I assume that you lived and worked here with a 9(g) Visa. To prevent any nasty shocks you may have upon your return, through lack of knowledge or pre-warning, please bear in mind that this particular Visa - and its associated work permit (DOLE) - is specific to a single employer and that, unless you return to your previous company, you will have to go through the entire process again.
Hi Markham No I dont think so, I am stating what happened to me, like I said, I have exited Philippines many times using the same airlines, I have never had to pay the tourist fee before, they actually told me that I was classed as a tourist !!!! That is nonsense since I showed them my permanent residency permit. At All other times I exited PH and there are many times for short business trips, I paid P500 terminal fee, and P2880 exit visa which amounts to P3480, I have always accepted this so I dont think I am making a montain out of a molehill when they charge me almost an extra 3k and cant explain why. I did NOT accuse them either in my post, I simply said it was a rip off. perhaps if they behaved, showed me evidence, then I may have accepted it, however, when I asked for a receipt, they told me the cashier was sick and all they gave me was a small bit of paper and hand wrote the amount I paid, it was just a small blank bit of paper !!!
My visa was and is indefinite (permanent residency) I was allowed to change jobs, however, if I go back, I will probably need to go through the process again, it depends on long I stay out the country I guess. Thanks for the reply.
Steve.. Did you ask for a receipt as proof of payment? Did they offer one? If they did,exactly what does it say on it? BTW..What visa do you have? A 13a or 13b? I`m interested to know because although I have such a visa,I have never left the country since obtaining it.. Thanks for the info.
Steve, there is no such thing as "Tourist Tax" levied at an airport here in the Philippines and if you Google that term, you'll be given links to Philippine Travel Tax which was almost certainly included in the cost of your ticket. If you were told you had to pay that tax and were told "they" could not provide you with a printed official receipt, then it occurs to me that you fell prey to confidence tricksters. Unless you're married to a Filipina and hold a 13(a), the only class of Visa that permits you to work and change employers is a Section 13 Quota Visa, as far as I'm aware. The only other Visas issued to foreigners that permit employment - the non-immigrant 9(g) employment visa and the "special" investors', entrepreneurs' and bankers' visas (SIRV, SVEG and SEVOBU) - are specific to the original sponsor.
It certainly won't be a 13(b) - that's only issued to children who are born abroad to foreigner mothers who hold a 13(a) and gave birth during a temporary visit out of the country. This Wiki page is a little dated but does explain the various Visa categories quite well. There are no barriers to overseas travel for 13(a) holders such as you and I. However you will need to visit your local BoI office for an ECC - your Exit Clearance Certificate - a few days prior to departure. This you hand to the Immigration Officer in the departure hall along with your Passport and, very importantly, your residents' ACR-I card. You should aim to be away no longer than 3 months in order to retain your residency status or, unless you have a very good excuse for a longer stay, your 13(a) can be cancelled at the whim of the Immigration Officer upon your return. Your ACR-I card serves as your re-entry permit.
So. Always have a few pesos left as you leave the country. Just in case. I tended to get rid of them as I left, but on the first occasion I was unaware of these legal and otherwise local surcharges but thankfully the use of my debit card in the automatic teller machine saved the day. ( I had given virtually all my remaining Filipino cash to my wife as we said goodby. )
I never ever spent any time in Nigeria, but all the stories I ever heard about leaving the country included leaving a bribe in your case as you checked through for departure. Pretty standard procedure evidently.
My bro in law worked in Nigeria. He was escorted from the airport to the company by armed guards. I don't think he had any problems on his return but he did have an African grey parrot with him!
Markham.. I have 2 friends that reside here on 13b visas... One is an Aussie citizen that works in the call center industry (Management) It used to be the case that 50 people were the quota from any one country each year for this visa... The problem was again corruption as these visa`s were managed (purchased as job lot) by lawyers and other such agents... The visa`s were then purchased from these agents by the highest bidder.. There is no requirement to be married to a Filipino in order to apply.
Steve.. Did you ask for a receipt as proof of payment? Did they offer one? If they did,exactly what does it say on it? BTW..What visa do you have? A 13a or 13b? I`m interested to know because although I have such a visa,I have never left the country since obtaining it.. Thanks for the info.
Yes, of course I read your post. Just because you are supposedly a 'permanent resident' doesn't mean you can't be charged overstay fees at the airport...as you have now discovered. Nobody is doubting your word.
Guys, I just want to say that I love the Philippines, I am not trying to pull the country down, but the problem is, when something like this happens, people tell their friends, family and even post the experience on blogs and this gives a negative effect to the world about the Philippines. the fact is, that if people continue to do this, more and more bad publicity gets out, so really it is up to the agencies involved to stamp this out and people to be more disciplined, I am simply reporting what happened to me, It might be a one off incident as it never happened before at the airport, and perhaps these people were unaware of the laws or poorly trained. As of now I would rather not comment anymore
No chance I overstayed, I left for a 2 week vacation December 2014, then my next departure was April 2015, so the charge was NOT for over stay. The charge was because they insisted I was a tourist even though I worked there for a FILIPINO company and lived there.
