Balikbayan Visa - Success & Other Stories

[AlwaysRt]

I would like as many good, bad, and ugly Balikbayan 'Visa" BI arrival stories as possible in a hopeful effort (fingers crossed but not holding my breathe) to see if we can figure out what we need to be approved (or will get us denied) a Balikbayan 'Visa' - which yes, is not a Visa but a 1 year Visa waiver.

To start with, we arrived yesterday from Hong Kong with copy of marriage certificate from the NSO in hand. My wife's new Passport with her married name (same surname as mine) was still in process at DFA when we left so she had her old Philippine Passport. We arrived in NAIA at terminal #3 and proceeded to the Philippine Passport area. I gave the BI officer our marriage certificate copy and then our passports. He asked my wife about being married and why her passport was not in her married name which she explained. He then stamped us both in but gave me a tourist visa which being tired, not having cleaned my reading glasses (damn things), and being in a hurry to catch our Duma flight, I did not catch until we sat down at the boarding gate. I assumed (stupid me) that the lack of questions meant Balikbayan Visa was no issue, it wasn't but not the way I was thinking.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Did you actually ask for the Balikbayan visa? From what I gather its best your wife handles it but too late now. 

[intrepid]

Since married in 2004 and until moving here this year, we visited PI about 12 times.  We usually stayed 6-8 weeks.  Maybe we were lucky.  I or my wife never asked for the waiver and the agent after stamping my visa in my passport, would write BB and either their initials or sign.  It was not until our second return trip that I even knew what a BB stamp was.  Anyway, never had a problem.

[AlwaysRt]

1 hour ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Did you actually ask for the Balikbayan visa? From what I gather its best your wife handles it but too late now. 

I handed over the marriage certificate and then the passports together, then stepped back and let her do the Tagalog thing.

1 hour ago, intrepid said:

Since married in 2004 and until moving here this year, we visited PI about 12 times.  Anyway, never had a problem.

Did she get a new passport so you had matching last names before you traveled? I am thinking that may be the kicker so to speak.

[intrepid]

9 minutes ago, AlwaysRt said:

Did she get a new passport so you had matching last names before you traveled? I am thinking that may be the kicker so to speak.

Yes, by our first return trip she had a new Philippine passport with our married name.

[OnMyWay]

The first time we went out (Singapore) and returned to Clark, the guy assumed we were married and wanted to give me the BB stamp, but we did not have our marriage cert.  We were set to leave again in a few weeks so I did not need the BB. 30 days free tourist was fine and that is what I told him.

We then went to NZ and brought the marriage cert.  My wife's surname on her passport is her former married name, and we did not even get asked for the marriage cert.  He just asked if we were married and gave me the BB.  It helps when you have 2 kids with you too. 

[Jollygoodfellow]

8 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

 It helps when you have 2 kids with you too. 

Do you hire them at the airport or ? 

[OnMyWay]

2 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Do you hire them at the airport or ? 

No, they are my permanent goodwill ambassadors to get through PH bureaucracy.  I just hoist a baby up on the counter and they spend more time playing with the baby than messing with the paperwork.  Next trip we will have 3 ambassadors along.  I hope the U.S. immigration bureaucrats will fall for this too!