SRRV with Filipino Spouse

[mountainside]

I previously held an Expanded Courtesy SRRV  (US military veteran) from 2015 to 2019.  While holding the visa I met and married my Filipino wife.

 

We’re now in the US, anticipating a possible return to the Philippines this Fall for an extended stay.

 

My previous SRRV experience was great.  My PRA accredited marketer, based in Makati, did an excellent job, and my dealings with PRA were fine from beginning to end, including the return of my deposit.

 

I think I understand the arguments for and against a tourist visa with Balikbayan privilege vs. 13A visa vs. SRRV and I will likely obtain another SRRV.

 

When we return to the Philippines my wife will likely (but maybe not) be a US-Philippine dual citizen.  I can add her to my SRRV for $300 US.  We tend to travel frequently, and the SRRV makes exit and re-entry very convenient.  Maybe (I haven’t consulted with PRA on this yet) it will make things easier for her to receive my visa deposit should I die before she does.  So far, I can’t think of a reason, short of the $300 fee, to not add her to the visa.

 

Are there any forum members who hold SRRVS and have Filipino spouses who can offer any advice or war stories that might help us with planning our return?  Or any other forum members with information or experience that might help?  Thanks in advance.

[JJReyes]

I seriously doubt your wife needs a visa if there is proof of dual citizenship.  Or she can enter as a Balikbayan (actually both of you) and thereafter file the petition.  Supposedly, it's paperwork handled by an attorney.  My recollection is the certificate is one page which is shown to the Immigrations officer.

By the way, I believe the SRRV deposit for retired military is $1,000.  Is this still correct?

[JJReyes]

Additional Note.  Please check if your wife's Philippine passport is still valid (non-expired).  She can enter the Philippines using this passport.  If expired, another possibility is requesting for a new one from a Philippine consular office in the United States.  When departing, you use the US passport.  When entering the Philippines, you show the Immigrations officer both passports.  A vlogger who does videos for potential Filipino retirees to the Philippines explained this is done to establish you are NOT a tax resident and you don't have to pay departure fees.

[Nickleback99]

Yeah, don't know why you'd spend money you don't need to spend to add her to your SRRV, when she can just enter and get a BB automatically as returning Filipino.  My wife just did it at NO cost in November arriving only on her US Passport and showed her birth certificate, at and also got it for our son, after they flew ahead of me by a few weeks.   Once here, she filed for her certificate of Philippine citizenship.  I got stuck doing the tourist visa process/extensions since arrived alone, but will meet her in Korea for vacation there when I fly back to/from US again this April and then re-enter Philippines on BB priviledge with her, costing me nothing.  I'll then decided later if want a 13a or SRRV, Or just keep doing the tourism trips with her every 6-12 months and start all over on the BB.  

[mountainside]

Thank you, gentlemen, for your very informative responses.  You've helped confirm my suspicion that it's not sensible to add her to the SRRV.

It never would have occurred to me that an advantage to my wife of entering as a balikbayan is the avoidance of the departure fee.  Avoiding the fee was one of the reasons I thought of for adding her to the SRRV in the first place.

JJReyes:  deposit for Expanded Courtesy SRRV is US $1500.