Extension to Stay increase from 16 to 24 Months
Early this month, Jessie returned from the Bureau of Immigration office in Mandaue saying she was told that I could now extend my stay in the Philippines up to 24 months without getting special permission!
I could now extend my stay in the Philippines up to 24 months without getting special permission!
Wow, am I confused about how long I can stay in the Philippines on my tourist visa. A couple of weeks ago I sent an email to the Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) about getting an extension to stay for 24 months instead of the normal 16 months. The day before Jessie delivered this good news, I got an email from BI stating that I had to write a letter to Immigration Regulation Division Chief and get approval. Once the approval is granted, I must go to Manila office to pay the 
fees and get the necessary paperwork.
For me, I think I should just as well leave the country. The cost to go to Manila minimizes the benefits of staying another six months and then being required to leave anyway.
I don’t know what to believe. The BI website shows no difference in the requirements. Jessie found it hard to believe too, she said she asked the BI official so many different ways that “She probably thought I was dull.” I’m hoping what Jessie learned is accurate. However, I’ve seen no other expats talking about it. I’ve seen nothing on the web by the newspapers and there is nothing on the BI website.
I’m going to try to get my next extension early, just to see if I can get it. Until then, I’m going to continue to plan to leave the country in September. I am not prepared for that either financially or physically. I am close enough that I can get by though. Once I find out what the actual rules are, I will share what I find out.
Tagged with: Bureau of Immigration • Cebu • Philippines
Filed under: Expats Living in Cebu • Philippine Immigration
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No, the picture has nothing to do with a VISA, I just like looking at her. lol
Sounds frustrating! Wow, the U.S. immigration service is not much better either. I just got my mother in law over here in the states and it was 18 months of pay,pay,pay, and wait, wait, wait.
When people have power over others they should take into consideration how the people they are serving feel.
I’m not sure either thing I was told was wrong at the time I was told it.
This could be a change. I am hoping it is a change. It probably is. There is a new president in the Philippines, so could have changed!
I worked for Uncle Sam. The people that deal with people are so afraid of doing one thing wrong that they generally take the safe approach. Never say yes when someone above you can say it was wrong. Yes can’t be taken back but the incorrect no can be fixed.
The problem is management. The problem is the mentality of catching someone doing something wrong..
I know that it made my day when I audited someone and gave them a refund. Only happened once though.
I was IRS. yeah I know…. its not the IRS, its not INS, its congress and the watchdogs looking to catch someone making a mistake. People are afraid to exercise good judgment and that is often what the job requires.
Yes, the US immigration fees are crazy. If you get a lawyer to handle things, then it really gets expensive.
I have good news.
I have confirmed with a second BI Officer in Cebu that one can now extend up to 24 months without getting special permission from the division chief. You will be required to pay an extra 1000P per month. That’s 6000P total. Maybe that negates any savings. That is really kind of hard to say At least it is a easy pay plan haha.
The senate passed an amendment early last month that included increasing the stay to 24 months.
The ammended can be found at: http://www.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/1221310729!.pdf
Here is the applicable part of the law. It would appear that the initial stay has been extended to 2 months rather than the 21 days of the past.
Rusty — I am a former PCV, S.Cotabato, Mindanao — ’78 – ’80. I and my wife,Victoria, have spent 30 years as a Licensed Electrical Contractor and organic farmer in Appalachian mtns. of North Carolina. We have spent the last three years doing house-sits and work-trades internationally [referrals and experience provided upon request]. We hope to arrive in the PI from Australia mid-Oct. I expect, as in other places, electrical expertise to be bad at best. I would like to offer my services in the Visayas, preferably Cagayan de Oro, to a community. New construction, renovation, photovoltaic, troubleshooting problems or correcting dangerous situations. I would certainly be available to volunteer for any H4H project, electrical or other construction area. Thanks. Return any interest to: [link removed]
What is a PCV and what is a H4H project?
Probably a better place to advertise would be on my brand new site, so new there is almost nothing there.
http://philippinesexperience.com
I have been flirting with the idea of retiring there one day and I thought i read that you could retire there if you are age 50+ with proof of a monthly income of $600 US. I did not do any extensive research on it thou. Have you checked into a way to stay there permanently with some kind of retire law? I am not sure if it would be a partial or limited citizenship or some kind of permanent visa. Either way I will most likely look into it in the future but I am in no hurry.
There is a link at the top of the page that will help with some of those questions but its not complete. I need to add more.
Hey Bruce,
thanks for signing up for the site too. I don’t approve most that do.
There are many ways to stay here. You don’t even have to prove income. Just show up with your US passport and get extensions to stay.. Unless you have family reasons to stay in the USA or most other Western countries, there is no reason not to retire here. In my opinion. It depends on the person though. I talk about it depending on the person quite a bit in my book.
If you can deposit $10,000 USD in the bank here, you can get a special retirement visa. I’m going to release an in-depth but low cost eBook on that subject soon. I think you can also invest the money in a condo here but I need to research that and that presents many other problems.
Hey Rus, you need to be 50 years and over to qualify for the $10,000 SRRV visa. If you are 49 years and under, the required amount is $50,000. That is a lot of money to be tied up for a visa. Another way to stay in the country permanently is if you have a business that employs Filipinos.
Yes Christine, you’re correct. Even 10,000 is a lot to have tied up in a Visa but I’m pretty sure you can have that tied up in an Condo too, no? Make money and not have to bother with extensions ever two months?
The number of Filipino that you have to employee seems to change. I think its 10 again now. Is that full time? Do you know? Can i hire 10 personal assistants? Does that count. running and ducking… LOL oh man, I’m only kidding immigration.
I can’t afford 10 personal assistants.
Jessie has me so spoiled I can’t even reach across the bed to get my bill fold any more…
SSRV money can be tied up with the condo regardless of the amount. However, someone (who’s dealt with immigration stuff) told me that the PI govt has changed the rules on the condo investment. I haven’t had the time to verify this yet.
10 employees? hmmm, easy to do if you open a bar of some sort.
It will be investment, retirement and pleasure. Win win situation
No wonder too many Kanos open bars all over the place.
Christine, no one said it was a certain amount.
yes there have been changes in the investment rules, what they were, i don’t recall what those changes were.
In the last year or so, 800 Koreans were tossed out of the country and blacklisted for removing their investments.