A visa to the Philippines, is it necessary for Russians in 2021, extension of tourist stay, samples and document forms

Entry ban to the Philippines from March 15, 2020 due to coronavirus

A ban has been introduced on entry into Manila for Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians and all other foreigners. – the capital of the Philippines from March 15 to April 14, 2021, by all means of transport, reports the website interfax.ru

The Philippines has closed its borders to foreigners for a month as international flights only land in Manila.

Russians cannot fly to the country on vacation at this time.

Hotel in the Philippines

The Philippines is a unique state located in the Malay Archipelago and includes more than seven thousand islands. Russians most often visit the islands of Boracay, Bohol, Cebu and, of course, the main “gateway” to the country - Manila, located on the island of Luzon.

Visa costs

How much a Philippines visa will cost for Russians depends on the validity period:

3 months – 40$;
6 months – 80$;
12 months – $120.
A temporary residence permit when entering the country on a visa-free basis is issued free of charge. Extension at the airport will cost $75.

When applying for a visa extension to the Migration Service, you will need to pay $200 for the first time and $100 each subsequent time.

Important! When planning to renew your visa at the Migration Service, you need to remember that you will have to pay an additional $15 and $12, respectively, for the ID document and exit certificate.

Do Russians need a visa?

There is a simplified visa regime for tourists.

Let us hasten to please Russians planning to spend up to 30 days on the islands: a visa to the Philippines is not required. All you need is a foreign passport, valid for at least six months from the date of entry into the country.

For example, if you come to the Philippines in February 2021, and your passport is valid until June 2021, then you may not be allowed on the paradise islands on this basis and your vacation will not take place.

The period of visa-free stay for Russians in the Philippines is 30 days in 2021. In this case, the day of arrival in the country is not included in the 30 days; the countdown begins from the next day. So, if you arrive early in the morning, you actually have the right to live without a visa for even 31 days.

Here you can see where else you can go without a visa.

Rules for visa-free entry

You will be given a stamp for entry into the country and the possibility of living for a month without a visa immediately at the airport. Just in case, you should have with you not only your passport, but also a return ticket.

In practice, officers almost never check it, but they have the right to do so. If you stay in the Philippines for more than 30 days without renewing your stamp, you will have to pay an overstay fee at the airport before departure.

The fine is approximately 1,000 Philippine pesos ($23) for each excess day.

The immigration office at the airport is open only during the day, so if you have an evening flight, you may not have time to pay the fine, and you simply will not be allowed out of the country that day.

In case of overstay, this point should be thought through in advance - you need to arrive at the airport during business hours, even if your flight is late in the evening.

If you already know in advance that your vacation in the Philippines will last more than a month, it is worth extending your visa-free stay to 59 days.

Do Russians need a visa to the Philippines in 2021?

Update March 17, 2021
The Philippines has banned entry to foreign citizens from countries with reported cases of coronavirus.
The ban on visiting the Philippines has been extended to all countries where cases of infection with this viral disease have been recorded.
The rule does not apply to Filipino citizens, their foreign spouses and children, permanent residents and diplomatic visa holders.

Russians who visit the Philippines for tourism purposes, go to visit relatives or for a business meeting, or cross the country in transit do not require a visa.

For Russian citizens, 5 years ago the period of visa-free stay was increased to 30 days.

For holders of official and diplomatic passports, the permitted period remained unchanged - 90 days.

How to apply for a visa for 59 days

If you want to go to the Philippines for a long time, you can apply for a long-term visa for 59 days (almost 2 months) in advance. There is an opportunity for Russians to address this issue to the Philippine Embassy in Moscow.

In addition, you can obtain a Philippine visa at the consulates general, which are located in St. Petersburg and Vladivostok.

Required documents

Before going to the embassy or consulate, you need to collect several required documents:

International passport. The original and a copy of the first page with the photo are required;
Completed application form (in English);

The application form can be downloaded here.

Color photograph in 3 by 4 centimeters format. According to established rules, the background in the photo must be light;
Hotel booking confirmation. You need to write a letter to the hotel asking to send this document. In practice, hotels often do not respond to letters, so it is better to call them or write a letter to the administrators of the electronic reservation system;
Tickets back to Russia or any other country. The immigration office wants to make sure that you will definitely leave the Philippines after your vacation;
A check from the bank confirming payment of the fee.

Questionnaire

The application form for a visa to the Philippines consists of only 18 questions. The form must be filled out in English only, preferably in block letters.

Step-by-step filling out the form:

In the 1st line, enter the last name, first name, patronymic and select the gender: male or female.
In the 2nd you will need to indicate the date and place of birth, as well as the nationality of the foreign resident.
In the 3rd, marital status is selected. You need to mark it with a cross.
The 4th line is filled out only by those foreigners who are officially married. In this line you need to indicate detailed information, initials and address of the wife or husband.
The 5th is filled in if a foreign resident is accompanied by minor children. In this column you will need to indicate their initials, dates and places of birth of each.
The 6th line contains the actual residential address and current mobile or home address of the foreign resident.
The 7th section indicates the type of occupation and sources of funds for the trip.
The 8th section contains information about the foreign passport: number, date of issue, expiration date and the authority that issued the travel document.
The 9th indicates the name and address of the inviting person.
Line 10 is filled in only by those foreigners who want to work in the Philippines. People who want to work in this country must indicate their last place of work in this line. Be sure to indicate the salary and position held.
In line 11, the applicant signs and puts the date for filling out the application form.

Sample application form for a visa to the Philippines

The lower part of the application is not completed by the applicant. It is intended to be completed by consulate employees. Each form, after filling out and checking, is signed by a consular officer.

Photo requirements

It is very important to comply with the photograph requirements for obtaining a visa to the Philippines:

Size: 30x40 millimeters.
No traces of pixelation or photoshop.
No hats or sunglasses. Glasses are only allowed for vision correction, but it is worth considering that the lenses should not create glare, and the frames cannot cover any parts of the face. Headgear is only allowed in photographs for women of the Muslim faith, but it must not cover all or part of the applicant’s face.
The “age” of photographs cannot be more than 90 days.
The applicant's face should occupy 70 to 80% of the total frame space.

Cost and validity of visa

Tourist visas to the Philippines vary in terms of validity and fees. As of 2021, the situation for Russians looks like this:

A 3-month visa costs $40. It is considered a single entry visa, so if you leave the Philippines before the end of these 3 months, the visa will automatically be canceled;
A 6-month visa costs $80. It is reusable - with its help you can leave the Philippines as much as you like and return back within six months;
Visa for a year. The fee is 120 dollars, the visa is multiple-entry.

Registration deadlines

All visas are issued in Russia for quite a long time - from one week to 10 days. Therefore, it is better not to put off paperwork until the last minute.

When is it necessary to apply for a visa to the Philippines?

Tourists who intend to stay in the country for more than a month need to obtain a visa at the embassy or apply for an extension of the visa-free period upon arrival. Also, an entry permit will be required regardless of the length of stay in the country, if the purpose of the visit is not related to tourism.

To obtain an entry permit, you need to go to the embassy, determine the type of visa, and submit the necessary documents.

Manila, Philippines

Visa categories

Filipinos are classified into visa categories, regardless of the purpose of the visit, according to the length of stay in the country and the number of entries allowed. Thus, at the diplomatic mission you can register:

single entry visa for 3 months;
multiple for six months;
multiple for a year;
transit (not required for Russian citizens).

How much does a visa cost?

The cost of the consular fee directly depends on the type of visa requested:

visa for 3 months with the right to one entry – 40 dollars;
for six months (with the opportunity to visit the country multiple times) – $80;
multiple-entry annual visa – $120.

Documents for a visa to the Philippines

You must bring the following documents to the embassy in person or through a proxy to obtain a visa:

A signed and completed application form of the established form;
Foreign passport with blank pages, a copy of the page with biographical information. The travel document must be valid for at least six months from the date of return from the trip;
Photo (3.5x4.5 cm). The requirements for photos are standard: recent production, use of a light background, high-quality photo paper, neutral facial expression, no smile;
Airplane tickets to and from the Republic of the Philippines with dates indicated;
A written invitation from the host (individual or organization), which indicates the timing and purpose of the trip. For a tourist visit, documentary evidence of a hotel reservation is sufficient;
Receipt for repayment of the visa fee.

A trip abroad may not take place if you do not make sure in advance that there is no ban on traveling abroad. It is convenient to obtain such information on the website nevylet.rf.

Additional documents

Basically, after 5 days, the applicant can receive a ready-made foreign passport with an authorization stamp from the embassy. A longer process is obtaining a visa for the purpose of obtaining education at a local educational institution.

If a Russian citizen is enrolled in a Philippine educational institution, he must request written confirmation of this fact. The received paper, together with a complete package of documents, should be sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines.

The processed request will be delivered to the Philippine Embassy in the Russian Federation, where the future student should appear to apply for a visa. In addition to the basic package of papers, you need to bring a medical certificate.

Extension

If it is necessary to extend the period of residence in the Philippines within the framework of a visa-free regime, Russians can use two options:

Upon arrival, apply for a 59-day visa at the Immigration Service office located at the airport. You need to provide a foreign passport, fill out a form, pay a fee of about $60;
Two weeks after arrival, go to the Immigration Service and apply for an extension in the same way. A list of offices providing the service can be found here.

In the future, an extension is allowed for another 59 days or six months, but staying in the country for more than 16 months is prohibited. Long-term residence requires the completion of certain documents.

Obtaining an ACR I-Card

All visiting citizens who have lived in the Philippines for more than 2 months must obtain an ACR I-Card document. It serves as an identification document in the country during the period of residence. Similar in appearance to a plastic card. The document indicates the personal information of the foreign citizen: last name, first name, patronymic, Philippine residential address, photograph. The cost of registration is 60 dollars. The request should be submitted to the Philippine Immigration Service.

Cebu, Philippines

Document for leaving the country

Those citizens who have been on the territory of the Philippine state for more than six months must have a special certificate (Special Travel Exit Clearance) when leaving the country.

The paper is also requested from the Immigration Service. The applicant will need:

foreign passport (original, copy of the page with personal data and those sheets where the visa or arrival stamp is affixed, as well as extension of residence);
copy of ACR I-Card;
photograph size 5x5 cm;
return tickets and payment receipt for the last extension of stay in the country.

You can submit a request for a travel document no later than 3 days before departure. Please note that the certificate itself is valid for 5 days.

The essence of obtaining Special Travel Exit Clearance is to confirm the absence of debts and violations of the law on the part of the foreign guest.

Extension of stamp and visa

The Philippines offers ideal conditions for those who want to stay in a tropical paradise for as long as possible. Having already arrived at the airport, you can immediately apply for another, longer visa-free stamp - for 59 days, instead of the usual 30-day stamp. The issue price is 75 US dollars.

Any tourist visa can be extended in the Philippines at immigration offices. There are several important points here:

Each extension gives you the right to live in the Philippines for an additional 59 days. In total, you can stay in the country for more than a year - as much as 16 months.
When you come to renew for the first time, you will be required to pay about $200. The next renewals will cost about 100 USD.
Along with the first visa extension, you will need to obtain a special ID (identification document). It is something like a tourist passport: your first and last name is indicated here, a photo and residential address are added. All this happiness costs $15.

Every traveler from any CIS country can extend their tourist visa. Each extension is for 59 days. With these small formal procedures, you can stay in the Philippines for up to 16 months.

Extension of visa-free entry period

If 30 days for rest is not enough, you can choose one of the options:

Immediately upon arrival, apply for a 59-day visa at the Immigration Service office located at the airport. You will have to pay a fee of 50 USD+510 PHP and fill out a visa application form, to which you must attach a package of documents. But only Russians who arrived in the Philippines for the purpose of vacation can apply for a visa on arrival.
14 days after entering the state, contact the Immigration Service. After filling out the application form, providing a number of documents and paying a fee (about 3,000 PHP), the entry stamp will be extended by 59 days. (The addresses of the Immigration Service offices are available at: immigration.gov.ph/index.php/information/directory-of-transactions).

In the future, extension is allowed for another 59 days or immediately for 6 months. The number of extensions is limited: you cannot stay in the country for more than 16 consecutive months.

Video: Visa extension in the Philippines

Registration of ACR I-Card

After living in the country for more than two months, each foreigner is issued an ACR I-Card (Allien Certificate of Registration) - a plastic card, a kind of local identity card, which indicates individual information about the traveler, including his photograph and address of residence in the Philippines. You can use it to open an account or issue a card at a local bank.

An ACR I-Card is required to be issued at the Immigration Service office when a tourist applies for an extension of visa-free entry or a visa after two months of residence in the country. To receive it you will have to pay 50 USD+500 PHP and fill out an application for an ACR I-Card. Applying for a card is a fairly lengthy process: usually a tourist can pick up the document only 1-2 months after submitting the application. This is due to the fact that the cards are made only in Manila and it takes time to send them.

Certificate for leaving the country

If a vacation in the Philippines lasts more than 6 months in a row, the traveler will need to issue another document - Special Travel Exit Clearance. Unfortunately, without this document you simply will not be allowed to leave the country: you will either be forced to complete it or be fined.

Therefore, you will have to pay about $12 for registration and prepare several documents:

Photocopies of the “foreigner”: a page with a photo, as well as pages with all Philippine stamps and visas;
Previously issued ID (a copy is sufficient);
Receipt of payment of the fee for the last visa extension;
Photo (color or black and white) 3x4 centimeters.

Extension of long-term visa

The visa can be extended without leaving the state at the offices of the Immigration Service located in the capital and 44 other cities in the Philippines. To extend for 59 days, you must contact the Immigration Service with documentation no later than 7 days before the expiration date of your visa:

An application for visa extension, which indicates the full name, address of residence in the Philippines, the period for which the visa is extended, passport details and information about the issued entry document.
One photograph measuring 3.5x4.5 cm, which should be pasted into the application form.
A copy of the international passport (pages with individual information and visa sticker).

The documentation is submitted to the nearest Immigration Service office (immigration.gov.ph/index.php/information/directory-of-transactions), and a fee is paid there. When extending a visa after two months in the country, the amount is about 4,900 PHP. The cost of issuing an ACR I-Card is additionally paid (50 USD+500 PHP).

In the future, the visa can be extended for another 59 days or immediately for 6 months. The number of such extensions is limited and the foreigner cannot reside in the Philippines continuously for more than 16 months.

To the Philippines with children

Philippine seaside resorts are a great place to relax with the whole family.

If you travel with children who are under 18 years old, you need to take into account several important nuances:

In order to obtain a Russian visa for a child in advance, you need to provide a copy of the birth certificate. Also, to obtain a visa you will need a certificate from a school or preschool institution and two photos .
If you are renewing a visa in the Philippines, it will be enough to submit your child’s foreign passport.
If a child is traveling with only one parent, a power of attorney is required from the second. This document must be translated into English and officially certified by a notary.
It is hardly possible to send a child to the Philippines with other relatives or friends. Typically, a country's immigration authorities will deny entry to a child if they do not have a parent or legal guardian with them. Even powers of attorney do not help in this case.

In some cases, to visit the Philippines with a child, you may need the following documents (with English translation):

Certificate of death of one of the parents;
Certificate of divorce.

The Philippines is very convenient for “winterers” who want to live with children in warm countries for a long time. The fact is that you can stay in this country for a year and a half without having to travel for a visa, which usually becomes a rather difficult ordeal for a child. All formalities for visa extension can be done on the spot, without traveling to neighboring countries.

Visa-free entry to the Philippines

Citizens of the Russian Federation who plan to spend no more than 30 days in the Philippine Islands do not need to apply for a visa in advance. The visa regime in this case allows tourists from Russia to obtain a visa permit when crossing the border.

Important! In 2021, a visa-free stamp allowed you to stay on the islands for up to 21 days.

The passport is stamped by visa service employees right at the airport. The visa permit contains information about the date of entry into the territory of a foreign state; the countdown of 30 days of visa-free travel begins not from the current day, but on the next day.

Documents required for Russian citizens to cross the Philippine border visa-free:

Completed migration card .
Foreign passport (validity must be valid for the entire duration of the trip and for another six months in advance).
Return plane tickets ( the availability of a return ticket is a recommendation, as is its non-refundability).
Funds sufficient for the stay (the amount of finance required is determined by the duration of the trip).

Important! If a traveler entered the territory of the Philippine Islands on a visa-free basis, but overstayed the departure date, then he will be able to leave the foreign country only by paying a fine of 23 US dollars for each day of delay.

Customs regulations

What is prohibited from being brought into the country:

Drugs, in particular: opium, heroin, poppy, coca leaves, marijuana.
Components of narcotic substances.
Fresh fruits and vegetables.
Plant seedlings (import is possible only if the seedlings have a certificate).
Firearms.
Ammunition.
Explosives.
Pornographic materials.
Medicines and instruments intended for abortion.
Slot machines.
Lottery tickets.
Products made of precious metals and stones without a certificate confirming their quality.

You can import without paying duty:

Tobacco products to choose from: 20 packs of cigarettes, 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco.
Alcohol – 2 liters. But it is worth considering that the maximum volume of each bottle should not exceed one liter.
Local currency of 10 thousand Philippine pesos.
Foreign currency in the amount of 10 thousand US dollars. If this amount is exceeded, the money must be declared.
Animals. To import them you must have a veterinary certificate.

According to current legislation, it is prohibited to export the following goods from the territory of the Philippines:

Gold items.
Trees of rare species.
Ivory.
Local plants.
Antiques.

Features of staying in the Philippines

Filipinos speak both their native dialect and English fluently. The local population is usually friendly towards tourists and is happy to help in choosing places for swimming, fruits, and souvenirs.

On the island, both the local currency - Philippine pesos - and American dollars are equally valued and accepted for payment. Card payments and bank checks are not accepted everywhere, but it is always possible to cash out at a bank.

Important! Try to exchange currency at official institutions (airport, bank). Fraudsters and greedy money changers with incredibly high rates can also be found in the Philippines.

The islands have enough entertainment for every taste: classic beach holidays, diving and surfing courses, a wide selection of restaurants serving fresh seafood and much more.