New US Citizen Filipina Visiting Home - How does the Stamp/Visa work?

[SemperAye 2]

Section 215 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1185) requires U.S. citizens to use U.S. passports when entering or leaving the United States unless one of the exceptions listed in Section 53.2 of Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations applies. (One of these exceptions permits a child under the age of 12, who is included in the foreign passport of a parent who has no claim to U.S. citizenship, to enter the United States without a U.S. passport, provided the child presents evidence of his/her U.S. citizenship when entering the United States.) Dual nationals may be required by the other country of which they are citizens to enter or leave that country using its passport, but do not endanger their U.S. citizenship by complying with such a requirement.

So it must be ok to leave PI with a PI passport and just show your US passport upon re-entry into the states I guess. Does the Philippines require dual citizens to leave with PI passport, or is that just make it cheaper I thought when you purchased international tickets you had to put your passport number on the ticket order form, and that passport had to be the passport that you where reentering on.

[Tahoma 2,292]

She will travel on her U.S. passport. However, when she arrives in the Philippines and leaves the Philippines, she will show both passports.

[SemperAye 2]

She will travel on her U.S. passport. However, when she arrives in the Philippines and leaves the Philippines, she will show both passports.

That's what I thought, I think we just have to pay the travel tax and we're good to go. Then next time it will not be as complicated because we will not be staying for 3 years

[Hank_ 9,174]

Wait a minute Hank you just opened up another can of worms lmao... how on earth can she re-enter the United States using her Philippine passport? Doesn't she have to use her US passport to be let back in to the US, I thought this was law? Are you saying that when we go back home we should enter her Philippine passport number for the tickets and show only her Philippine passport? I can picture the American officer asking for a US Visa...

Also, is there some type of benefit to using a PI passport upon exit over a US passport? Damn there is so much to all of this...after I figure this all out I'm going to make a YouTube Video about it.

No one said anything about entering the USA... don't start mixing the apples with the oranges. Yes she has to ENTER and EXIT the USA with her U.S. passport, just as you stated.

I was only making a suggestion being she will be in the Phils three years before she exits again. She can totally use her U.S. passport.

[Hank_ 9,174]

Here is the Tieza website that governs the travel tax. I had thought there was an ECC fee for foreigners that stayed over a year plus the travel tax, but it appears there is just travel tax (or the ECC fee is listed elsewhere).

My

http://www.tieza.gov.ph/index.php/travel-tax

Edited February 13, 2016 by Hank_

[Tahoma 2,292]

For your reading pleasure: http://www.immigration.gov.ph/images/Issuances/2014/march/sbm%202014-015.pdf

[SemperAye 2]

For your reading pleasure: http://www.immigration.gov.ph/images/Issuances/2014/march/sbm%202014-015.pdf

Thanx Tahoma, this has the info I was looking for!

Upon determination of the validity of the presented proof of Philippine citizenship, the Immigration Officer shall affix the “Departure” stamp on the passenger’s foreign passport and indicate the presented proof Philippine citizenship as follows: a.“PP” – for valid Philippine passport; or b.“RA 9225” – for IC or CRPC.

[SemperAye 2]

UPDATE:

After looking at all the documents carefully, I wanted to post a clear answer to my question in case anyone is still confused:

Since we are both entering as balikbayans, we can stay in the Philippines for one year. They will stamp us both balikbayans upon arrival. My wife will have one year to file for dual citizenship, if we do not accomplish this within the year, then we must fly out of the country to lets say Hong Kong and back to get another 1 year balikbayan visa. That doesn't apply to us though because I will be converting to a student visa, and my wife will be filing for dual citizenship ASAP upon arrival in Manila. Once she files for dual citizenship, at the BI, they will NOT stamp her US Passport "PP" for indefinite period of stay. The newly issued Philippines passport that she will receive (or any other document in section 1), will serve as proof of citizenship and indefinite stay, making the old balikbayan stamp mute. Instead, this "PP" stamp is issued upon departure when the validity of proof of Philippine citizenship is determined (i.e. new Philippine passport, IC card, or original copy of CRPC). We shall be cleared for departure without surrendering any certificate, permit or proof of payment imposable immigration fees.

I hope this help anyone in our boat. Sure it would all be easier if we just filed for dual citizenship at the PI embassy in DC or LA, but it's not practical for us right now. It irritates me when our Filipino friends tell us that we "must file for dual here in the US, or we will have to pay fees upon exiting the Philippines because we overstayed," it's just not true!

[SemperAye 2]

I forget to mention, if you are dual citizen before you fly to the Philippines, then you do not have to pay the $35 travel tax when you depart the Philippines, UNLESS you stay for more then a year, then you have to the 35$ regardless of what passport you use. So in our case, we couldn't even save the 35$ by applying for dual now because we are staying much longer then a year