Hi, my name is Gervey. I would like to ask you something regarding immigration matters, if you don't mind. You seem to know something about immigration. I have a Hungarian girlfriend and my question is how she can get permanent residence in the Philippines. What are her options for herself? I have a doubt about a marriage visa if she can get one, because I heard that the Philippines and Hungary have no reciprocity. I hope you can help me. I'm not sure how she can have permanent residence in the Philippines. One thing I know, she needs to be a U.S citizen when she enters the Philippines, but it's a long process if I need to petition her first in the U.S. and wait for her to be a U.S citizen, then she can move to the Philippines to fix the Philippine permanent residency. Thank you.

Hi Gervey,

You are correct. Because Hungary does not allow Philippine citizens to immigrate to Hungary, Hungarian nationals are ineligible for Philippine permanent residence visas. Even if you were married, she would not be eligible for a 13a Marriage Visa.

The list of countries eligible for Philippines residency contains most EU countries, but Hungary is not on the list.
https://nomadicfire.com/philippines-13a-visa-marriage#countries

However, she still has a few options available if she wants to stay in the Philippines long-term.

1) 9a/Tourist Visa- She can enter the Philippines Visa on Arrival and apply for extensions for up to 36 months
2) SRRV- If she is above 50 years old and can meet the financial deposit, then the Philippines Retirement Visa is an option
3) SIRV- If she doesn't meet the minimum age limit of the SRRV, but she can meet the financial investment requirements of the Special Investors Resident Visa.

If you have any questions or concerns, drop me a line.

Cheers,

Marco

Thank you very much for answering my question. I would like to follow up some questions. I would like to ask if she can have the same privilege of permanent resident in Philippines if she will get SIRV-Special Investors Resident Visa like she can work or she can own property like condo? and how old can apply for it? and how much the investment she needs or other fees?
I'm not sure if foreigner can own condo or house and lot in Philippines maybe you can educate me?

Thank you very much.

Hello, Thank you so much for the answer. I really appreciate it. I have another follow up question if she will get the Special Investors Resident Visa if she can still go out of the country indefinite if she needs to stay long? as well if she become permanent resident in the Philippines using u.s passport citizenship or passport?

And If she will get the Special Investor resident visa if she can still apply for Philippine citizenship in case as similar if she will have normal permanent residency?

And I would like to rephrase my other question on the other trend. I would like to ask if she can have the same privilege of permanent resident in Philippines if she will get SIRV-Special Investors Resident Visa like if she can work or she can own property like condo? and how old she suppose to be to apply for it? and how much the investment she needs or other fees?
I’m not sure if foreigner can own condo or house and lot in Philippines maybe you can educate me?

Thank you very much.

Hi Gervey,

You can find many of your answers in my detailed post on How to Apply For the Philippines SIRV.

https://nomadicfire.com/philippines-investor-visa

If you still have additional questions specific to your girlfriend's situation, we have a one-hour consultation available with our Visa and Immigration specialist certified by the Bureau of Immigration to answer all your questions on which visa is best for her circumstances.

https://nomadicfire.com/philippines-visa-consultation

Cheers,

Marco

Hi Marco, your blog is the first thing I've actually found that has provided me with any indication on how to stay in the country longer than 30 days. I will be arriving in feb 2023 and want to stay for around 50 days. Sorry If the answer is in your blog above but I will want to extend Philippine Visa On Arrival for 29 more days (I am from the UK), you said 'you can request a visa waiver at a Philippines Bureau Immigration office' do you know: (1) where the offices are located, the link didn't take me to the list (2) how long it usually takes to process the waiver (3) is the process as complicated as all the steps listed above? if the steps do all apply to extending a tourist on arrival visa then I have clearly misunderstood and will try make sense of it all! Thank you for your blog, I hadn't found anything up until now explaining if it is possible to stay for longer than 30 days/extend

Hi Alice,

I'm glad you found Nomadic FIRE helpful. The United Kingdom is one of the 157 countries with an easy visa policy in the Philippines. You are allowed 30 days visa-free on arrival, then can extend 29 days on a visa waiver at a Bureau of Immigration office on this list. After 59 days, you can extend up to 6 months for three years.

The visa extension process isn't complicated but is time-consuming and requires multiple trips to a Bureau of Immigration office.

If you prefer us to handle the process and save you time in traffic and the headaches of dealing with Philippine Bureaucracy, reach out to us.

https://nomadicfire.com/philippines-visa-consultation

Cheers,

Marco

Hi Marco,

Firstly thank you for creating this wonderful website, all your hard work put into it does not go unnoticed.

Apologies if this is answered above but I’m from the UK and would like to travel the Philippines for 2 months. I understand when I arrive, I’ll get 30 days free but in order to extend my visa for another month, I’ll need to apply for an extension whilst in the Philippines (I think).

How can I therefore avoid having to show proof of an onward ticket to get through immigration? Do you recommend I just use Onward Ticket and purchase a ticket that shows I leave within 30 days, and then apply for my extension after this? Or is there any alternative way i.e. applying for an extension before I fly to the Philippines.

Many thanks,
Daniel

for tourist from us on 9a visa (59 vs free 30 day) extension costs are much higher than free 30 day visa ? or this is due to travel agency fees above ?

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for the kind words. It's always great to hear that someone appreciates the work.

For the onward ticket, yes, all foreigners, except for those entering with a permanent visa, must have an onward ticket, even if you plan on getting an extension. Heck, even if you plan on moving there full-time and applying for a permanent visa, you need to show an onward ticket. It's bureaucracy at its finest.

You can read this article I wrote detailing several ways to get around the Onward Ticket Requirement.

1) Rent a temporary onward ticket $
2) Buy a cheap return ticket $$
3) Buy a Flexible Date Ticket $$$
4) Purchase an expensive refundable ticket $$$
5) Make a 24-hour Hold on an airline ticket $
6) Book directly with airlines that offer free cancelations $
7) Risk it [NOT RECOMMENDED]
8) Sign an airline liability waiver [NOT RECOMMENDED]
9) Use a bus or train ticket [NOT RECOMMENDED]
10) Photoshop a Fake Ticket [NOT RECOMMENDED]

Most expats and I simply use #1 and "rent" an onward ticket for $14 to get through immigration.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Marco

Hi Sam,

This article lists only the prices the Bureau of Immigration charges for visa extension. If you use an agent, their costs will be on top of these fees. The benefit of using a visa service is that it eliminates the traffic, lines, and hassle of dealing with immigration agents.

If we can help you with your extension, drop me a line.

https://nomadicfire.com/philippines-visa-consultation

Cheers,

Marco

Hi Marco,
I'm hoping you can give some light on this. If ever I availed a 6 months visa extension and within 3 months in I had a 1-week trip outside of the Philippines (ie. Singapore) Can I go back to the Philippines and use the remaining days of the Visa extension (the other 3 months) or does it reset to the "initial 30-days for visa exempt - Background: I have an Irish passport.

Hi Jane,

Regrettably, Philippine tourist visas are single-entry visas. Once you leave, your "visa clock" starts over, and you would re-enter the Philippines under the 30-day visa exemption Irish passport holders receive on arrival. Also, note that not every Immigration office offers 6-month extensions. Some satellite branches maddeningly only give out 2-month extensions.

If you need any other information, let me know. We can actually handle the visa-extension process on your behalf, saving you the time and hassle of dealing with the Bureau of Immigration directly.

https://nomadicfire.com/philppines-visa-extension

Cheers,

Marco

I am Indian citizen married with filipina girl and stay Philippines since 5 years and I have TRV Id on my marriage basis upto 2025 but can i leave Philippines for my business for 7 days and after can I enter Philippines

Hi Goenka,

The TRV is a multiple entry visa. As long as your visa is valid, you can leave the Philippines and re-enter on the same visa.