Foreigner With No Return Ticket

[nor cal mike]

Thanks for all the good info. I think best for me is to simply apply for an a residency visa at the consulate here in the U.S.

Good luck with that one sir but I doubt such a visa exists. You're talking a whole new ballgame here which might require a thread of its own (unless of course you're already confident you will be accepted as a permanent resident in which case visas aren't required).

There's nothing wrong with staying in Philippines as a tourist, you can pretty much stay as long as you like so long as you keep your visa up-to-date (if you are there long enough, you'll know when it's time to make a brief exit as per the requirement). Just make sure you have an onward ticket good for the first 21 days on your arrival.

I have never had a ongoing ticket for the first 21 days its always at least a 6 month ongoing ticket(usually 1 year) . And have not talked to anyone in person who has been asked for the ticket .

In fact last time i came there was a older gentleman (60-70) wearing a sarong with long very messy grey hair and a purple man purse in front of me . The immigration officer looked disgusted and just stamped his passport . The gentleman was trying to ask questions about renewing his Visa the officer just looked at him and said you need to go to the office NEXT.

From what I have seen immigration officers are told NOT to give tourists a hard time just stamp their passports same as Customs agents . As I said before they put it all on the Airlines to make sure you have a ongoing ticket . If you don,t they have to fly you back on there money and get a 100,000 peso fine for allowing you to fly without a ongoing ticket.

It's an unnecessary risk. I remember when I bought my 1st return ticket to Phils from a travel agent, they made me sign a piece of paper to say I was responsible for visas (the dates were outside of the 21 day zone). It's not so much what happens at Phils immigration (that's a risk alone), you can be refused boarding on departure. There's just no need to take any risks. To suggest otherwise is poor advice.

Isn't the 13A a residency visa?

[Ruddy_Rooster]

Thanks for all the good info. I think best for me is to simply apply for an a residency visa at the consulate here in the U.S.

Good luck with that one sir but I doubt such a visa exists. You're talking a whole new ballgame here which might require a thread of its own (unless of course you're already confident you will be accepted as a permanent resident in which case visas aren't required).

There's nothing wrong with staying in Philippines as a tourist, you can pretty much stay as long as you like so long as you keep your visa up-to-date (if you are there long enough, you'll know when it's time to make a brief exit as per the requirement). Just make sure you have an onward ticket good for the first 21 days on your arrival.

I have never had a ongoing ticket for the first 21 days its always at least a 6 month ongoing ticket(usually 1 year) . And have not talked to anyone in person who has been asked for the ticket .

In fact last time i came there was a older gentleman (60-70) wearing a sarong with long very messy grey hair and a purple man purse in front of me . The immigration officer looked disgusted and just stamped his passport . The gentleman was trying to ask questions about renewing his Visa the officer just looked at him and said you need to go to the office NEXT.

From what I have seen immigration officers are told NOT to give tourists a hard time just stamp their passports same as Customs agents . As I said before they put it all on the Airlines to make sure you have a ongoing ticket . If you don,t they have to fly you back on there money and get a 100,000 peso fine for allowing you to fly without a ongoing ticket.

It's an unnecessary risk. I remember when I bought my 1st return ticket to Phils from a travel agent, they made me sign a piece of paper to say I was responsible for visas (the dates were outside of the 21 day zone). It's not so much what happens at Phils immigration (that's a risk alone), you can be refused boarding on departure. There's just no need to take any risks. To suggest otherwise is poor advice.

Isn't the 13A a residency visa?

Somebody else will have to answer that, I don't know. If my initial response was wrong then I sincerely apologise. In my defence I never saw '13A' in your post.

Edited June 26, 2012 by Ruddy_Rooster

[cebu rocks]

It's an unnecessary risk. I remember when I bought my 1st return ticket to Phils from a travel agent, they made me sign a piece of paper to say I was responsible for visas (the dates were outside of the 21 day zone). It's not so much what happens at Phils immigration (that's a risk alone), you can be refused boarding on departure. There's just no need to take any risks. To suggest otherwise is poor advice.

has anyone on the forums been refused boarding or entry to the RP ? I mean a member who was refused first hand not i heard from a friend of a friend ? My first trip to The RP Air Canada said I would need a forwarding ticket with in 21 days but the girl at the desk just said tell them at the gate you changed your mind and are staying in Hongkong then catch your connecting flight once your there lol I highly doubt most people buy a extra ticket to fly out in 21 days I have never met anyone who has

[Ruddy_Rooster]

It's an unnecessary risk. I remember when I bought my 1st return ticket to Phils from a travel agent, they made me sign a piece of paper to say I was responsible for visas (the dates were outside of the 21 day zone). It's not so much what happens at Phils immigration (that's a risk alone), you can be refused boarding on departure. There's just no need to take any risks. To suggest otherwise is poor advice.

has anyone on the forums been refused boarding or entry to the RP ? I mean a member who was refused first hand not i heard from a friend of a friend ? My first trip to The RP Air Canada said I would need a forwarding ticket with in 21 days but the girl at the desk just said tell them at the gate you changed your mind and are staying in Hongkong then catch your connecting flight once your there lol I highly doubt most people buy a extra ticket to fly out in 21 days I have never met anyone who has

I've never bought an extra ticket either but then I have also been lucky. I'd like to think I'm wiser now. Like you I'll buy the 6 month ticket but I'll buy something where I can get one free change of date. I'll make the date of exit good for the first 21 days and deal with the rest once in Phils. As far as I know all the air companies have offices there so no big deal, 20 minutes in and out, all done.

Just to further add, I remember trying to buy a paper ticket on my 2nd trip, I got refused anything longer than 21 days. It prompted me to buy online, I've not looked back since. The knowledge gained was priceless though, no regrets.

Have people been refused boarding or entry?, yes. Just read this very thread for examples. If you want to gamble, carry on, it wont be my loss.

Do you get pleasure trying to cheat the system?. You gain nothing but have much to lose! Can we play poker sometime? :)

Edited June 26, 2012 by Ruddy_Rooster

[Steve & Myrlita]

To answer the 13A question, yes it is a perm resident visa given to spouses of Filipino Citizens. As long as you have the 13A stamp in your passport and your active ACR-I card, you will have no problems with a 1 way re-entry and no onward ticket required.

[nor cal mike]

Thanks for all the good info. I think best for me is to simply apply for an a residency visa at the consulate here in the U.S.

Good luck with that one sir but I doubt such a visa exists. You're talking a whole new ballgame here which might require a thread of its own (unless of course you're already confident you will be accepted as a permanent resident in which case visas aren't required).

There's nothing wrong with staying in Philippines as a tourist, you can pretty much stay as long as you like so long as you keep your visa up-to-date (if you are there long enough, you'll know when it's time to make a brief exit as per the requirement). Just make sure you have an onward ticket good for the first 21 days on your arrival.

I have never had a ongoing ticket for the first 21 days its always at least a 6 month ongoing ticket(usually 1 year) . And have not talked to anyone in person who has been asked for the ticket .

In fact last time i came there was a older gentleman (60-70) wearing a sarong with long very messy grey hair and a purple man purse in front of me . The immigration officer looked disgusted and just stamped his passport . The gentleman was trying to ask questions about renewing his Visa the officer just looked at him and said you need to go to the office NEXT.

From what I have seen immigration officers are told NOT to give tourists a hard time just stamp their passports same as Customs agents . As I said before they put it all on the Airlines to make sure you have a ongoing ticket . If you don,t they have to fly you back on there money and get a 100,000 peso fine for allowing you to fly without a ongoing ticket.

It's an unnecessary risk. I remember when I bought my 1st return ticket to Phils from a travel agent, they made me sign a piece of paper to say I was responsible for visas (the dates were outside of the 21 day zone). It's not so much what happens at Phils immigration (that's a risk alone), you can be refused boarding on departure. There's just no need to take any risks. To suggest otherwise is poor advice.

Isn't the 13A a residency visa?

Somebody else will have to answer that, I don't know. If my initial response was wrong then I sincerely apologise. In my defence I never saw '13A' in your post.

No apologies needed. Thank you for taking the time to try and answere my question. I greatly appreciate all the advice and wisdom gleened from this site.

[nor cal mike]

To answer the 13A question, yes it is a perm resident visa given to spouses of Filipino Citizens. As long as you have the 13A stamp in your passport and your active ACR-I card, you will have no problems with a 1 way re-entry and no onward ticket required.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[Dave Hounddriver]

And have not talked to anyone in person who has been asked for the ticket .

Ya know, I think we have gone around about this before. If you want to talk to someone, in person, who has been asked for an exit ticket that falls within the 21 days, just come on down to the next get together and talk to me.

For those who have not heard my story, I was asked. I had an exit ticket for 6 months down the road. The Immigration official said: What if you cannot get a renewal for your visa? We cannot guarantee that you will be allowed to renew it.

I said: Next time I will have my exit ticket within 21 days and he let it drop. Your mileage WILL vary. If you are buying a throw away ticket anyway, get one that is valid within 21 days. Since I have been doing that they don't even ask me any questions, just stamp and go.

[Bigdog]

my round trip ticket was set for 3 months after my arrival , the agent just advised to be sure to get my visa extension.. stamped and on my way

[ancienrocka]

Sorry to ruin your day, but about 3 weeks ago Immigration introduced a rule that they would not renew any visa without proof of an outbound ticket.

Not sure if this applies to individuals but it certainly applies to agents.