Travel out of Philippines

[James&Ivy 0]

Hi I’m new to posting to this site but have been reading for a few months now. I’m a 26m in the us navy and am in  an LDR with a 31f in the Philippines. Because of my ships schedule and Covid restrictions I don’t see myself traveling  to the Philippines in the next two years. I would like advice on meeting her in a 3rd country. I would like to know if a possibility exists to get her to the Maldives to meet. She has a stable office job in Cebu and a daughter to return back to afterwards. She also has no previous travel history. I’m concerned the Filipino officers will not let her exit the country. If anyone has advice or been through this process I would appreciate it greatly.

[HRQX 4,145]

***I have moved this topic to Philippines forum*****

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

12 minutes ago, James&Ivy said:

Hi I’m new to posting to this site but have been reading for a few months now. I’m a 26m in the us navy and am in  an LDR with a 31f in the Philippines. Because of my ships schedule and Covid restrictions I don’t see myself traveling  to the Philippines in the next two years. I would like advice on meeting her in a 3rd country. I would like to know if a possibility exists to get her to the Maldives to meet. She has a stable office job in Cebu and a daughter to return back to afterwards. She also has no previous travel history. I’m concerned the Filipino officers will not let her exit the country. If anyone has advice or been through this process I would appreciate it greatly.

As long as she has a valid ticket there and visa then there shouldn't be a issue. If there are any military centric immigration issues then there are many veterans and active on here. 

 

-Marines rock Navy sucks..... Just kidding with you I love the Navy

[Adventine 3,196]

She can try, but no guarantee that she will make past PH exit immigration.

 

She should bring proof of her employment and her own assets. Certificate of employment, bank statements, credit card statements, etc. She should also bring copies of your IDs and documentation of your relationship, in case the officers ask her questions about you.

 

Good luck!

[James&Ivy 0]

Thank you all for the support. My concerns  are that we have never met before in person and I will be paying for the travel and lodging so Filipino authorities may be extra tough on exit. She has family here in America that I could possibly meet in person if that would help establish relationship in the eyes of PH officials. I’m also unsure if she needs cfo or other counseling prior.

[Adventine 3,196]

Won't matter that you've met her family if you've never met her in person.

 

Based on your description, she will likely be identified as high risk for human trafficking.

 

All you guys can do is try.

 

[Carpe Vinum 2,327]

At least you are realistic and have identified the potential problems beforehand. Adventine is correct. There is a strong chance she will face scrutiny at departure with Immigration, offloading, etc. Being a fellow Navy man I know your judgement is probably sound. If you were a Marine....well...;-) 

[flicks1998 1,044]

12 hours ago, James&Ivy said:

Hi I’m new to posting to this site but have been reading for a few months now. I’m a 26m in the us navy and am in  an LDR with a 31f in the Philippines. Because of my ships schedule and Covid restrictions I don’t see myself traveling  to the Philippines in the next two years. I would like advice on meeting her in a 3rd country. I would like to know if a possibility exists to get her to the Maldives to meet. She has a stable office job in Cebu and a daughter to return back to afterwards. She also has no previous travel history. I’m concerned the Filipino officers will not let her exit the country. If anyone has advice or been through this process I would appreciate it greatly.

You have good advice from the others, but its true that PI Immigration will treat your 31 year old girlfriend as if she was 12.  There is going to be alot of risk youll have to take if you are to meet in a 3rd country.  As for the CFO, this was never required for tourists, but for some reason it seems Immigration is inconsistently requiring this from departing Filipinos, especially ones who are departing to meet up with boyfriends/girlfriends/fiances/spouses. 

 

Also, since you have never met before, you may want to take some other precautions as well.  Without commenting on your specific relationship, there can be alot of deception in the Philippines.  I have seen this between Filipino/foreigner and Filipino/Filipino relationships.  If your intentions are to possibly get engaged or get married, before investing a ton of money or emotions into the relationship, you may want to get a Cenomar from her.  Some on this board may disagree as they may feel you just put your trust into your partner, but I dont agree with that considering the overwhelming cases of deceptions I have seen on friends, colleagues, etc.  The Cenomar will tell you if she has been married and if her marriage is annulled.  If she is still married, the financial burden will most likely fall on you and this annulment can take many years and thousands of dollars.  As an example, a close Filipino colleague of mine while in Singapore was filing for an annulment from his wife.  By the time it was done, it was almost 5 years and over $25,000 USD.  There are examples where it may only take 2-3 years and $10K or so, but it can be a long drawn out process.  Also, if your GF asks the same for you, then you should be willing to provide a document from the US as well.

 

You may already know about this and I dont know your experience with the country, but things you may want to consider.  A few red flags from your first post and being a little careful was 1) never met before 2) 31 years old  3) Has a child.  If I was going to meet someone from the Philippines for the 1st time in a 3rd country and my intention was possibly to get engaged/married, there is no doubt I would ask for this document. 

[top_secret 2,424]

12 hours ago, James&Ivy said:

Hi I’m new to posting to this site but have been reading for a few months now. I’m a 26m in the us navy and am in  an LDR with a 31f in the Philippines. Because of my ships schedule and Covid restrictions I don’t see myself traveling  to the Philippines in the next two years. I would like advice on meeting her in a 3rd country. I would like to know if a possibility exists to get her to the Maldives to meet. She has a stable office job in Cebu and a daughter to return back to afterwards. She also has no previous travel history. I’m concerned the Filipino officers will not let her exit the country. If anyone has advice or been through this process I would appreciate it greatly.

 

The thing that is frustrating is that there is no clear cut answer or checklist that would guarantee she could depart or not.  American attitude is to try to understand the rules, do everything correctly and then be assured of the expected outcome.  It doesn't really work like that.  It could just come down to luck if she got the right or wrong immigration agent when exiting the Philippines.  Or just how well does she present herself in general.   If it is a first trip abroad then almost certainly she will be sent to a secondary immigration interview.  Sometimes those interviews go easy, sometimes not so much.  Be very flexible, make changeable plans and try it.  Like if you book an airline ticket or hotel reservation, look at what happens in the case of a last minute change and consider what you would do if she does get stopped boarding her flight.  In her favor is that she has a steady job and anecdotally some say immigration agents in Cebu have been being much more reasonable that agents in Manila lately.  Although plenty of passengers do get offloaded in Cebu too.   Its probably a huge plus that you are US Military.  I think that in general Filipinos regard being a servicemember as an honorable profession.  Make sure she has a nice picture of you in dress blues at least in her phone and a copy of you military ID.  They might also inquire about her education.  Like is she a college graduate.  Could she plausibly finance the trip on her own or at least demonstrate enough personal solvency she could get back home with no support from anyone if she got abandoned mid trip.  She should have some cash, US $100's, and possibly a credit card on her.   Filipinos call this "show money".  Know what she would do if her return flight was canceled (she would contact her mandatory travel insurance company)  She should be able to discus the details of the trip, not just that she is meeting some guy from the internet at the airport in some country she knows almost nothing about.  They are kind of making judgements of if she is absolutely dependent on you throughout the trip or could she make it on her own.  Also consider that they do somewhat regularly ask to go through phones.  In like a dozen exits from the Philippines they ask my wife to go through her phone on two occasions.  The most recent being in May where an ill-tempered immigration agent in Manila interrogated her an hour and a half but did eventually let her go.   Which also brings up the point, be sure to arrive at the airport as early as they will allow check-it.  Check-in and immigration could potentially take a long time.  It's good to have some time for troubleshooting if necessary.

[flicks1998 1,044]

1 hour ago, top_secret said:

 

The thing that is frustrating is that there is no clear cut answer or checklist that would guarantee she could depart or not.  American attitude is to try to understand the rules, do everything correctly and then be assured of the expected outcome.  It doesn't really work like that.  It could just come down to luck if she got the right or wrong immigration agent when exiting the Philippines.  Or just how well does she present herself in general.   If it is a first trip abroad then almost certainly she will be sent to a secondary immigration interview.  Sometimes those interviews go easy, sometimes not so much.  Be very flexible, make changeable plans and try it.  Like if you book an airline ticket or hotel reservation, look at what happens in the case of a last minute change and consider what you would do if she does get stopped boarding her flight.  In her favor is that she has a steady job and anecdotally some say immigration agents in Cebu have been being much more reasonable that agents in Manila lately.  Although plenty of passengers do get offloaded in Cebu too.   Its probably a huge plus that you are US Military.  I think that in general Filipinos regard being a servicemember as an honorable profession.  Make sure she has a nice picture of you in dress blues at least in her phone and a copy of you military ID.  They might also inquire about her education.  Like is she a college graduate.  Could she plausibly finance the trip on her own or at least demonstrate enough personal solvency she could get back home with no support from anyone if she got abandoned mid trip.  She should have some cash, US $100's, and possibly a credit card on her.   Filipinos call this "show money".  Know what she would do if her return flight was canceled (she would contact her mandatory travel insurance company)  She should be able to discus the details of the trip, not just that she is meeting some guy from the internet at the airport in some country she knows almost nothing about.  They are kind of making judgements of if she is absolutely dependent on you throughout the trip or could she make it on her own.  Also consider that they do somewhat regularly ask to go through phones.  In like a dozen exits from the Philippines they ask my wife to go through her phone on two occasions.  The most recent being in May where an ill-tempered immigration agent in Manila interrogated her an hour and a half but did eventually let her go.   Which also brings up the point, be sure to arrive at the airport as early as they will allow check-it.  Check-in and immigration could potentially take a long time.  It's good to have some time for troubleshooting if necessary.

Exactly, its like Russian roulette.  Just take a chance and see what happens.  I dont think bringing the child is an option since its a different father, but I know on every trip I traveled outside of the Philippines with my son and his mother, immigration never asked any questions.  However if we traveled just me and her, we never got secondary but we did get questioned more often at the immigration counter.

 

I remember when I left the Philippines with my now wife, we went to Macau to visit her mother.  They asked for her mothers name and went to check in their system if her mother was really in Macau.  A few weeks later, we flew to Thailand.  No questions at all.  It really is just hit or miss, but having fully refundable flights, hotels, etc is the only way to go.

[top_secret 2,424]

15 hours ago, James&Ivy said:

She has family here in America that I could possibly meet in person if that would help establish relationship in the eyes of PH officials. I’m also unsure if she needs cfo or other counseling prior.

 

Meeting the family 'might' carry significance to Philippine Immigration.  They do attach significance to whether or not the family knows you.   I saw one case where a 28 year old woman was offloaded and told to get a notarized affidavit from her parents that they approved of the guy she was going to meet.  It's crazy sometimes.  CFO is a big plus if you could get it.  But it not required.  I have heard of many cases where a woman did have a CFO and it was not even ask about or mentioned.  And others who were offloaded and told they needed one.  CFO has been making absolutely insane requirements for couples that have not met before to the point it may not even be practical.  I can't say that I have ever heard of a Filipina getting a CFO before meeting a US servicemember but I could envision that the fact that you are military 'might' go a long ways towards smoothing the CFO process.  Being military implies honorability, stability, and traceability.  I'm merely speculating but I suspect it might make things easier if she did go for the CFO.