.

Filipinos with dual or multiple citizenship, who presented a foreign passport at the time of their admission into the Philippines may be cleared for departure without need of surrendering a certificate, permit or proof of payment of imposable immigration fees, provided, he/she also shows a genuine and valid Philippine passport and/or Identification Certificate. However, if the Filipino does not have a Philippine passport, an Emigration Certificate of Clearance (ECC) fee of Php710.00 shall be charged for using a foreign passport upon departure.

* In the arrival, stay and departure of Filipinos with Dual or Multiple Citizenship where the Filipino presents a Philippine passport and a foreign passport, the arrival or departure stamp shall be stamped on both passports.

So it sounds like she can be admitted indefinitely, but we'll probably have to leave the country and re-enter to get the stamps right.

[Tahoma 2,291]

My guess is this:

1.) that she needs to enter the philippines as a balikbayan showing the us passport.

2.) upgrade to dual citizenship and get new Philippines passport same name as us passport before 1 year.

3.) leave the country showing new Philippines passport and fly back to Philippines (fly to hongkong or whatever) and stay without visa.

4.) When leaving the philippines show both passports AND DUAL CITIZENSHIP DOCUMENT?, they will stamp the US one and not penalize her because of the dual citizenship.

does this sound right?

Just a guess, but she probably won't have to leave, then return and have her Philippines passport stamped. You can sort that out in advance with the Philippines Consulate, or when you're in the Philippines.

[Hank_ 9,171]

NO she won't have to leave... HE will! But she will have to travel with him or NO balikbayan stamp!

[SemperAye 2]

NO she won't have to leave... HE will! But she will have to travel with him or NO balikbayan stamp!

No, hank I won't have to leave because I'm getting a student visa. The only issue was her stamp on her US passport is going to read expired balikbayan because she didn't enter the Philippines with a valid non expired Filipino passport and us passport. This is why I was saying she would have to leave once she gets her new Filipino passport, and they re-enter, or possibly they take care of that process when applying for Dual citizenship...?this was my original question.

[Tahoma 2,291]

I found this!

http://www.philcongen-toronto.com/travel/4/guidelines-for-dual-citizens-travelling-to-the-philippines

^2. Filipinos with dual or multiple citizenship who presents a foreign passport, may be admitted for an indefinite period of stay, being a Filipino, provided, he/she also possesses and shows a genuine and valid Philippine passport and/or Identification Certificate.

Filipinos with dual or multiple citizenship, who presented a foreign passport at the time of their admission into the Philippines may be cleared for departure without need of surrendering a certificate, permit or proof of payment of imposable immigration fees, provided, he/she also shows a genuine and valid Philippine passport and/or Identification Certificate. However, if the Filipino does not have a Philippine passport, an Emigration Certificate of Clearance (ECC) fee of Php710.00 shall be charged for using a foreign passport upon departure.

* In the arrival, stay and departure of Filipinos with Dual or Multiple Citizenship where the Filipino presents a Philippine passport and a foreign passport, the arrival or departure stamp shall be stamped on both passports.

So it sounds like she can be admitted indefinitely, but we'll probably have to leave the country and re-enter to get the stamps right.

I'm not sure how this applies to your wife, because she won't be a dual citizen when she arrives in the Philippines.

Can she complete her dual citizenship and get her Philippines passport while she's still in the U.S.? It's a lot easier. My wife did it in less than two hours at a Philippines Consulate outreach event.

[SemperAye 2]

I'm not sure how this applies to your wife, because she won't be a dual citizen when she arrives in the Philippines.

Can she complete her dual citizenship and get her Philippines passport while she's still in the U.S.? It's a lot easier. My wife did it in less than two hours at a Philippines Consulate outreach event.

That sounds easier, I'll try that. If we do that, I understand she just shows her Philippines passport and enters in the Filipino line at the airport along with me, but we still fly to PI using the US passport?

Edited February 13, 2016 by SemperAye