Dual Citizenship Needed for Child's Departure?

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hk blues
Posted
Posted
20 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

For instance, a Filipino child needs a DSWD travel clearance to leave the country. 

Maybe the policy has changed but an online search says this -

"Who needs DSWD clearance for travel?

Because of incidences of child abductions, a Filipino minor child, regardless of civil status, is required to secure a travel clearance issued by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) if the child will travel out of the Philippines, either alone or with an adult other than a parent".

This would suggest a child travelling with either parent doesn't need the clearance.  

 

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OnMyWay
Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, hk blues said:

Maybe the policy has changed but an online search says this -

"Who needs DSWD clearance for travel?

Because of incidences of child abductions, a Filipino minor child, regardless of civil status, is required to secure a travel clearance issued by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) if the child will travel out of the Philippines, either alone or with an adult other than a parent".

This would suggest a child travelling with either parent doesn't need the clearance.  

 

Yes, correct.  When I wrote that, the DWSD website was down, so I used another website to check, and it left out that detail.

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Possum
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Posted

I got the Philippine passports for both my daughters so they will have both USA and Philippine passports when we go visit the USA. Now we have to deal with the CFO certification for my wife which entails a trip to Manila so she can attend a 'seminar' about human trafficking. We've been married for years! The CFO online registration would not accept her application because she properly indicated my address as our home in the Philippines. She contacted someone with CFO and they told her they only care about OFWs and people marrying foreigners. She then asked, "So I don't need the CFO certificate?"  The answer was ,"No you still need it but you need to put down your husbands address in the USA"  My wife said, " But he lives with us in the Philippines!" The CFO person said, Just put down some address where you will be visiting so our system will accept. our system is not set up for people with visitor visas but you cannot leave without CFO stamp or certificate.

It's more f### in the Philippines.

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Dave Hounddriver
Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Greglm said:

CFO certification for my wife which entails a trip to Manila

My common-law wife got hers done in Cebu.  So may be an option.

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hk blues
Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, Greglm said:

I got the Philippine passports for both my daughters so they will have both USA and Philippine passports when we go visit the USA. Now we have to deal with the CFO certification for my wife which entails a trip to Manila so she can attend a 'seminar' about human trafficking. We've been married for years! The CFO online registration would not accept her application because she properly indicated my address as our home in the Philippines. She contacted someone with CFO and they told her they only care about OFWs and people marrying foreigners. She then asked, "So I don't need the CFO certificate?"  The answer was ,"No you still need it but you need to put down your husbands address in the USA"  My wife said, " But he lives with us in the Philippines!" The CFO person said, Just put down some address where you will be visiting so our system will accept. our system is not set up for people with visitor visas but you cannot leave without CFO stamp or certificate.

It's more f### in the Philippines.

The discussion on the need for the CFO has come up before - IIRC the consensus was it was only required for those leaving to live/work abroad rather then for a trip. It seems your guidance is different?

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Possum
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Posted
2 minutes ago, hk blues said:

The discussion on the need for the CFO has come up before - IIRC the consensus was it was only required for those leaving to live/work abroad rather then for a trip. It seems your guidance is different?

I thought so too but we know one person with a visitor visa turned back at the airport because she didn't have her CFO. Here's what the law says.

All Filipinos going abroad as fiancées, spouses or partners of foreign nationals or those in bi-national relationships are required to attend the mandatory Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) Guidance and Counseling Program (GCP) in order to secure the Guidance and Counseling Certificate (GCC) and the CFO sticker. It specifically provides a venue where they can express and discuss their particular concerns about migration and various areas in their relationships such as communication barrier, financial management, personality and cultural differences, sexual relationship, among others.

It's a PIA. CFO, ECC A or B, Exit tax. I also have to get letter from PRA since I have SRRV. We hope to take care of exit tax and ECC at the local BI office a day before leaving for the Philippines. Sheesh..all we want to do is go to Disney World.

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hk blues
Posted
Posted
21 minutes ago, Greglm said:

I thought so too but we know one person with a visitor visa turned back at the airport because she didn't have her CFO. Here's what the law says.

All Filipinos going abroad as fiancées, spouses or partners of foreign nationals or those in bi-national relationships are required to attend the mandatory Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) Guidance and Counseling Program (GCP) in order to secure the Guidance and Counseling Certificate (GCC) and the CFO sticker. It specifically provides a venue where they can express and discuss their particular concerns about migration and various areas in their relationships such as communication barrier, financial management, personality and cultural differences, sexual relationship, among others.

It's a PIA. CFO, ECC A or B, Exit tax. I also have to get letter from PRA since I have SRRV. We hope to take care of exit tax and ECC at the local BI office a day before leaving for the Philippines. Sheesh..all we want to do is go to Disney World.

Thanks!

In a strange way I am happy to have this confirmed as I was in 2 minds before based on comments here that it was not required which ran contrary to what is written in law.  I don't like to take a flier on such things but at the same time don't need the unnecessary hassle of my wife going to Cebu/Manila to attend the seminar if it's not required.

Now I know!

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OnMyWay
Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Greglm said:

I thought so too but we know one person with a visitor visa turned back at the airport because she didn't have her CFO. Here's what the law says.

Was she single or married travelling alone?  They started doing this a lot more when the pandemic started, because women were trying to go out to visit their boyfriends / husbands who were not allowed to come in.

2 hours ago, Greglm said:

All Filipinos going abroad as fiancées, spouses or partners of foreign nationals or those in bi-national relationships are required to attend the mandatory Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) Guidance and Counseling Program (GCP) in order to secure the Guidance and Counseling Certificate (GCC) and the CFO sticker. It specifically provides a venue where they can express and discuss their particular concerns about migration and various areas in their relationships such as communication barrier, financial management, personality and cultural differences, sexual relationship, among others.

CFO is a mess.  My wife has been to the U.S. 3 times, NZ twice, AU once, SG twice and HKG.  Never once asked for CFO.  First time she went to the U.S. was a work trip for 4 months.  Second trip was alone, to visit me, in 2012.  She even told BI she was going to visit me and they said nothing.

Has your wife travelled out of PH at all?  Usually it is the first trip that might be an issue.

Actually my wife has a CFO certificate and I usually bring it along when we travel.  Forgot it the last trip to AU.  Why does she have it?  After we married she was told by DFA she needed CFO before they could change her passport to her married name.  So she went to CFO Angeles (Clark) and told them we were married, lived in Subic and were not even travelling.  They laughed and gave her the certificate without taking the class.  Turns out the person at DFA was wrong.

Not sure but I think the CFO office in Clark is still open.

 

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hk blues
Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

Was she single or married travelling alone?  They started doing this a lot more when the pandemic started, because women were trying to go out to visit their boyfriends / husbands who were not allowed to come in.

CFO is a mess.  My wife has been to the U.S. 3 times, NZ twice, AU once, SG twice and HKG.  Never once asked for CFO.  First time she went to the U.S. was a work trip for 4 months.  Second trip was alone, to visit me, in 2012.  She even told BI she was going to visit me and they said nothing.

Has your wife travelled out of PH at all?  Usually it is the first trip that might be an issue.

Actually my wife has a CFO certificate and I usually bring it along when we travel.  Forgot it the last trip to AU.  Why does she have it?  After we married she was told by DFA she needed CFO before they could change her passport to her married name.  So she went to CFO Angeles (Clark) and told them we were married, lived in Subic and were not even travelling.  They laughed and gave her the certificate without taking the class.  Turns out the person at DFA was wrong.

Not sure but I think the CFO office in Clark is still open.

 

I guess we have the typical issue here - what happens in practice vs what is supposed to happen according to the letter of the law.  The issue is that you may be the unlucky one who comes across an Immigration Officer who applies the law exactly as described by Greglm in his post. 

My wife was also told by the DFA that the CFO was required to change to married name on passport and, on reading the passport guidance, it was stated (the latest guidance update makes no mention of this I noticed last year).  However, when my wife protested they gave up easily.  

I guess If we do travel outside we will get the CFO certificate just in case we come across that picky Immigration Official!

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Gas
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On 1/13/2023 at 2:11 AM, Gas said:

Must be a new requirement  as my kids British passports do not have stamps in them from the Philippines. The youngest is flying in at the end of January and I will check to see if it is stamped. 

Our daughter flew in on January 26th and used the e-gate and only her Philippine passport. So no stamp in passport.

Flew back to Australia on Feb 4 and was told by the immigration officer that she shouldn't have used the e-gate, as both passports should be presented. I'm sure next time she will use the e-gate again!   

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