I normally get an agent to do my Visa Renewals, saves time and hassle. But in this latest trip; I arrived 12 February, did first renewal 26 February, and on 27 March I went to an agent to do my next renewal, but was told I need to go to a main BOI as they need my fingerprints and photo this time. Its a new policy from October 2014.
As well as the ACR-I card we now also need a Special Security Registration Number (SSRN), another cost !!
http://www.in-philippines.com/registrat … er-59-days
One concern is the need for a postal address for the SSRN to be sent to. I have rarely stayed in one place long enough to use a postal address And any tourist staying for just 3 or 4 months may also be moving around a lot.
Talking about the postal address, we need to the BOI with a stamped addressed envelope for them to send us the SSRN... Where do we buy postage stamps here, and how much are they ?
Visa Renewal after 59 days NEEDS personal appearance.
a post office? same as in any other country -depends the cost of sending /place
greenetravel wrote:a post office? same as in any other country -depends the cost of sending /place
This is where being in your own country is nice.
Most Newsagents seem to sell them in many countries that i've been in, but do they do that here ? I've never tried, as i have never needed one here.
A Post Office would be easy to find back in UK, but here ? In the 784 days I have spent here, I have only ever seen one post office, and that was an interesting story in itself. i was waiting for a letter, and eventually went to the post office to find out when the deliveries were. I was told it had arrived at the post office 23 weeks ago, and they were waiting for me to collect it, even though it was addressed to my hotel.
ABCDiamond wrote:greenetravel wrote:a post office? same as in any other country -depends the cost of sending /place
This is where being in your own country is nice.
Most Newsagents seem to sell them in many countries that i've been in, but do they do that here ? I've never tried, as i have never needed one here.
A Post Office would be easy to find back in UK, but here ? In the 784 days I have spent here, I have only ever seen one post office, and that was an interesting story in itself. i was waiting for a letter, and eventually went to the post office to find out when the deliveries were. I was told it had arrived at the post office 23 weeks ago, and they were waiting for me to collect it, even though it was addressed to my hotel.
This is typical Philippines Post. Its unreliable and cant be trusted. I wouldnt trust them with important documents, at all. I was in the Philippines for a year in 2007. I was sent 6 letters from NZ by friends, Grandkids and parents. I received a grand total of 1, and that was 4 months after it was sent by airmail. The way i understand it, Most mail is pilfered for its contents. But if you have it tracked or insured or registered. Its usually ok. OR courier your documents.
Visa Renewal after 59 days MAY NOT always need personal appearance after all.
I did my Visa Renewal today. Went in specifically so I could be fingerprinted etc., BUT.. The officer in charge of this new policy, to get an SSR number, threw my application form in the bin...
He told me I was already registered, and that I didn't need to do this one.
It seems that anyone who has applied for an Exit Clearance Certificate, (which I did last year) and had fingerprints taken, is already on this database, and they don't need to add you again.
So, mine was a simple renewal after all, and could have been done by an agent.
But I am glad i did it again myself. It only took just under an hour, and I did the 6 month long visa extension this time, so no more visits for a while to Immigration.
TWO different BOI registered visa assistance agents both told me I needed to attend for fingerprints. Maybe they were not aware that previous ECC applicants were exempt from needing this.
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