Immigration to any country is a difficult task to do. More so, anyone applying for immigration is aware that even his home country has its legal laws and policy regarding this matter. And it’s similar to the Philippine Immigration Laws any expats should be aware.
For any individual or family who travels more often knows that it’s never as easy as ABC to make plans to spend holidays abroad. They still have to worry about their visa processes for one thing. And for those planning to apply for immigration, they’re also aware of how that could even be more difficult.
Foreigners planning to retire or live in the Philippines must know several rules about it. Just like any plans to migrating to other countries, one must understand about Philippine’s law and policy on immigration.
Philippine Immigration Laws we must know
The miracle of traveling is it provides us something wonderful to look forward to. Our imaginations run wild on the clothes we stuff in our suitcase that would help us collect Instagram-worthy poses. More so, all the delicious food we’re going to taste. And like migrating to any country, when coming to Philippines, it’s crucial to study and understand its immigration laws.
These short tips below on immigration laws in the Philippines are crucial after your research, plane tickets, and booked hotels. It’s one of the high regards when coming over to another country. So, here are some tips and guides about the immigration laws in the Philippines.
Preparation before the big flight
- Check-in online – If you don’t have a lot of luggage, it’s best to check-in online 48 hours before your flight to save you or your family from the long queues of lining up to check in.
- Passport – Check and re-check your passport to know if it’s in its best condition. Make sure there’s no unnecessary markings except for your signature, tear, or wet marks on each page especially on the barcode.
Also, be sure that your passport is valid for six months before your designated flight. Your passport is only good to serve as a valid Identification Card if its validity is for only six months. Airlines will not book tickets for expired passports and more so, you’re not allowed to check in at the counters at the airport.
If your passport is not valid to use, except as an ID, or if it’s in a bad shape, then get a new one. It’s best to get a new passport than taking the risk of being sent back to your country.
- Prepare all necessary documents beforehand – Keep these on hand and bring them with you:
- Passport and visa because some receiving countries require you to present them
- Round trip flight itinerary
- Your hotel bookings
- Company/School ID or any valid IDs you have
- Proof of financial capacity – Some countries ask for these documents as well such as your cash, debit or credit card.
- Secondary proof of financial capacity – in a worst case scenario, the immigration officers may find your cash or debit/credit card insufficient. So, be sure to bring a secondary proof like the Affidavit Support from your sponsor, your ITR, and if you have business where you come from, you can bring your business registration and pictures of your businesses as well.
- Names and contact numbers – Sometimes the immigration officer will ask for references of names of people they can call to support you. These people could be an office mate or someone from your company’s human resource department, or even a relative.
Tips when dealing with Philippine Immigration Officers
- Answer truthfully – is the best and golden rule to avoid being trapped in your own lies and get deported back to your country.
- No excess information – Most of the questions the IO ask are answerable by only yes or no or a query that only needs short answers. Don’t give a long detailed explanation as these IOs have more people to interview. So, answer their questions concisely.
- Be respectful – being polite to the immigration officers and government and public servants are not difficult. These people deserve our respect. Greet them good morning or good afternoon and try to be calm and relax. They are only humans doing their jobs.
- Prepare your passport and pen – Take out your passport from its cover and present it to them. Bring your own pen and make sure you also write legibly.
- Documents – Make sure your documents and papers are authentic as you don’t want to undergo a secondary inspection. Foreigners bringing fake or tampered documents will automatically be the subject for a secondary inspection. You wouldn’t want that to happen because you want to enjoy your time in the Philippines immediately. Furthermore, it’s a huge risk of getting deported.
Conclusion
As long as you have no plans of doing anything illegal in the country nor you have tampered and fake documents with you, there’s nothing to worry about when travelling to the Philippines. Preparation is one main key so as not to panic on the day of your big flight.
Be calm and relax when you travel so you could enjoy more your stay in the country. And there are still a lot of tips to learn more about Philippine immigration laws. So, don’t forget to stay tune only here at expat.com for more tips and guides!
Related articles:
Expats Guide: What You Should Know About Employment Visa in the Philippines
Retirement Visa in the Philippines Made Simple
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