Has anyone visited the philippines after you received your green card?

[PhilipinaMagic 0]

I have a couple question from anyone who has visited the philippines since you received your green card.

1. How much was the Philippines departure airport tax when you returned back to the USA.

2. How do I know if they did the correct stamp in my husbands passport so he will not be charged a fee for overstay his visa? When we arrived we requested balikbayan privilege to be extended since he is my husband but the immigration officer did not seem to understand. The stamp he put in my husbands passport seems to be the normal entry stamp with no date. We are worried there will be a problem when we leave.

3. What was the process of reentering the USA? Did you just show your greencard? Did they ask for marriage certificate or anything?

[js030802 6]

in answer to your question.

1. as a permanent resident in the US, you will only pay around 300-400 pesos for processing fee for the departure tax. you are exempt from paying the 1650 departure tax so to speak but will still pay the exempt/processing fee of around 300-400 pesos. you can pay that at the airport on your day of departure. pay that before you check in coz if you dont you will be made by the check in agent to pay that before you get your boarding pass, just to save some time of going back and forth at the check in counter. your husband is not required to pay the departure since he is a US citizen.

2. i dont think you can extend your balikbayan privilege to your husband since he does not automatically become a filipino citizen too by virtue of his marriage to you unless he applies for one which i dont advise. as a US citicizen coming into the philippines, he can only stay for 21 days visa free. i believe if he plans on staying longer, he needs to procure a visa from the philippine embassy. im not too familiar with the process but you can ask the immigration office in intramuros about it.

3. to come back into the US, you need your passport and green card with you and not stay outside the US more tan 1 year or else you need a re-entery permit. with regards to marriage certificate, im not familiar with that but my best guess would be the US immigration officer wont probab;y need it. just your passport and green card.

i hope that answers your questions.

[zhenvive 0]

If you are the greencard holder and your USC husband travelled with u the stamp that the immigration officer will put on your husband's passport is the same as yours and he would put 'BB (balikbayan) beside his signature. He is can stay for a year without a tourist visa. As for a greencard holder u only need to present your passport and greencard when returning to the US provided you did not overstayed in the Philippines. This is based on my personal experience.

[Hank_ 9,174]

in answer to your question.

1. as a permanent resident in the US, you will only pay around 300-400 pesos for processing fee for the departure tax. you are exempt from paying the 1650 departure tax so to speak but will still pay the exempt/processing fee of around 300-400 pesos. you can pay that at the airport on your day of departure. pay that before you check in coz if you dont you will be made by the check in agent to pay that before you get your boarding pass, just to save some time of going back and forth at the check in counter. your husband is not required to pay the departure since he is a US citizen.

2. i dont think you can extend your balikbayan privilege to your husband since he does not automatically become a filipino citizen too by virtue of his marriage to you unless he applies for one which i dont advise. as a US citicizen coming into the philippines, he can only stay for 21 days visa free. i believe if he plans on staying longer, he needs to procure a visa from the philippine embassy. im not too familiar with the process but you can ask the immigration office in intramuros about it.

3. to come back into the US, you need your passport and green card with you and not stay outside the US more tan 1 year or else you need a re-entery permit. with regards to marriage certificate, im not familiar with that but my best guess would be the US immigration officer wont probab;y need it. just your passport and green card.

i hope that answers your questions.

1) you are the first that has ever said anything about having to pay an exemption fee once having a green card. Were you turned away at the ticket counter even though you have a green card?

2) The husband can always get the BB stamp in his passport if he clears customs with his wife, and with that stamp he can stay a year without issue. Did they give you issues when you did this? Oh ya, the free tourist visa is for 30 days, has been since July 2013.

3) If the name on the passport and the green card is the same there is no reason to carry a copy of the marriage certificate.

[js030802 6]

1) you are the first that has ever said anything about having to pay an exemption fee once having a green card. Were you turned away at the ticket counter even though you have a green card?

2) The husband can always get the BB stamp in his passport if he clears customs with his wife, and with that stamp he can stay a year without issue. Did they give you issues when you did this? Oh ya, the free tourist visa is for 30 days, has been since July 2013.

3) If the name on the passport and the green card is the same there is no reason to carry a copy of the marriage certificate.

i believe i need some clarification from the original person who posted this question. i thought philipinamagic was asking about the travel tax which is paid by all philippine passport holders when departing the philippines. coz the other issue would be she was asking about the terminal fee which is 550 pesos and is paid by everybody regardless of your nationality. the original question was kind of confusing which philipinamagic termed it as DEPARTURE AIRPORT TAX which now looking at it again had me confused which one she's asking.....the TRAVEL TAX or TERMINAL FEE. if she was asking about the terminal fee, then NOBODY is exempted. if she was asking about the TRAVEL TAX, then she would only have to pay around 400 pesos instead of 1,600 something pesos. and her husband as US passport holder will not pay for the TRAVEL TAX. ms philipinamagic pls clarify.... thank you.

with regards to your question about being turned away at the ticket counter even with green card, i wasn't turned away but instead after being checked in i was asked to pay the travel tax first before i will get my boarding pass. hence my suggestion was to get the travel tax exemption certificate first, which is just a receipt that you have paid the travel tax, before checking in so it will be a smooth transition from check in counter to terminal fee area onto immigration counter.

[Hank_ 9,174]

Thanks for the clarification. We are always learning here...

[js030802 6]

Thanks for the clarification. We are always learning here...

sure not a problem. thanks for asking the question too so it will be clarified by the original person who posted the question. this website is definitely very helpful.

[Hank_ 9,174]

I see by you timeline you are still in the petition process, so you have not gotten your visa yet or have a green card.

[js030802 6]

I see by you timeline you are still in the petition process, so you have not gotten your visa yet or have a green card.

i am the petitioner. i'm a US citizen.

[Hank_ 9,174]

i am the petitioner. i'm a US citizen.

Have you been through this process before? I have only met a few that have battled the K-1 more than once.

[js030802 6]

Have you been through this process before? I have only met a few that have battled the K-1 more than once.

this is my first time doing the process and definitely the last time...lol. just started though so hopefully it wont be that bad but time can only tell...

[Hank_ 9,174]

The facts: http://www.tieza.com.ph/

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AVAILMENT OF THE TRAVEL TAX EXEMPTION:

Note: Presentation of original passport and payment of PHP 200.00 per certificate is required in all cases.

Filipino permanent residents abroad

whose stay in the Philippines is less

than one (1) year

Copies of the identification pages of passport

and stamp of last arrival in the Philippines

Proof of permanent residence in foreign

country (e.g. US Green card, Canadian Form

1000, etc)

( being this is a forum dealing with the USA this 2nd option can be ignored)

Certification of Residence issued by the

Philippine Embassy / Consulate in the

country which does not grant permanent

resident status or appropriate entries in the

passport