Holidaying beyond 30 days

[Aidan]

G'day All,

I have been residing here for 2 weeks and pretty soon plan to be in some more remote areas for a period that will exceed my standard 30 days Visa..... hence I went to the closest BOI office in Makati this afternoon seeking roughly a 2 month or 59 day Temporary Visitor Visa Extension 9A.

Apart form hearing mixed directions from the guard and one of the office agents, I finally was told they could accept and start my Visa Extension application.

After filling out the form and waiting some 30mins later a received an order of payment slip for a whopping 9316p?
I quickly proceeded to check the Philipine BOI website and again read what I believe required to be a total of 4650p.

Even if you minus the additional 2000p Express Lane Fee (which I was not informed about), the price of 7316p still seems more than what the website suggests. Needless to say I told the cashier I will just leave it for now and book an appointment so I don't have to pay for the express processing fees.

I tried fishing the forums for more specific information on the 9A extension or for anyone else who has encountered these types of issues at a BOI office but wasn't able to find much on this one.

I do recall a Philippine friend of mine pre-warning me about some BOI officers stacking all these extra assessing fee items that are not always applicable.

Reading other posts about how easy and fast the process was doesn't match my experience. Therefore could anyone please recommend any other BOI locations that aren't as busy or 'unusually' expensive?

Has anyone else applied for this Visa in QC or Boracay(spending the next month in Tablas, Romblon and Carabao)
and can you just apply for a straight 6 month Visa instead of 2 months Visa for time round?

Cheers,
Aidan

 

 

 

[Jollygoodfellow]

I think you are confused or confused them as to what you require. First extension is normally 29 days. Express lane fee is just a bad explanation of what the fee is for, everyone pays it, long story.

As for immigration loading fees I think those days are gone and you need to ask them what visa extension your are getting. 

[Dave Hounddriver]

First 29 day extension is just over 3,000.  Then about 4,500 for one more month, which it sounds like they are giving you in advance so you have done well.  Then another 2500 for an ACR card.  About 10K should cover it.  For only 1,000 or so more you could stay an extra month.

[Aidan]

Thanks for the reply Dave.

7316p for 2 months visa I believe.

I have an appointment tomorrow morning so I should have the time to ask any questions and to find the best combination that suits me. I might also be able to waive this 2000p express fee if I wait a few days rather than an on the spot job.

Ultimately I would like to stay for at least 12 months with a trip or 2 to S.E.A. in between.

[OnMyWay]

21 minutes ago, Aidan said:

I might also be able to waive this 2000p express fee if I wait a few days rather than an on the spot job.

No, express fees are mandatory and a bit of a joke that we have discussed before!  

[robert k]

30 minutes ago, Aidan said:

Thanks for the reply Dave.

7316p for 2 months visa I believe.

I have an appointment tomorrow morning so I should have the time to ask any questions and to find the best combination that suits me. I might also be able to waive this 2000p express fee if I wait a few days rather than an on the spot job.

Ultimately I would like to stay for at least 12 months with a trip or 2 to S.E.A. in between.

Express lane fee is not an actual lane. It is how they describe the charge for the BOI to buy computers. It's just a surcharge for the computer usage.

It is said someone once asked why it took a few days to get his visa after paying the express lane fee and he was told that maybe if he traveled to Manila to get his visa they might wave the fee? If you are 3 islands away from the head office, the express lane starts to look good.

[chris49]

Just now, Aidan said:

Thanks for the reply Dave.

7316p for 2 months visa I believe.

I have an appointment tomorrow morning so I should have the time to ask any questions and to find the best combination that suits me. I might also be able to waive this 2000p express fee if I wait a few days rather than an on the spot job.

Ultimately I would like to stay for at least 12 months with a trip or 2 to S.E.A. in between.

Express fees cannot be waived.

In fact for 2 transactions eg 2 extensions they might even charge you 2 express fees.

 

[Jollygoodfellow]

6 hours ago, Aidan said:

Ultimately I would like to stay for at least 12 months with a trip or 2 to S.E.A. in between.

You can stay 36 months on a tourist visa before needing to exit the country. 

[sonjack2847]

In case you don`t know if you stay here for longer than 6 months on any one visit you have to get an exit clearance certificate