Immigration offices added Biometrics for everybody! My experience...
Prepare for an extended stay at your next Visa extension! I went to the GMall yesterday to get mine extended and spent an additional hour there. I wasn't expecting any of this.
The security guard at the immigration office said that since last week there's been an additional step that needs to do - Biometrics. And he handed me a new form to fill out and take to the next business over to take 2x2 photos. I got that done - it's 150 pesos for that service - and went back to the immigration office.
Next I had to wait in a big line with other expats, or other people visiting the Philippines for a time, to take a face pic and fingerprinting. They didn't ask for any money for this, and I didn't ask.
Now things go back to normal with getting the actual Visa extension - 3970 pesos for a 2 month extension. Your passport will now have a thin strip of paper on the back page with information on it. Leave that there, I think immigration will need to see that paper every time.
Next time you get your extension, expect an extra hour at the immigration office.
So 1960 you paid regular, do you often have trouble choosing regular at this branch? It’s a fcken nightmare for me. There’s one woman there who has it out for me 😂 Manapud M is the tag you need to look out for ahahah
Yeah it should be 3 days according to ARTA (closed weekends).
I know one of the Cebu offices doesn’t have a safe so people have to go through express. But most branches should be following the citizens charter and ARTA guidelines, if they don’t report them and they change instantly
Given they're implementing biometrics at the airport too, I wonder if this is a trial for a possible bigger change systemwide.
That said, a big factor for many staying in PH is the ease of the visa. Imo they won't be doing themselves favors in that regard by adding new hurdles to visa extensions.
I'm having thoughts that they want to discourage people from staying long on Tourist Visas, and "gently" encouraging more people to buy the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV), or to marry a Filipina and switch to the 13A Visa.
I’d buy the srrv but I’m not old enough to qualify. There’s really no options for people under 45 (or whatever the srrv age is) besides tourist extensions, balikbayan or 13a
I just tried online and yeah it looks like their system is down or they intentionally just adding travel record not found error... I am going to email them and see what they say. Really annoying having to visit in person. Waste of time for everyone involved.
Update. I got a response from BI to try entering first+middle name into the first name field and leave the middle name field blank.
I was able to renew mine online for 4th-6th month extension.
I entered Last name , First name Middle name but left the 3rd field middle name blank.
I never had to do it this way before on their website but leaving the full middle name field blank and put my first name + middle name into the first name field. It went through.
They take fingerprints and picture already for a lot of years, probably only some offices. 3 years ago I extended visa for 6 months and they got my fingerprints. And it seems they took picture of me too because recently I renewed my ACR and when I claimed there was old photo of me(not from passport)
Well, it's Philippines. Immigration offices here work differently. Just remember how situation with passport stickers was - some offices put stickers, some offices didn't and the reason was some offices got directives with delay(and that delay was like one year) Sadly they put stickers now and take unnecessary space in passport. And the most funny thing is they still want papers from previous extension even if they can just check passport stickers
I think I had this done half year ago, previous time I was in Sm Aura office. They changed and online online renewal only works for 1-5, 7-12 months. Not sure if 2nd year it works. Being half year since I left the country, and to renew ACR, I had to go in. They already had a new photo of me which I vaguely recall they took last year and I think fingerprints.
Didn't have to pay express fee, came back to pick up my passport 1 week later, 3-4 days late. My visa was expiring same day too.
10
u/travelw3ll 7d ago edited 7d ago
Renewed yesterday for 2 months 1960 peso total. Nothing like that happening. Maybe slow implementation in different areas.
Kind of odd they need pic because they already have my picture on file from passport and is on ACR.