Balikbayan Stamp Being Only A Few Days Out Of The Philippines

[MikeB]

Since the source is unverified I have removed my post.

[Mr Lee]

Since the source is unverified I have removed my post.

Mike I do not think that it was necessary to remove but since you already have then so be it. Many of us will always question information provided on forums and unless we can provide the source, many times the info will not help those who wish to avail of such info. As I had posted, my wife and I have never been asked by immigration to provide a return or outbound ticket but that does not mean that an officer seeing a newbie or an officer that woke up on the wrong side of the bed might not try to harass balikbayans. Forums are a wonderful source of info but often some of the info can get people in trouble and then they might possibly end up missing their flight or costing them more money, if they do not go the distance and prepare for what might happen which might be beyond what should happen. The Philippines is a wonderful country and I love it but I have found that almost everything can be in a state of flux and at the discretion of the person enforcing the rules or laws.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Since the source is unverified I have removed my post.

Mike I do not think that it was necessary to remove but since you already have then so be it. Many of us will always question information provided on forums and unless we can provide the source, many times the info will not help those who wish to avail of such info. As I had posted, my wife and I have never been asked by immigration to provide a return or outbound ticket but that does not mean that an officer seeing a newbie or an officer that woke up on the wrong side of the bed might not try to harass balikbayans. Forums are a wonderful source of info but often some of the info can get people in trouble and then they might possibly end up missing their flight or costing them more money, if they do not go the distance and prepare for what might happen which might be beyond what should happen. The Philippines is a wonderful country and I love it but I have found that almost everything can be in a state of flux and at the discretion of the person enforcing the rules or laws.

The Philippines is a wonderful country and I love it but I have found that almost everything can be in a state of flux and at the discretion of the person enforcing the rules or laws.

The above quote in my way of thinking has nothing to do with the subject,we are talking about events out side of the Philippines and before entering the country or leaving the point of origin.

[Dave Hounddriver]

PAL was the only airline who had exclusive rights to sell one-way tickets, because I tried with other airlines and they refused to sell us one-way tickets! So go figure!

That part is explained under the Balikbayan Act R A 9174Section 3. Section 3 of the same Republic Act is hereby amended to read as follows:"SEC. 3 Benefits and Privileges of the Balikbayan. - The balikbayan and his or her family shall be entitled to the following benefits and privileges:(a) Tax- exempt maximum purchase in the amount of One Thousand five hundred United States dollars (US$ 1,500.00) or its equivalent in Philippine peso and in other foreign currencies at all government-owned and - controlled/operated duty-free shops subject to the limitations contained in Section 4 hereof;(b) All domestic carriers shall establish a special promotional/incentive program for the balikbayan;

[Mr Lee]

The Philippines is a wonderful country and I love it but I have found that almost everything can be in a state of flux and at the discretion of the person enforcing the rules or laws.

The above quote in my way of thinking has nothing to do with the subject,we are talking about events out side of the Philippines and before entering the country or leaving the point of origin.

While it would not be my wish to argue with you, I will say that the Philippines makes the rules that airlines flying into the Philippines have to follow, so when the Philippines rules often change by who is interpreting the rules to them, it is my guess that the airlines try to keep up and try to understand them. So therefore the above applies correctly and it will all depend on who the airlines decide to listen to, and IMO most will probably take the cautious approach because they will hear or read many different·interpretations of the rules, such as the one I posted above from the Philippine Embassy in Japan. So whether the person is out of the country for a day or a year, it will be up to who the airlines wishes to listen to whether they will need an onward ticket or not when they wish to head back into the PHL.

[Jollygoodfellow]

The Philippines is a wonderful country and I love it but I have found that almost everything can be in a state of flux and at the discretion of the person enforcing the rules or laws.

The above quote in my way of thinking has nothing to do with the subject,we are talking about events out side of the Philippines and before entering the country or leaving the point of origin.

While it would not be my wish to argue with you, I will say that the Philippines makes the rules that airlines flying into the Philippines have to follow, so when the Philippines rules often change by who is interpreting the rules to them, it is my guess that the airlines try to keep up and try to understand them. So therefore the above applies correctly and it will all depend on who the airlines decide to listen to, and IMO most will probably take the cautious approach because they will hear or read many different·interpretations of the rules, such as the one I posted above from the Philippine Embassy in Japan. So whether the person is out of the country for a day or a year, it will be up to who the airlines wishes to listen to whether they will need an onward ticket or not when they wish to head back into the PHL.

True but what I was saying is there is not a government official at your point of departure enforcing the rules as you seemed to imply by the way you said the above.

[ekimswish]

The Philippines is a wonderful country and I love it but I have found that almost everything can be in a state of flux and at the discretion of the person enforcing the rules or laws.

The above quote in my way of thinking has nothing to do with the subject,we are talking about events out side of the Philippines and before entering the country or leaving the point of origin.

While it would not be my wish to argue with you, I will say that the Philippines makes the rules that airlines flying into the Philippines have to follow, so when the Philippines rules often change by who is interpreting the rules to them, it is my guess that the airlines try to keep up and try to understand them. So therefore the above applies correctly and it will all depend on who the airlines decide to listen to, and IMO most will probably take the cautious approach because they will hear or read many different·interpretations of the rules, such as the one I posted above from the Philippine Embassy in Japan. So whether the person is out of the country for a day or a year, it will be up to who the airlines wishes to listen to whether they will need an onward ticket or not when they wish to head back into the PHL.

If you accuse me of not reading the rest of this thread, you'd be right, so feel free to branch my response off into another thread. (in terms of balikbayan stamp, I just get a regular entry stamp and the guy scribbles in "BB" at the bottom of it; even the airlines have trouble seeing where or what it is until I explain it to them) In terms of what Lee said about interpretations (new thread?) I went to the Manila embassy for Taiwan (representative office actually) and tried to apply for a two month extendable visitor visa to Taiwan, the type that can be converted to a work or student visa without leaving the country. I applied for this same visa twice at the Taiwan office in Canada and never had a problem. NO CANADIANS HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS! But the Filipina woman behind the counter flatly rejected even my simple application form because "that's not how it works". lol..... Frick... I told her I'm not a Filipino - like she's accustomed to handling - and the relationship between our countries was different. She said no, it's the same for everybody. How does that make sense? If it's the same for everybody, then why do they have lists of different countries with different requirements? I can land for 30 days, and a Filipino can't. I can also get a two month extendable easily, and a Filipino can't. Didn't matter to her. If I went to Hong Kong to apply at the Taiwan office there, would've been a cinch. It totally depends on who's behind the counter, and in the Philippines, it's usually not a good thing, at least in my situation. For other stuff, maybe it'd be great to have flexibility. In this...nope. Hate that Makati-Taiwan office. I had to pay a guy to bribe people 4 years ago to get my wife her Taiwan visitor visa. Pricks. Edited January 11, 2011 by ekimswish

[Art2ro]

MikeB, Yeah, you didn't have to delete your original post! My wife and I were trying to prove your point about the one-way ticket rule since we've experienced it recently! I also sent an email to Philippines Airlines customer service yesterday and asked them to verify the statements posted on this forum! I even copied and pasted our conversations regarding this topic and hope they can shed some facts! Just have to wait and see if PAL will reply to my email! Since you posted it, it had to come from somewhere and I'm truly interested in that comment of the one-way ticket! The follow-on ticket rule is pretty much here to stay and nothing anyone can do about it for the regular tourist! But it seems like there are exceptions for the "Balikbayan" traveler and that's what I'm interested in! But whenever I get my Dual Citizenship, that will no longer affect me! I'm just curious for the other "Balikbayans" in just trying to help where I can concerning the exceptions to the rule! My wife already has her Dual Citizenship! I just like to get the facts out so that it may help others!

Edited January 11, 2011 by Fil/AmArt

[Art2ro]

Just got a reply from a PAL Customer Management Officer. They just acknowledge receiving my email and will be giving me their feedback eventually! Email reply below from PAL: Re: One-way tickets allowed for Balikbayans? From:"Wecare@pal.com.ph" <Wecare@pal.com.ph>To: Fil/Am Art Thank you for your email. Please be assured that we are currently looking into your feedback. The handling Customer Management Officer will further communicate with you for the clarification of your concerns. Customer Relations OfficePhilippine Airlines---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sent to: wecare@pal.com.phFrom: Fil/Am ArtDate: 01/12/2011 12:37AM Subject: One-way tickets allowed for Balikbayans?

To whom it may concern,

There has been a

discussion concerning visas and the follow-on ticket rule and if one-way tickets are allowed? I've enclosed the following forum discussion below and hope you can answer my questions concerning the one-way ticket rule for Balikbayans.

This issue has been resurfacing lately on other forums so I decided to share it with all you Balikbayans!

Here's the question that keeps popping up!

For the past 7 years we have been arriving with a return ticket good for up to 6 months and we get a balikbayan visa. Now when we move there permanently, do we also need an onward ticket or can we arrive there on a one-way fare?

Here's my answer as we experienced it in the past and just a few months ago!

My wife and I are both Fil/Am and we have been doing the BB stamp for 12 years now, we both have U.S. passports. The "Balikbayan Program" is not a Visa, it's a free stay and it is now called a 12 month permit with just a stamped date and the immigration official's initials in your passports good for a one year free stay in the Philippines upon arrival. Works too for foreigners with Filipino spouses traveling together to the Philippines!

The one-way and follow-on ticket rule varies depending from what country one is coming from and on what airline and it seems airline employees and immigration officials perform hit and miss inspections pertaining to the follow-on ticket rule, where one may not get asked if one has a return or onward ticket!

If one is a balikbayan or just a plain tourist coming from countries other than the U.S., one should have a round trip ticket or a one-way ticket with a onward ticket period!

The reason why I excluded the U.S., because I've experienced one time a few years ago that Philippine Airlines were the only airline exclusively authorized to issue one-way tickets to Balikbayans from California (SFO or LAX) to Manila, regular tourists were required to have round trip tickets from the U.S. to the P.I., P.I. back to the U.S. or a one-way ticket with an on-ward ticket to elsewhere out of the Philippines!

The only problem now is, do immigration officials at Manila know about the Philippine Airline one-way ticket rule from the U.S.? We just got back from our vacation a few months ago on a one-way ticket back to Manila and wasn't even asked about a follow-on ticket at the immigrations counter and our U.S. passports were stamped the 12 month permit!

But when in doubt and want to play it safe, just get that cheap follow-on (throw-away ticket) to avoid any hassles with immigration!

The last time I purchased a follow-on ticket was 6 yrs ago when our BB stamp was about to expire, when we just decided to take a 3 day weekend vacation in Bangkok and return to the Philippines to get another BB stamp good for another year! The last time, we didn't do the 3 day weekend vacation, instead we did the 6 month visa extensions up to 24 months! Yes, if one is a balikbayan and 60 yrs old, one can do the every 6 month visa extensions including the ACR I-card instead of doing the every 2 months visa extension, but other BI offices in different regions will tell you different and just give you the every 2 months tourist visa extension prior to your BB stamp elapsing! The memorandum concerning the 6 month visa extension for Balikbayans is still in effect and should make the BI official aware of it! I did just that by emailing the Manila main BI office and they informed my local BI official to give us the every 6 month interval visa extensions up to 24 months, which saves time and money! You don't get, if one don't ask and knowing the memorandum as a reference!

And once a Balikbayan as stayed over 18 months and decides to leave the Philippines for some reason, one has to get an (EEC) Exit Clearance Certificate for P500 and pay the $35 travel tax and the P750 terminal fee prior to departure!

MikeB,

I've been searching your page info and can't find the URL page you are referring to concerning this portion of your post:

Those granted Balikbayan status (stamped in passport on

arrival) being former nationals of the Philippines holding old

Philippine passport together with their foreign passport or

Certificate of Recognition or foreign naturalization papers

showing former Philippine citizenship or certification from

adopted country:

visa not required for a stay of max. 1 year.

Travelling on a one-way ticket is allowed

.

Also applies to spouse and children of the former national.

So why have Balikbayans been purchasing Follow-on tickets for travel in and around Asia prior to one's BB stamp's expiration?

Most airline ticket counter employees in Asia have been enforcing the follow-on ticket rule for Balikbayans and regular tourists!

There's no doubt that a round trip and or follow-on ticket are mandatory for regular tourists!

A few months ago, my wife and I did return to Manila from SFO on a one-way ticket and got our BB stamp upon arrival!

I just want a good reference where it says,

"

Travelling on a one-way ticket is allowed"

for "Balikbayans!

Posted 10 January 2011 - 09:22 AM

You're not going to find the document for free online,

it's in the IATA Timatic database

that the airlines and travel agents use. The db is incorporated into their computer systems, that's how they check these rules. You can purchase a hard copy of the TIM manual though.

MikeB

Posted 10 January 2011 - 12:06 PM

MikeB,

What you originally posted came from some URL page that you copied and pasted from, I'm sure you didn't write it out in your own words from the looks of it. It's truly hard to accept your post as facts without the reference where it came from other than just saying it's an IATA ruling and not the Airline's!

The follow-on ticket rule is clear to all, but one being allowed to use a one-way ticket to the Philippines isn't, even though my wife and I have experienced it. I just haven't seen it in writing anywhere until you mentioned it on your post here!

Posted January 10, 2011 - 01:40 AM

I've been browsing lately and I too have noticed other countries revising the "Balikbayan Program" requirements and inserting the "follow-on" ticket rule other than here in the Philippines! But, everyone by now knows all about the "follow-on" ticket rule, except for what my wife and I experienced coming from the U.S. to Manila as Balikbayans, when an LBC booking agent in San Jose, Ca. sold us our one-way tickets to Manila from SFO just a few years ago! And just 2 months ago we vacationed in California and again returned to the Philippines on a one-way ticket! I have yet to see it in writing where a one-way ticket is allowed other than hearing it by word of mouth by the travel agent who sold us the PAL tickets from California! They know something that the public doesn't! PAL was the only airline who had exclusive rights to sell one-way tickets, because I tried with other airlines and they refused to sell us one-way tickets! So go figure! I haven't yet found that answer in writing except for MikeB's original post above without a reference!

Appreciate your answer and hope you can provide a written reference where it says one-way tickets are allowed for "Balikbayans" traveling to the Philippines!

A PAL "Mabuhay" Member

Edited January 13, 2011 by Fil/AmArt

[Call me bubba]

Just got a reply from a PAL Customer Management Officer. They just acknowledge receiving my email and will be giving me their feedback eventually! Email reply below from PAL: Re: One-way tickets allowed for Balikbayans?From:"Wecare@pal.com.ph" <Wecare@pal.com.ph>To: Fil/Am Art Thank you for your email. Please be assured that we are currently looking into your feedback. The handling Customer Management Officer will further communicate with you for the clarification of your concerns. Customer Relations OfficePhilippine Airlines----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sent to: wecare@pal.com.phFrom: Fil/Am ArtDate: 01/12/2011 12:37AMSubject: One-way tickets allowed for Balikbayans?

To whom it may concern,

There has been a

discussion concerning visas and the follow-on ticket rule and if one-way tickets are allowed? I've enclosed the following forum discussion below and hope you can answer my questions concerning the one-way ticket rule for Balikbayans.

This issue has been resurfacing lately on other forums so I decided to share it with all you Balikbayans!

Here's the question that keeps popping up!

For the past 7 years we have been arriving with a return ticket good for up to 6 months and we get a balikbayan visa. Now when we move there permanently, do we also need an onward ticket or can we arrive there on a one-way fare?

Here's my answer as we experienced it in the past and just a few months ago!

My wife and I are both Fil/Am and we have been doing the BB stamp for 12 years now, we both have U.S. passports. The "Balikbayan Program" is not a Visa, it's a free stay and it is now called a 12 month permit with just a stamped date and the immigration official's initials in your passports good for a one year free stay in the Philippines upon arrival. Works too for foreigners with Filipino spouses traveling together to the Philippines!

The one-way and follow-on ticket rule varies depending from what country one is coming from and on what airline and it seems airline employees and immigration officials perform hit and miss inspections pertaining to the follow-on ticket rule, where one may not get asked if one has a return or onward ticket!

If one is a balikbayan or just a plain tourist coming from countries other than the U.S., one should have a round trip ticket or a one-way ticket with a onward ticket period!

The reason why I excluded the U.S., because I've experienced one time a few years ago that Philippine Airlines were the only airline exclusively authorized to issue one-way tickets to Balikbayans from California (SFO or LAX) to Manila, regular tourists were required to have round trip tickets from the U.S. to the P.I., P.I. back to the U.S. or a one-way ticket with an on-ward ticket to elsewhere out of the Philippines!

The only problem now is, do immigration officials at Manila know about the Philippine Airline one-way ticket rule from the U.S.? We just got back from our vacation a few months ago on a one-way ticket back to Manila and wasn't even asked about a follow-on ticket at the immigrations counter and our U.S. passports were stamped the 12 month permit!

But when in doubt and want to play it safe, just get that cheap follow-on (throw-away ticket) to avoid any hassles with immigration!

The last time I purchased a follow-on ticket was 6 yrs ago when our BB stamp was about to expire, when we just decided to take a 3 day weekend vacation in Bangkok and return to the Philippines to get another BB stamp good for another year! The last time, we didn't do the 3 day weekend vacation, instead we did the 6 month visa extensions up to 24 months! Yes, if one is a balikbayan and 60 yrs old, one can do the every 6 month visa extensions including the ACR I-card instead of doing the every 2 months visa extension, but other BI offices in different regions will tell you different and just give you the every 2 months tourist visa extension prior to your BB stamp elapsing! The memorandum concerning the 6 month visa extension for Balikbayans is still in effect and should make the BI official aware of it! I did just that by emailing the Manila main BI office and they informed my local BI official to give us the every 6 month interval visa extensions up to 24 months, which saves time and money! You don't get, if one don't ask and knowing the memorandum as a reference!

And once a Balikbayan as stayed over 18 months and decides to leave the Philippines for some reason, one has to get an (EEC) Exit Clearance Certificate for P500 and pay the $35 travel tax and the P750 terminal fee prior to departure!

MikeB,

I've been searching your page info and can't find the URL page you are referring to concerning this portion of your post:

Those granted Balikbayan status (stamped in passport on

arrival) being former nationals of the Philippines holding old

Philippine passport together with their foreign passport or

Certificate of Recognition or foreign naturalization papers

showing former Philippine citizenship or certification from

adopted country:

visa not required for a stay of max. 1 year.

Travelling on a one-way ticket is allowed

.

Also applies to spouse and children of the former national.

So why have Balikbayans been purchasing Follow-on tickets for travel in and around Asia prior to one's BB stamp's expiration?

Most airline ticket counter employees in Asia have been enforcing the follow-on ticket rule for Balikbayans and regular tourists!

There's no doubt that a round trip and or follow-on ticket are mandatory for regular tourists!

A few months ago, my wife and I did return to Manila from SFO on a one-way ticket and got our BB stamp upon arrival!

I just want a good reference where it says,

"

Travelling on a one-way ticket is allowed"

for "Balikbayans!

Posted 10 January 2011 - 09:22 AM

You're not going to find the document for free online,

it's in the IATA Timatic database

that the airlines and travel agents use. The db is incorporated into their computer systems, that's how they check these rules. You can purchase a hard copy of the TIM manual though.

MikeB

Posted 10 January 2011 - 12:06 PM

MikeB,

What you originally posted came from some URL page that you copied and pasted from, I'm sure you didn't write it out in your own words from the looks of it. It's truly hard to accept your post as facts without the reference where it came from other than just saying it's an IATA ruling and not the Airline's!

The follow-on ticket rule is clear to all, but one being allowed to use a one-way ticket to the Philippines isn't, even though my wife and I have experienced it. I just haven't seen it in writing anywhere until you mentioned it on your post here!

Posted January 10, 2011 - 01:40 AM

I've been browsing lately and I too have noticed other countries revising the "Balikbayan Program" requirements and inserting the "follow-on" ticket rule other than here in the Philippines! But, everyone by now knows all about the "follow-on" ticket rule, except for what my wife and I experienced coming from the U.S. to Manila as Balikbayans, when an LBC booking agent in San Jose, Ca. sold us our one-way tickets to Manila from SFO just a few years ago! And just 2 months ago we vacationed in California and again returned to the Philippines on a one-way ticket! I have yet to see it in writing where a one-way ticket is allowed other than hearing it by word of mouth by the travel agent who sold us the PAL tickets from California! They know something that the public doesn't! PAL was the only airline who had exclusive rights to sell one-way tickets, because I tried with other airlines and they refused to sell us one-way tickets! So go figure! I haven't yet found that answer in writing except for MikeB's original post above without a reference!

Appreciate your answer and hope you can provide a written reference where it says one-way tickets are allowed for "Balikbayans" traveling to the Philippines!

A PAL "Mabuhay" Member

ART did you ever get a reply from PAL about this.also does any one have any new experiences regarding the BALIKBAYAN STAMP ISSUE