DCF Proof of residence in a foreign country for more than 6 months?

[Jon&Nica 0]

I think my case may be a little tricky and I could use some help or advice. I have been living in the Philippines now for 3 years, I am a US citizen, on a valid tourist visa. I met my fiance just over a year ago and we have been living together for 6 months and will be getting married soon. My questions are: What if I do not have any proof of living here for 3 years other than visa extension stamps and ACR cards? My apartment and all apartments here are under the owners name as well as the electric and water bills. There is no lease just first month and last 2 months that were paid upfront. The only other thing I could think is my US bank statement showing me pulling money from ATM's and making purchases here in the Philippines every month?

[Penguin_ie 5,984]

Two issues:

- DCF only works for CR-1 spousal visas, not fiancee visas.

- A tourist visa may not count anyways, as it does not allow residency.

[Jon&Nica 0]

Thanks for the quick response and yes I would like to take the path of the CR-1 spousal visa and get married here, since I have been here 3 years and do not wish to return to the US without my current fiance. Would tourist visa extension stamps every two months and bank account statements of weekly ATM withdraws made here in the Philippines be enough to establish I was a resident for the last three years, enabling me to use the DCF method of filing?

[Penguin_ie 5,984]

Like I said,a tourist visa does not normally count. A tourist via, even if long term, is for visiting, not living in a country.Most embassies require residency visas.

[JohnR! 5,495]

You can try and provide that, but it will be up to the local consulate to accept it. Strictly speaking you are not a resident of the Philippines and would not qualify for DCF. There is no harm in trying though. Please come back and share your experience so others can learn from it.

Good luck!

Thanks for the quick response and yes I would like to take the path of the CR-1 spousal visa and get married here, since I have been here 3 years and do not wish to return to the US without my current fiance. Would tourist visa extension stamps every two months and bank account statements of weekly ATM withdraws made here in the Philippines be enough to establish I was a resident for the last three years, enabling me to use the DCF method of filing?

[Jon&Nica 0]

Thanks for the advice I will check back and let u know what happens.

[bookworm123 7]

Hubby was also on tourist visa,the usembassy in manila just wants at least six months of residency(not even for some as ling as you can prove residency) in the philippines to be eligible.Do you have your acr card?we submitted that plus the extension stamps and cellphone,internet and cable bills.

[bookworm123 7]

You can also get brgy clearance,community tax cert (cedula) or police clearance for supporting docus.I dont think you'll have any issues.Take a lot of photos of you and soon to be wife as well .You may also want to get philhealth insurance and add her to that or her adding you once you are married. $50 a year for that.

[bookworm123 7]

Hope this helps you.Pls check with the embassy as this was what we followed when we applied last year.

[Jon&Nica 0]

Thanks so much bookwork! I will get a copy of the original signed lease from 3 years ago and my last 2 ACR cards, as well as extension stamps for the last three years and my American bank statement which shows withdraws weekly from the Philippines. The cellphone and internet are unfortunately prepaid. Do you know if there is a way I can go to immigration and pay them for copies of the paperwork from my extensions or do you think the stamps will be sufficient?

[Leo212 0]

Hey there. There is definitely a lot of book work to do! It is worth it for the money you will save by not paying a lawyer to do it for you.

I'm not exactly sure how it works in Philippines, but I had a similar problem when filing in Thailand. I had to be a resident in Thailand for at least 6 months within the last two years. Currently, I am on an education visa, which is not acceptable. Fortunately, I worked in Thailand as a teacher for a year last school year, which means I was in Thailand for over a year on a business visa, which made me eligible for DCF.

If it doesn't work out for you on a tourist visa, you could try getting some work at a school in the Philippines for the work visa, and then try again in 6 months.

[Jon&Nica 0]

Thanks Leo, maybe I will give that a shot if it does not work out.

[bookworm123 7]

That I am not sure (getting copies).We didnt submit those,just the stamps.When you go to the embassy they wont let you file and pay anyway unless they deem you eligible.Trust me,you dont need a lawyer to do the DCF.The passport pages are needed anyway so yeah i think extensions should be fine.If you can just gather some more paperwork,they may be a lot but you can get them all in a few hours.Even our lease was only done on a January.We filed in May.

[Jon&Nica 0]

Thanks again bookworm I am trying to gather all the paperwork now

[VOL 425]

Like I said,a tourist visa does not normally count. A tourist via, even if long term, is for visiting, not living in a country.Most embassies require residency visas.

I have read many successful cases in Philippines with Tourist Visa being ok