13A Visa 101—-Brand new first hand account for those following us to the Philippines

[Stevephoto 230]

Soooo….I was going to post how efficient and responsive some of the PI government offices were to my panicked emails (Bureau of Immigration and Bureau of Animal Immigration)…and they were. Everything went smoothly with our cat (aside from the extra $400.00 to Philippine Airlines).

 

…and then we got here…on Sunday with a holiday on Monday. Gave my passport and the sealed packet (I applied for the 13A in America) to immigration on entrance and was told to go to the Bureau of Immigration in Intramuros—about 1 1/2 hours from our home and P5000 for the car/driver—within 7 days (remember, Monday was a holiday). Thank goodness we started on Tuesday. We got there and were told that everything was in order and they directed us to the Bureau of Quarantine to have my passport stamped. It was nearby so we stopped by. Turns out that I needed to be screened by one of their doctors even though I had all the tests done in Hawai’i…but they were fully booked and were unsympathetic about our travel time and expense. Sooo….back we go at 6 on Wednesday morning to get the first appointment. They checked all my documents and everything was good…except that I did not have a blood test done for…Syphilis! Took the blood test and 1 hour later learned that I do not have syphilis! Whew! I was really scared there for a while I also needed a polio vaccine booster! WHAT?? Got the stamp in my passport and we were ready to go back to Immigration…except…they CLOSED BECAUSE IT RAINED LAST NIGHT and was drizzling that morning! We hired the guy to drive us back AGAIN on Friday because this needed to get done and we had furniture scheduled to be delivered on Thursday. I kept checking the weather reports in panic all day on Thursday. The heavy rain predicted never came and the forecast was better for Friday…oh did I mention that Friday was declared a no work holiday for parts of Manila and the Philippines, so I really did not know if the BOI would even be open! Anyway, Joan and I were awakened by torrential rain about 1 in the morning! So much for sleep that night! Friday morning turned out to be a very pleasant day and the office was open. My ACR-I was finally approved after the usual "go here go there stuff" but we need to call (land line only) and then go back AGAIN to pick up the card in about ten days. P20,000 later! Here are my take-aways: 

 

Remember that the 13A visa is just that: a visa.It allows a 59 day stay. It does not provide residence status. The ACR-I card does (think of it as a green card in America). 

Save yourself some heartache and travel/expenses: you will need to have a medical screening and review of your documents even if everything was completed in the US (be sure to include a syphilis test in your blood tests!) Schedule your screening for early in the morning, do what you need to do, get your passport stamped THEN go over to the Bureau of Immigration! Bring your marriage certificate and your spouse’s passport. You will need to make photocopies of five things including the stamp, last entry date and visa from your passport. Copies at the Bureau cost P25 each. OH! Cash is ok at immigration but not the Bureau of Quarantine so load up on Gcash. You can also create an online account and pay by credit card.

 

…and that is the saga so far!

 

[RO_AH 1,659]

14 hours ago, Stevephoto said:

The ACR-I card does (think of it as a green card in America). 

So how long is the ACR-1 card good for? Does it need to be renewed? How often?

[Skyman 324]

On 8/31/2024 at 4:09 PM, Stevephoto said:

 

Remember that the 13A visa is just that: a visa.It allows a 59 day stay. It does not provide residence status. The ACR-I card does (think of it as a green card in America). 

   

 

The 13A is a permanent resident visa and is permanent as long as you remain married.  Divorce or she dies and you have nothing. Other than that it's like a US green card. The ACR-I card is a requirement of that visa and needs to be renewed every 5 years but you aren't renewing the visa, just the card.

 

You saved yourself much hassle by doing it outside the Philippines because once you have the card, you're done except for your ARs and card renewals. Doing a 13A in the RP means doing it and then coming back to do it again a year later.

 

You'd have likely had less hassle if you completed it in Cebu.

[Talako 785]

7 hours ago, Skyman said:

You saved yourself much hassle by doing it outside the Philippines because once you have the card, you're done except for your ARs and card renewals. Doing a 13A in the RP means doing it and then coming back to do it again a year later.

 

I agree that it is much tougher in the Philippines.  (Houston hadn't start doing them before I moved.). My local BI office processes 13As, but it does not do interviews.  I submitted the required paperwork only to find there were more requirements.  One of those requirements was an information worksheet in lieu of the interview.  One of the questions was "name five things that you do not like about your wife."  Additionally, I needed a notarized statement attesting to the truthfulness of the submitted information.  

 

A notarized statement attesting to truthfulness of an informational worksheet that states the five things I hate about my wife is a little over the top.  It's on hold until sometime in the future.  I maybe dumb, but I'm not stupid.  So, Balikbayan it is until forced into something else.

 

I asked my wife why would they limit it to only five.  My recovery is expected to be slow and painful...

[Duane & Haney 95]

On 8/31/2024 at 4:09 AM, Stevephoto said:

Bring your marriage certificate and your spouse’s passport.

 

Hello @Stevephoto, really appreciated your other thread explaining the 13A process from the US. Was very helpful when I went for my medical examination.

 

Question: Like you, my wife and I are applying from the US, but due to our special circumstances, I will be travelling to the Philippines alone.

 

You mentioned you had to show your wife's passport. Do I need to bring her passport with me, or does she need to come?

 

Thank you!

[spicynujac 27]

On 9/1/2024 at 8:14 PM, Skyman said:

 

You'd have likely had less hassle if you completed it in Cebu.

That seems to be a universal truth in the Philippines!  I won't even buy tickets abroad out of Manila due to their outgoing immigration screening.

Now if only Cebu had a consulate and hospital approved for TB screenings...

 

Thanks for the update OP... good info.

[Skyman 324]

10 hours ago, spicynujac said:

That seems to be a universal truth in the Philippines!  I won't even buy tickets abroad out of Manila due to their outgoing immigration screening.

Now if only Cebu had a consulate and hospital approved for TB screenings...

 

Thanks for the update OP... good info.

There's a consulate in Cebu but they don't do visas.  An approved visa medical facility would be very helpful to a lot of folks even if the visa still had to be done in Manila. 

[falcyon 0]

On 9/2/2024 at 8:15 AM, Duane & Haney said:

 

Hello @Stevephoto, really appreciated your other thread explaining the 13A process from the US. Was very helpful when I went for my medical examination.

 

Question: Like you, my wife and I are applying from the US, but due to our special circumstances, I will be travelling to the Philippines alone.

 

You mentioned you had to show your wife's passport. Do I need to bring her passport with me, or does she need to come?

 

Thank you!

 

I am in the same boat as you, Applied for 13a earlier in the week via mail to Washington DC embassy. Once approved, I also plan to travel to the Philippines alone for a month without my Filipino spouse to get yellow ACR I Card.

[Duane & Haney 95]

I arrived in Manila yesterday and went the BOQ and BOI today.

It was not necessary for my wife to be present, although I did need her passport.

We agreed beforehand that I would send it back to her via DHL, so that she can travel this weekend.

 

The tricky part turned out to be having a Gcash account accessible while at the BOQ. They do not have Wifi, so this required a working SIM with a data plan. New regulations, however, make it impossible for a foreigner to activate a SIM card without an ACR-I, so I had to get help from someone with both a Gcash account and phone.

I look forward to activating my newly purchased SIM, though, as soon as I get my ACR-I card!

 

Hope that helps.

[Duane & Haney 95]

There was another experience posted online (google My 13A Journey From Florida To The Philippines) where a proposed alternative to Gcash was discussed. Maybe this helps someone else.

[Talako 785]

On 12/2/2024 at 5:03 PM, Duane & Haney said:

I arrived in Manila yesterday and went the BOQ and BOI today.

It was not necessary for my wife to be present, although I did need her passport.

We agreed beforehand that I would send it back to her via DHL, so that she can travel this weekend.

 

The tricky part turned out to be having a Gcash account accessible while at the BOQ. They do not have Wifi, so this required a working SIM with a data plan. New regulations, however, make it impossible for a foreigner to activate a SIM card without an ACR-I, so I had to get help from someone with both a Gcash account and phone.

I look forward to activating my newly purchased SIM, though, as soon as I get my ACR-I card!

 

Hope that helps.

Airalo, and other esim companies like them, can make life a little easier. 

[spicynujac 27]

Curious if anyone here knows anything about the new Freeport Area of Bataan Investment Visa, which provides permanent residency, and promises low bureaucracy for a one time investment of $75,000 USD.

 

Philippines Permanent Residency Program (FIV) Attracts Strong Global Interest | Markets Insider

 

The newly launched Philippines FIV permanent residency by investment program has reported impressive interest in its first few months. Since its announcement, the program has conducted over 300 interviews with applicants from 49 countries across Asia, Europe, America, and Africa. 

 

The Philippines FIV (FAB-Investor Visa) is a fast-track permanent residency program, managed by the Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB), a special administrative zone in the greater metropolitan Manila area. It offers a streamlined, faster, and digital-first alternative to the country’s legacy SIRV program, which has served applicants since 1987. The FIV is a permanent resident visa that allows anyone to live, work, or study anywhere in the Philippines with the opportunity to naturalize as a Philippine citizen.

 

With a low investment threshold of $75,000 US dollars, applicants and their entire family can become Philippine permanent residents in less than a month, with no minimum stay, intrusive net worth, or real estate purchase requirements. This makes it one of the most accessible residency-by-investment programs in Southeast Asia.

 

• Streamlined application process with a typical wait time of approximately one week after submission.
• Low investment threshold of USD 75,000 as a fixed deposit.
• Option to include family members without additional investment.
• No minimum stay requirements or compulsory real estate purchase requirements.
• Freedom to live, work, or study anywhere in the Philippines.
• Pathway to Citizenship
  
  Consultations can be scheduled at PhilippinesFIV.com or by emailing hello@philippinesfiv.com. 

I can't tell if the above website is some third party offering to apply for you for a fee, or the actual Philippines agency that is administering this program (with a processing time of 1 week, I wouldn't be surprised if it is a non-governmental agency administering the program, because that is an almost too good to be true processing time, as most VisaJourney members know!)