Visa Question

Hi Cyclone Ed and welcome to the forum.

If you simply avail the free 30 day visitor visa you will need an exit ticket or they won't let you board from your departure country.

We have had this debate many times over the years here whether you need an exit ticket within the 30 day period,,,,, many say yes but my experience is very different with up to 6 months on an exit ticket and 16 months ago we flew to Singapore for a week and my exit ticket was 2 months out and a throw away ticket to Hong Kong for 50 bucks that went in the bin,,,,, given what others say if you intend to stay for a long period simply buy a cheap throw away ticket within the 30 day period. For 13 years I have extended my visitor visa with my back and forward trips and Immigration have never asked for an exit ticket,,,,,, it's boarding your flight as the airlines know if you don't have an exit ticket and they let you on the plane they are responsible to fly you back if turned away. It's in their interest to make sure you have an exit ticket.

A throw away ticket can cost 15 to a hundred bucks and others here have mentioned the cheap online throw away flights and I hope some chime in on this.

Good luck.

Cheers, Steve.

@bigpearl

im coming to ph soon to live and applying for srrv visa when i arrive.

one way ticket and a ticket to thailand for exit

once i get visa then no need for forward trip

Hi, you will need a flight out of the Philippines within the 30 days period. The airline in the US will ask for it. The exception is if you have a visa for the Philippines which allows you to stay for 59 days. (This is an expensive and complex option). So I would buy a return ticket to Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam or Kuala Lumpur with Cebu Pacific. So you can visit something else and you can return for another 30 days after each visit of another country.

Staying more than the initial 30 days requires you to go to the immigration and pay fees. As soon as the additional 29 days are over you will need to pay for an ACR-Card (50 USD) and after 6 months in the Philippines you need to pay for  an exit clearance to leave the Philippines.

Andy from Boracay

@Cyclone Ed

I've never been asked to produce an ongoing ticket. On my last flight I was asked if I had an ongoing ticket but I didn't have to show it. I did actually have a throw away ticket. I will be returning to the Philippines in a few months. I now have a SRRV visa so hopefully that will exempt me from the on going ticket, but it is up to the airlines I suppose.

Thank you all for your kind replies and sharing your experiences.  The information you shared is very helpful to me.