eTravel - BIG BROTHER is watching

[KC813]

Through the years I have been asked for an onward ticket before boarding several times by different airlines, but always when my later departure from the Philippines is on a separate ticket/separate airline.

 

6 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

You could place the blame on DL or BI, but someone dropped the ball.  I believe BI has oversight for all entries to the country, and they certainly are very aware of SRRV.  DL and other airlines have been boarding SRRV holders for years, and just now this comes up?

Let me speculate.  Entry on SRRV was suspended during Covid.  Delta still has a list that is not updated.

It is nearly impossible for an airline to keep track of every country's constantly changing entry requirements, so almost all airlines and travel agencies use a service called Timatic.  Even with Timatic, it is still hard for check-in agents to understand all the unique terminology used by different countries to describe their visa categories.  Here is what Timatic shows for a US Citizen to enter the Philippines:

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
Visa is not required for Philippines. Maximum stay of 30 days.
Passengers not holding onward/return tickets or other acceptable evidence of onward/return travel may be refused entry.

This does not apply to passengers with Balikbayan status, who are classed as former citizens of the Philippines, or passengers holding either a “Special non-immigrant Visa” or an ACR I-Card (alien certificate of registration) with permanent status issued by the Philippines, or passengers holding an APEC Business Travel Card endorsed "Valid for travel to the Philippines".
Passengers with Balikbayan status (former Filipinos who have been naturalized to any of the 157 countries listed under the Executive Order 408) are entitled to a one-year visa free entry, which they can extend to their spouse and children, if travelling together.

A different section covers health requirements.  I remember during COVID that deciphering the Philippines Covid requirements and oddball exceptions were so convoluted that I would take a full printout with the specific exception diagramed and circled to show the agents at checkin if there was a problem. 

 

[Possum]

59 minutes ago, KC813 said:

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
Visa is not required for Philippines. Maximum stay of 30 days.
Passengers not holding onward/return tickets or other acceptable evidence of onward/return travel may be refused entry.

This does not apply to passengers with Balikbayan status, who are classed as former citizens of the Philippines, or passengers holding either a “Special non-immigrant Visa” or an ACR I-Card (alien certificate of registration) with permanent status issued by the Philippines, or passengers holding an APEC Business Travel Card endorsed "Valid for travel to the Philippines".
Passengers with Balikbayan status (former Filipinos who have been naturalized to any of the 157 countries listed under the Executive Order 408) are entitled to a one-year visa free entry, which they can extend to their spouse and children, if travelling together.

To my best recollection that is what they showed me at Delta. Note that SRRV is not mentioned even though it is permanent residence visa.

[OnMyWay]

3 hours ago, KC813 said:

It is nearly impossible for an airline to keep track of every country's constantly changing entry requirements, so almost all airlines and travel agencies use a service called Timatic

Makes sense.  So it seems that Timatic is where the issue lies, but that could also be because their upstream source info is bad.  Timatic is an IATA company.

[Mike J]

5 hours ago, Greglm said:

To my best recollection that is what they showed me at Delta. Note that SRRV is not mentioned even though it is permanent residence visa.

Those on SSRV  are not given an ACR card?

[OnMyWay]

3 hours ago, Mike J said:

Those on SSRV  are not given an ACR card?

 

2. Exemption from:

• Philippine Bureau of Immigration ACR-I Card (Annual Report)

https://pra.gov.ph/srrv/

[OnMyWay]

10 hours ago, KC813 said:

This does not apply to passengers with Balikbayan status, who are classed as former citizens of the Philippines, or passengers holding either a “Special non-immigrant Visa” or an ACR I-Card (alien certificate of registration) with permanent status issued by the Philippines, or passengers holding an APEC Business Travel Card endorsed "Valid for travel to the Philippines".

Just discovered this.  The mix-up may just be naming convention and confusion about that.  SRRV is Special non-immigrant visa.

https://pra.gov.ph/srrv/

The Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) is a special non-immigrant visa for foreign nationals who would like to make the Philippines their second home or investment destination.

So for any airline who questions it, you could bookmark this page and show it.  Or just tell them it is Special Non-Immigrant Visa and not SRRV.

[hk blues]

1 hour ago, OnMyWay said:

Just discovered this.  The mix-up may just be naming convention and confusion about that.  SRRV is Special non-immigrant visa.

https://pra.gov.ph/srrv/

The Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) is a special non-immigrant visa for foreign nationals who would like to make the Philippines their second home or investment destination.

So for any airline who questions it, you could bookmark this page and show it.  Or just tell them it is Special Non-Immigrant Visa and not SRRV.

Seems very much like a 'You say Tomato, I say Tomatoe situation'. 

[Freebie]

On 4/18/2023 at 5:33 PM, Freebie said:

Good tip Rooster.. off to BKK in a week.

Or if you need to change inside the airport, go down to where the train goes from...down there rates are way better. Theres a Krungsi booth near the escalators thats fine. Again, its below ther airport, just follow the signs for Airport link train. They pay different rents to those inside the arrivals area so always offer a better rate. Easy enough to go back up two sets escalators to get into arrival  area again

[Freebie]

18 minutes ago, hk blues said:

Seems very much like a 'You say Tomato, I say Tomatoe situation'. 

 

1 hour ago, OnMyWay said:

Just discovered this.  The mix-up may just be naming convention and confusion about that.  SRRV is Special non-immigrant visa.

https://pra.gov.ph/srrv/

The Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) is a special non-immigrant visa for foreign nationals who would like to make the Philippines their second home or investment destination.

So for any airline who questions it, you could bookmark this page and show it.  Or just tell them it is Special Non-Immigrant Visa and not SRRV.

Easy enuogh to just turn to the SRRV visa page in the passport and show that. It show it doesnt expire. Ive found all airlines have a copy of that visa page somewhere in their files. The card is just secondary proof of the actual visa. Only had one problem in past 6 years when I was told in Tanzania that their copy of the visa looked different to mine... theirs was 10 years old !

[Gator]

Just back from a week in Thailand. I followed the protocol and completed the eTravel prior to leaving the Phils and again prior to leaving Thailand. Left via Clark and at no point did anyone ask about it or ask to scan the eTravel QR code.

When I returned there were a couple small and easy to miss signs posted just before immigration requesting you to scan a QR code. I didn’t notice any one scanning it as most were in hurry to be first in line at immigration. I too just walked past and was never asked about the eTravel code. 

As a side note, on return trip all of the passengers were given the paper customs declaration form to fill out. The green “nothing to declare” lanes were closed and you had to hand the paper form to a customs officer. In the past when the green lanes were open all I’ve ever done is drop the form into a box on the counter.