13a Visa in Manila (Intramuros) - checked!

[Gandang Smile]

Hi All,

Just a quick note about getting my 13a Visa from the main Manila BI, in Intramuros. Applied last January. I had a little bit of help from a local lawyer in Ortigas, with a formal petition letter where my wife asked for a spouse Visa for me. We had a pretty long list of paper requirements, which we complied with without much drama. On the day of filing, I went to the BI office on my own, only to be told that my wife had to be there in person, as her signature was needed in quite a few places.

All in all, everybody at the various windows and some of the offices upstairs were quite helpful. It took us almost a full day bouncing around people behind a glass, videogame-like, but in the end we got the two full folders in order. One folder was for the Visa proper, the other for the new ACR I-card application.

Fast forward a couple of months, we checked the "Agenda" of 13a Visa application status online on the BI website and my name was published on one of these online PDF documents. We were unsure as to what the record on the Agenda was. An expiration date was present, March 26 2022, together with the name of one of their Officers. We didn't know whether the record referred to an already-implemented (i.e. about to be released Visa) or a face-to-face interview was needed.

We could have gone there any time but we were stuck in Davao for several months. We only got back to Manila a week ago. As I learned by going there last Friday, the Visa was ready for implementation. All I had to do was go to the Visa release window (window 30-something, one of those in the far corner) and leave my passport. I was given a claim stub and told to pick up the stamped passport on the following Monday, which I did.

On my last visit this Monday (yesterday) I picked up my passport and was told that my new ACR I-card would be released this coming Friday.

All in all, the whole experience deserves a solid 8. Every visit to a public office, including the NBI and the BI, has been hassle-free and never lasted more than a couple of hours, including the queuing and the waiting. My wife managed to obtain a couple of last-minute requirements on the spot by visiting government satellite offices at the malls (great idea!).

For all its shortcomings and inconsistencies, I surely cannot say that the Philippine government is making it hard for foreigners to live and settle in this country. I heard countless horror stories from the Thai, Indonesian and Cambodian governments, so this whole Visa experience was a blessing in comparison.

So...I'm in! 

[Dave Hounddriver]

On 6/21/2021 at 5:02 PM, Gandang Smile said:

On my last visit this Monday (yesterday) I picked up my passport and was told that my new ACR I-card would be released this coming Friday.

Its Friday.  Did you get it?

[OnMyWay]

On 6/22/2021 at 8:02 AM, Gandang Smile said:

All in all, the whole experience deserves a solid 8. Every visit to a public office, including the NBI and the BI, has been hassle-free and never lasted more than a couple of hours, including the queuing and the waiting. My wife managed to obtain a couple of last-minute requirements on the spot by visiting government satellite offices at the malls (great idea!).

There might be one good thing that the pandemic introduced to the Philippines!  Better organization at government offices through appointments, online services, etc.  Let's just hope they can speed up the flow moving forward!

I had not paid my SBMA CUSA (like an HOA fee) for 5 months until yesterday.  At the SBMA cashier office, they now have a electronic number system where you press a button to get a number ticket, then a big electronic display on the wall tracks the queue and tells you which window to go to when it is your turn!  Just like private businesses such as banks.  Amazing!

[Gandang Smile]

5 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Its Friday.  Did you get it?

Didn't go...got busy with work. Monday na lang...

[hk blues]

3 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

There might be one good thing that the pandemic introduced to the Philippines!  Better organization at government offices through appointments, online services, etc.  

Yes...and no.

It's an ongoing bugbear of mine that not all organisations are set up for online payment, including Philhealth.

So, I was delighted to see Philhealth have fixed this. However...you first have to complete forms and then take them to your local Philhealth office, despite the blurb stating the online payment option was set up to ensure folk didn't need to go out. And, the set up requires you to enter income - a significant proportion of self-paying members are not working, if they were most would be employees so wouldn't be self-paying. And, the payment isn't done through banks unlike other organisations, it's through something known as IPay- Maya or similar. 

In short, progress but over complicating something that can be so simple. I gave up and I'll continue to pay in SM!

[Gandang Smile]

6 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

There might be one good thing that the pandemic introduced to the Philippines!  Better organization at government offices through appointments, online services, etc.  Let's just hope they can speed up the flow moving forward!

I had not paid my SBMA CUSA (like an HOA fee) for 5 months until yesterday.  At the SBMA cashier office, they now have a electronic number system where you press a button to get a number ticket, then a big electronic display on the wall tracks the queue and tells you which window to go to when it is your turn!  Just like private businesses such as banks.  Amazing!

Baby steps, in the right direction nonetheless.

[hk blues]

1 hour ago, Gandang Smile said:

Baby steps, in the right direction nonetheless.

Agreed, but why, why, why do they want to reinvent the wheel every time?  They are so late to the party and should simply be adopting best practice but nope.

Many things have improved, and are improving, here but customer service is still not a priority. I'm sorry to report that it's 1 step forward and half a step backward much of the time as far as I can see.

[Mike J]

13 hours ago, hk blues said:

They are so late to the party and should simply be adopting best practice but nope.

I honestly think one of the primary reason may be that efficient systems tend to use fewer employees.  Fewer employees need fewer managers.  

[hk blues]

4 hours ago, Mike J said:

I honestly think one of the primary reason may be that efficient systems tend to use fewer employees.  Fewer employees need fewer managers.  

Of course.

I sometimes feel that whilst they have no choice but to progress, and in many cases even want to, as the actual mechanics are developed they cannot help but add in a few extra steps of bureacracy for good measure. Each step creates/protects a few more jobs.