Extending visa at terminal 1 in Manila

Hi, you have to go to an immigration office in the Philippines to extend the visa. The airport is not authorized to give you longer stays. Even if you pay for it. And there is also a time when they accept you to extend the visa. Here in Boracay it is one week before the visa expires.

Andy

Only my experiences and the last time I extended with immi at the airport was 7/8 years ago and I would do this only if I was intending to stay for 6 or 7 weeks I've done this several times as it saves a visit to a satellite office.

To the OP you won't save the express lane fees at the airport, They charge the same as other offices and you will need your passport to get out of the airport. I think the cost these days is P 4080.

Good luck and enjoy your stay.

Cheers, Steve.

An add on Joe as I tend to do. One has to look at the options available here in PH. If you are married then the 13a is the way to go, if you are retired military and aligned with PH. then the SRRV is a great choice but the SRRV without a pension will cost a US 30K deposit, near US 1,360 for an application fee and US 360 per year to hold it. As a pensioner the deposit is US 15K

The simple math tells the story and for me? The generous visitor visa offered by the government here costs me around 5 to 550 US bucks a year while my US 30K sits in an investment earning US 1,500 bucks a year, no 360 buck annual fee and in reality offers the same as a visitor visa. Sure we leave the country every 2/3 years and have a holiday, leave the caretaker to run the house and dogs while we venture to a different country, then start again with the tourist visa, good for 3 years.

I worry little the extra express lane fees recently imposed at an extra 100 bucks a year and as a single bloke simply make use of a great system.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.

@bigpearl

the SRRV without a pension will cost a US 30K deposit, near US 1,360 for an application fee and US 360 per year to hold it.

I can’t see why anyone would be dumb enough to go down the SRRV route. $30k invested over 10 years in say the S&P 500 would be worth about $78k using historic growth figures. Strip out inflation at say 3% and you have a real gain of about $59k in purchasing power.

The loss in purchasing power of leaving $30k with the Philippine govt (using a 3% inflation rate) would be about $7,600 So the real value of your hard earned cash would be about $22,400. Even a $15k deposit would not make happy reading notwithstanding the annual fees. To put it politely this scheme is ahem, nothing but a profit centre for the Philippine government suckering in expats who should know better.

As for the above figures for a 20 period, well if you have an SRRV you probably don’t want to know. Oh and good luck with getting your deposit (what’s left of it) back if you decide to end your residency.

Hear you well Lotus and a waste of money going the SRRV route unless you are militarily aligned and can manage to get all the dots lined up.

I've mentioned/advocated for 10 or 15 years that the PRA should reduce the ridiculous fees to entice thinkers with bucks to become a permanent resident,,,,,, mind you that didn't help through Covid and the benefits? No frigging difference to living here on a visitor visa but thinkers save a lot of bucks and have all the luxuries offered by simply rocking up and extending their visa, 3 years and a holiday and start again.

The old saying? Look after your pennies and the dollars will look after themselves. If I see salmon fillets on sale saving a third of the price, I don't buy one but 4 or 5 and stick them in the freezer for a rainy day.

I have minced over the PRA figures for many years and fail to see any benefits, in fact it costs me a third of the price or less to simply avail a visitor visa. Just back from a week in Hong Kong having a break and savouring the culinary delights to yet start again on the 2/3 year journey.

Regardless don't we love the Philippines which ever way you do it.

Cheers, Steve.