As any long time reader knows, if you are living here on a permanent visa (and some other types of visa holders as well), every year in either January or February you must report to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and pay your head tax. It’s not a big deal, only P310, but it is something you must do.
Last year, in January 2012, I went to the BI office in General Santos, since that is where I am registered at. I like to keep my registration in GenSan and go there every year for my check-in, because it is a smaller town and there are no crowds at the BI office. Here in Davao, even for a simple annual check in you might have to wait hours at the BI office while others ahead of you are taken care of. In GenSan I am usually in and out of the office in less than 5 minutes. Yes, I have to drive down there and back, which is about 2 hours each way, but there are a couple of reasons why I still like to do it in GenSan:
- I enjoy the drive or the bus ride down there. It gives me time to reflect.
- Usually I have other things I need to do in GenSan, friends there to visit, etc.
So, last year while I was at the BI in GenSan, I knew that my I-Card (Identification card for foreigner residents of the Philippines) was set to expire in May. I had a potential problem with this, I knew that my US Passport was expired! I asked the lady at the BI office about this and she told me that it was no problem, an expired Passport would not be a problem in renewing my I-Card. The I-Card must be renewed in Davao (other places too, but for this area of the country, Davao is the most convenient).
So, a few months later I went to the Davao BI to renew my I-Card, took care of everything, paid the fees and such, and everything was in order. A few days later the BI called me and told me that I could not renew my I-Card because my US Passport was expired! They said that GenSan BI had given me incorrect information, and I needed to renew my Passport immediately.
Next thing I went online to the US Embassy in Manila website to see what the process was. I had lived here for 12 years, but had yet to ever need to renew my passport. The instructions were pretty clear on their website. Basically, I had to:
- Fill out an application for passport renewal and send it to the Embassy in Manila.
- Go to Manila to pay my Passport application fee.
- Wait for my new passport to be sent to me.
Hold on! What about #2… go to Manila to pay? That’s just crazy! I can do it online or through the mail, but I still have to go to Manila to make the payment in person?
Upon further inspection of the instructions, I found that it would be acceptable for me to send in a person to make the payment for me. Luckily, I have a friend who lives just outside Manila and he offered to go pay the fee for me. What a life saver!
So, I filled out the PDF form that was downloadable on the US Embassy website, went and had some Passport Photos taken, and sent everything to the Embassy via their pre-arranged Embassy deliver service through Air21 (the FedEx representative in the Philippines). I was surprised that the shipping charge for my application to go to Manila and also the return service of sending my old and new passports back to me amounted to only around P200 total! That’ a bargain in my book.
Next, I had to wait for an e-mail from the Embassy which would tell me when somebody should come and pay. Unfortunately, in the e-mail they gave me some information which should have been spelled out earlier. The e-mail said that if I would be sending in a representative to make payment, I must supply them with a signed letter approving them to make the payment on my behalf. So a little quick thinking, and I decided to write the letter, scan it and e-mail it to my friend. Thankfully, this was acceptable to the Embassy staff, and everything went smoothly.
After getting the application to Embassy and the payment was made, all I had to do was sit back and wait for my new passport, and the return of my old one. I have to say, I was quite surprised when only 9 days after the fees were paid, I received my new (and old) passport via Air21. What quick service!
So, I found that the renewal of a US Passport is a very simple process. I let mine go for a few years after it expired, because I thought I needed to go to Manila to do the renewal. As it turned out, that is not necessary at all. If you need to renew your US passport, don’t fret, it’s quick and easy!
That’s really helpful info, Bob. I’ve got a couple years left but I imagined a trip to Manila for a few days to take care of the whole thing when I needed to.
I thought about extending before I came, but I ran out of time and my old one for the 13a.
Glad you found it helpful, Randy. I found the process to be pretty convenient. I just wish they would set up a method of paying online.
Just did my annual here in Cebu…..It took about 15 mins…they have a window just for renewal ….just walk up and give them your card….in a few minutes they call you back and give them p310, and out you go.
Glad the passport renewal went well for you! Sometimes things happen easily here..haha.
Later this year Joy and are going back to the states to live. It’s been a fun run here, but it’s time to think about the future. As a resident here I can file a Direct Consular Filing through Manila ( must be a resident at least 6 months), and because we have been married at least 2 years she will be granted 10 year residency. In 3 years she can apply for US citizenship. After that who knows….we may come back.
That’s great Greg. If living back in the States makes sense for you, I am glad that the process is relatively easy for you.
Had to wait 3 hours in Davao just to get the receipt for 310 pesos.
As I understand it now, British passports have to be renewed in Hong Kong !!!!!!!!
Hi John – wow 3 hours? That is no fun! You know, I recall hearing that HK is where they do UK passports now. That is too bad!
they don’t do them in HK you just send the forms, old passport and payment in HKD (credit card is OK) to the Consulate General in HK who processes them and sends them to the FCO who issue the new passport. The whole process takes one month. If anyone needs to renew make sure you ask them for the courier’s tracking number. Did this in China recently, went smoothly.
Thanks for sharing your experience, John. I am sure that your information will be useful to many Brits who visit the site!
At the BI in Manila it is only about 15 mins or so. They have a line just for the head tax and it only takes about 1 to 2 mins for each person so the line moves quick. Well that is the way that they did it the last two years. I still need to pay mine this year.
Wow, that is great news. Very efficient!
We were there yesterday at BI Main. Yes it only took a few minutes we were finished before 8am. Yep they start early and have windows exclusively for persons with disability and elderly. 🙂
Unfortunately, it’s not so fast here in Davao!
There must be alot of foreigners staying there in Dvo or maybe they need to expand and add more efficient staff their office there as well.We’ve always wanted to live there too. And in case you might want to follow or ask about immigration questions to BI they now have a twitter account. @immigrationPH. I’ve tried it and they tweet back fast! They got facebook too but its not responsive as their twitter.
Hi jijii – Wow, I didn’t know the BI is on Twitter! That’s good news!
hi bob,
From where i am, our philippine embassy here has a “mobile consular service” they come to visit us every 3 months for whatever assistance they can render, i.e. passport renewal, birth certificate and passport for new born, labor disputes, etc..etc.. it is nice to have the embassy served us that way, I don’t need to go to the embassy at all. I just hope the US embassy has the same service to americans who are living in far places.
Hi Dans – the USA embassy used to have such an outreach that would come to Davao twice per year, and to other cities in the Philippines too. Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints the service no longer exists.
probably not much americans in far places and the cost is too high to provide such service. too bad..
Truth is that hundreds of Americans attended those outreach events.
To renew may Canadian passport, they have now made it easier. I just fill out the renew form provide two pictures, hand in my old passport, pay the fee ($80) and that’s it. New passport in 10 business days. Fun story. My son, 20 yrs old, ran his 6 month old passport thru the wash. I took a look and told him US customs will not accept it, get a new one. So down to the passport office I go (he was busy with work) with a renew form, his old passport, two new pictures and the fee. Simple, yes? No. He must fill out a complete form, as if he never had a passport. His pictures must be signed by a gauranture. He must show his birth certificate, an original one, not a copy. He must fill out a form explaining what happened to his passport, how he came to wash it, etc. He must present himself in person. I went with him in case there were problems. When we finally got to a booth to see someone, and she confirmed to was all correct, I said to her about all the things he had to do to get a new passport (with his old one in hand) ” This is pretty stupid”. She grinned at the both of us and said” Hey, I just work here.”
Ha ha, good story, Allan. 😆 The procedure for renewal of a Canadian passport sounds about the same as the US one, except that we have to pay $110.
Bob;
As I wrote awhile back about when my passport expired in December last year, When you receive the new US passport, now you are in for the fun times of getting the BI to re-stamp your entry and Visa stamps from your old passport to your new one. Be sure to write and let us know how that went for you. Or just go back and reread about my fun trips to the BI in Manila.
Yes, Paul, I remember your article well. I have my new passport already, but have not done the re-stamping, not yet anyway!
Bob;
Hopefully your re-stamping will go smoother than mine did,, it would seem like an easy process being that you have your old passport with you. But I found out that easy is not in the local lexicon.
I hear you, my friend! 😉
Bob: Just went for re-stamping this morning, same time as annual report. Took about an hour and 1/2 for paperwork, pay P1,500 fee, and return tomorrow for new stamp. No same day available, at least in Intramuros.
Thanks for the info, John.
John Miele: I had my USA passport stolen last month, and just got my new passport from the USA Embassy in Manila. Now, I have to go to the BI at Intramuros for the Re-stamping. I see from you post it was not a ‘same day’ activity. I have a photocopy of the entry stamp from my old passport and the new passport.. What else do I need to bring ??
Follow up on my Passport Re-Stamping at BI Manila. My passport had been stolen along with my knapsack in Tagbilaran Bohol in July, 2013. The US Embassy in Cebu was very efficient and I received the new passport via Air 21 in about 3-1/2 weeks. The next step was the Re-Stamping into the new passport of my Visa extension and my Arrival details. After reading some of the posts here I was a bit nervous about the procedure, but I made careful notes of the requirements and flew to Manila. My Visa extension was set to expire on August 22 and I received my new passport just in time. I expected the RE-Stamping process to take 2 days based on the posts here. I flew to Manila on Monday Aug. 19 and took a taxi the airport directly to the BI at Intramuros. But.. everything was closed due to heavy rains. Next day – Tues. Aug 20 – took a taxi to Intramuros only to find it was still closed. My return flight to Bohol was set for Wed. Aug. 22, so I had to get the ticket changed to Friday, Aug 23. Since Cebu-Pacific only has morning flights to Bohol I was once again a bit nervous that I would not get my re-stamping done on time. Wed. Aug. 21 – a National Holiday in honor of Ninoy Aquino, and once again the BI at Intramuros was closed. My only hope was that things would go smoothly on Thursday Aug. 22 – the day my Visa was set to expire, and my last day in Manila (I was in no mood to change the ticket again). On Wed. afternoon I called the BI and to my surprise someone answered. They told me that the offices were closed but that they would be open on Thursday, even in the event of rain. On Thursday morning I took a taxi from my hotel at 6:15 am to the BI at Intramuros. I arrived there at 6:30 expecting some kind of long line to be forming. To my surprise I was the only foreigner there so early and …. the BI was already open!! I already had prepared my notarized letter to Request the Re-Stamping so I was immediately ushered through the process. I filled out all the forms needed – went to the appropriate windows with my papers and was sent to the 3rd Floor. The office workers on the 3rd floor were just settling in, and were surprised to see me there so early. I believe they thought I was on some type of official business because they engaged me in conversation, offered me coffee and donuts and listened to my tail of woe. Since I was the only foreigner there I received a lot of attention and my Passport was Re-Stamped by 7:30 am. When the immigration official handed me the newly stamped passport he had a sense of humor: “Mr. Garzon here is your passport – you are all set and you Visa is extended to… Aug. 22”.. I began to laugh and said “yeah, today”. So then I had to go through the Visa Extension and I-Card processing down on the First Floor. That took a longer time because I had to wait for the I-Card to be laminated, but by lunchtime I was leaving BI and heading back to the Hotel. So.. they key for this Re-Stamping process is: have the notarized Request Letter – have all your papers – get there very early and chat up the staff..
Thanks for sharing your experience, it will surely be helpful to others who need such services.
Bob, though mine doesn’t expire for another 6 years yet, it’s good information to know. Even though we’ll be living on Luzon(most likely), it’s still a 4.5 hour drive. And I’ve never been to Manila in the daytime. I might get scared. 🙂 I might go myself, but who knows, that’s such a long ways away for me. However, I’m sure it will FLY by in paradise. 🙂
Ha ha… thanks, Scott, I’m glad you found the article useful. I wouldn’t want you to get scared in Manila, after all!
That’s good news Bob. My passport expires November of this year and I was wondering when to apply. Now, I have also heard that you can renew it in Cebu or so some are claiming. Have you heard anything about that?
Hi Tim, thanks for your comment. I could be wrong, but I don’t think this can be done at the Cebu Consulate. Maybe you can turn it in there and they send it up to Manila, I am not sure. I do with you the best of luck on your Passport renewal, though. It went very smoothly for me!
I think you are right about that Bob, from what I read elsewhere you can maybe turn in your application at the consulate in Cebu, but then you would still have to pay the fee in Manila. I don’t have anyone up there that can do it for me. I wish the embassy would allow a different way to make payment.
My wife and I are moving to the Philippines in March of this year. My U.S. passport will need to be renewed in 2014. Thanks for the info. I have a question concerning the balik bayan stamp. We intend on requesting the stamp when we arrive, she has dual citizenship. My original thought was to apply for a 13a visa within the first year but since we’ll probably visit the U.S. yearly I’m wondering if there is any limit on requesting and receiving a balik bayan stamp. What’s the ‘head-tax’ that you’re required to get yearly? Is this required for all visas?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Hi Tighe – There is no head tax or any other fees to pay for a Balikbayan Visa. Your entire year stay is 100% tax free. If you have a 13(a) or (g) visa, the head tax is P310 per year, very minimal. There is no limit on the number of times you can receive the Balikbayan stamp either. The only requirement is that you must leave the country and stay out of the country for at least 1 day, upon re-entry you can get a Balikbayan Visa again.
Bob,
Thanks for the info. That brings to mind a few more questions. I’ve read an alian registration card is needed to open a bank account. I’ve also read where if turned down at a bank you may still find another, even another branch of the bank that turned you down, that will allow you to open an account. Is that true? Can a bank account be opened with a balikbayan stamp? Other than the ‘visa run’, what are some of the major advantages of a 13a visa over a balikbayan stamp.
Thanks again.
Hi Tighe – There is not a law or anything that says you must have an ACR to open a bank account. The requirements are different by bank, and even on a branch by branch basis. You just have to keep looking until you find a bank that will open an account for you. If you have an ACR I-Card, then it will usually be easier to open an bank account, but even that is no guarantee. What stamp you have in your passport really does not matter when opening a bank account, in my opinion.
To me, the 13 series resident visa is much more desirable than a Balikbayan, but that is my opinion. I have friends that have the reverse opinion. Not having to make a visa run is a major advantage to me.
I appreciate all of the info you’ve given me. I believe I’ve enough info to hold me over until I arrive. I’ll be sure to say hi when I’m there. My wife and I are looking to check areas in Luzon to either build or maybe rent with an option to buy. She has family in San Pablo City and that’s where I’ve stayed on our previous visits. I don’t have problems with her family and wouldn’t mind if that’s where we settled. Helping when neccessary doesn’t scare me. I will be leaving it up to her though to determine when help is really needed. I’ll probably have questions and I’m also curious about your newsletter.
Thanks