Transit Visas

[DinaBill 5]

Aloha,

 

Dina and I are beginning to think about a second visit. We are considering Tahiti. Hawaiian flies non-stop to Pape`ete every Saturday. So logically it makes sense for Dina to take Philippines Air to Honolulu, then we fly together to Pape`ete. As I understand, Dina would need a transit visa to pass thru HNL. Does anybody have experience with these??

 

Mahalo,

             Bill and Dina

[Crazy Cat 41,976]

**Thread moved to the Philippines regional forum where the PI experts will see this question***

[RO_AH 1,659]

39 minutes ago, DinaBill said:

Aloha,

 

Dina and I are beginning to think about a second visit. We are considering Tahiti. Hawaiian flies non-stop to Pape`ete every Saturday. So logically it makes sense for Dina to take Philippines Air to Honolulu, then we fly together to Pape`ete. As I understand, Dina would need a transit visa to pass thru HNL. Does anybody have experience with these??

 

Mahalo,

             Bill and Dina

Has she traveled internationally before?

[Boiler 45,656]

Might as well apply for a B.

 

Single Females PI not an obvious option C or B.

 

[top_secret 2,441]

20 hours ago, DinaBill said:

Aloha,

 

Dina and I are beginning to think about a second visit. We are considering Tahiti. Hawaiian flies non-stop to Pape`ete every Saturday. So logically it makes sense for Dina to take Philippines Air to Honolulu, then we fly together to Pape`ete. As I understand, Dina would need a transit visa to pass thru HNL. Does anybody have experience with these??

 

Mahalo,

             Bill and Dina

 

 

A US transit visa has exactly the same requirements as a 10 year multiple entry US tourist visa.  Pay $185, fill DS160, interview at US Embassy Manila where they must convince a US consul they have no immigrant intent.   An almost certain denial and disappointment for a young Filipina with a US boyfriend.  Very unlikely to happen. Maybe she could transit through Japan since I think the have seasonal flights from Tokyo in winter months.  But even just a Tahiti visa by itself may be difficult.  Tahiti is a challenging destination for Filipino passports.

 

Fiji might have way easier transit options for Filipino passports if you are set on doing a south Pacific trip.  The Philippines itself has some pretty nice tropical island destinations.  Thailand or Bali are much easier choices for a first overseas trip by a Filipina.

[DinaBill 5]

Mahalo. Your reply was very helpful.  Based on what you said, Dina has 0% chance of getting a transit visa. There are other ways she could get to Tahiti but they are long and expensive. You said Tahiti was tough to begin with. Is that because of their French ties, or is that Tahiti being Tahiti? I ask because there are a couple other possibilities that have French ties (Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia etc..). Would they also be problems??

 

Fiji was another place we considered. Also, Palau as you can arrive there non-stop from Manila.

 

Mahalo,

          Bill and Dina

[top_secret 2,441]

50 minutes ago, DinaBill said:

You said Tahiti was tough to begin with. Is that because of their French ties, or is that Tahiti being Tahiti? I ask because there are a couple other possibilities that have French ties (Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia etc..). Would they also be problems??

 

Fiji was another place we considered. Also, Palau as you can arrive there non-stop from Manila.

 

I don't think Tahiti is uniquely difficult for Filipino passports.  Just that it appears to require a visa, which is always a hassle for Filipino travelers and as you mentioned, the most logical way to get there from the Philippines requires a visa that would allow entry to the US.  Tahiti seems kind of poorly connected to many Asian hubs.  So it seems it is incrementally more difficult for a Filipino passport holder to visit Tahiti than it would be for them to visit Hawaii.

 

I 'think' Fiji is visa free for Filipino passports and has connections to several Asian hubs that are easy transit for Filipino passports.  If there's good flights to Palau that sounds like a better option too. 

 

If it's her first trip out of the Philippines (?) there is allot to consider about Philippine exit immigration too.  In many cases you realistically have to meet her there and travel out together if she is on a first international trip.  It's not at all uncommon for Philippine exit immigration to stop young Filipinas traveling alone. International travel with Philippine passport holders can be challenging. 

[RO_AH 1,659]

4 hours ago, DinaBill said:

Mahalo. Your reply was very helpful.  Based on what you said, Dina has 0% chance of getting a transit visa. There are other ways she could get to Tahiti but they are long and expensive. You said Tahiti was tough to begin with. Is that because of their French ties, or is that Tahiti being Tahiti? I ask because there are a couple other possibilities that have French ties (Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia etc..). Would they also be problems??

Fiji was another place we considered. Also, Palau as you can arrive there non-stop from Manila.

Mahalo, Bill and Dina

The reason that I asked if she has ever traveled internationally before is because it is not so easy for a young Filipina to even get past their own bureau of immigration to travel abroad so that would be your first hurdle. @top_secret explained it very well.

3 hours ago, top_secret said:

If it's her first trip out of the Philippines (?) there is allot to consider about Philippine exit immigration too.  In many cases you realistically have to meet her there and travel out together if she is on a first international trip.  It's not at all uncommon for Philippine exit immigration to stop young Filipinas traveling alone. International travel with Philippine passport holders can be challenging. 

I believe your best bet which would be hassle free and less risk is Palawan or some other PH destination. Philippines has some of the most beautiful places on earth. Once she has made it out with her K-1 visa you can start thinking about other destinations. 

[angeljolie 188]

You may want to consider Maldives too. If your layover is less than 8 hours, she won't need a transit visa. If it's between 8 and 96 hours, she can get a transit visa on arrival. But if you fly Emirates, the airline will do it for her. But I agree with what others say here that Philippines indeed has some of the most beautiful beaches. So if you're after having a great beach vacation (i.e., beautiful beach/es, least hassle, and most likely cheaper), the Philippines is your best option. 

[DinaBill 5]

The places I mentioned happen to have beaches (they're all islands). I am not looking for beaches per se. I am a 10 min walk from the beach. More than anything, I want to reconnect with Polynesia. Maui was Polynesia when I moved here. It's now more California.

 

That all said, I feel the consensus is don't risk going elsewhere. We'll find a culturally different place to visit in the Philippines. As I understand, once she arrives, she needs to somehow apply for the ability to travel. Once she acquires whatever she acquires, do all these problems disappear??

[top_secret 2,441]

17 hours ago, DinaBill said:

That all said, I feel the consensus is don't risk going elsewhere. We'll find a culturally different place to visit in the Philippines. As I understand, once she arrives, she needs to somehow apply for the ability to travel. Once she acquires whatever she acquires, do all these problems disappear??

 

I presume you mean beginning adjustment of status from a K1 visa and receiving an advance parole document. That would definitely address two of the greatest hurdles. Even just getting past Philippine exit immigration attempting to leave the country, and any transit issues in the US.  I'm not aware of any countries where having an advance parole document would lift visa requirements they may have on Philippine passports. There are several countries where having a US Green Card may lift visa requirements. Mostly in the Americas and Caribbean. Visas are certainly much easier to qualify for with US status and a US spouse with US income but the vast majority of countries that require visas For Filipinos will still require her to go through the process even with a US green card. Any time you go anywhere you still have to check the fine details of any visa requirements and transit conditions. Philippine passports remain severely challenged and routinely face restrictions that US passports do not.

 

As far as advice here, I think people are making assumptions in the context of a young Filipina making a first international trip from the Philippines, prior to having any kind of US visa. Conventional wisdom is to make that trip as simple as possible just to get that first stamp in her passport. Unless she has a good job, money in the bank, a college degree and/or a rich family she would have trouble with Philippine exit immigration leaving alone and would almost certainly need you to meet her in the Philippines and escort her.  Even then the two of you will undergo a lot of intrusive scrutiny from Philippine Immigration about the trip. After that you want to be very certain about conditions for Philippine Passports wherever you go.

 

Palau or Fiji might be good choices, being mindful of transit requirements getting there.  Most major airport hubs in Asia allow visa free transit for Filipinos.   Tahiti seems extremely difficult due to the US transit issue. No matter where you go, plan on meeting her in the Philippines and going together from there.
 

[DinaBill 5]

Forgive me for being slow. I have a cat of 15 years who is dying of kidney disease. My brain isn't working well now.

 

I have given up on traveling outside the Philippines with Dina till she arrives. Sounds like too much risk and anxiety - neither of which I need now. Now I get more confused. Please strictly critique my assumptions here. Immediately after marriage, we file for AOS (I-485). This make take a year to process. Until approved, Dina cannot travel or work. To get around the wait, we can file an I-765 which will allow Dina to work and an I-131 which will allow Dina to travel. 

 

There is more to my question but am I understanding correctly thus far?