I have no knowledge when it comes to travel but I’m involved with someone online and she lives in the Philippines. We’ve discussed matters and we both want me to visit her next year in April and she and I both would like me to stay there as long as possible. To do that, I know I would need a passport and a visa but is that all? Can I even just move to another country for possibly months at a time? If not, how come? If so, how difficult would it be?
Please… be as exhaustive in your replies as you can. I’d like to know everything I can about how to make this happen. Thank you.
Well, you’ll probably need an airline ticket. Heh heh.
Seriously, I think the Philippines allow most nationalities to show up with no visa at all, or at least that was the case 5 or 6 years ago. But if I recall correctly, those who do so are allowed to stay only about 3 weeks, whereas if you get a visa before you go, I think you can stay up to 2 or 3 months.
I’ve known a good many westerners who live more or less permanently in various SE Asian countries on a series of 3-month tourist visas. Every 3 months (or 2, whenever their visa is about to expire) they just make a “visa run” to the nearest neighboring country, visit the embassy or consulate to get renewed, and then go back “home.” Sometimes these runs can be done in a day. If you were to find some sort of empolyment there, I imagine a 1-year visa would be issued, but I don’t really know.
Anyway, good luck. Though my wife is Korean, we met in the Philippines (Boracay Island), so I have fond memories of the place.
There is not catch-all policy; different countries have different policies, and each country in turn has different policies for citizens of different countries. Passport and visa should get you in pretty much anyway, I guess, but the catch is the terms of the visa. Getting a tourist visa of decent length shouldn’t be a big problem, but if you wanted to settle down a little more it might take another kind of visa for you to get work or even housing. I suggest you do a search to find the site for the Phillipines’ Immigration Department, they should have what you need.
I agree, check with the Phillipines’ Immigration Department for specifics.
Generally speaking, countries have very little problem with long duration tourist visas (and some countries don’t require visas for tourists from certain other countries.) The concern is how you will live (that is, pay for supporting yourself) while you are in their country. They don’t want you taking jobs from local nationals. Hence, if you are going to work for pay, you will need a visa. And if you are going to be there for long duration, you will probably need a visa or be able to prove that you are self-supporting.
The US is not different; we don’t want people coming over here who are not taxpayers or votes, will never be taxpayers or voters, but want to sponge off the social welfare system… or take a job that could be held by a citizen.
Here’s a link to the Philippine Embassy in D.C.; I don’t know where you are, but there may be a consular office close to you. It doesn’t look like they have much info online, but you could call and try your luck.
I’m checking out those sites right now and seeing if they tell me anything new now. Thanks.
Some additional information: I live in the United States and according to one of the sites I read last night before posting this topic, there’s no restriction of travel between here and there so I can get a tourist’s visa that is good up to six months, which is how long I hope to stay if she and I get along as well in person as we do online.
I’m already saving up money now and hope to have enough money to get there and rent a cheap hotel or something for the duration… she’s told me that it’s only about $150 USD per month for that so base living expenses shouldn’t be hard. If I could get there and manage to get a work visa, I’d happily work there as well, that way I could support myself instead of relying on her in case my funds run out.
Also, just to be sure, are you saying that as an American citizen living in the Philippines, I could go to Malaysia, visit their Filipino embassy, and get my tourist visa renewed there, MrO? If so, I can continue doing it for as long as I like?
I do apologize for continuing to ask instead of finding this all out myself but when it comes to matters like this, I might as well have have no brain. I really have no comprehension of international policies and will probably have to have my hand held the entire way.
As I understand it, yes. There might be a limit to the number of times a tourist visa can be renewed with no intervening breaks–I’m sure each country has its own policy. If such limits exist, then in practice they are often overlooked, apparently. I’ve never been clear on why, but visas often must be renewed from outside the country in question. Once when I changed jobs here in Korea, I had to leave the country, go to a Korean embassy outside Korea, and then come back to start the new job. Some visas in some countries, however, can be extended without leaving the country.
I’ve known several people here in Korea who hop over to Japan every few months to get their tourist visa renewed at the Korean embassy there. If they are working here in Korea, this is illegal. I met a retired American guy in Thailand who had been living there for something like 10 years, all on tourist visas. For him, it usually meant an overnight trip to Malaysia every few months. I don’t think this was illegal, since he wasn’t working.
Of course, you should get the legal information from the proper authorities. Travel agents can sometimes be helpful with such questions too. My impression is that these visa runs aren’t illegal unless you are using them to stay in the country to work illegally. Of course you aren’t legally allowed to work with a tourist visa. But as far as I know, as long as you aren’t violating the terms of your visa, you can renew a tourist visa as many times as you like. As far as I know–but please don’t take my word for it!
Tourist Visas do not need to be “renewed” at an Embassy.
You are granted a Tourist Visa at the airport by immigration with the stamp they issue into your passport.
You only need to go to an outside embassy if you are applying for a special residency or work VISA. This is especially the case if you hold a passport from a Western country (Canada, USA, Britain).
Looking in my own Canadian passport now I got the following “Visas” without ever having to visit an Embassy:
Japan, 90 days.
Korea, 6 months
Thailand, 30 days
So if you want to stay in the Phillipines beyond the original term of the Visa, just take a boat or flight to Malayasia, then come back. They will issue a fresh stamp in your passport, no need to visa the embassy.
<hijack>
Are your eyes w i d e open? You have 11 months to seriously do your homework.
</hijack>
FWIW: I’m all for international online romances. Just be very aware of what that all means. Mrs Duckster and I met online when I was in Australia (planning to return to the USA) and she back in the USA. But The Philippines has its own set of stories …
I’m well aware that it’ll take even more work than your typical relationship but I’m willing to work at it. My going there in the first place is the first step in that. If I don’t know anything about her or her culture, there’ll be next to no chance of it suceeding, right?
To highjack my own thread, do you have any suggestions or words of advice and/or caution?
At this point you should open another thread since it’as no longer GQ. However, to get it started (you should answer in IMHO to solicit the same because I won’t respond here unless it’s GQ):
She - Philippines. Wants you to visit there.
He (That’s you) - USA. American.
Putting aside emotions and things personal: What do each of you bring to the table, based upon each other’s countries, cultures, economic prospects, potential for jobs, domestic tranquility, yadda, yadda?
If you cannot catch my drift, it is imperative you open a new thread in IMHO and ask for assistance. I do not wish to spoil your potential happiness, whatever, however, and wherever that may be.
Quoting Ben Franklin: “Keep your eyes w i d e o p e n before marriage; half shut afterwards.” The specifics may not apply here (yet), but the concept certainly does.
True enough, since we’re talking about the Philippines. Also true enough for the other three countries you mention. Perhaps I clouded the issue by alluding to other countries I’ve visited that were not so tourist-friendly. When I visited China, Mongolia, Vietnam, and some other places, I was not allowed simply to show up with no pre-arranged visa, and sometimes renewals or extensions do require a visit to an embassy. Sometimes they aren’t available at all.
But for the Philippines, that’s right–just leave and come back.
A co-worker who has a Filipina wife and a home on Mindanao tells me that there is some terrorist danger in certain parts of the country (including, he says, Mindanao). It should be taken seriously, as should the warnings about inter-cultural relationships. It’s doable, but of course, keep your eyes open. Good luck!
Well, as it appears this is your first overseas trip, and given my experience, let me give some cautions:
(a) Ensure your US affaires are in order before leaving and ensure that in the event wrinkles appear once over there, you can return w/o many problems.
(b) Embark on critical reading about Phillapines history and culture and try to hold back on the love bird idealizations, it will help reduce culture shock.
(d) Properly prepare your financial arrangements, including insuring you have pre-paid return and some cushions. You might be well-advised to have an open return ticket and aim for a shorter initial stay than six months. You may need someone (trusted or retained) with power of attorney in the US if you have any substantial holdings or reasons to engage in transactions in the US while you are gone. It can be real bitch to deal with these items long distance.
(e) Properly prepare your legal documents - copies of whatever is necessary, such as identification documents, title to properties, insurance coverage etc should be placed in a secure place.
