13A Leaving the country for a while....

[Huggybearman]

On 3/31/2022 at 4:56 AM, Clermont said:

I'm pretty sure she will have to do a seminar and get her passport stamped for getting out of the country. Make sure your wife knows ALOT ABOUT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY it is a safe guard against her being trafficked, also don't leave it until the last minute as a lot fail and have to go back and redo the test. 

Is this Seminar something new? My wife and I have travelled back and forth to the UK every year between 2013 and 2019 and didn’t know such a thing existed. Though due to the COVID pandemic our last visit to the UK was in 2019. We will be traveling to the UK again in June. Is it something that should concern us or is it for first timers exiting Phil’s?

[Clermont]

23 minutes ago, Huggybearman said:

Is this Seminar something new? My wife and I have travelled back and forth to the UK every year between 2013 and 2019 and didn’t know such a thing existed.

No only first timers. 

[OnMyWay]

On 3/31/2022 at 8:32 AM, Shol said:

Thanks folks.  Lots of great tips.  Yes we already are aware and working on the seminar (as it will be required.) and such and will look at the flights though we already have budget allotted for that.   Will be checking things out but just wanted to get a lay of the land before I start my research and you guys did that.

It's really appreciated!

Technically, the CFO seminar is only for a Filipino moving overseas.  Emigrants.  Your wife will have a tourist visa, correct?

CFO answered me quickly on their Facebook a few years ago.  Maybe shoot them a message explaining your exact situation, and see what they say.  If favorable, screenshot it, print it, and bring it with you.

If you are travelling with her, she should not have a problem leaving the country, provided she has the correct visa.  Bring all the stuff mentioned like marriage license and proof of relationship. 

Filipinas who get stopped from leaving are usually travelling alone and that has gotten worse during Covid.

[Dave Hounddriver]

2 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

If you are travelling with her, she should not have a problem leaving the country, provided she has the correct visa

Oh . .  that depends.  I took my previous gf to Bali in 2016 for a vacation.  They took her in a private area for a half hour interview and then called me in to sign a bunch of paperwork about being responsible for her expenses and ensuring she would come back and not be trafficked.  Luckily I look like a respectable fellow so they let us go, but it was a half hour out of hour lives we will never get back and we were lucky we went through security early enough as the BI exit official did not give a crap whether we missed the plane.

Just sayin'.  If there was a way to avoid that we would have taken it.

[OnMyWay]

6 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I took my previous gf

Girlfriend vs. wife.  Apples and oranges.  Age and travel experience matters too.  The girlfriend situation might be ok if she is not real young and had a lot of travel experience in her passport.

[hk blues]

15 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Oh . .  that depends.  I took my previous gf to Bali in 2016 for a vacation.  They took her in a private area for a half hour interview and then called me in to sign a bunch of paperwork about being responsible for her expenses and ensuring she would come back and not be trafficked.  Luckily I look like a respectable fellow so they let us go, but it was a half hour out of hour lives we will never get back and we were lucky we went through security early enough as the BI exit official did not give a crap whether we missed the plane.

Just sayin'.  If there was a way to avoid that we would have taken it.

Maybe because she was your GF and not wife?  

Edit - Oops, just saw OMW's post making the same point.

Edited April 1, 2022 by hk blues

[hk blues]

3 hours ago, Huggybearman said:

Is this Seminar something new? My wife and I have travelled back and forth to the UK every year between 2013 and 2019 and didn’t know such a thing existed. Though due to the COVID pandemic our last visit to the UK was in 2019. We will be traveling to the UK again in June. Is it something that should concern us or is it for first timers exiting Phil’s?

My wife (then GF) and I came to the Philippines in 2013 with our 6-month old baby and we were not asked any questions when leaving to return to Hong Kong.  

However, when my wife came to renew her passport here and update her name from maiden to married she was advised she had to attend the seminar before the passport could be renewed and updated.  The seminar only takes place in Cebu and Manilla (as far as I know) so this was a kinda big deal.  Luckily, my wife was able to stand her ground and they crumbled and agreed to renew the passport with the married name - this was back in 2017.  Now, if we were to want to travel abroad I'd certainly seek guidance on whether the seminar was still required. 

From what you've said you were able to come and go with no question as recently as 2019 so it seems the system, if it exists, is loose.  This shouldn't be a surprise to any of us!

[hk blues]

3 hours ago, Clermont said:

No only first timers. 

Genuine question Clermont - how would they know someone was a first timer?  

[Clermont]

I suppose if they haven’t got there stamp, they’d be classed as a first timer, plus they’d have a exit stamp in their passport 

[Dave Hounddriver]

2 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

Girlfriend vs. wife.  Apples and oranges. 

Nope.  Different gf, same age, came to Canada with me without any of the same problems.  Both were/are Common Law wives by Canadian statute and both were first timers out of the country.  The current one went to the seminars is the only difference but whatever, split hairs if you like.

Edited April 1, 2022 by Dave Hounddriver