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Balikbayan visa (privilege) question

Last activity 29 July 2024 by Rubyisrael

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snowyshenanigans

Hi all,


My mom will be traveling to the Philippines in a couple of months and she would like to avail of the Balikbayan privilege that allows her to stay for 1 year.


Can she avail of the Balikbayan visa (privilege) without her old Philippine passport and PSA birth certificate?


She was born in the Philippines before 1945 and in WW2 the records in her province were destroyed during the liberation campaign, hence no birth certificate.


She is a naturalized US citizen and she said that she had to surrender her Philippine passport to the US immigration office upon receiving her US citizenship.


Without these two documents, Philippine passport and PSA birth certificate, would there be a problem in obtaining the Balikbayan privilege?


I have read on the website of the Philippine Embassy in Washington that a naturalization certificate is sufficient in lieu of the above documents.


I'm asking my question here because most articles I've read and videos I've watched do not mention the naturalization certificate as a valid document to present at the port of entry.


I would greatly appreciate hearing from those who have experienced the scenario I've described or know of anyone who has.

smithta63

She has a us passport and her place of birth is Philippines on it.  They will giver her balikbayan.  Do a request for her immigration record and get her passport and a copy of what she used for a birth certificate.  I worked for ins and ice for 23 years.  We didnt take peoples foreign passports in the offices I was in unless they were in removal proceedings.  Never when someone natz

snowyshenanigans

@smithta63 thanks for the suggestion about immigration records. I submitted a request with USCIS regarding what document was submitted for birth certificate. As for her Philippine passport, she was naturalized close to 50 years ago so perhaps her recollection of the events that transpired is faulty.

smithta63

I started working there in 1992, they might of took the old passport in the 70s.  Most likely they would of put the passport in an envelope and put it in her alien file.  I'd request it be returned. 

Rubyisrael

Hi, I have the same problem, My husband does not have his old passport or birth certificate, only his US Naturalization papers, I want to also make sure he can get on the plane since I heard horror stories of them not letting them on if the ticket is more than 30 days

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