Any foreign national who wants to stay in the Philippines for good or permanently should apply for Philippine resident visa. But, it’s not easy to get this document because the applicant needs to comply with the necessary requirements.
How to qualify for Philippine Resident Visa?
Before you decide to apply for Philippine resident visa, you should think that there are criteria to meet in order to qualify. The applicant must be:
- A spouse of a Philippine citizen
- A former citizen of the Philippines
How to apply for Philippine Resident Visa?
If you think that you are qualified to apply for resident visa, the next step is to do the following:
- Submit a duly accomplished application form
- Undergo medical tests
- Get police clearance and other clearances
Interested individual can opt to apply for resident visa in his or her home country or apply upon arriving in the Philippines. It takes about two weeks to obtain the approved visa and the foreign national can enter the Philippines within 6 months after the approval of visa and live in the country for good.
However, to avoid hassles, it is recommended to apply prior to coming to the Philippines. It’s because applying for resident visa here would take several months to process and extra paper works that may cost you big amount of money.
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If the applicant is married to a Philippine citizen, he or she can apply for a 13(a) visa and 13(g) visa if the spouse is a former Philippine citizen. Either of the two visas allows the holder to work in the country. Once granted, the holder of the resident visa is required to report to the Bureau of Immigration once a year either January or February.
Holder of Philippine resident visa should keep in mind that the Bureau of Immigration will cancel the visa if they are no longer married. Likewise, if the couple is still married, but not living together, the visa will be revoked.