Can I book return ticket for over 30 days?

    Older thread but… is it possible to buy a one way ticket to manila or cebu and a cheap one way to to another country in advance within the 30 day tourist visa? then just extend and buy a one way home at a later date?
   

    -@jakedmc

If I understand correctly what are suggesting is pretty typical of a lot of visitors, myself included. As long as you have a forwarding ticket you're good to go. When I traveled, a little over 2 years ago, I researched the cheapest ticket out of the Philippines and found one for $80 which I bought and never used. That was during the pandemic so maybe you can find an even cheaper one now if that is what you want to do. Some people buy a fully refundable forwarding ticket which is another good way to do it. Turns out I could have done without the forwarding ticket since the girl at the Delta desk in Atlanta only asked me if I had a forwarding ticket, I didn't have to show it. The forwarding ticket is only to protect the airlines from a fine so after you leave the Cebu or Manila airport, or probably even board the plane, the forwarding ticket is meaningless.

@jakedmc

Yes. If asked by the airline at check-in or immigration upon arrival as long as you have proof of an exit ticket then you are good to go.

@jakedmc

the flight out of the Philippines must be within the 30 days. So you might want to book a flight to Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur with Cebu Pacific or Air Asia within that period. I would use this ticket so see those cities and come back and stay another 30 days visa free. So you save the money for the visa extension.

Not sure the rattle on here and the 29 day thing, for 13 years I have visited my return/exit tickets were 6 weeks up to 5 months out, never a problem. Flew to Singapore last February for a week and my exit ticket was 7 weeks out, yes a throw away but no drama, if worried purchase a discardable ticket if you plan to stay long term, no different to my last exit ticket.

Immi at NAIA if I extend there on arrival or Manila immi or San Fernando City immi here have never asked me for an onward ticket. Get a throw away ticket and on a visitor visa you have 3 years, simply renew your visa extension. Not difficult. Been doing it for 13 years with 2 dozen arrivals here.

My experience but others disagree.

Cheers, Steve.

Yes, you will be fine as long as you have proof of onward travel within 30 days. In all likelihood Immigration won't ask, but the airline might, as they can be on the hook to return you if Immi DOES ask, haha.. My experience with PAL is they do check, but many airlines don't.

Interesting you say that pnwcyclist and always respect your input but my experiences are different.

Last flight was with PAL, Man to Sin with a return ticket, astute I booked an exit ticket with (throw away to Hong Kong) some 7 weeks out. Checked in with PAL for the flight back, boarding passes issued, a coffee while waiting, go through immi in Sin and was sent to a desk and asked for my exit ticket from PH. I had and all good even 7 weeks out but my question is why PAL never picked up on this upon check in. Some how immi nabbed me and all legal and no problems, 10 minutes, boarding pass stamped and been back since March and no questions asked, seems to me that PAL dropped the ball but immi picked it up.

Cheers, Steve.

Ha ha Steve, like everything else in the Philippines the rules are applied inconsistently and arbitrarily. I suspect you know that as well as I do. 

There were changes made to the onward travel requirement, specifically the 30 day rule, after the pandemic  (which I've posted here before) but the application of those rules is all over the board. Just  like  the supposed changes to Visa on Arrival. I don't even follow the news anymore so maybe that has changed.

I was going to obtain a 90 day visa for my upcoming trip, but after looking at the onerous financial disclosures and other requirements, I think it's easiest to just swim with the current, hence I have my own onward ticket for my upcoming trip ha ha.

@pnwcyclist

Agreed. My airline Etihad Airways emailed me a week before the flight (31 October) confirming that I have to complete the eTravel document in order to travel. No big deal. Completed in 10 minutes (has to be within 72 hours of departure)

On check-in at London Heathrow I handed over the document to the counter clerk who said it's not necessary now but you might need it to show immigration. Guess what? The immigration officer at NAIA never asked for it either.

I'm returning to Manila this coming Sunday from Phnom Penh this time with Air Asia. Shall I go through the procedure again. You bet.

What a complete farce. Only in the Philippines.

@tdtom30

I am dying to go to the Philippines. I also want to stay for more than 30 days. If I really like it possible more that 90 days. BUT all these thing make me want to forget it.

Is it possible to get a visa prior to travel for a longer stay. What do all these expats do.

    @tdtom30
I am dying to go to the Philippines. I also want to stay for more than 30 days. If I really like it possible more that 90 days. BUT all these thing make me want to forget it.
Is it possible to get a visa prior to travel for a longer stay. What do all these expats do.
   

    -@ziggy0580.com

Marry a citizen of the Philippines,  enter the country with said spouse, get a balikbayan stamp good for a year.

@ziggy0580.com

srrv visa

It is not as complicated as some make it. Upon you arrival on the 30 day stay simply find the closest Bureau of Immigration and request a visa that will extend you to 59 day stay. Pay the fees associated with the extension. I did this last year no problem, the cost was about 3500 pesos and took about 15 minutes. If you want to stay longer than the 59 days you will need to return to a BI office before the 59 days expire and request another extension which they will most likely welcome, pay the fees and be on your way. No problem. Just keep in mind that tourist visas are an income source for the philippines. Good luck, enjoy your stay.

    @tdtom30I am dying to go to the Philippines. I also want to stay for more than 30 days. If I really like it possible more that 90 days. BUT all these thing make me want to forget it.Is it possible to get a visa prior to travel for a longer stay. What do all these expats do.        -@ziggy0580.com

Welcome to the forum, Ziggy. Yes it is sometimes cheaper and certainly less hassle to book a ticket of longer duration, depending on seasons and holidays.

To answer your question, yes, you can contact your local Philippines consulate and request a 90 day visa. But the requirements are rather onerous (even including financial statements, lol), or at least they were when I considered it last year. The office in Los Angeles was also less than responsive when I tried to ask a couple of clarifying questions via email, so I gave up and took the approach I have used in the past and described by several members in this thread for my trip last December.

I booked my 90 day round trip ticket, then purchased an additional one-way onward ticket, leaving after 30 days to Kuala Lumpur, to cover my bases on the 30 day rule. As my luck goes, for the first time since the pandemic,,no one even asked for proof of onward travel when I checked in for the flight on PAL, or at Immigration in Manila, so it went unused.

You can even book one through one of several onward travel services (google it) which will provide you with a temporary onward ticket which expires within 24 hours or something and only costs $20 I think, but I have never used that service. If you do that you will need to buy it just before your flight so it doesn't expire before you've cleared Immigration in the Philippines.

Once you are in country it is no problem to simply extend your visa upon arrival every 30 or 60 days. I have basically done that for 10 years, have stayed as long as 12 months at a time, and could have gone longer but I am always traveling somewhere out of the country within that timeframe anyway..

Best of luck, enjoy your trip, and post up an introduction in the thread at the top of the main page if you like.

Yeah, yeah, I am over a year late on this one.

Why not get a visa before going to the Philippines if planning to stay for more than 30 days.

As I mentioned in the post above, Jackson,  it's a major hassle to get a visa from the Philippines Consulate, at least from my experience. They don't respond to questions, and require onerous paperwork, including financial statements, etc. Why would anyone go through that, much less give your bank info to strangers - when you can simply book a cheap flight out of the country within 30 days? You don't even have to fly, apparently. Just use one of these onward travel sites to meet the requirement.

For me the biggest disconnect is that the government doesn't care about the 30 day limit, once you're in country. You can renew every 30 days for up to 3 years at BI and they are happy to take our money.

you are correct pnw. It is a major hassle dealing with the Philippine Consulate.

Many years ago I posted a complaint about the Chicago Philippine Consulate that they're there to support the Filipino people but instead they treated the people poorly. The Consulate did not return calls nor provide accurate information. A year later, we went there for an appointment and they made it known to me that they know I was the one who posted the complaint to the Philippine embassy in Washington. I guess my voice was heard.

my trip May-July this year, I used the Chicago embassy to get approved for 59 days.  that was enough for my 45 day journey.  It didn't seem too difficult and it was really quick, but yes, I turned over more paperwork than I really wanted to.

Next trip, hopefully 2025, I will do the continual 30 day renewals by BI because I don't know how long the trip will be.  But that's a hassle too since it's over an hour to Tacloban BI from out in the province of Leyte.

I've been to the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles twice. Just walked in, no appointment. Things were handled in less than a hour. (wife's passport renewal)

Also the consulate comes to Las Vegas so people don't have to travel. My wife had her passport changed to her married name on their visit.