We got a question from Mary Anne today,
Here’s what Mary Anne had to say:
Hi bob,
I have few question . I am born in the Philippines and came here in the us and became a US citizen. I want to study in the Philippines for more than 4 years. Is there any problem if I only buy one way ticket and Is there any problem to come back here in the U.S?
Here’s what Bob had to say
Hello Mary Anne – Yeah, there are a few problems. You are no longer a Philippine Citizen, since you have become a US Citizen. So, technically, you cannot buy a one way ticket to the Philippines, under Philippine law you must have an ongoing ticket that will take you out of the country, or you can be denied entry to the country (and the airlines may not allow you to get on the flight at all if you only have a one way ticket).
Second problem is that you cannot stay in the Philippines for 4 years without leaving at least once. You can stay up to 36 months, and have to leave, but can return in a day or two to start another 36 months. Also, you will have to renew your visa periodically, which can get expensive. In the past you had to renew after 30 days, then every 59 days. Now, however, they have longer stay visas, and after your initial 30 day extension you can extend for up to 6 months at a time. All of these problems can be dealt with, but they all cost money as well.
Since you are a former Philippine Citizen, why not just apply to become a dual citizen? All you need to do is go to the Philippine Consulate in your area, file the papers, pay the fee and take the oath. When you do that, you will then be a citizen of both the US and the Philippines, and can come and go as you please in each country. Alternatively, you can also file for Dual Citizenship while you are in the Philippines. Just go to the Bureau of Immigration, fill out the required forms, take the oath and after all of the processing is completed, you will become a citizen of both the USA and the Philippines. Be prepared, though, it is much quicker to get your application processed if you apply in the US than if you do it in the Philippines. It can take many months (even a year) if you file your application in the Philippines.
There is one other problem with your plans, sorry to say. You say that you want to come and study in the Philippines. You cannot legally study here if you enter the country on a tourist visa. You will need to apply for a student visa if you want to study here. But, if you do file for your dual citizenship and it is approved, you don’t need any kind of visa to come and study in the Philippines!
Good luck.
Agree with you Bob, the airlines wouldn’t even let her get on the flight with a one way ticket. My wife’s passport a couple of years ago was getting close to expiring and they wasn’t going to let her fly. But the left to expiration worked out but barely.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Dan. I am sure the information is very helpful to many people.
Hello Mr. Bob. I have a question. I’m an automatic dual citizen because I became a us citizen, while my Philippine passport is still valid and I am in a minor age at that time. I am 18 now. My question is, do I still need the oath of allegiance? Because I don’t have that one. I’m just being scared because I’m planning to stay in the Philippines, to study there, but I’m gonna go out in the Philippines for like once a year to have a stamp on my passport and not to be absent here in US.
Hello Yami – I am sorry, but many of your assumptions are totally incorrect.
Even if your Philippine Passport is unexpired, it is no longer valid, it became invalid the day that you became a US Citizen.
You need to apply for re-acquisition of your Philippine Citizenship, because you are not a Philippine Citizen right now.
Also, if you are a US citizen, you never need to “get a stamp in your passport.” You will always be a US citizen. Being “absent” from the US will not affect your US Citizenship in any way.
But sir I am in a minor age when I got my US citizenship and I got my citizenship through my mother. I didn’t take those exams. When I got home, I used two passports already, Pi and Us passport. Because they said I’m an automatic dual citizen because I’m a minor at that time and my passport is unexpired at that time, so that explains it. I’m just curious if I still need that oath of allegiance?
Hi, does the Dual citizenship apply to Aussies also , and what criteria is needed for a foreigner to apply for a college course , keeping in mind a marriage to a philippina woman .
Foreigners are not eligible for dual citizenship, only former Philippine Citizens can apply.
To study in the Philippines, you should apply for a Student Visa.
Thanks ” WiLL DO ;
Whoa, Bob! You raised an alarm bell heard around … well my head. My wife is a natural born Filipino citizen, with passport and all. I’m American and about to take her to the US for three years to become a US citizen. Is she losing her Filipino citizenship for this?
When your wife takes the oath of United States citizenship, she will be losing her Philippine citizenship and will no longer be a Philippine citizen. However, she can apply for dual citizenship the very same day if she wants to. Once that is completed she will then be a dual citizen, citizen of the United States and citizen of the Philippines at the same time.
You should have mentioned that in the article itself. Anyone born after a certain date in 2003 is an automatic dual citizen. Only those born before that date have to apply for it. It’s a good idea to have a Filipino passport regardless.
Former PHL citizen can enter the PHL as a Balikbayan and does not need an onward ticket. Once in the PHL apply and get accepted to a school and then apply for a student visa. It has to be done in that order. You can’t apply for a student visa before you are accepted to a school.