Foreigners arriving into the Philippines

[Tommy T.]

19 hours ago, GeoffH said:

I was considering paying out the $10,000 in order to get back sooner but if it's not going to be sooner then I can't see the point

Not trying to change your mind, Geoff, but just reminding you of one important provision to the SRRV. You can redeem the $10,000 in lieu of a rental or owned home - that's in your name. In your case, it may not make a difference since not having permission to enter the country doesn't change - at this time.

But if you did decide to go that way, you would first be best advised to check with the closest PRA office where you might apply. Here in Davao, the local director is very helpful - that may not be the case elsewhere.

[jimeve]

20 hours ago, Jack Peterson said:

 HK the point is the order states those with "Long standing Permanent visa" shall be admitted what is not stated is how Long in time has the Visa been Held 

How long is a piece of string? 

[RBM]

On 7/22/2020 at 8:13 AM, GeoffH said:

I've been thinking about which way to go with a permanent visa when I can finally get back into the Philippines.  I like to travel to aussie at least once a year which is why I was thinking about the SRRV becuase the 13A has a requirement to stay in the Philippines for the first 12 months (not a deal breaker but it was a point in the favor of the SRRV).  Having seen how the SRRV holders have been excluded from the 'permanent visa' holder entry lists is making me wonder why bother with it and I think I'm going to go down the 13A path.

I paid P7200 a couple of days ago for 6 months tourist. Makes one wonder if it worth the hassle of a 13A or SRRV

[scott h]

5 minutes ago, RBM said:

P7200 a couple of days ago for 6 months tourist.

that's almost 15k a year plus annual check in cost, gas, parking, and travel, depending on your distance from BI office. Defiantly aual choice 

[RBM]

1 minute ago, scott h said:

that's almost 15k a year plus annual check in cost, gas, parking, and travel, depending on your distance from BI office. Defiantly aual choice 

Lots of P15Ks in $10k..

Yes depends on ones situation, for me its a 10 minute drive, free parking and in and out in a few minutes. 

[GeoffH]

2 hours ago, RBM said:

Lots of P15Ks in $10k..

Yes depends on ones situation, for me its a 10 minute drive, free parking and in and out in a few minutes. 

It's an hour drive to BI from our house and it normally takes an hour or so for an extension if you pay for express, otherwise it means coming back another day.

There are a lot of P15Ks in $10K which is a valid point.

[hk blues]

3 hours ago, RBM said:

I paid P7200 a couple of days ago for 6 months tourist. Makes one wonder if it worth the hassle of a 13A or SRRV

For a 13A it's a one-off payment and then just 320php a year for annual report.  The way I see it, you'll break even after a year or so compared to a tourist visa and thereafter you're winning.  I think!  That said, if you are going in and out then the fees can add up.

As for SRRV, the $10,000 is dead money IF you don't go down the condo route.  But for some, there may be no better option as long as they have a spare 10k lying around.  

Horses for courses.   

[GeoffH]

43 minutes ago, hk blues said:

That said, if you are going in and out then the fees can add up.

Probably once a year, I'm not clear about how much that costs with a 13A.

Does anyone have an idea?

[OnMyWay]

On 7/22/2020 at 12:29 PM, hk blues said:

I understand that Jack, but if Geoff was married and had a 13A he would be allowed entry as someone married to a Filipina - the type of visa held doesn't seem to matter in such an instance.  In essence, the 13a is irrelevant.   

This should be true, in theory.  If you are married and return with your wife you could be Balikbayan.

5 hours ago, Mike J said:

You are allowed to leave, but you must apply for a waiver.  At least that is what I was told when I got mine 13A a couple of years back.

I never heard of getting a waiver when I got my 13A.  I got it in early 2017 and went to the U.S. for a month in May.

41 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

It's an hour drive to BI from our house and it normally takes an hour or so for an extension if you pay for express, otherwise it means coming back another day.

There are a lot of P15Ks in $10K which is a valid point.

I'm not sure if you should look at the $10k like that.  Maybe.  It is supposed to be a deposit that you can get back, but I never heard anyone telling the story of getting it back.

3 hours ago, scott h said:

that's almost 15k a year plus annual check in cost, gas, parking, and travel, depending on your distance from BI office. Defiantly aual choice 

15 k a year is about right.  There is no annual check-in cost for tourist; it is included in a renewal.  My 3 year tourist visa costs were p59,000, and then the visa run cost me about p15,000.  I did have some travel costs when I first started and went to Manila a few times, but after that it was Olongapo City BI,  It is literally a few km away and I am around there all the time.

39 minutes ago, hk blues said:

For a 13A it's a one-off payment and then just 320php a year for annual report. 

Actually, if you are doing it in the Philippines, it two-off payments a year apart.  Just say, about 20k pesos total, as I posted in my other posts.

The one thing that irks me about 13a is that I have to pay p2880 at the airport for the ECC-B, and as a permanent resident I have to pay the travel tax too, p1620.  p4500 to leave the country.  If I get a good deal on a ticket to SE Asia, that is around as much as the ticket.

[GeoffH]

4 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

It is supposed to be a deposit that you can get back, but I never heard anyone telling the story of getting it back.

15 k a year is about right.  There is no annual check-in cost for tourist; it is included in a renewal.  My 3 year tourist visa costs were p59,000, and then the visa run cost me about p15,000.  I did have some travel costs when I first started and went to Manila a few times, but after that it was Olongapo City BI,  It is literally a few km away and I am around there all the time.

Actually, if you are doing it in the Philippines, it two-off payments a year apart.  Just say, about 20k pesos total, as I posted in my other posts.

The one thing that irks me about 13a is that I have to pay p2880 at the airport for the ECC-B, and as a permanent resident I have to pay the travel tax too, p1620.  p4500 to leave the country.  If I get a good deal on a ticket to SE Asia, that is around as much as the ticket.

I've never heard of someone getting it back either, I have heard stories of people building a condo with it (which might be an option).

So 10 years of tourist visas would be around 200,000 peso at current rates (which is about $4000 US or $5600 Aussie) plus a minimum of three visa runs (say another $1000 US) which is about half the cost of an SRRV not including yearly SRRV fees so the tourist visa would be cheaper.

The 13A would be cheaper again but I'd be faced with the ECC-B fee and travel tax.

Hmmm... I need to think about this.  Luckily there doesn't seem to be any rush to decide right now.