Visa changes for 2024 that could affect you.

We traveled to Cebu for my permanent 13a spousal visa.
‪@buildingthephilippines‬
#visa
#cebu
#travel

[@Milos.L]

This was invaluable information!! I didn't know about the visa renewal process.

[@buildingthephilippines]

Thank you, appreciate it.

[@raymondwalker2048]

This was an awesome video very informative. Information that will apply to me soon.

[@buildingthephilippines]

Glad you liked it.

[@vondoromal7016]

Got to get that shirt! Most costs people pay are for convenience.

[@buildingthephilippines]

Lol, cool shirt huh. Yes, having an agency handling all the details makes it worth it.

[@steveperyer4850]

Thanks Wilma and Greg for the great information on the 13A process, and advice to get help from a service to help get the paperwork done for you. Looks like it was a good trip.😊. Take care always guys

[@buildingthephilippines]

Hi Steve, hope all is well with you. Thanks for watching.

[@michaeldiamond1600]

Thanks for the video, very useful and informative. I have a 13a visa also and my understanding from the Immigration officer in Cebu is that the visa is permanent but its the ACR card that must be renewed after five years. When my ACR card was stolen I had JRC do the necessary to get the new one issued and i did not have to travel to Cebu.

[@buildingthephilippines]

Yes, ARC card can be issued locally. Good info to share. However, you surrender your ACR card once you get your permanent 13a visa.

[@liliahalas5123]

Please remember that for 13A Visa holder, need to pay Travel Tax (Before check in) and also Exit Clearance Tax (Before the Immigration counter) everytime you travel out of the Phils. You have to come back to Phils within 6 months, othewise there will be penalty fee if you come back after 6 months. Also you will need to make the yearly report or they call "update"at the Immigration office, otherwise you may lose your permanent residency. Make sure you have enough cash to pay as they only accept cash payment. Cost for both these taxes is about Php5K more or less.

[@buildingthephilippines]

Good information to share, thanks for that.

[@richgoss555]

I have a 13 A. Don’t forget every year in the First 3 months you MUST do your Annual Report !!

[@buildingthephilippines]

Yes, I just did my first one this past January. Pretty easy as well.

[@FranzKuster]

very informative video,i was on a ferry like that,and the toillet bowl was only half,it was hard to use🤣

[@buildingthephilippines]

Thanks for watching

[@BarryBarton-t6w]

Just like you I was married in the US and my wife has both a US passport and Philippines passport. We have not applied for a 13A as we travel and leave the country many times. Never paid a dime for visas and seen 5 other countries

[@buildingthephilippines]

Yup, that works as well as long as you exit and enter within 12 month intervals.

[@filippocare778]

Greg and Wilma, love your videos. i am coming to Manila on April 10th and i want to stay thru August. I have a return ticket for August , but do i need a throw away ticket for less than 30 days to enter the country i also plan on visiting Cebu and Dumaguette

[@buildingthephilippines]

If you are coming in on a tourist visa, I believe you need to show a return or throw away ticket within those 29 days. I suggest researching to be sure. Maybe another viewer can chime in to confirm.

[@clyoest]

One thing you said about the 5yr , that is for your ACR Card, your 13A is permanent!

[@buildingthephilippines]

Thanks for the clarification and for watching our video.

[@KelvinWilson53]

Thanks for a very informative and timely video as I'm due to see BI CEBU for permanent visa in May. Did you need to provide proof of income? They never asked when passing documents for probationary visa. And does the Gmall have off street parking. Thanks again, by the way I love your home and it's location. Take care always!

[@buildingthephilippines]

No, they did not ask for proof of income. We took a taxi there for the interview. Drove by as we left to shoot video. They do have parking there though.

[@michaelfung694]

JRC's fees is actually 74K Pesos, you pay 37K for the initial probationary application, then another 37K when you submit your application for the permanent 13A visa, perhaps you just made a slip of the tongue. Good vid though....

[@buildingthephilippines]

Yes, 37 for the temporary and 37 for the permanent one year later.

[@jerrymarshall2728]

I’m still waiting for my NBI interview, for my 13A visa. But PSA still hasn’t gotten us our marriage certificate! And I leave in 8 days! Hopefully in a few days we’ll get the certificate, then I can get the process started while I’m back in the States, liquidating? 🤞 Then the visa should be issued before I return in June 🙏🌴🇵🇭 Tomorrow is more scouting for the property that will make me a 10%er…

[@buildingthephilippines]

Hi Jerry, yes hoping you get your paperwork squared away very soon. Travel safe.

[@liliahalas5123]

You will need Medical by their authorized clinic/lab, if you have not yet done so.

[@buildingthephilippines]

I did not have to see a doctor or take any tests.

[@liliahalas5123]

Just wanted to remind you that once you have submitted your application and approved, it will take a month or so before you can collect your ACR card. If you are to leave the Phils before the card is released, you have to apply a Waiver, in the same office, which you need to present at the Airport Immigration when you leave and also when you come back. Failure to do that, you might get problems at the airport.

[@liliahalas5123]

that’s good you didn’t have to have Medical. On my husband’s case he had to have Medical, maybe the requirement of the Philippine Consulate where we initiated his 13A application.

[@James-ri2uo]

Best thing I’ve done since moving here, was getting my SRRV. 10 USD a year renewal, no exit clearance or fees. Highly recommend ❤

[@buildingthephilippines]

Another good visa option for folks. Thanks for sharing.

[@CoryTheCanadian]

Lots of great info. I have a question that maybe you or a viewer can answer . My Filipina wife and I are going to the Philippines in Jan , we went this pass February for a month and I just got the 29 day tourist visa no problem. My question is if we go again in January next year and she is planning on staying for 2 months but I plan to stay longer, will that matter when entering the Philippines if we have different return dates on our plane ticket? I’m assuming if I show our marriage certificate then I can stay up to a year and if that’s the case do I even need a return ticket booked?

[@buildingthephilippines]

Just ask for a balikbayan visa, which is free and good for 12 months. As long as your return ticket is set within that first year you are good to go. Dates don't matter as long as within 12 months.

[@DrivingPhilippines]

If married to Filipina, your considered Balikbayan (if shes dual citizen). You get one year stay, and you can each leave separately. Both must come in together. No fees. No need for a flight ticket back. We leave the country every 11 months. No fees if we do this. And we get to visit a different country each year.

[@CoryTheCanadian]

@@DrivingPhilippines thank you for the info. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@CoryTheCanadian]

@@buildingthephilippines I just looked at my passport out of curiosity and they actually stamp my visa for a 1 year stay , I didn’t even know 😂 but I did have a return ticket for the end of Feb. guess I couldn’t have stayed longer, I didn’t want to leave after 1 month.

[@buildingthephilippines]

Wow.

[@biggdogginthephilippines7067]

I returned to the Philippines in February and Did my ext online instead of going to an office.

[@buildingthephilippines]

Yes, that's another good way. I think you can extend 6 months still online as well. Thanks for sharing.

[@biggdogginthephilippines7067]

YES @@buildingthephilippines

[@PatrickMcKillip-q8v]

Coming thru Immigration at Cebu Airport, do I need a physical copy of my marriage certificate, or is a scanned copy on my phone sufficient for getting the Balikbayan Visa?

[@buildingthephilippines]

Physical copy and wife needs to be traveling with you to get the balikbayan visa.

[@PatrickMcKillip-q8v]

@@buildingthephilippines OK, thanks for clarifying. Might be difficult if I'm flying in solo to visit her. Hopefully, we'll get her Spousal Visa soon so we can be together. We started the process thru an agent at Robinson Place in Duma, right after we married in Sept of '22.

[@buildingthephilippines]

@user-te7ps8ws5q good luck to you guys. Congrats on the marriage.

[@traderpusa4004]

Gave a thumbs down after 5 mins because you used an agency. So you managed to build your house but not get your 13A by yourself ? I got my 13A 12 years ago and immigration also put date and time when to show up. Just put a big commercial stamp and warning on this video. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to use a fixer or an agency to get your 13A.

[@buildingthephilippines]

I didn't build my wife's house a contractor did. Didn't design it either an architect did. Same for cabinet maker, solar installer. As for the 13a visa, there's a tremendous amount of paperwork. Not interested in any of that when an agency can get everything pushed through. We have a friend that started to work on their 13a visa. After a few unsuccessful attempts they ended up using an agency. To each there own.

[@filipinalipstick]

Hey Building the Philippines with Wil….I'm a long-time subscriber and absolutely love your content, I'm Rhea from Filipinalipstick , where we dive into similar investment topics. I think a collaboration between us could offer great value to our audiences. Would love to chat more about this. How can we connect? Cheers, -This approach keeps the message concise while highlighting your genuine interest and the potential benefits of a collaboration.

[@buildingthephilippines]

Hello, you can email us at [e-mail]

[@gunz350]

Just out of curiosity, did you consider an SRRV as an option? Or was the 13a visa best suited for your situation? Thanks

[@buildingthephilippines]

13a seemed easier to accomplish. Went for that one.

[@gunz350]

@@buildingthephilippines thank you for the response. Now get some sleep lol

[@buildingthephilippines]

Good night

[@49ersWarriors]

Is it true on a 13A visa when the filipino spouse passes way the foreign spouse's permanent residency goes back to a tourist visa. Then it is not permanent.?

[@buildingthephilippines]

True, 13a visa does revert to tourist visa if filipina passes away. Permanent visa is really not permanent anyway as it expires after 5 years. All in the lingo and fine print.

[@Jack-2day]

@@buildingthephilippines Correct me if I’m wrong but I may have heard that in addition of a Phillipine spouse unfortunately passing away, and the other spouse is left with a tourist visa & having to leave the country, the dearly departed spouse family can walk in and take possession? Obviously a nightmare scenario but leave no stone unturned Cheers

[@buildingthephilippines]

@Jack-2day yes, the foreigner would be downgraded to a tourist visa. Can stay 3 years then next to exit, reenter. Inheritance law goes to Filipinas biological children. Doesn't go laterally or up.

[@David-y6y9j]

The Philippines is getting completely ridiculous, and is almost not worth to be here🙄

[@buildingthephilippines]

They do change the rules a lot. Fees are actually pretty expensive.

[@marianeil6630]

Is JRC services has branches in Manila or Makati, can you provide us their address or telephone number and contact person. Thank you and more power to your channel. Is 37,000.00 pesos is one deal from the beginning to the end, how do you pay it by installment or by credit card??

[@buildingthephilippines]

Their main office is in Cebu city. Google JRC services, click on 1st line. Go to the bottom, gives address and phone numbers. 37 k, 50% up front and 50% once all requirements are met and JRC is ready to submit to immigration.

[@pissedoffpotato1882]

This was really good to know. I appreciate all the information that was passed on from this video. I was not aware. However I have no idea who those people are in your video. Around 2:40. Random 2 people with a dog by the beach. Maybe i just missed out the explanation on that one. But it was a quick 2 to 3 seconds of just them.

[@buildingthephilippines]

I mentioned on the video that our friends were watching Prince. Then I showed a few second video of them taking Prince for a walk on the beach.

[@tomtin0222]

@buildingthephilippines Wilma, Greg do you still have JRC agency contact information?

[@buildingthephilippines]

Dumaguete office 0920 985 4183. Good luck to you.

[@richgibbons7002]

Hi guys! Married to a Filipina for almost 30 years and coming to PI this Fall maybe to retire not sure. I just came across your videos and subscribed right away! You guys seem like an amazing couple and your content is very informative. Greg you have a very unique and excellent way of explaining things. Were you an educator at some point in your life? Also, being originally from Brooklyn, do i detect a NYC accent? Keep up the great job guys!

[@buildingthephilippines]

Hello, thanks for subscribing. Grew up in the Hudson Valley, NY. Appreciate the comment. Definitely lean toward an analytical personality. Career in Distribution Management.

[@rosemariealmero1214]

That was a wonderful video of your very efficient visa renewal trip to Cebu. P.S. I Love your detailed informations (time of arrivals, wait Times etc..) I’m able to get a clear picture And comprehend your storyline .

[@buildingthephilippines]

Thank you appreciate your comment.

[@jsully4064]

Thanks for sharing, great information, did not know the immigration office in Cebu moved to GMall. 19:43 Nice shot! 22:37 Another nice picture...looks great. 26:40 LMAO Looks like lifes good in Negros Oriental. Thanks for posting Wilma and Greg....Jim

[@buildingthephilippines]

Thanks Jim for watching and commenting on our video.

[@spurlworld]

Hello from Iloilo! I'm going on my 21st month here. My Immigration Office suggested that I do my border bounce soon. So I'm gonna fly out April 1st to Taiwan. My next Immigration meeting is April 7th!

[@buildingthephilippines]

Hello, sounds like a good plan. Travel safe.

[@TheBigBananaaa]

👍✅🙀✅👍

[@buildingthephilippines]

Thanks

[@davidevans474]

Good video always a adventure in the Philippines but it work out for you .😊🎉

[@buildingthephilippines]

Thanks David, appreciate it.