Balikbayan extension

[user555 196]

4 minutes ago, seekingthetruth said:

If you have no plans to leave soon it is slightly cheaper to get 6 month extensions.  Not much, but a bit.  Less visits to BI too.

True. I was looking at that, but it is still 500 p extra per month. So, would 6 months be the 2 month amount plus another 2,000 p? Hopefully my wife's visa is issued in Dec and we can leave in Jan.

[seekingthetruth 1,249]

2 minutes ago, user555 said:

True. I was looking at that, but it is still 500 p extra per month. So, would 6 months be the 2 month amount plus another 2,000 p? Hopefully my wife's visa is issued in Dec and we can leave in Jan.

If there is some chance you want to leave and can leave before the 6 months is done, getting the 6 month extension might not be worth the savings.  No savings if you leave before 6 months is up.

 

Here are my 9A visa costs for 3 years.  Not apples to apples with your situation as you started on a BB and converted, but it might give you an idea.  You can see that I paid the ACR fee once a year.  How much your cost is for any 1, 2 or 6 month extension will depend on where you are in your annual cycle.

 

I don't think you need the express lane fees, so you can take that out.  Otherwise, most of these fees have not changed since 2012.  If your extension goes over Feb., you get the annual report fee.

 

Hope this helps a little bit!

 

 

 

[user555 196]

As the final chapter in this journey, here is the ECC ruling. I came to the Philippines with the Balikbayan Privilege, stayed a year, converted to a 9a tourist visa, and stayed for 3 months. BOI said, "Please be advised that if you were given a Balikbayan Visa upon your arrival in the Philippines, you will only need to secure an Emmigration Clearance Certificate (ECC) if you stayed for eighteen (18) months or more." So the BB is free of ECC, but once you get the tourist visa, that's when the timer starts for ECC. I had been in the PH for 15 months when I left and didn't need an ECC because 12 months was counted under the BB program (no ECC). I still had to show airport immigration my ACR card and 2 visa extensions, but they just stamped my passport and told me I was good.