2 seminar's before you can leave the philppines?

[hunnyko 0]

Another problem, we are not sure of is, will she need to change her passport name to married name for her DS-230 form for NVC in america, it does ask for copies of her passport, or can she use her single name passport for NVC and then change her passport in Manila just before the medical and visa interview. Really wished James Shortcuts mentioned in there about this part if you need to do it for NVC or before the medical and interview.

Hi DavidnMay,

Here's my personal experience with the requirements, process and maybe most importantly, the mentality of "process" (or lack thereof) of the folks running the gov't and quasi gov't offices in the PH. I thought I would share as it may shine some light and highlight the choices you have:

The CFO provides many different programs and services for Filipinos. The one of interest for immigration is called the GUIDENCE & COUNCILING SERVICES (seminar) FOR EMMIGREES". Reference below to "CFO" mean this specific program.

Getting a PH passport renewed (either due to name change or due to loss/expiration) does NOT, in and of itself, trigger the CFO requirements.

An immigrant visa from another country does NOT have to be issued to go to the CFO counciling seminar. The Visa DOES have to be issued and affixed to the philiipino's passport in order to have the CFO Emmigrant Registration STICKER affixed to the filipino'a passport. THIS STICKER IS the ACTUAL REQUIREMENT THAT PH IMMIGRATION WILL CHECK BEFORE ALLOWING A FILIPINO TO DEPART THE PHILIPPINES WITH AN IMMIGRANT VISA IN THEIR PH PASSPORT FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY (ie USA), How do these folks at the airport know to "require" the CFO Sticker?? Easy. If a filipino is leaving the country, and their passport does not have a immigrant visa affixed, then no CFO Sticker required - free to depart the PH. If their passport DOES have a immigrant visa affixed, then they will look for the CFO Sticker. No Sticker - no Leaving the PH.

My experience with the Flipinos working in these kinds of "beaurocratic" offices is that they can not sperate the specific task that they are responsible for from the "End State" or "Final Conclusion" that may or may not be the intention of the customer, even if they have no expertise nor authority nor responsibility for those other subsequent steps in the process. For this reason, I alwys recommend NOT sharing the Big Picture with the person from whom you are asking perform a specific task. This, I beleive, is the reason for the beginning of the misinformation and frustration you received during your first visit to renew your passport. You stated in your Original Post that you explained you wanted to update the passport to the married name in preparation for your emmigration to the USA. The worker heard immigration and immediately decided it was their personal job to ensure that you did not emmigate from the Philippines without the CFO Emmigrant Registration Sticker. This of course is nonsense, but it is an everyday reality here in PH. If you would show up at DFA (even better, use the online process - yes, which still requires an in person appearance, but an appointment time is managed by the online service proovider and you will not have to wait in line with the masses at DFA) making a request to update your passport with your married name. PERIOD. Don't say anything else. Don't offer any info about emmigration, no small talk about medical and embassy interviews. Nothing about how the finance is American, nothing. You will have no trouble getting the updated passport.

You are definately wise to get the passport updated to maiden name while still in the Philippines. If you decide to do this before the US Visa is issued, then you must do it in time to have it back in your hand BEFORE the SELC Medical Exam. The reason is that SLEC collects the passport during the Medical Exam and forwards it directly to the US Embassy. The next time you see the passport, it will already have the USA Immigrant Visa affixed.

If you want to split the CFO work into 2 pieces, you can take the first piece (the counciling session) at anytime, but you will not be able to complete the second piece until you have the passport containing the USA Immigrant Visa back in your hand (which wont happen until after the US Embassy interview).

Good luck to you!

Warm Regards,

Samby

Well said Tintin and Samby.

This is what I wanted to say to the OP. I "think" his wife and most people that were required to take CFO, went to whatever office to have their name changed on their passports for the purpose of immigration.

If one would just go to a DFA office for a name change, without telling them anything about emigrating anywhere, theres a good chance a name change will happen without a fuss.

The point I was making earlier is... just because you're married to a foreign national, it doesnt mean you're automatically emigrating. I think this is what those people in those quasi offices are not realizing.

[hunnyko 0]

Thanks for the info but LOL, my wife says the CfO is requiring the paper work for changing your name on the passport now she thinks when you go to the pre-departure seminar, I think she said thats on the website. So now it sounds she has to go to both

Yes it's true in the DFA official website what we are saying is not stated there,but in the DFA site instruction, they stated this, what we are saying falls under this,:

Additional supporting documents may be required when necessary.

Even if you're wife already renewed her passport and have changed it into her new name without showing the CFO certificate she attended (i have no idea how that happened, maybe she knew someone from inside the DFA )

Even she get her passport changed into her new name without showing CFO certificate, she will still need to attend the CFO seminar before leaving the country (Phils)

CFO (for married and fiancee) issue two papers, the first one is after seminar , (CFO certificate of attendance, a thick yellow colored paper) and the second one is the (CFO Guidance and Counseling Certificate, a thin pale green colored paper), the latter is required to present to the POE upon arrival.

OK. So IO went to CFO's website to get to the bottom of this all. LOL And here's what I got out of it...

So there's two seminars...

1. Guidance and Counseling Requirements and Schedules for Filipino Spouses and Other Partners of Foreign Nationals
2. Pre-Departure Registration and Orientation Seminar

Both seminars you can only take in Manila or Cebu.

The Guidance and Counceling requirements are being offered/required to spouses of foreign national.

Per Republic Act 8239 and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Order 28-94, Filipinos proceeding abroad as fiancé(e)s and spouses of foreign nationals are required to attend the CFO's guidance and counseling programs as a pre-requisite to the issuance of passports.

The objective of this program is to help Filipino fiancé(e)s and spouses of foreign nationals make informed decisions regarding their marriage to foreign nationals and to prepare them for their adjustments in cross-cultural marriages

The Pre-departure registration are for people leaving the country to settle abroad. And here's what they have to say about it.

Filipino emigrants or those leaving the country to settle permanently abroad are required to register with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO). Part of its registration requirements is attendance in the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) to prepare them for settlement overseas.

To be honest, they both sound like exactly the same thing. And... growing up in the PI, this sounds like a money-making scheme of the Phil govt.

How do they enforce the 1st seminar? by requiring it when you get a passport. I'm assuming this includes renewal and name changes. Here's the catch. This is only required for people procedding abroad. and theres no way they could tell this.

Now, the second seminar, Pre-departure registration is actually a must. You will need to have a sticker that they'll stamp on your passport and they'll actually check this on departure.

To summarize, if you dont mind going to Manila or Cebu to attend a seminar for a simple name change, then by all means go for it. This is not hard to do for people living in say... the national capital region. But if you're like my wife, who lives in a remote area, and attending this useless seminar is such a big hassle, I'd say just go to a local travel agency, give them your passport and marriage certificate and be done with it. It is not required and if they say it is, tell them your not emigrating anywhere.