What Filipinos Need to Know About Traveling Abroad: Guidelines from the Bureau of Immigration

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1. Also one point I’d like to say, that when traveling and going away for say two weeks but your luggage contains all but the kitchen sink, it’s a red flag too. Even with all the necessary documents, it begs the question, “What are you really going to do there?”

   1. Good point!

      Have you ever known someone who was questioned on their luggage? I know some people like to overpack and bring everything that they have even the slightest chance of needing. Though with luggage fees these days, it is probably cheaper to actually buy stuff in your country of destination than to bring them over.

      1. There’ve been tales of excess baggage I’ve heard over the years.

      2. hi mam, i was once offloaded last sunday(march1,2015) going to dubai as tourist. they said that i need someone to sponsor my trip which is relative and i dont have one, then i said that i have cousin in singapore then she said i can asked him to sponsor me on my next trip.. then i asked my cousin if he can do the favor for me and he agreed and also asked me to bring also his children, i just need to get the dswd form, is there any chance that we can also be offloaded if they saw that i have a record of offloaded last time?

      3. Hi Yanie,

         Since I’m not from the Bureau of Immigration, I can’t give you a definite answer; I don’t know what their procedure is, and whether or not it counts against you if you already have a history of being offloaded. However, I do think that they will consider each situation individually. They cannot offload you automatically, just because you have a history of being offloaded before. So on your upcoming trip, just make sure that you have all the documents needed, including an affidavit of sponsorship from your cousin together with his financial documents, as well as the DSWD clearance for each of his children.

2. A bit overdone *my opinion* Some of these rules also apply for entering, I can Imagine why. But for leaving? A bit harsh and nerve wrecking if you want to leave for a short period.

   1. I agree. The Immigration officials say they want to stop trafficking of women and children, which is obviously a good thing, and I know there have been cases of Filipinos staying on illegally in other countries. But imagine if you’re just going on an innocent vacation and having to be subjected to such scrutiny because you fit a certain profile. Or imagine if you’re not exactly wealthy, but you’ve worked so very hard for years to be able to go on a vacation, and you get stopped at the airport because the official thinks your bank balance isn’t big enough. It’s tricky — how to catch the guilty without stepping on the rights of the innocent.

      1. I think every country in the world has to deal with the issue of catching the guilty without stepping on the rights of the innocence. Specially when it comes to crime prevention and safety matters.

3. Pingback: Must-Knows for Filipinos Traveling with Children | SMALL-TOWN GIRLS, MIDNIGHT TRAINS

4. My girlfriend (Filipina) faces this every time we leave the country – we travel a couple of times a year and collect lots of passport stamps, but they don’t seem to mean anything. She still has to prove herself innocent of being a tourist every time, or maybe prove that I’m not a human trafficker.

   I’ve had to sign a guardianship form even though we’re the same age (and adults anyway, come on!), and she’s even had to show photos of us together on her phone. Hopefully things will get less dystopian when we’re married. We’ve never had any hassle at all in other countries, just the barrier of trying to get out for a while – after paying the lovely travel tax and terminal fee, of course!

   1. That must be incredibly frustrating. On one hand, of course, we understand the need to screen for human trafficking, etc. But it’s frustrating, isn’t it, when you know you’re innocent and you have to prove it to people who have no reason to suspect you of guilt other than the color of your skin. There’s just something wrong about that scenario — when you approach the Immigration booth and you’re already thinking, “Here we go again.”

      I hope you and your girlfriend are at least treated with courtesy when you’re questioned.

   2. Hi Dave. Can you tell me what processes you went through. This is my first time to travel. I am worried since my boyfriend is an Indian National and I’m a Filipina thay they will offload me or him. We are going to Thailand on December and I’m becoming more paranoid and anxious by the day.

      Filipinos are very judgemental specially if a native is with a foreigner – their automatic guess is that the girl is a prostitute or something.

      I’m an engineer, but I think it won’t matter to them even if I submit all my documents, if they already made a judgement on me.

      I may sound weird but I am planning to record the conversation once I am with the Bureau just in case some mistreatment or abuse happen.

      1. Hi Shey,

         Since Dave hasn’t replied yet, I thought I’d throw my unsolicited 2 cents in. 🙂 If you’re anxious about being profiled, perhaps you don’t need to tell the BI guys that you’re traveling with your Indian boyfriend (and vice versa). You guys can just go to different Immigration counters and if they ask who you’re with, just tell them you’re meeting some friends in Thailand (which is technically true, anyway).

         By the way, regarding recordings, the same thought has crossed my mind more than once! 😀 On my last Immigration encounter, though, (last Wednesday) there was a sign that prohibited mobile phones and cameras. A girl who had her phone in her hand was asked to put it away. So if you want to record the conversation, you should probably set it up in advance in such a way that you can start recording easily when it’s your turn at the counter.

         Hope that helps. Good luck with your trip, and happy travels!

5. Reblogged this on Welcome to my wonderland.

6. My wife got marry with me in Hong Kong 4 years ago. She lives in the Philippines. She will be going to Thailand and I will meet her there for holiday. Does she need a CFO certificate just for this vacation. This is the first time she travel after we got married.

   1. Hi Sunny,
      It’s a little complicated, I think. If your wife has had previous experience traveling outside the Philippines (that is, before your marriage), and her name on the passport is still her maiden name, and her age, educational attainment, and financial capacity are all okay, there’s a chance she may not be questioned further by the Immigration guys (because they wouldn’t know she is meeting you in Thailand, unless she herself brings it up). However, I would recommend that she obtain the CFO certificate just to be sure.

      1. its my first time travelling abroad,me and my bf decided to meet thailand on this coming april 6 for 22 days , the more its getting near the more i get nervous and anxious on immigration, as i read those comments.to get offloaded or get denied etc,i need your help pls what exactly documents i need to bring on immigration aside from passport,roundtrip ticket and booking hotels.pls help!im unemployed,my foreign bf arrange the trip and cover all the expenses,what documents should i need.PLEASE HELP! do i also needs this called CFO OR ELSE?

      2. Hi Maria Isabelle,

         Since you are not employed and (I assume) not financially capable to pay for this trip yourself, you will need an Affidavit of Support and related financial documents from the person shouldering your expenses.

         Since this guy is still your boyfriend and not your fiance, I’m not sure if you need the CFO Guidance and Counseling Certificate, but I think you might need it, since the guy is paying for your trip.

         Since it’s your first time to travel abroad, you don’t have financial capacity, and you are meeting a foreign boyfriend, I think you might face difficulties. I would advise you to ask the Bureau of Immigration itself or ask for help from someone else who is an expert on these situations.

7. hi! ive heard horrible stories online and when it was my time to face an IO i was shaking! the first time i went was for a vacation in bkk, i lied about having a job since i was scared of being interrogated ( and i wasnt asked about my job, id or other docs). in our second trip together, this time to hk, i want to put “none” since im still unemployed. it was stated that if the traveler is accompanied by a foreigner she will be automatically subjected to second inspection. so should i still lie just to be safe? or just be honest and if they will ask i will tell them that my bf (us citizen) sponsored my trip since we will go together? cos my mom added what if the IO randomly asks tin number and other docs i cant provide .hope you will reply! thanks 🙂

   1. Hi Jo,

      I’m sure it must have been a scary and frustrating experience for you. Nakakainis talaga if you’re questioned dahil lang you fit a certain profile.

      A traveler accompanied by a foreigner will only be automatically subjected to secondary inspection if he/she has no financial capacity to travel, so my suggestion would be to bring your financial documents, like a copy of your latest bank statement (the account must be under your name). I can’t advise you to lie about having a job kasi baka nga mabuking ka, mas magiging problema pa ‘yon.

8. thank you! oo nga eh mas nakaka praning pag nakakabasa ng mga articles online. nagreresearch ako about it kaya ako napunta sa blog mo. 🙂 recently wala naman balita na mga gnun kasama dba? sana lang better na ang system nila minsan raw kasi sobrang discriminating na 🙁 like pag walang work or di naka outfit pang tourist 🙁

   1. Oo nag-po-profile talaga sila. I noticed kapag sinasabi ko na I’m in a healthcare-related profession, mas maraming questions, pero kapag sinasabi ko lang na writer ako, wala masyadong tanong. At yung mga mukhang mayaman at mga mestisa, they just breeze through, pero yung mga simpleng attire lang at walang make-up, marami pang tanong. Siguro based on their experience din ang mga judgements nila pero nakakainis lang na you have to prove your innocence. But don’t worry too much about it. Obvious bang foreigner ang boyfriend mo? Don’t line up together na lang, and go to separate IOs.

9. actually boyf ko marunong magtagalog mukhang pinoy but mejo mestiso rin. last time d naman na question. i know. last time i was very scared! i wasnt excited until natapos ako sa io. dun na ako nakahinga. pero some naman raw kaht unemployed ok lng. bsta di raw mukhang mag oofw..most ng nabasa ko kasi eh iba cases kaya litong lito ako. kung ano ba tlaga dpat.

   1. Ako rin, I’m an anxious type of traveler. 😀 I think everything will be fine. Dalhin mo lang bank statements para if ever kailangan, you have it on hand. 🙂

10. i will! but sana talaga wala nang questions haha try ko nalang di magmukhang masamang tao. hahaha thank you so much! :*

11. tnung q lng po kng may alm kau..
    nka pag asawa aq ng israeli, ok n papel q sa ministry nla. at resident visa ung knuha nya pra sa akn. kya lng ung visa dun q dw mppatunayan sa airport immigration nla pag dting q doon.
    ngaun, bnilhan n nya aq ng ticket pra mka sunod n sknya.
    since first time q umalis ng bansa, nag aalala aq kng ppyagan b aq ng immigration dto sa atin n wlang maipakta n visa..
    passport, plane ticket, cfo certificate, marriage cert.,copy ng passport nya at photos nmin dadalhin ko.
    ok n po kya un?
    please help..
    thanks in advance! 🙂

    1. Hi Che!

       I’m not sure anong dapat gawin sa case mo, pero sa pagkakaalam ko, Filipino tourists don’t need a visa to visit Israel. So…baka pwede mong sabihin na lang na for tourism muna ang purpose mo doon sa Israel. Ito po ang nakalagay sa website ng Israeli embassy:

       “According to the Bilateral Agreement between the State of Israel and the Republic of the Philippines, Filipinos do not need a tourist visa prior to departure for Israel. All visitors will be interviewed at the Port of Entry. After having sufficiently answered the questions of the immigration officer, a visa will be issued prior to entry.

       “Visitors are advised to have the following documents:
       * Confirmed round trip ticket with onward flight.
       * Philippine passports must be valid for more than six months after the intended date of return
       * Sufficient pocket money worth at least US$2,000 (cash or travellers cheque).
       * Confirmed hotel reservation before departure.
       * A letter of invitation from the sponsoring establishment or tourist agency (if applicable)
       NOTE: None of the above requirements can guarantee your entry to Israel.”

       Pasensya na ‘yan lang po ang alam ko. Baka rin po pwedeng tumawag ang asawa mo sa Israeli embassy tapos sya na ang magtanong kung anong dapat mong gawin since may resident visa ka na dun.

       1. hi! 🙂
          ok n po, problem solve! 🙂 Tinanung ko sa Commision on Filipinos Overseas or CFO yung tungkol dun, sabi nila Visa upon Arrival dw ako. Kaya okay na dw na ipakita ko sa immigration yung mga documents na naisulat ko sa taas..
          Anyway, salamat po sa reply! 🙂

       2. Yay, I’m glad you were able to get a definite answer from someone. 🙂 Have a safe and wonderful trip! 🙂

12. hello tanong ko lang po ano po ba ang mga requirements na pwede ko ipakita sa b.i.kapag umuwi po ako ng pinas para dalhin ko po mga second cousin ko po sa bangkok kc po magbabakasyon po kami ng asawa ko mga 5 days lang din po sila na magbakasyon ng bangkok pero po sa brazil po ako nakatira..thanks po..

    1. Hi Mary! Aside from yung round trip ticket from Philippines to Bangkok and vice versa, ask your cousins to bring proof of educational attainment and financial capability. Kung wala silang financial capability at ikaw ang gagastos sa kanila, ang sabi ng Bureau of Immigration, dapat may authenticated Affidavit of Support o kaya Affidavit of Undertaking/Guaranty, and of course proof of financial capability mo. Tapos kung minors ang mga cousins mo, kailangan yata ng travel clearance from DSWD. Check mo na lang sa listahan ng BI kung may iba pa bang criteria for automatic secondary inspection that you or your cousins meet.

13. Hello po. Just wanted to share my story after doing some research and after reading this article. Last July 2014 I was about to go to nepal for 2weeks first time to travel alone but then I got offloaded twice, the IO asked me a lot of questions and she thought I’d go and work in that country…and so on and so on… (Kinda long story) which was so frustrating and that was such a huge waste of effort and especially money. I got all the requirements like valid passport,round trip ticket, and itenary. But still hindi nila ako pinayagan.

    Later on after that I realized maybe they need more proof and valid supporting documents to realy support your purpose of travel that’s why i wanted to make sure the next time i plan to travel again.

    This time my boyfriend (a nepali) who works in guangzhou china is inviting me to visit that place even just for a week, but I ‘m a little anxious if I might be offloaded and I never want to experience that nightmare anymore. The only documents that I have: valid passport, round trip ticket, tourist visa, affidavit of support/invitation letter. Tanong ko lang po sana Kung ano pa po kaya ang tatanongin nila, and kailangan ko po ba na kumuha din ng CFO certificate?

    1. Hi Issa,

       Medyo traumatic nga ang experience mo, twice ka talaga na-offload! Kawawa ka naman. Nakakainis talaga if innocent ka pero you’re treated like you’re guilty.

       For your upcoming trip, I don’t think kailangan mo ng CFO certificate. (Unless fiance mo na sya?) Magdala ka rin ng proof of educational attainment and financial capability. Actually, kung okay lang yung financial capability mo, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t show na the affidavit of support/invitation letter kasi syempre baka pagdudahan ng immigration officer. At wag na rin i-mention yung boyfriend mo. Pero kung kailangan mo yung affidavit of support, siguro be prepared na lang na baka marami silang tanong.

       I think you just really need to show that you’re only gonna be there for tourism purposes and that you’re planning to come back, so it might be best if you bring documents that show your ties to the Philippines, like an employment certificate, or proof that you own property, or if you have a child, yung birth certificate nya. And you can also show them a detailed itinerary of where you’re going, like a daily calendar talaga of what you’re going to do while you’re there. Para na ring visa application noh?? Actually I don’t know if they will really demand that, pero that’s what I would do if I were in your shoes.

       Good luck!

       1. Oh thank you so much this helps a lot 🙂 At least for now I could think of a better way so that, that kind of an experience won’t happen again.

          God bless po

       2. Yay, I’m glad to help. By the way, don’t present them all at once, kasi baka magduda din sila bakit napakaraming documents. Just present them if they ask. Ako din, on one of my travels last year, they asked me if it was my first time to go abroad (kasi newly renewed yung passport ko), sabi ko hindi, so they asked for my old passports, buti na lang nadala ko! Basta, just be prepared, and be confident when you’re facing them. God bless you too, and thanks also. 🙂

14. hello thanks po sa answer nyo saan ko po kukunin ang afidavit of support and guarante?na hinihingi nila,hindi na po sila minors what if they have money 2000 dollars na nasa kamay nila and at kasama po nila ako to accompany them, do i need to give still the affidavit of supports to each one of them?at sabi ko po sa kanila they must bring thier parents birth certifecate to prove na 2nd cousins kami…ok na po ba ang credit cards ko to show them that i am capable to support the 3 of them???thankyou po antayin ko po ang reply nyo..have a good day po…

15. madami ako experience sa immegration last dec.23 po kc kinuha ko ang 2 tao na friend namin to have vacation here with us completo sila sa papers lahat ng proof ibinigay 3 beses sila na offload dahil tinakot sila ng mga i.o.dahil probinsyano natakot po sila sinabi nya sa papel sa salysay nya wala cya pera meron po sila pera 600,dollars sa kamay ng kapatid nya,tapos umuwi po ako ng pinas para kunin sila i beg the immegration officer to let them go because i did a lot of gastos for them nahwakan ko lang ang visor nila she told me dont touch me,dont touch me like crazy ang pangit ng mga ugali, idiot…she is screaming all of them that was on duty las dec.26 before i fly back here at tinakot nila ako na kasuhan ng human trafficking kung ipagpipilitan ko na kunin sila.they dont even look at the papers what i bring for the 2 friend of mine kc sabi nya kayo na naman so wala ako magawa i must fly and let them go nasa 1 million pesos ang nagastos namin parang ibinasura lang namin ang pera…d ba sabi nila hindi naman questionable yong financial capability d2 para payagan sila umalis yon ang nabsa ko..salamat po…

16. nagbayad po ako ng 150,000 cash sa labas sabi nila paaalisin nila ang 2 friend ko tapos lalabas na ako para kunin ko ang pera na ibinigay ko ayaw na nila ako palabasin,,masakit ang nangyari sakin as immegration sa sarili ko pang bansa sa lahat ng mga country na napuntahan ko hindi ako binaboy ng ganon..sana po matulungan nyo ako kc gusto ko kunin ang 2nd cousin ko na makapagbakasyon kasama ako sa bangkok,,at ayaw ko na mangyari ang nangyari sa 2 friend ko dati at nagastusan kami walang may nangyari…what if ang isa sa mga 2nd cousin ko undergrad ng highschool?wala sya may ipakita na diploma…questionable parin ba yon?

17. where is the human rights in the philippines? where is the law to the people who cant answer thier question just because they are first timer and come from the mountain? it is like slavery over ,there just because they dont look like a tourist because of thier physical apperance the b.i will forced them to tell they are going to work and not as a tourist eventhough they have a lot of proofs?and for the 3rd time i was there to take them here with me…they have visa,tickets vice virsa,money in thier hands,supporting ducuments,my 2 copies of credit cards affidavit of support and my 2 cards as an immegrants to show them but nothing happened.they asked me why did i let them wear same clothes?is it questionable for them not to let them go?? and it is also questionable if they dont know the names of the places where i live?

    1. Hi Mary,

       I’m very sorry that you had a bad experience with the BI, and I agree with you, everyone should have the right to experience traveling abroad. Like I said in my post, I’m not an authority on Philippine travel regulations. I just researched these requirements, and I can only advise you to make sure that each of your cousins have all of the requirements listed above. That includes affidavits for each of them, not just cash, because the BI requires affidavits, and you will probably need bank statements, not just credit cards. If you need more information, I think you’ll have to ask the BI directly.

       I think you will need to brief your cousins about your travel itinerary so that they can prove that they will be traveling as tourists. They will need as much information as possible, because of course, the more “ignorant” they seem (even if they aren’t really ignorant), the greater the chance that the BI will think that they are being trafficked. You have to show that their purpose of traveling is to really be tourists, to see new places, to enjoy, and not to just be virtual servants, because that might be what the BI will suspect.

       Like I said, it’s very unfair that innocent people have to prove their innocence. It would be great if they could just read our minds so they can see that we’re telling the truth!

       Good luck!

18. Hello there! I will be traveling to Thailand next week. First time ko magtravel abroad at solo ko Lang. Ever since nung nabasa ko na nag-o-offload pala sila maskina magtour Lang eh sobrang kabado na ako. Hindi ako nagwowork as of now at pinetition ako ng fiance ko sa US. Regalo niya sakin yung plane ticket tapos ako na bahala sa pocket money. Magdadala ako ng 30k na cash at yung debit card ko. Kumuha na ako ng bank statement pero joint account kasi kami ng mother ko dun mas kina akin Lang yun, magkakaproblema kaya ako? And also, kapag pinagdudahan nila akong magwowork sa Thailand okay ba na magpakita NA Lang ako ng proof na pina process yung fiance visa ko para sure na babalik ako dito? Thanks!

    1. Hi Heysel,
       I can’t give you guarantees pero mukhang okay naman yung bank statement mo kahit joint account pa yun. I’m not sure if they will consider cash…wala pa naman akong narinig na yung immigration officer asked to see how much cash the traveler is bringing, pero baka makakatulong din yun. I don’t think makakatulong yung about sa fiance visa. Ang ma-a-advice ko siguro, make sure you have round-trip tickets and that you know your itinerary in Thailand, yung mga places na pupuntahan mo at saan ka mag-se-stay, para kung magtatanong sila, you can show na talagang tourism ang purpose mo dun. Also, bring na lang din proof of your educational attainment (but huwag mo munang ipakita unless they ask for it). And show confidence lang, kahit inside you’re nervous, para try not to show na kinakabahan ka para wala silang reason na magduda. I hope it all goes well for you!

19. Hi..I’m hazel I was offloaded in manila last Feb. 10.I booked my ticket with my own expenses to prove to my bf not all filipina wants money sad to say officer offloaded me.he ask me some prof and travel together with bf.but we can’t do that.I really wish to see him..and now I’m booking my flight aga in to Feb. 19 to 21 in kuala lumpur, can I have the chance? Even I was offloaded last week? I have some documents..but the thing they ask me I don’t have.pls help or advise me..if I can talk some officer to explain my case,.I will not work there cause I have work in Philippines.

    1. Hi Hazel,

       What document did they ask you to show?

       The only advice I can give you is to bring the documents listed in this post, because these are the documents that the BI itself says they might require.

20. Nah..I can’t provide my bf to come in Philippines and we will travel together in his country. He is busy and I don’t ask any support from him.besides this second travel same country I will not meet him.I will travel kuala lumpur to see their Chinese new year and shopping.he is in penang…possible the BI will allow me..? Kinda nervous again

21. Would be helpful if I will ask any attorney to right a statement that can’t provide what they ask me that I will travel with own ..

    1. Hi Hazel,

       I’m not so sure I understand what the problem was when you were offloaded last February 10. Do you mean to say that the Immigration officer wanted your boyfriend to be present and to be traveling with you? That sounds strange. If that was the only problem, and on your upcoming travel you will not be traveling with him or traveling to see him, then just don’t mention your boyfriend to the Immigration officer.

       If the Immigration officer was asking for another document, what was it?

       Either way, just make sure that you bring with you (in case they ask for it) proof of your educational attainment and financial capability to travel. For financial capability, you can bring a copy of your bank statements, payslip, ITR, etc. Also, since your purpose is tourism, make sure that you will be able to answer questions that they might have about your itinerary, accommodations, etc.

       I hope that helps.

       1. Yes he said that way to travel with him.ok I will try on 19..thank you. .hoPe I can do this correctly..anyways I was offloaded right and the place I want to go was penang now I want only kuala lumpur, in the system they will saw that I was offloaded right? In that system also they will see or they note there reason I was offloaded in Feb 10 like the one written on chklist The officer was given to me? He also write there another option like things how to apply direct hire without spend much more money to agency.since I can’t cause really I will not apply there..

22. No choice then..I will try my luck on 19

23. @smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains

    Hello po. Tanong ko lang po. Pupunta po kami ng SG this coming March. Kasama ko yung friend ko po. May work po ako pero di ganun kalakihan yung sweldo so bale yung vacation ko sponsored ng mom ko bale sya yung magshoshoulder ng mga gagastosin ko sa tour. Pano ko po maprove na sya yung magshoshoulder and di maquestion yung financial capability ko to travel? Like anong documents yung kelangan ko mapresent?

    Thank you so much sa mga sasagot! And sa nagsulat ng article BIG HELP for us na mga kabado na kasi daming negative feedback eh. SALAMAT! :))

    1. Hi Prettena!

       Ang sabi ng BI, if another person is paying for your trip, you can show an “authenticated Affidavit of Support” that indicates your relationship — in your case, ask your mom na lang to make an affidavit stating that she is paying for your trip and have it notarized. (Or you can ask the notary public to draw up the document for you para mag-sa-sign na lang yung mom mo.) When you’re at the Immigration counter, you can show that affidavit plus a copy of your mom’s bank statement or other proof of her financial capability.

       BUT if the Immigration officer doesn’t ask for the affidavit, wag mo munang ipakita, kasi para din namang defensive ka kung gagawin mo yun.

       The first thing you just have to do talaga is to present your passport and round-trip ticket. Just be confident in answering the questions and make sure you know the details of your trip. Sabi ng BI they will consider such things as your age, your educational attainment, and financial capability. If they ask for it, you can show them your financial documents — bank statement, payslips, ITR, etc. — sabihin mo pinag-ipunan mo yung trip mo. If hindi pa rin talaga enough for them, that’s when you can show them your mom’s affidavit.

       Pero hopefully hindi na aabot sa ganyan. Good luck and don’t worry too much about it, wag kang masyadong kabado kasi baka magduda tuloy sila, be confident in answering their questions. Have a great trip!

       1. THANK YOU SO MUCH po :))))

       2. You’re welcome! Good luck and enjoy your trip. 🙂

24. Hello po I have bank statement and community tax certificate but pay slip and itr don’t have, is that OK?

    1. Hi Hazel,

       I think just a bank statement will be fine. Please note that I’m not from the Bureau of Immigration so I can’t guarantee anything, but in the BI website they just say that they will consider the person’s “financial capability to travel” and it’s up to us to bring whatever document we can bring to prove our financial capability. I usually just bring my latest bank statement too; I don’t bring a pay slip or ITR.

       Good luck!

25. Hi..need your opinion po..im travelling to kl this feb 28 alone as tourist.but its not my 1st time to travel kaso my last travel was 2011 pa..but in good records po ung previous travel ko and i hold a new passport so walang tatak from IO..
    Less na po ba ang possibility that i will get offloaded because of my previous travels kahit mag.isa lng ako now?pa help thanks

    1. Hi Deborah,
       I think your previous travels will help. Make sure to bring along your old passports so you can show the IO where you’ve been. Happy travels!

26. Hello po share ko lang i was supposed to travel last night to malaysia via singapore for a 1 week vacation but I was offloaded kasi the first reason was I came from Libya and Libya right now is ban and it so happened na may existing residence visa pa ako dun they’re thinking na babalik pa ako dun but i decided to go home na talaga last December 25, 2014. Since ngayon lang ako nakauwi after 3 long years my family decided that we should have some vacay trip outside so nung pumunta kami ng HK and Macau I had no problem at all but the second time which was yesterday I was left alone travelling na kasi bumalik na yung siblings ko to their respective workplaces so the IO asked me several questions na nasagot ko naman po. At first they ask for my return ticket after that i was subjected for verification there the IO ask me again my round trip ticket my bookings lahat po naprovide ko naman. They even checked it on the system kung confirmed talaga mga flights and bokings ko. They asked me whats my work sabi ko presently i have no job kasi kakauwi ko lang last december and gusto ko magvacation muna bago magstart to work again so they were pointing out san ako kukuha ng money ko sabi ko sa ipon ko from my job for 3years pero sabi ng IO mauubos din daw yung savings na yan eh sinabi ko kaya nga 7days lang ako dun so he was asking for some sponsors daw of my travel since wala ako work and dapat daw pagpupunta sa isang lugar may kakilala ka dun,,so sabi ko i am travelling alone lang at gusto ko mag-ikot dapat daw may relative ako sa pupuntahan ko na lugar eh sabi ko wala ako dun kakilala talaga kasi it was been planned na yan nung december pa. I never heard na dapat pagnagpunta ka sa isang lugar dapat may kilala ka doon. Kasi mga kaibigan ko nakakatravel din naman sila na walang kilala. Anyway he gave me this tourism form that i have to comply. I was offloaded in Iloilo So my concern is di ba may record na ako nyan sa system nila. Paano po yan I want to travel talaga since yun ang promise ko sa sarili ko now na nakauwi na ako from my traumatic experience sa Libya? My sister who happens to be in Dubai for 6 years na suggested dun nalang ako magvacation sa kanya total lahat ng Documents na nakasulat is kaya nya iprovide but now I’m worried baka maoffload na naman ako kahit nacomply ko yung nirequire sa akin kasi yung una punta sana ako Malaysia but since wala ako relative doon naoffload ako, sa Dubai naman and sister ko kaya lang if nagreflect yan sa system na offloaded ako from iloilo malalaman ba kung anong destination ako nung naooffload ako? Hindi ba yan magkakaproblema bakit nagDubai nalang ako?

    1. Hi Mayoyi,

       I’m sorry, hindi ko po alam kung ano ang makikita nila sa system nila, if naka-reflect ba doon yung destination mo nung na-offload ka. I also can’t guarantee na hindi ka na magkaka-problema kung sa Dubai ka pupunta. Actually, hindi naman talaga required na may kakilala ka or relative sa destination mo. I’m pretty sure wala yan sa rules ng BI kasi ako din naman, naka-travel na rin ako to places na wala naman akong kakilala.

       Siguro ang pinaka-naka-catch sa attention nila — aside from yung existing residence visa mo sa Libya — is yung wala ka pang trabaho ngayon. For me, valid din naman yung sinabi mo na gusto mong mag-travel muna bago ka magtatrabaho ulit.

       Hindi naman ako taga-BI so I can only tell you what I would do if I were in your place. If you still don’t have a job, make sure na lang medyo malaki-laki yung savings mo sa bangko at dalhin mo yung bank statement mo when you travel. Tapos gumawa ka ng estimated budget for your trip — list down your possible expenses sa food, transpo, entrance sa mga main attractions, and dapat maipakita mo na yun lang naman ang plano mong gastusin during your trip and ma-a-afford mo naman based on your bank statement. Kung gusto mo talaga sa Dubai mag-bakasyon, I think it will help din naman that your sister is there. Ask her for a sponsorship letter and her financial statements.

       Matagal pa ba bago mag-expire yung residence visa mo sa Libya? Kung malapit na mag-expire, baka better din siguro if you just wait for it to expire before you travel pero hindi yan makaka-sagabal sa travel plans mo.

       I hope this helps. Good luck!

27. Hi everyone, im new here. it just happened i got curious about what i’ve had heard from the cfo counselor. i went for guidance and counselling/PDOS bcos im petitioned by my US citizen fiance. and the counselor had mentioned that even if we going for vacay with our fiance we have to get a cfo sticker, etc.. but nobody dare to ask why?, even I, maybe bcos its late in the afternoon na and we are tired and done with the fiance visa application. then just now i had googled about this matter and happen to come across to this site.

    1. Hi Gayle! From what I understand of the BI policies, I think that rule is meant to protect Filipinos (especially women) from human trafficking, just to add another level of screening to verify that their relationship with the foreign national is real and not just being used a front for trafficking. It does add to the hassle that innocent people have to undergo. 🙁

28. hi share ko lang din ung experienced ko when i travel to singapore nito lang Feb19-23 2015. And thank God i passed the alligator IO. sympre katakot takot na naman na questions may return ticket ka ba? hotel reservation? may work ka ba dito pinas? ilang years ka na working? and last question bakit babalik ka ulit ng sg since nakavisit ka na don last feb 2012? napakita ko lahat ng hinihingi nila. the last question ang sabi ko na lang kasi bitin ung 3 days last time kaya this time na alis ko 5 days na. hehehe and STAMP! pero deep inside kabado na ko kahit na ba second time ko na aalis.

    Question ko lang is yung certificate from commission on filipinos overseas is a guarantee na di maoofload if ever bumalik ako ng sg. Singaporean resident kasi ung boyfriend ko. and gusto ko sana makakuha ako ng any documents or certificate para mapakita sa mga io dito sa pinas na magbakasyon lang ako don to see him.

    1. Hi Chummy!

       Thanks for sharing your experience. Buti na lang nasagot mo lahat ng tanong nila, sayang naman if na-offload ka pa. Regarding sa CFO — is your boyfriend a Singapore national, or Pinoy sya nah resident dun? Kasi sabi ng DFA, kailangan mo yung CFO Guidance and Counseling Certificate if you’re a spouse or partner of a foreign national. And feeling ko it’s not a guarantee na hindi ka ma-o-offload. So far, sa mga nag-co-comment dito, a lot of them are Filipino women na may foreign boyfriend. Feeling ko, if the Immigration officer knows na may foreign boyfriend ka, dadagdagan nila ang level of scrutiny na gagawin nila sa yo. So…in my opinion lang…if may passport ka, may round-trip ticket, may trabaho dito sa Pilipinas, at okay naman yung bank balance o financial capability mo, don’t mention na lang your boyfriend para wala nang hassle. If they ask why you’re going back, sabihin mo na lang, hindi mo pa nakita yung ibang attractions, or that you really like Singapore, parang second home mo na (chos)…wala namang masama if pabalikbalik ka sa isang lugar, yung iba nga dyan eh, how many times in 1 year pumupunta ng Sg or Hong Kong. Opinion ko lang hehe.

29. hi mam, i was once offloaded last sunday (march 1,2015) going to dubai as tourist, i have complete docs, coe, leave form, company id, passport, round trip ticket, passbook, hotel accomodation even 30k cash, pero inoofload nila na hindi man lang tinignan miski isang docs ko, sabi need ko daw ng sponsor if magtour ako they asked me i have relative sa ibang bansa then i said i have cousin in singapore then sabi nila magpasponsor ako sa couz ko then dun ako magtour, super nakakalungkot first time ko magtravel at pinagipunan ko tlga un.. then after that i asked agad my cousin if he can do the favor for me then he agreed, he can give me an invitation letter pero not authenticated kc wala sila time magpunta ng embassy then he also asked me to bring his children there pra magbakasyon then ako ung magiging guardian nung dlawa bata i have to accomplished lng ung dswd form.. is there any chance na maoofload kmi dahil sa record ko? by the way ung mga bata ilang beses n nkpunta sa singapore sponsored by them and ksama guardian is ung lola and last time ung tito..

    1. Hi Yanie,

       That doesn’t make sense — hindi naman talaga kailangan ng sponsor para mag-tour sa ibang bansa, as long as okay naman yung sariling financial capability mo.

       Regarding your question, pakibasa na lang sa reply ko sa naunang comment mo.

       Mas mabuti din siguro kung magtatanong ka sa Bureau of Immigration mismo — ask them to clarify kung bakit ka talaga na-offload the first time para hindi na maulit on your next trip.

       1. salamat po sa responce, sabi nmn po ng cousin ko nagtanong sya dun sa friend nya na io dati sabi lusot na dw un kc complete ung docs nmin at hndi illegal staka my kasama daw ako bata kya alam nila n hndi pde magtravel ung bata ng wala adult, pero resign na ko sa work ko plan ko kc magschool ulit and lhat ng ipon ko spend ko sa trip since nagoffer din ung cousin ko medyo ung ilang expenses na libre na.. ask ko lang po my kaso na ba na naoffload na my kasamang bata?

       2. Wala pa naman akong nabalitaan or nag-co-comment dito na may kasamang bata tapos na-offload… Pero hindi rin siguro guarantee na dahil lang may kasama kang bata, lusot na agad. Basta make sure lang po na dala mo yung lahat ng documents na required ng BI.

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32. Hi, Im going to abu dhabi at the end of the month. Sponsored ng ate ko. I research about possible questions that IO would ask. Kpag tnanong ako when will I come back, ano issgot ko? Yung visa is good for 30 days right?

    1. Hi Scloone, you need to have return (vice-versa) tickets so if the IO asks you when you’re coming back, just mention the date of your flight from Abu Dhabi to the Philippines.

33. Hi po .. good eve ..
    1st time q din po na magtravel as tourist. Sa may 19 po ngaung taon, Pupunta po kami ng bf (saudian) q sa Malaysia. 1 year and 8 months na din po kmi na mag bf .Meron naman po akong bank account pero wala po akong trabaho. Pinapadalhan nia lng po ako. Natatakot din po ako sa maaaring mangyari na hindi po matuloy yung flight . Siya po gagastos ng ticket at lahat lahat po ng expenses namin sa pagpunta sa malaysia. Tanong ko lang po.. di na ba ako tatanungin ng kung ano ano po ng BI dahil my bank account ako o tatanungin pa po ako sa relationship namin ng bf q? Ano po ba ang mas magandang gawin ? Sia po ba ang bibili ng ticket ko o ako po? Ano po ba ang mga dapat ko pa pong dalhin para wala pong aberya na mangyari ? Salamat po in advance.

    1. Hi Jenny,

       I can’t say for sure kung tatanungin ka pa ba o hindi about your boyfriend, kasi it really depends on the immigration officer. Based sa experience ng isa ring nag-comment dito, maraming tanong yung IO sa kanya, kahit may bank account sya and sya yung nag-gastos sa sarili nyang bakasyon, kasi wala syang trabaho at that time.

       Siguro, best thing for you to do would be to ask your boyfriend for an affidavit na sya ang gagastos for your trip, along with his financial documents. Tapos I think you should get a CFO certificate. Pero even if you have all those documents, I still can’t guarantee na wala talagang aberya na mangyayari kasi depende talaga yun sa IO na mag-i-interview sa ‘yo.

       1. Salamat po 😉

    2. I forgot to add na syempre you have to bring your own financial documents as well, like yung bank statement mo.

       Good luck on your travels, sana maging okay yung Immigration interview mo, and enjoy Malaysia!

34. hi.. we plan on traveling to Bali for 4days before the year ends. I am currently employed, and i have savings naman, but I will be traveling with my “unemployed” boyfriend (filipino din). Wala siyang work kasi he helps his parents lang sa family business and he’s given a monthly allowance, parang sweldo na rin pero wala siyang proof of employment na mapapakita. is this going to be a problem if i am financially capable but my boyfriend will not be able to show any proof of employment?

    1. Hi Dannie! Hindi naman necessary that he has proof of employment, siguro just advise him to open a bank account (if he doesn’t have one yet) and build up his savings para just in case the IO asks him for proof of financial capability, may ipapakita sya. And don’t say unemployed na lang in the form, just let him say he’s a businessman or entrepreneur, totoo naman di ba… 🙂 Good luck!

35. Hi,… I’m going to travel to Singapore, at its my first time to travel outside the country. I have my roundtrip plane ticket, and i will stay there for 5 days. My fiancee live there, so his the one who will tour me around. I have my pocket money going there, but im worried po kasi right now i dont have a work, and my fiancee the one who support me. Anu pa po need ko na documents para ipakita sa Immigration…? Next week na po kasi yung alis ko and im so paranoid sa mga nababasa ko. Please help me naman po. Thank you and Godbless

    1. Hi Allyssa,

       Is your fiance a Filipino? If he is, you can ask him to give you an authenticated Affidavit of Support for your trip. If he’s not Filipino, I think you will need a CFO certificate. Pero the best thing you can do talaga is to make sure na you have your own financial capability to travel, dapat healthy yung bank account balance mo.

       Good luck and enjoy your trip! 🙂

       1. Need pa talaga ng cfo? Kasi i will stay at the Hotel naman po, na book na po xa ng fiancee ko, peo i dnt have the hotel booking at me, bit i know the hotel and the address,. Do i need to bring my educational certificate, hahanapin pa po ba nila un.? In terms naman po Financial capability ok na po ba ang bank book for example?

          Thank you po…

       2. Ang pinaka-required lang talaga is yung passport mo and round-trip ticket. Tatanungin ka ng immigration officer ng mga questions — depende na sa kanya yun kung anong mga questions ang itatanong nya — at titingnan din nya yung information na isusulat mo sa immigration form. Depending on your answers, the immgiration officer MIGHT ask you about your educational attainment and financial capacity to travel. In that case, pwede mong ipakita ang bank book mo, or bank statement. Depende rin sa immigration officer kung anong amount sa tingin nya ang dapat meron ka sa bank account mo.

          Ang rule ng Bureau of Immigration is, kung foreigner ang fiance o spouse mo, at magkikita kayo, dapat meron kang CFO Guidance and Counseling Certificate.

          Kung wala kang CFO, at medyo malaki yung bank account balance mo (meaning hindi mo kailangan ng Affidavit of Support from your fiance), siguro pwede nang hindi mo na lang sabihin sa IO na magkikita kayo ng fiance mo. Pero risky talaga yon.

          By the way, advice ko lang, dapat meron kang copy sa hotel booking mo kasi baka gusto ng IO makita yung proof ng booking.

36. I think your ryt po, na wag ko na lang sabihin sa IO bout my fiancee. Thank you po sa advice, and it really help me so much sa mga info na binigay nyu po.

    Thank you so much…

    1. You’re welcome and good luck! Enjoy your trip. 🙂

37. Tanung ko lng kung kelangan pa ba ng notarized Affidavit of Support pag magttravel ang mga anak on a tourist visa (16 & 12yo) WITH ME papuntang Dubai kung saan ako resident (registered OFW). Kasabay ko naman silang aalis ng pinas.
    P.S. Yung visa ay binili sa travel agency.

    1. Hi Charz, as long as they’re traveling with you, hindi na kailangan ng affidavit of support.

38. hello po,im going to thailand as tourist just for 3 days, im working independent as massage therapist,I deal directly with my customers and my customers pay me for services I render to them.means i dont have any company id or certification of employment etc,i only have goverment id as unified,i just open bank account last week with the debit card and chose the visa logo so i can purchase booking hotel,plane ticket etc,(so now i have the 3 primary ,passport,roundtrip ticket and the voucher of my hotel booking on this coming april 6)
    and here’s my question and need help (getting paranoid after reading their experience),
    what exactly documents i need to bring to passed in immigration,as i research before since im unemplyed i have to make an affidavit of my source of my income, and how much money do i have to show ?(i plan to just bring 10 k is it enough)and my bank account that i just had opened is not that much(thinking that maybe its not a problem since its just 3 days stay)is it fine that i have only 1 card in case they ask?its my first time travelling alone as tourist,i wanted to make sure that i can bring the exact or back up documents in case they ask,PLS HELP

    YOUR BLOG IS REALLY HELPFUL AND I GET MANY IDEAS
    MORE POWER AND THNX!

    1. Hi Izabelle,

       First of all, thank you very much for your kind words.

       The Bureau of Immigration doesn’t really specify how much money they will consider as “enough” proof of financial capability. You’re right, though — the number of days of travel (in your case, 3 days) is one of the factors they will probably consider. I don’t think they will ask you to show them the actual money that you are bringing with you but they MIGHT take a look at your bank statement / bank certification.

       If you think your bank account balance is not that much, I would suggest that you get a relative (“within the 4th civil degree of consanguinity or affinity,” according to the BI) to give you an authenticated Affidavit of Support, with his/her financial documents such as bank statements attached.

       Are you a physical therapist? I think that putting “independent physical therapist” in your immigration form might sound better and might make it less likely for you to be questioned than if you write “massage therapist.” Other tips: make sure that you know all the details of your trip — where you are staying, where you will be going, etc. — just in case the IO asks. Talk with confidence. Hopefully, it may not even come to a point where the IO asks for your financial documents.

       Best of luck to you and happy travels!

39. Ask q lang po kpg may travel history kn po b ng visit visa before sa isang country and eventually natransfer yun s working visa and you worked there fo more than a year then umuwi n po aq ng Pinas as cancelled visa, then now after a year plan q po mgtour sa Singapore or Hongkong with my relatives and my ksma po aq minor na aq po guardian s travel permit nya, still considered po b aq for 2nd inspection? For 2nd inspection sigurado n po b maoffload because of my travel history? Thank you so much, your response will be highly appreciated… (super stress n po kc aq)

    1. Hi Zach,
       Ang sabi lang naman ng Bureau of Immigration, automatic na for secondary inspection yung “Passengers who stayed abroad for more than one (1) year during a previous departure from the country as a tourist/temporary visitor, intending to depart for the second and/or subsequent time.” In your case, sabi mo naging working visa yun, so I don’t think automatically reason na yun na ma-su-subject ka for secondary inspection.

       Kung secondary inspection, not necessarily naman na ma-o-offload, it will depend kung ano ang reason nila and whether or not you can provide whatever documents they require.

       Pasensya na, all I know are those facts mentioned by the BI in their website. I haven’t encountered someone else with your situation so I don’t really have an idea kung ano ang itatanong or irerequire ng BI in cases like yours.

40. Hi just a query.. I travelled already to europe no problem with IO.. Second time to travel with a purpose of getting married the visa given was visit visa cause they dont have fiancee visa on that country only visa C and D.. I have CFO already.. Will they question the type of visa that i have? If the purpose that i will state is getting married?

    1. Hi Janiel05,

       I’m sorry, I don’t really know whether the IO will question you about that, but if they do, I’m sure you can just explain it to them. If there’s a website that explains the different types of visa for the country that you’re going to, you can probably print that out and show it to them. I hope that helps.

       1. Thank you for the response. Hopefully everything will be fine. God bless

       2. Good luck! Crossing my fingers for you. And have a great trip. 🙂

41. Hi.im travelling to dubai on april 14 kasam ko tita ko nag nagsponsor ng visa ko.anu po ba mga supporting document na dapat kung dalhin..nu po ba mga possible questions sakin since kasama ko po ung tita ko..thank you

    1. Hi Brainee. The documents that you’re required to bring are your passport (with the visa) and your round-trip ticket. Kung meron kang bank statement, certificate of employment, ITR, and other financial documents, dalhin mo rin yun. And this might be overkill pero it might be best if you ask your tita to make an Affidavit of Support for you, along with a copy of her financial documents, even though sabay kayong magtatravel kasi baka separate kayo ng interview at baka magdemand ang IO mo ng proof na sya talaga ang gagastos for you. Yung possible questions nila based sa mga sagot mo sa form, like ano ang purpose mo for travel, saan ka mag-se-stay, anong trabaho mo dito sa Pilipinas. Dapat confident ka lang sumagot sa kanila. Good luck and enjoy your trip! 🙂

42. Hi! I was denied 3 times and got offloaded.. I spent so much money for this.. The first time I was offloaded was because I declared that I’m going to work in Uzbekistan , I have no COE because my purpose is to get a training. Second I tried to go, I told them that I had a mistake because I was confused but then again I missed the document.. But my third time I am going to Bangkok for tourist they didn’t let me go because I didn’t comply my first requirements in my first attempt. Does it really mean I have no chance to get out of the country anymore ?

    Or I just need to comply the requirements to go?
    I’m so messed up.

    1. Gosh, that must be really frustrating! I think they’re really very wary about people who want or might want to work abroad, especially if you have no papers and there’s a chance you might extend your stay in your destination illegally. There’s a chance they will screen you more thoroughly because of your previous history of offloading, so the best thing you can really do is to make sure you have all the documents that they might ask for. Prepare to the hilt. Passport, previous passports, round-trip ticket, booking confirmations for hotels, financial documents, proof of ties here in the Philippines like a certificate of employment from your current employer, etc. I hope you have an easier time with Immigration next time.

43. hi…. nOffload aq last week.. im asking if pano po kpg susunduin nq ng pinsan q from vietnam xa need pb ng affidavit of support kpg ksabay qn o i need to comply ung paper n bngay ng io.

    1. Hi Dianne,

       I’m not sure I understand your situation, kung bakit na-offload ka in the first place, at kung ano yung paper na binigay sa yo ng IO. Ang mapapayo ko lang siguro, since may history ka na na-offload, make sure na lang na lahat ng documents na posible mong dalhin, dalhin mo na. It would be best siguro kung gagawa ng affidavit of support yung pinsan mo AND i-comply mo yung sa paper na binigay ng IO.

       Good luck!

44. Hi…..
    I’m the same case with Miss Dianne,. Nung nalaman ng Fiancee ko na na-offload ako, he book a flight right away, do i need to present the paper that they needed, the affidavit of support, employment of my fiancee, remittances, kahit siya na mismo ang pupunta dito para sunduin ako papunta sa Singapore.
    Thanks…

    1. I have the remmitance with me po, almost lahat na. But the Affidavit of Support wala, so ung fiancee ko na mismo ang pupunta… thank you po

    2. Hi llyssa,

       I’m not sure if you will need an affidavit of support if the two of you are traveling together. I’m not sure din if they will interview the two of you together, kasi when I traveled early 2014, sabay kami in-interview, but on another trip last year din, we were interviewed separately kahit family kami traveling together. In your case, baka kasi, if you are interviewed separately, the IO interviewing you might ask you for the affidavit of support. And also kasi hindi pa naman kayo married, so it’s not automatic na kung ano ang property niya, property mo na rin, so they might ask you for an affdavit of support. But I’m really not sure what the IO will or will not ask. Siguro, if I were in your place, if you have time to prepare the affidavit of support and other financial documents, prepare them na lang. Mas mabuti nang handa ka, para if the IO will ask for them, meron kang mai-present, at kung hindi na nya ire-require, mas mabuti, kesa hindi kayo maghahanda ng papers, tapos ire-require naman pala ng IO, sayang din. I hope that helps.

45. hello naoffload aq ladt march 25 2015 at sa kaba nasabi ko n im going to iraq.
    now im planning to be a tourist in dubai with sponsor of my auntie my problem is maybe they will offload me because of my record.

    1. Hi Prittikat,

       It’s possible na they will ask you more questions because of your history na na-offload ka, so try to prepare as much as possible. Make sure yung affidavit and financial documents ng auntie mo are in order. Yung financial documents mo rin, and things like certificate of employment or ITR, i-prepare mo. Make sure you know your itinerary and other details of your trip.

       Good luck!

46. hello po,

    im planning to visit dubai soon coz am taking a semester off since im an irregular student and im planning on goin back to school this 2nd semester this year.

    What are the requirements needed po para sa visit visa if student anything that could prove that I am coming back dito sa pinas. I dont have relatives in dubai.

    Thank you. 🙂

    1. Hi Kris!

       I’m afraid I’m not familiar yet with the visa requirements for Dubai kasi hindi pa ako nakapunta doon. You could try looking at the Dubai embassy website. Sorry I can’t be of more help.

       Good luck!

47. Helo po, first time ko po uuwi ng pinas may non o visa po dependent po ako sa husband ko nag wo work dito sa thailand,,..kinasal kami dito sa phil embassy ng thailand meron po kami marriage contract at certificate authenticated lahat…wla po bang probs pag balik ko ng thailand…wl po ba akong magiging probs sa immigration ng pinas? Thanks po….i need ur reply po:-)..

    1. Hi Jasmin,

       I can’t be sure if wala ka bang magiging problema with Immigration kasi hindi naman po ako taga-BI at hindi ko alam yung procedure nila with regards sa situation mo, pero sa tingin ko, as long as legally employed naman yung husband mo dyan sa Thailand, hindi ka naman siguro magkakaproblema. Just make sure na you have all the documents ready like yung certificate of employment ng husband mo, yung bank statement nya, your marriage certificate, etc.

       Good luck!

48. hi po gud pm. d2 me po naw sa Thailand work me here as a teacher dis coming April po uwi me sa pinas at balik po ng May.. ask lang po mam ano po mga requirements na dadalhin if kasama ko po ang asawa ko plano ko po siya isama sa Thailand.. saan po mas maganda dumaan sa manila po ba o sa clark iyong okay po ang officers hehehe at anu po maganda na reason kasi wala pa po kami baby… salamat po ng marami… GOD BLESS

    1. Hi Julieta,

       Yung requirements, depende kung how long ang stay ng husband mo sa Thailand. I don’t remember how long Filipinos can stay as tourists in Thailand, but if your husband is staying for longer than that, he might need to get a visa for a longer stay. If he is going to Thailand as a tourist lang, then he just needs the usual requirements: passport, round trip ticket, and possibly his financial documents.

       I have no idea kung saan mas okay ang officers, sa Manila ba or sa Clark. I think mas mabuti siguro, don’t focus on which port of exit is easier, just make sure that you have all the documents that will support your husband’s visit to Thailand. Kung wala syang trabaho dito sa Pilipinas, i-prepare mo na lang din yung certificate of employment mo sa Thailand and your financial documents na mapapakita na kaya mong suportaan ang husband mo while he’s staying in Thailand.

       Good luck!

49. hello just call me bhe

    hi its my first time to travel in thailand alone ,
    ask ko lng ano b mga requirements n dapat ko dalhin…or iproof sa immigration ? i have fiancee in italy ,,,we are planning to meet in Thailand phuket ,,for Wedding ..kasi don po kami mgpapaksal….first time ko mgtravel magisa …nakarating na ung fiancee ko sa Pinas to meet my family and now ,,magkikita n lang kami sa airport ng Thailand Phuket ,,,,at susunduin nya ako ,,,,and then we are processing paper para sa wedding namin in Phuket ?

    thank u ,,hopre u reply my question

    1. Hi Bhe,

       Aside from the usual requirements (round-trip ticket, passport, financial documents, etc.), you will need the CFO Guidance and Counseling Certificate because you will be meeting your fiance abroad.

50. Please help.My brother was offloaded yesterday 🙁 he is bound to sg with my cousin who is currently working there,umwi lng dto for 5 days then sabay sila pblk ng sg ng kuya ko mgtour sya dun for 4days,distant relative nmin sya malayong pinsan.merong invitation letter ang kuya ko from our cousin n inissue ng phil embassy sa sg..inusisa ang kuya ko pano sila ngng mgkamag anak he answered all the questions un nga lng kc mlyo ng kmganak so mgkaiba ng surname.msydo daw mausisa n pti mga lolo tintnong na.then tinawag ung pnsn ko pra iverify then bgla nlng daw cnbi n bound for dubai ang kuya ko then sbi ng Imm officer isurrender ng pnsn ko ang passport nya kpg napatunayang ppnta ng dubai ang kuya ko..pro sbi ng travel agency n ngbook and ibang friends ko impsble daw n mtrace nla yung flight nya pa dubai kc mrmi nrn nmn akong kakilala n nkaalis pro same way ang gnwa n mgtour muna then fly n to dubai..ang dmi n nmin ngstos di biro then yung pagod at emotional trauma pa..gsto sna nmin itry sa naia nlng ibook ulit sa april 10 kuya ko ppnta sg ulit then cancel nlng nmin yung tix nya sg to dubai at doon nlng nmin iboom pgdtng sg.or smhn ko sya ppnta ng sg since may business nmn ako dto pra mpkta nmin n mgttour lng tlg kmi..sa clark pla sya na offload..pls any suggestion? you think ok ba n igo nmin?gngwa nmn to lht ng kuya ko for his fmly :'( kya sbrng skt bkt cla gnun.

    1. Hi Dian. I don’t understand the situation. Is your brother going to Singapore merely for tourism purposes, or is he going to Singapore so he can fly from there to work in Dubai?

51. hi po,im natasha from cebu. Pupunta pu kami ng kaibigan ko sa singapore for 5 days this last week of april. Worried po ako na baka ma offload kami… Tatlo kami lahat pupunta sa singapore. ako,kaibigan kong c lovely at foreigner na tinitreat si lovely as inaanak…pero not blood related sila..they just met online .. Pumunta na ang foreigner dito sa pinas last year at nagmeet sila at ang family niya..nakita ko rin ang foreigner nung naligo kami ng dagat sama ni lovely,,, sobrang bait naman niya as in wala akong masabi…

    Sila ni lovely pumunta sa baguio ng ilang araw. pero treat talaga ng foreigner sa kanya ay inaanak..60 na ang age ng foreigner

    Ang foreigner ang nagsponsor/nagbayad ng round trip ticket namin at may hotel reservation na… kami tatlo ang magsasama patungong singapore at sama din kami tatlo pauwi sa cebu.. Ano po ba ang ipapakita naming requirements sa immigration na ang foreigner naman ang gagastos sa amin at friend ko lang cya at dad ang turing sa kanya ng kaibigan ko? marami bang requirements na sama naman nami ang foreigner patungong singapore at pauwing pinas,

    Im 23 at nagwork din,,pero minimum lang ang sweldo ko….i have company id, leave form at mga payslip… IPAKITA ko ba yun sa immigration na ang foreigner naman ang gagasto sa amin? Kaibigan ko naman ay 23 din pero hindi cya nagtratrabaho…..nag aaral pa kasi siya,, Marami silang picture nung pumunta ang foreigner last year dito sa pinas at marami silang conversation online .. may picture din kami ng foreigner nung naligo kami ng dagat pero hindi kami nag uusap online,..kailangan pa bang mag print kami ng mga pictures?

    very worried po kami na ma offload marami kasi kaming nabasa namin online na marami talagang na offload….

    maraming maraming salamat po..at sanay magreply kayo….godbless 🙂

    1. Hi Natasha,

       I’m afraid the Immigration officers might find your situation suspicious. In the case of your friend, even if she thinks of the foreigner as a parent, it will look suspicious, unless she is formally/legally adopted by the foreigner. Same thing in your case. If I were the Immigration officer, I would think: why would a foreigner bring two young girls out of the country?

       Even if the foreigner is truly just a kind, generous person who wants to give the two of you a treat, the reality is, a lot of young women and kids have been trafficked by people they initially trusted.

       If you would like my brutally honest advice, it is this: don’t go with them. Kung gusto mo talagang pumunta ng Singapore, pwede naman pag-ipunan yan. Don’t put yourself in a situation that could very easily go wrong.

       1. Hello po, I am Zel and I will be traveling to Netherlands this coming May 27 po, I have visa na din po. I am scared to face the immigration although I have nothing to hide, it is my first time to travel and I have my fiance there waiting for me. I still have the documents that I submitted to the embassy when I apply for my visa. I am a student and the school give me a certification last month that i was enrolled there and state that i will leaving by this date and will be coming on june 21st. Ano pa po ba dapat ko dalin? I am so nervous right now, as I have no experience pa po sa ganito. I am hoping for your reply po. Thank you!!! 🙂

       2. Hi Zel! Definitely, you should bring the documents that you submitted to the embassy for the visa — those include proof of financial capability, right? The only other thing I can think of that’s not already included in the visa requirements — if the IO knows you’re meeting your fiance, there’s a big chance you’ll be asked for the CFO certificate.

52. Hi! I’m visiting Singapore next month. I’m not a first time traveler, in fact I’ve been to 5 countries before including SG and had a very smooth experience going to KL, Malaysia last Nov 2014 (less than 5mins). Now, my worry is this time I’m staying in SG for 10 days May 23-31 2015 for a vacation. (you might think it’s such a looooong stay for just a vacation but it’s just really a trip) My boyfriend for 2 yrs (a korean) is working there and he wants me to stay longer to spend time together but this is not something I dont want to tell the BIO because I know it can get complicated. So what do you think? Any thoughts? Thanks!!!

    1. Hi Bam,

       I’ve just been out of the country for a 10-day trip — it was actually a Cebu-KL-Bali-KL-Cebu route but the immigration officer only saw the Cebu-KL-Cebu ticket — and I didn’t have any problems so I think you should be fine too. If I were in your place, I wouldn’t mention the boyfriend unless it was necessary, like if the IO asks where you’re staying and you’re staying with him. My approach to Immigration is: always be truthful but don’t give them info they don’t ask for.

       Good luck!

53. yayy!!! your fast in responding! appreciate that~ OHHH! Good to hear that you didnt have a problem~~ kkkkk i wont be staying with him but he’ll book a hotel under my name on the reservation so i guess that’d be fine coz that’s what we also did during my stay in Malaysia~ i was just really worried coz they might think it’s too long for me to stay in SG though ive already been there~ and yes, i dont mention my boyfriend when i travel coz i super know they’ll dig deeper which is soooo annoying kkkk anyway, thank youuuu! I’m now worry free!!! ^_^

54. anyway, with that 10-day trip of yours~ did they ask something abt your financial capacity? (since you know, it’s a 10-day trip) so I could also prepare~ I have a job as a Fashion Consultant here in Davao and it pays me pretty well and i can ask for CoE here and i also have my latest payslip. I have cards as well. I dont think it’s necessary for me to have a bank statement, right? or any opinion? thankssss 🙂

    1. Hi Bam! I’ve never tried being asked for proof of financial capacity, but usually, I just bring my latest bank statement, just in case. I think the CoE and payslip will be fine as well — actually I think that’s even better because it also shows you have ties to the Philippines and that you definitely have a job to come back to. Just prepare na lang, can’t hurt. Have a great trip! 🙂

       1. All right! Thank you so much~~~

55. hi po.. flight namin ng anak ko this wednesday.. curious lang ako if copleto naba ang mga requirements namin para hindi ma offloaded.. 1st time travelers at si Papa ko yung sponsor na nag wo-work sa Vietnam. All i have is our NSO, passport of course, invitation letter from Papa, Round trip ticket of course, xerox xopy nga passport ni Papa, copy ng temporary residency card nya, his Visa, affidavit of support. ok naba to?

    1. Hi Russel,
       I can’t guarantee it, since I’m not an Immigration officer, but it looks like your documents are okay. I would just suggest to make sure that you also have a copy of your Papa’s financial documents as an attachment to his affidavit of support, to prove that he has the financial capacity to support your visit there. Also, I would suggest you bring your child’s birth certificate, just in case it’s needed.

56. Hi bam! Im jen and im leaving the country for the first time as a tourist going to bangkok, on may 1,i have a hotel booking confirmations and a round trip ticket with a valid passport and preparing my atm and cash just in case they will ask me. I also have a small business i will bring my DTI and business permit.But i will travel alone and meet my friend in bangkok, we will go for a tour together from another country din sya, im reading all the offloading issues and im so worried to be one of them, because ive waited for many years to see this friend of mind. How can i avoid that. Is my papers enough? Please give some advise. Anyone who had the same situation? Share your ideas

    1. Hi Jenny,

       I think you will need to re-post your comment as a reply to any of Bam’s comments so that she can see it and be able to reply.

       My 2 cents: bring a copy of your latest bank statement and/or bank certification, just in case the Immigration officer asks for proof of financial capacity (they might not be convinced with just an ATM card and cash).

       If your friend is a guy (for instance, if he’s your boyfriend), it probably isn’t necessary to mention that you’re meeting him, unless you are asked directly.

       Good luck!

       1. Hi there, thank you for the info, i thought atm and cash will be ok, becoz my friend said he travel last month to SG yun lang daw hiningi sa kanya, and if working sya.is a bank statement of checking account will be fine? Or if ever pwede yung sa common law partner ko? He is working in europe we have a child and he’s home with us every month, i can ask him to provide me employment cert and payslip and a paper stating that he can support me,or i can i show also a conract of lease in my business and i have a property here in philippines.. What do you think, give me more ideas guys, and sa cash may required amount ba?

       2. According to the Bureau of Immigration, the documents required are only your passport, round-trip ticket, and visa if necessary. They will also consider your financial capability to travel, but they do not have an actual list of documents that they require to prove your financial capability — how you plan to prove that is up to you. If I were you, I would bring all the documents that I can, just in case, but it’s really up to you.

57. Hi i just want to ask as im travelling with my son to disneyland tomorrow and i have the round trip tickets, itinerary and just our passports. Do you think thats enough or do I need to bring anything else? Thanks

    1. Hi Chichay,

       If you mean Disneyland Hong Kong, those documents are the only ones REQUIRED by the Bureau of Immigration. If you mean Disneyland in other countries that require a visa, you will need to present the visa as well (which is usually but not always affixed to your passport anyway).

       While those are the only documents REQUIRED by the Bureau of Immigration, there are other factors they will consider, such as financial capability to travel, and I would suggest you bring documents proving that, just in case. Please read the article you are commenting on for more info.

58. Ps.

    They said if you have escort you will surely enter the boarding gate? What do they mean escort?

    1. I’m afraid I don’t know what others mean by “escort” — probably best to ask directly the people you heard it from.

59. Thank you so much for all the information, i’ll let you know whatever happens. I will just have to bring anything with me.

    1. Yes, bring all the documents that you can bring, just in case. Good luck and happy trip! 🙂

60. RiCA

    Hi po,

    Im planning to go dubai and ill go cross country maybe first.
    Hopefully by this june but my biggest worry is Im afraid that I get offloaded by IO.
    Sa situation ko po, Im working right now pero bago pa yung kumpanya at hindi pa xia nag ooperate. So, Im worried also for the documents needed to comply IO’s requirements e.i ITR and Coe and etc.

    Ano po yung dapat gawin ko?

    Can you suggest an easiest Country to go first before flying to dubai?

    Thank you.

    Rica

    1. Hi Rica,

       The DFA doesn’t really require the ITR and COE. The only requirements are your passport, round-trip ticket, and visa if applicable. They WILL consider your financial capability to travel, though. If you don’t have ITR and COE, you can prepare other documents that will prove your financial capability, like your bank statement. Also, yeah, I think it’s a good idea to travel within the country first. Hopefully, by the time you fly out of the country, your company will be able to give you a certificate of employment and payslips.

       The easiest countries to go to would be the ones that belong to the ASEAN region — Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, etc. — since these don’t require visas. There are often airline seat sales to these countries as well, and cost of living around Southeast Asia isn’t very high (with the exception of Singapore), so you won’t need to have a very big bank balance to be able to afford to travel there.

       Good luck!

       1. Thanks for that.

          I was talking to a friend a while ago I asked her to invite me in Singapore and she said I can stay with her there then.
          And she’s planning to go back here in Phils. in Aug. she said its better if we go together when i come back here. Is that a good idea or its okay to go alone as long as she invited me?

          Thank you, you’re really a big help.
          Rica

       2. Do you mean that she said it’s better if you fly from Singapore to the Philippines together? Nah, I don’t really think it will matter whether you guys fly back home together or not.

          If you stay with her in Singapore, ask her for an invitation letter and a copy of her residency permit (or whatever it’s called in Singapore).

          Good luck!

61. Hmmm, We will go to singapore together.

    Yeah, I will be staying in her place by that time.
    I will ask for an invitation then.

    Thank you.

    God bless you!

    Rica

62. hi ttravel po ako sa singapore alone this may, first time ko lumabas and wala pang stamp ang passport ko, i have my masteral iD , and proof na nakaenrol ako , i have cash money and atm pero wala certfcation blablabla ng laman, is that enuf po ba para makalagpas sa immgration ? may friends po ako dun and my aunt ako dun, pero ndi ako makahingi ng invitation letter , ok lng po ba na wala?

    1. Hi Ches,

       The only documents REQUIRED by the Bureau of Immigration are your passport, round-trip ticket, and visa (if applicable — sa Singapore, no need na).

       They will also consider things like educational attainment and financial capability, but they don’t have a list of documents that are REQUIRED to prove those two things — it’s up to you how you plan to prove that. I think your masteral ID and proof of enrolment will help. Cash and ATM card will also help, though I would get a bank statement/certification if I were you (though it isn’t required — the decision is up to you). An invitation letter isn’t required, especially if hindi ka naman sa kanila mag-se-stay. I can’t guarantee na okay na lahat yun kasi depende yun sa Immigration Officer, but as long as you bring whatever documents that you can, hopefully that will be enough.

       Good luck!

63. hello, first time traveler ako abroad papunta ng japan para bumisita sa nanay ko.aalis na ko sa tuesday ang iniisip ko lang ay ang date sa travel order ko na dapat sa April 20 ang alis ko at may 6 ang balik ko pero dahil sa late nabigay sa visa at late din ako na inform ng travel agency naurong ng naurong ang alis ko..magiging problema kaya ito? ang sabi naman kasi sa departmet namin walang problema kasi may return ticket naman ako.kinakabahan ako kasi ako lang mag isa ang aalis.salamat

    1. Hi Kathleen,

       I don’t think that will be a problem kasi you have a valid reason naman, as long as babalik ka na by May 6, yung last day ng travel order mo. If after May 6 ka babalik, dyan may possibility na baka kuwestyonin ka. Depende na yan sa BI.

       Good luck and enjoy your trip! 🙂

       1. hello,gusto lang kita i update nakapunta na ko ng japan kahit 8days lang im very happy..thanks sa advice it helped a lot nawala ang kaba ko and the questions are so simple..thanks again ^____^

       2. Hi Kathleen. Yay!! I’m happy to hear that. I hope nag-enjoy ka dun sa Japan with your mother. 🙂 So happy for you. 🙂

64. Hi im ash,

    My bf and i are going to travel in Singapore this may. We only have our cash on hand, and we’ll be staying on his brothers house who lives there for more than five years. Im a first timer and he’s not, im currently unemployed right now and we jst got invited for a tour, i only have my passport and round trip ticket. Is there any chance that i’ll be denied? Should i ask for an invitation letter and and proof of residency? Thank u..

    1. Hi Ash!

       I can’t say for sure what the Immigration officer will or will not ask of you, but if I were in your place, I would ask for an invitation letter and proof of residency, just in case — better safe than sorry. It would be ideal if you could also prepare a copy of your bank statement, aside from just your cash on hand. (Mary Jane Veloso had $500 on hand and was able to go through Immigration; they might be a bit stricter now that her case is so prominent.)

       Good luck!

       1. Wow thanks so much fr that!! 🙂 i’ll see what i can do about the bank statement tho. Anyway u’re a great help!! 🙂

       2. Thanks! Good luck and I hope you enjoy your trip. 🙂

65. Goodmorning. We will visiting hong kong this may5 im with my boyfriend and my cousin ask ko lang po if maggng questionable b sa immigration ung ticket at hotel.namin? Kasi ang fligjt details namin is manila macau vice versa and ang hotel booking nmin is honkong plan aksi namin na mag ferry nalng promo kasi nakuha anmin ee. And pocket moey is 80k? No credit cards no company i.d. pero kmi ng bf ko may tatak na ung cousin ko wala pa. Salmat po

    1. Hi jr!

       Hindi naman siguro magkaka-problema with the hotel. If the Immigration officer asks about it, explain mo na lang. O kaya print out your itinerary that inclides the ferry ride from Macau to HK and v/v para you can show it to them if they ask. Aside from the pocket money, I would suggest bringing a copy of your bank statement.

       Good luck and enjoy your trip! 🙂

       1. We dont have po tickts for ferry kasi sabi nila much better daw dun n bumili kasi mas mura?

       2. Ah, I see. Siguro just print your planned itinerary, like your schedule — what time you will get there in Macau, what time you’re planning to take the ferry to HK, and the activities (if any) that you’ll be doing in between, just to show the IO that you’ve planned it out na talaga and pupunta talaga kayo sa HK. The IO might not ask for it, of course, but just as a precaution lang. 🙂

66. A big thanks to you 🙂

    1. Hi po andto n po kmi ngayun sa hong kong d nmn po nagka problema. Walang tinanong at wala namn hiningi just our return ticket lang. Kelngan lng tlga you dress neatly and ordered.

       1. That’s great to know! Medyo swerte din, kasi yung iba kahit okay naman ang itsura, may questions pa din. Enjoy your trip. 🙂

       2. Hello JR I am going to Hong Kong this July 2015 with a friend, first time traveller ako, wala akong bank statement, just cash on hand? ask ko lang if need pa ng bank statement? hinanapan ka ba? at ano ano tinanong sayo ng IO? i’d really appreciate your response 🙂

       3. Hi dan sorry for the late response. wala namn tinanong samin hiningi lang yung return tickets namin and tinanong lang ung pinsan ko if first time nya mag tatravel and what businesses we have. Yun lang and tinatakan n agad passport namin wag k lang papahalata na kinakabahan ka.

67. Hello, I’m booked going to Macau on the 22nd of May and a return ticket on the 17th of June. So less than a month ako dun, my concern is I will travel alone this time unlike before na with my sister pero bago lng passport ko now kasi lost valid passport ako so wala pang tatak bago kong passport, bka maoffload ako? But I have an invitation letter from my cousin. Is that enough to pass the immigration? Thank you.

    1. Hi Cindy, I can’t say for sure because it will depend on the Immigration officer who will interview you. As mentioned in the article, the BI says that aside from looking at the passport and ticket, they will also consider age, educational attainment, and financial capability, so I suggest you bring financial documents such as your bank statement. If you are staying with your cousin, it would probably be best if you secure a copy of her residence permit or whatever it is that’s enabling her to stay in Macau. Good luck!

       1. Better if rebook ko return ticket for 2 weeks stay in Macau nlang po? Wala din po kasi akong financial documents.

       2. Ang gusto kasi ng Bureau of Immigration, ma-prove mo na you can pay for your entire trip, or that somebody else is paying for your entire trip. Kahit 2 weeks ka lang dun, meron pa ring chance (sometimes but not always) na the IO will ask for your financial documents. Who is paying for your trip ba? If you’re paying for it yourself, just show the IO documents to prove HOW you will pay for it, like your bank statement, or your certificate of employment, or your ITR. If somebody else is paying for your trip, then that person needs to make an affidavit that he/she will be sponsoring your trip and i-attach na rin nya sa affidavit yung financial documents nya.

68. My parents, sila ang magbabayad. So papagawa nlang affidavit and financial documents nlang po in case my question. Thank you so much! 🙂

    1. Yes, exactly! 🙂 Good luck and have a great trip to Macau. 🙂

69. Hi! I just wanted to tell you that iwas able to pass through immigration and im here in thailand right now, i was interviewed by the io but on May 1 a lot of people in airport i think she did not understand me so well as ive told her that i will pay for my trip coz she was asking me who is my sponsor and if im a first time to travel. She gave me a paper to fill out and she asked to in line on a secondary inspection, and i was interviewed i was nervous deep inside but i showed her im confident enough, so she asked what i do in philippines then i said i have a small business and asked if its registered and i showed my papers like business permit, business registration, and where will is tay so i show my hotel vouchers and tell her im going to meet my friend there coming from other country and ask a lil bit about myself, if im married and i even show a picture of my family. So after that, she said to go back to the window for the stamp. And then thats it, i was relief. Im good to go. I think if your first time and travelling alone they wil be a lil bit curious so its really up to the traveller how to answer and prove that you are only going out to visit or for pleasure. Thanks a lot!

    1. Yay!!!! I’m so happy for you Jenny. Thanks for sharing your story. I hope it will be able to help others too. Enjoy Thailand! 🙂

70. Hi. It will be my first time to travel abroad and sa bangkok pa. Ive read about passengers especially first time travellers getting offloaded and im afraid i will be one of them. I dnt have work coz ive been taking care of my father since he got stroke and cannot stand alone. My mom decided to give me an early bday gift which is the tour going to Bangkok. My friend will be the one to book my flight and hotel reservations as well, but my mother is the one who will support me financially. She’s in the US. What others requirements do i need to present during the interview?

    1. Hi Catlyn,

       Aside from the usual requirements — your passport and round-trip ticket (no visa needed for Bangkok — the Immigration officer might ask you for proof of financial capability to shoulder your expenses for the trip. For this, you can prepare a copy of your bank statement. Since your mom is shouldering your expenses, ask her for an Affidavit of Support as well as a copy of her financial documents, and maybe your birth cert to prove that she’s your mom. Mind you, there’s a chance the BI *won’t* ask for these documents, but it’s best to be prepared. Also just prepare a copy of your hotel reservation, just in case they want to see it, and familiarize yourself with your itinerary. Good luck!

       1. For the affidavit of support, is it a form or letter? Okay lang kaya kapag letter coming from mom dictating the purpose of the trip and so on?

       2. I think your mom needs to coordinate with the Philippine embassy/consulate nearest to her to find out what their usual process is for authenticating affidavits of support (whether they have their own forms, whether it needs to be notarized first, etc.).

          Just to give you an idea, here’s a link to sample documents provided by the embassy in Singapore:
          http://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg/consular/notarial/sample-legal-forms-used-in-the-philippines/

71. Hi good evening,
    Thursday po is my flight back uae, ex abroad po ako from uae and back philippines to get married with my american hubbu .
    tanong ko po stil my maiden name parin po ang gamit k, di ko pp gichange passport ko since 2019 pa ito mag expired ….
    Needko pa rin ba mag cfo maam.. marriage clng lng na naka authenticated and red ribbon and it is all original also the husband visa…please reply po…thanks

    1. Hi Rona,

       DFA says they will automatically subject to secondary inspection those “Partners and spouses of foreign nationals intending to depart to meet and/or marry his/her fiancé without the CFO Guidance and Counseling Certificate.”

       I’m not an expert on the CFO rules, but it sounds like you need the CFO only if you are going abroad for the purpose of meeting your fiance/spouse.

       I would recommend though that you ask the Bureau of Immigration or the CFO directly, just to be sure.

72. Hi,

    I was in dubai for 6 years, actually at first visit visa lang ako then i got a job. Now i just recently resigned so na cancel na ang visa ko this feb 2015 lng din.

    My father died so i decided to resign and go home muna dito sa pinas kc medyo napagod din mag work. Now i plan to visit malaysia kl alone kasi i want to take a rest. So sa ngayon i iam un employed. If i book ba for 5 days vacation magkaka problema kya since i dont work now?By the way all travel is on my expnse ticket and hotel package. Hoping for your reply. Salamat

    1. Hi Tess,

       First of all, I’m so sorry about the loss of your dad. I hope you and your family are coping well, and I hope your dad is resting in peace now.

       One of the readers here was in the same situation as you are right now — recently resigned, going on a trip. She said the Immigration officer gave her a hard time (and I believe she really was offloaded). Sabi daw ng IO, bakit naman daw sya mag-ta-travel kung wala syang trabaho, kahit daw meron syang savings, nauubos naman daw yun.

       In your case, I *think* there might be a chance na you will be questioned about that din, so try as much as possible to be prepared with your documents and your answers. Bring a copy of your latest bank statement, and maybe even bring something like your estimated budget for the entire trip (list down all your possible expenses like hotel, food, transpo, souvenirs, etc.) to show that you really can afford the trip. Just prove to them na you have a plan and hindi ka naman gagastos beyond your means, and that you will still have enough savings left over till you find another job.

       I hope this helps. Good luck!

73. Hi,

    Good day!

    Thank you so much for sharing this very informative post. I just have one concern though. I plan to backpack across Southeast Asia for 3 to 6 months in October 2016. And for me to be able to do that, I have to quit my job. By then, I have no Certificate of Employment, Company ID, and other docs to present to the BI and prove that I am employed and won’t find jobs abroad. Do you think a bank statement/enough money to fund my travels would suffice? I’m really afraid to get offloaded. 🙁

    Hope to hear your thoughts!

    Regards,

    Riz

    1. Hi Riz!

       I think that should be fine, as long as you have enough money in your bank account to support your entire trip and still have some money left over after that. I think the Immigration people will have had previous encounters with backpackers so I’m sure they’ll be able to understand your plan. Maybe just also bring along proof of ties to the country, to show that you’re coming back, such as if you have property, family, etc. And of course a return ticket back to the Philippines. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

74. Hi,

    Super thank you sa response mo. By the way do you have any idea if okey lang na if when i print my bank stament its on peso account and not on dollar savings account.

    I will complete the requirements which you suggested.

    Actually kalungkot nga ung experience ng iba na gusto lng mag vacation like on my situation. Since 6 years kc ako nag work at for almost 3 months pa lng ako dto prang never enough pa pahinga.

    But then cant always blame naman the IO. Salamat sayo you really help so many people na nag comment. Ill update you what ever the outcome pra naman mabigyan din natin ng knowledge ang iba through experience sa pag travel. God bless you sis

    1. Yes, peso account is okay. 🙂 Thanks Tess! I hope everything goes smoothly for you, and yes, I would really appreciate an update, that would be really helpful for everyone. Good luck!

75. Hi

    I was being offloaded last april 14, 2015 because i dnt have any documents presented to the IO. I will visit my friend in SG i dnt have work now and im planning to go back and try again. This time i’m with my friend na whose working in SG nag vacation kasi cya and sabay na kami going to SG this saturday. Ask ko lng if may copy ba ang immigration na na offload ako? i have my affidavit already made by my sister indicating na cya ang gagastos ng trip ko. Is there any possibilities na ma offload ulit ako? what other documents aside sa passport and returning ticket ang kailangan kong dalhin?

    1. Hi icecube,

       I’m afraid I don’t know if the Bureau of Immigration maintains records of people they have offloaded. Aside from your passport, round-trip ticket, and the affidavit made by your sister, make sure to bring your sister’s financial documents (to prove that she has the capacity to pay for your trip), and if you have your own bank account, bring a copy of your own bank statement as well. Since you currently don’t have work, there’s a good chance the BI might suspect that you’re going to Singapore to look for a job, so make sure you can prove to them that you’re really going there for tourism purposes only. If you’re staying with your friend, it would be best if you also get a copy of her residence permit (or whatever it is that’s enabling him/her to be living in Singapore).

       1. even if we will fly together do i need to ask a copy of his permit or any other documents? my sister is a lawyer and she will be attaching her IBP ID sa affidavit ok na ba yun? thank you

       2. Theoretically, the only documents that are actually required are your passport and your round-trip ticket. It’s up to the Immigration officer as to what documents he/she will ask to see. So you don’t really *need* those documents, in the sense that they’re not actually required, but if I were you, I would be segurista and just prepare as many documents as I can so that if the IO asks for it, I will be able to present it.

76. sorry last nlng po.. naka kuha na ako ng Bank Certificate pro nasa 26K lng balance ko ok lng bah yun?o kulang pa?

    thank you sooo much

    1. It’s great that you were able to get a bank certificate, I think that will really help. Again, I’m not from the Bureau of Immigration so I can’t guarantee that that amount will be fine, and they haven’t released any guidelines on how much you should have in your bank account to be able to travel. It will depend on factors like how long you will be staying in Singapore. Pero palagay ko naman, okay na yung 26k, especially since you also have the affidavit of support/guaranty from your sister.

       1. Thank you soooo much for the infos..I will let you know kng mka lusot ba ako this coming saturday..

       2. You’re welcome. And yes, please let us know how it goes, para makatulong naman sa iba. Thanks and good luck!

77. Pauwi n ko ngayun sa pilipinas thank you so much smalltowngirlsmidnighttrain. You really help us a lot 🙂 my trip was smooth and easy thanks to you. Thanks for helping people. Hope your website will grow more and more. Godbless. My full support is on you 🙂 keep it up.

    1. I’m very happy you had a smooth and enjoyable trip. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave me this message. I hope you have more travels in the future!

78. hello, great day, I hope you could reply sa message ko, I am travelling to Hong Kong this July 2015 with my friend. First kong out of the country, May round trip ticket na kami and a pliace to stay in Hong Kong. Problem is kakastart ko plng sa new company ko and ang nakalagay na validity ng Company ID ko is until September 12, 2015, do you thing that would be a problem? need ko ba magdala ng COE? and another thing, I don’t have a bank account, just a money pocket, magiging problem din kaya yon? thanks

    1. Hi Danica,

       I don’t think the validity of your company ID will be a problem. You don’t *need* a certificate of employment — in the sense that it is not technically required by the Bureau of Immigration — but I suggest that you bring one if you can. Also, a bank statement is not technically required, but there’s a possibility that the Immigration officer will ask for it, or any other proof that you can afford to pay for your trip. Depende kasi talaga yan sa IO, sa initial assessment nya sa mga answers mo sa departure card at sa mga tanong nya. Ang advice ko lang, kung anumang documents ang madadala mo, dalhin mo na, para if ever kakailanganin, may maibibigay ka.

       Good luck and enjoy your trip!

       1. thanks smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains! sana makalusot sa IO. God speed!

79. Hi! Me and my friend is planning to go to Hong Kong in August. But I’m afraid that we might get offloaded for the following reasons:
    1) I work in our small family business, I get a weekly salary. I’m afraid they’d ask for an ITR since I don’t have one because my salary can be considered minimum wage, though I have a BCC savings account, and been depositing for at least 4yrs on a weekly basis. I also don’t own a credit card
    2) I’m a college undergraduate.
    3) My travel companion is a newly college graduate, she still don’t have a job and her pocket money will be given by her parents. The trip actually is her graduation gift from her parents, though they both work so they won’t be able to go w/ her.

    Any suggestions we can we do to avoid getting offloaded?

    1. Hi Rhod,

       Basically, the BI just wants proof that you can afford your trip, so if you and your friend don’t have ITRs, just bring a copy of your bank statements. And just to be sure, perhaps both of you can also ask your parents for affidavits of support.

80. Hi . I will be traveling to hongkong on november with my 2 yr old daughter.and first time ko tlaga to ride a plane and with my daughter pa. Magbabakasyon husband ko from canada dto sa pilipinas and sa hongkong na kami magkikita para saby kami mag totour dun. Im actually a self employed housewife, pero close na eatery namin .now nag cacater nlang kami sa mga occasion.Now my question is , ano kelangan ko dalahing documents aside sa passport and plane ticket? And any tips for les hassle flight with a child?we will only spend atleast 3 days lang doon.and sabay na kami balik pilipinas 🙂 i hope to hear with you soon and godbless!

    1. Hi Liera,

       The only documents that are actually required are your passport and round-trip plane ticket. Since your daughter will be traveling with you, you won’t need a DSWD clearance, but I suggest you bring your daughter’s birth certificate to prove that you are the mother. The Immigration officer *might* ask for proof of financial capability, so bring any and all documents that you have to prove that you can afford your trip — your bank statement, ITR, your husband’s financial documents, etc. (The IO might ask for just one document, or even none, but it’s best to make sure.)

       As for tips for traveling with a child, I think there are other sites that actually focus on traveling with children, so I think they will be able to give you better advice than I can. I would say, just bring enough food and entertainment for your child, be patient, and if your child cries and the other passengers start to get annoyed, ignore them. As long as you’re doing your best to pacify your child, there’s nothing else you can do. 🙂

81. Hi. just wanna ask.kasi pupunta kami ng singapore this april 20, gusto ko lang po sana malaman kung hahanapan pa ba kami ng invitation letter for tour? kasama ko anak ko and my wife working there. just want to go there for a tour and cympre theres something pero ako and yung isang friend namin ng wife ko ang may plan. is there any possibilities na hanapan pa kami ng invitation letter ng BI? and anu po kaya mga katibayan namin para hndi na po kami ma question ng madami.?
    thanks po sa lahat ng mag rereply 🙂

    1. Hi Pao,

       I’m not sure I understand your situation. What do you mean by “cympre theres something”?

       If your wife is working in Singapore, I don’t know if the BI will require it, but to be safe you should probably get her to make an affidavit of sponsorship and guaranty (copy available in the website of the Phil embassy in Singapore).

       Also, it would be best if you bring documents that will prove that you and/or your wife can afford your trip, such as bank statement, ITR, etc.

82. Hi,

    Ask ko lang po, ano yung dapat gawin… Pupunta po ng SG ang girlfriend ko, okie na yung passport, tickets okie na rin, kasama na ang return ticket dun, less than 10days lang siya. She can secure the COE and bank statements since malayo pa naman… question ko lang is mag-aask ba ang IO, kung saan xa magstay? Kasi plan namin dito na siya sa akin magstay, andito kasi ako sa SG pero hindi ako OFW or something, pinadala lang ng company for an assignment and short-term lang din.. So ano po gawin namin? or isasagot nya sa IO? if ever.
    Yung company ang nagbabayad ng stay ko dito, I have the address and I also have an SG contact number.

    Thanks.

    1. That’s one of the questions that the IO usually asks, where travelers will stay when they get to their destination. I’m not sure what you should do in your case, since you’re not actually a resident in Singapore, but I think if you have documents from your company regarding your stay in Singapore, that will help.

83. Hi. Kaka experience ko lang na ma offload last April 25, 2015 due to my affidavit of support. Sponsor ko kasi yong auntie ko na first cousin ng mama ko bit we are close to each other. Well supported naman niya ako pagdating doon. I would like to ask if ano pwede ko gawin para magamit ko pa yong tourist visa ko since di pa naman siya expire.

    1. Hi Airene,

       Ano daw ba yung problema sa affidavit of support mo? Sa pagkakaalam ko, okay naman ang sponsorship by a relative up to the 4th degree of consanguinity, but I’m not sure if that covers your mom’s cousin. And which country ka pupunta? Do you have other close relatives who can give you an affidavit of support?

       1. Hi! I will go to Dubai. I don’t have any close relatives in Dubai other than my auntie who is a first cousin of my mom. Yun nga sabi ng IO na di daw pwede affidavit of support ko kasi malayong relative ko na daw. Although first cousin na siya ng mama ko but we are very close to each other.

       2. I see. I’m sorry I can’t think of anything else you can do, unless you can get your aunt to park some of her money in your bank account and you can then use your bank statement as proof of financial capability…

84. Hello po..!
    Im planning to visit singapore for 2 days,i have roundtrip ticket and i stay at hotel i have no any relatives or friends threre…then after singapore plano ko pong pumunta ng dubai..?it was my first time travel alone…what should i do..hope you will help me and give some tips that can help a lot..!!thank you so much in advance…

    1. Hi Anne,

       Bale…pupunta ka ng Singapore tapos uuwi ka pa dito before going to Dubai? Or diretso na from Singapore to Dubai?

       Advice ko sa yo, bring proof of financial capability, like bank statements and ITR, and documents na magpapatunay na for tourism purposes lang talaga ang pagpupunta mo sa Singapore/Dubai, at talagang babalik ka sa Pilipinas on the date na nakalagay sa ticket mo. Be aware na Singapore and Dubai are two of the destinations na medyo strikto ang BI.

       1. hi po uli..!hindi po magpapabook po ako manila to singapore..bale roundtrip ticket po ang ipapabook ko..but instead of going back to manila i decided going to dubai…if ganon po ang gawin ko d po kaya ako magkakaproblema sa immigration ng singapore..?thank u
          po…its a big help to have a conversation with you..please give me a advice on what do i need to be safe and not being offloaded..thanks….

       2. Ah, I see. I don’t really know kung ano ang rules ng immigration sa Singapore for people who aren’t going back to their own country. For tourism lang ba ang purpose mo?

          Basta sa Immigration dito sa Pilipinas, if you say the purpose for your trip is tourism, they will probably ask you for proof that you can afford your trip and that you’re coming back to the Philippines talaga. Pwede mong i-present sa kanila yung bank statement mo, certificate of employment kung meron, ITR kung meron, etc. And they might ask you about your itinerary, kung anong places ang pupuntahan mo sa Singapore, where you’re staying, etc. Dapat masagot mo lahat yon.

          If ever, hindi talaga advisable na itago mo yung Dubai trip from Immigration, kasi baka they keep records, and also sanay na sila sa mga ganoon, plus Singapore and Dubai are included in the list of places that they really scrutinize kasi yun yung mga usual jump-off point for traffickers and illegal recruiters. Syempre it’s your decision, but risk talaga yon.

85. Hi, i just want to ask, i have a cousin (girl) who will be travelling to Singapore this coming Saturday 16 May 2015, she is 20 years old, just recently graduated from college, her father surprised her by giving this trip as a gift, all paid tickets round trip, hotel accommodation + 500 SG pocket money. In addition to this, she already went to Singapore last year January 2014 for 4 days with her friends but that was a promo trip in groups. My question is will she make it now as she will be travelling alone? what documents should she prepare for the immigration?

    1. in addition to my post, she will only stay for 4 nights leaving on 20 May 2015 back to Philippines. Since she is just a student, wala siyang ma pre present na proof of income, ano ang pwede niya dalhin na supporting documents, sayang naman kasi if hindi din niya magamit yung trip as it is unrefundable, thanks so much for your help.

       1. Just answered your previous comment. 🙂 Also, I forgot to mention, she should also bring a copy of her hotel booking and itinerary, just in case. And you mentioned that she’s only a recent grad, but if she has a bank account, a copy of her bank statement might help too.

    2. Hi Shel,

       I can’t really predict what the Immigration officer will decide, but I think your cousin should have no problem, especially as it isn’t her first time out of the country.

       The documents required are her passport and round-trip ticket. In addition, since she’s a recent college grad, I would suggest that she ask her father to make an Affidavit of Support (basically saying what you just said about the trip being a gift) and attach her father’s financial documents to the affidavit. There’s a chance the IO might not ask for it, but better safe than sorry.

       1. thanks so much for your prompt response. she had prepared an affidavit of consent to travel pina notario pa nila yung affidavit. again appreciate your response i will send a copy to her now.

86. Hi! Thank you. Naka state ba sa bank certificate how much money you have in your account? For now i don’t have work na kasi kaka resign ko lang last March 2015 ang effective date, 3 years din ako nagwork. I am a CPA. Do I need to have an employment certificate or no need na? Thank you. God bless

    1. Yes, the bank certificate will state how much money you have in your account. You don’t *need* an employment certificate in the sense that it’s not technically one of the requirements of the BI. Basically, they just want to know that (1) you can afford your trip, and (2) you’re coming back to the Philippines. An employment certificate is one of the ways that you can prove that, but there are other ways/documents.

87. hi po,dh po ako d2 sa hk,mag tutour ang husband ko with my 2 sons (age 25 yrs old at 15 yrs old)this coming 25th of May for 2 weeks,sa bhay ng amo ko po cla tutuloy,meron na clang roundtrip ticket,bale pang 3rd time na itong punta nila d2 sa hk,nung una at pangalawang punta nila d2 ,kumuha ako ng affidavit of support sa phil.consulate but this time hinde po,my question po,ok lang ba na walang affidavit of support since kasama nman nila ang tatay nila?thanks po ..god bless!

    1. Hi MJ,
       I can’t predict kung ano ang magiging decision ng Immigration Officer, kung maghahanap pa ba sila ng Affidavit of Support, pero if I were in your place, gagawa na lang siguro ako ng Affidavit of Support, just to be safe. Good luck, and I hope you and your family have a good time together dyan sa HK. God bless po!

88. hi there just an update about my cousin travel yesterday. baka makatulong sa iba na mag tra-travel sa SG.. She nearly did not make it. grabe talaga ang immigration officers sa atin, valid lahat ang papers niya na dala:

    – round trip ticket (Manila-Singapore-Manila)
    – Hotel Voucher where she will stay
    – Itinerary during her stay in SG
    – Affidavit of support ng parents
    – Proof of income ng parents
    – Money for the trip in Singapore Dollars

    Now, we all thought that all of the above will be enough. We are very wrong, hinanapan siya ng receipt na katibayan na binayaran nila ang round trip ticket niya plus receipt na katibayan na binayaran din niya ang hotel niya. After mai-provide ito, hinanap naman ang Ticket niya sa Underwater World and Ocean Park. we all know na ang voucher makukuha ng traveller upon arrival sa SG wala naman voucher na ibinibigay sa Pinas, unless you will buy it online. sa makatuwid the IO informed her na she will not be permitted to travel dahil di maipakita ang documents na yun plus the fact ha bata pa daw siya to travel alone because she is just 20 years old. But take note she already went to SG last year and she is just 19 years old then. They did not gave her back her passport they hold it until the last minute of boarding time. At last nakuha sa pagmamakaawa kasi the fact na hindi refundable ang ticket niya at book and buy ang hotel, plus ang frustration niya at ng parent na bumili ng ticket all sum up na. Imagine she have to beg para lang makasakay sa plane, i wonder why we filipinos have to undergo in this kind of torture and stress. But God is with us that time, last 2 minute pinasakay siya ng plane, may kasama pa pananakot na she will be in strict surveillance,

    To those who will be travelling who is same age like her, ready nyo na lahat ng documents nyo, the IO i believe knows that they have no reason to offload her, with all the valid documents she have, even when they say that she is only 20, our law in the Philippines clearly states that 18 above can travel freely without parent consent.

    It was a nightmare talaga for her and for us people who send her to the airport. kailan pa kaya magbabago ang sistema sa Pilipinas, i know marami umaalis ng bansa, gateway nila ang asia to travel to another country, pero paano naman ang mga to tour lang naman talaga, tapos mararanasan ang ganito.

    Thank you so much again for replying on my queries before. God Bless you and Your Blog.. it really helps people like us.

    1. Hi Shel,

       Thank you so much for the update and I’m so sorry to hear that your cousin had a difficult time with Immigration. I’m surprised that they gave her a hard time kasi it’s not her first time naman traveling and she had the documents from her parents. I guess naghihigpit talaga sila ngayon, especially with what happened to Mary Jane Veloso.

       Kawawa talaga yung mga innocent na talagang magtotour lang sana, tapos na-o-offload. Sayang ang pera, sayang ang oras, sayang lahat. Buti naman nabigyan sya ng chance, pero siguro ang traumatic for her. 🙁

       1. Hi po!offloaded po ako..this sunday lang po…papunta po akong singapore as tourist may round trip ticket ako ang hotel reservation and yet inoffload prin nila ako..pinilit nila akong ilabas ung reciept ng ticket ko at hotel since sabi ng travel agency ko d siya hinahap kaya di ko na dinala..since hindi ko dala ung reciept itold na i can call to my travel agency so that they can prove na iriginal un…tapos paulit ulit niya akong tinanong and I answer all the quesion back..d siya tumigil and sinilip niya bag ko at pinilit niyang ilabas ko ung envelop na nasa bag ko..tinakot niya ako na pag d ko nilabas laman non is kukunin niya un at wag ko nadaw hintayin na tumawag pa siya ng isang kasama niya para makuha at ilabas ko un..hanggat maari ayoko sana ibigay sa kanila but in my case in with that sitwasyon wala akong magawa but to give it them…nakita nla visit visa ko ng singapore to dubai..dami uli tinanong..aminin ko na daw alam nila kong ano gagawin ko..but still nag matigas ako na ok visit visa ko yan sa dubai ang roundtrip ticket..d nila ako napaamin..but still nakita ko sinulatan niya papers ko at hiningian ako ng oec from dubai daw..offlaod ako..wala akong nagawa kng hindi ang umalis…ano po ba pwede kong gawin..please help me…plano ko uling bumalik at mag tatry po ako sa ibang terminal this june 15..makakalusot po kaya ako..kasi wala nman po akong makukuhang oec from dubia kac wala pa nman po akon work don…

       2. Hi. Yan ang sabi ko sa yo before di ba, hindi talaga advisable na magtatago ka ng information from the Immigration officer kasi baka ma-bad record ka lang. And like I said, sanay na talaga sila sa ganoon, yung pumupunta ng Singapore, kunwari mag-to-tour lang pero pupunta pala ng Dubai, maghahanap ng trabaho. That’s why I asked you kung tourism lang ba talaga ang purpose mo.

          I understand your situation, syempre we’re just trying our best to provide for ourselves and our family. Pero I have no advice to give sa situation mo, I haven’t tried it kasi and hindi ko alam ang mga pasikotsikot nyan. I would still advise you not to lie and not to hide anything from the Immigration people. As I said before, risk talaga yan.

          Good luck na lang and sana everything will turn out fine for you.

       3. Hello.
          Grabi tlga un IO un sister ko punta xa ng SG. Aun na ofload xa Ngaun lng. Pero an hiningi lng sknya sa immigration is my support letter n ako un sponsor nya. Mali ko lng hindi ako nka Kuha dto. Grabi tlga.
          Pnu Ngaun gwin mo.ung Pag punta mo b ng dubai sana my ticket ka nba?

    2. omg 🙁 am so sorry to hear about this. ask ko lang kung sang airport siya? I’ll be flying to Singapore on the 22nd, Friday and this is a great help. when i was in NAIA 4 the immigration there are the nicest I’ve encountered EVER! sa NAIA 3 naman, okay lang. i mean I flew from there 3 times, medyo mas strikto talaga cla compared to other terminals. and sa NAIA 1 nman is okay lang, very professional. I’ll be flying to SG via CEBU INTL AIRPORT, i hope it’ll be smooth. anyway thanks and hoping na maging successful siya next time!!!

    3. Omg. Miss shel.
       Sobrng natatakot ako Ngaun para sa kaptid ko mag travel xa sa SG THIS coming june 3 Tpus Ung age nya mag 20 plng xa etung July. First time nya lng mag travel. Ano kya dapat nya gwin mrn xang round trip ticket n hotel reservation. Tpus my pocket money rin xa. Wla xang work ano kya dapat nya gawin para ndi ma ofload. Gnun din Ung sa bnilhan nyang ticket wlang refundable. Plsss help me. Thanks.

89. Hello poh my sister poh ako sa dubai actually half sister koh po xa.. Gusto nya poh ako mgvisit sa kanya sa dubai all sponsored by her and her husband anu poh kya ang mga kkailanganin o posible na hanapin na documents sa akin ng io at anu poh ung possible questions sa akin since wla poh ako work now and support lng ng sister koh ang income koh.. I still have copy of my remittances from western to prove that my sister support me for months until now..and last yr po na offload ako for tour in sg kasama ung friend koh nd koh na itinuloy ung pg tour koh dun since nkaleave lng ako nun for 5 days that time kc wla ako naipakita copy ng leave and payroll koh kya na offload ako. Kya ngaun ask koh sana kung anu mga kailangan koh pra maiwasan maoffload pagpunta koh dubai..and anu kya poh possible questions sa akin since wla ako work now and proof of income. Tnx and regards poh.

    1. Hi Jennell!

       Please read this na lang, I answered most of your questions here:
       https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

       Ang magiging questions ng IO based sa mga sagot mo sa Immigration form at sa mga documents mo. Usually nagtatanong sila kung kelan ka babalik, saan ka titira, anong gagawin mo dun, etc.

       Good luck!

90. Hi po! Ofw po ako sa Dubai. Yong gf ko po kasi dalawang beses na na offload. 1st time Jan 2015 sa pa dubai sya, na offload sya kasi ako yong sponsor tpos hindi dw ako registered sa OWWA. Hindi pa kasi ko registerd during that time pero ngayon registered na ako. Binigyan sya na list ng mga options at requirements nya na yon dw ipakita pg mg try sya ulit mg tour. Ang requirements ay employment cert, ITR, SSS, at photocopy ng ID signatory sa Employment cert nya kasi may trabaho sya sa pinas. After 2 weeks nag try sya ulit pa SG na sya, sabihin lng sana nya na instead magkita kami sa Dubai sa SG nlng kami mg kita kasi anniv namin. Pero hindi nya dinala yong mga requirements kasi hindi pa namin alam ang pasikot2 sa IO..Akala ko ok na bsta may passport, round trip tickets at hotel bookings. Offload sya ulit ng head IO. Sabi ng IO yon mga requirements lng dw na sinulat ang dalhin nya. ngayon June itry nya ulit pa SG..dala na nya lahat ang mga requirements. Ano po advise nyo na gawin nya? Mkalusot na po kya sya sa IO kasi dala na nya yong mga requirements nla? Baka po kasi may hanapin na naman na ibang documents. Sya lang isa pupunta ng SG at wala syang sponsor dun. May kakilala kayo na same situatuion sa gf ko? Salamat po

    1. Hi Arvin,

       Please read this na lang, I answered most of your questions here: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

       Good luck sa inyo ng girlfriend mo!

91. hi ! im planning to go to Macau this coming July , I’ll be staying there for 3days only . actually im planning to visit my boyfriend there so i will not get any tour packages though im planning to book for a hotel accommodation. i have my company i.d and will file a leave of absence..
    by the way i will be the one to support my travel. and i will travel alone. i already travel before to Vietnam but it was a school tour. and reading some news of those whose being offloaded , i suddenly got nervous.. what would you suggest on what documents should i bring and how to answer for the interview to io?

    another thing is our immigration strict to those who’s going to Macau?

    1. Hi Joyah!

       Please read this na lang, a lot of your questions are answered here: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

       I’m not sure if the IOs are strict with people going to Macau but I think in general they’re really strict these days. Just make sure you bring all the documents that you can bring, and answer their questions confidently. Even if you’re not availing of a tour package, try to make an itinerary of what you will be doing there, just in case the IO asks for it.

       Good luck and enjoy Macau!

92. Pingback: Offloading, required documents, and other Immigration FAQs | SMALL-TOWN GIRLS, MIDNIGHT TRAINS

93. Hi! I have a question! As i said with my previous comments na I’ll be staying in SG for 10days (well actually 9 because I’ll be going home the 10th day) i’m really not planning to have like a solid itinerary, you know i just want to “gala” depending on my mood~ will I be questioned for that? FYI para mas madali sagutin; I have of course Passport, round trip tix and hotel voucher. Also CoE, Approved Leave Form from my company, 1 month Payroll (April) and my Company ID. will i be good without a planned and detailed itinerary? I just dont want to be confined following a sched~ esp it’s a 10-day trip, kakapagod kaya gumawa ng plano. may days na gusto ko lang matulog or tumambay sa hotel hehe THANKS!!

    1. Hi Bambie. I don’t know if the IO will ask you about your itinerary, but they might (they sometimes do).

94. good day balak ko magpunta sa singapore ngayong katapusan with my sister in law,meron kaming sponsor sa singapore nya bibilhin ang ticket nmn ipapadala nya dito sa pinas saka sya narin ang bahala sa hotel na tutuloyan nmn,ano kaya ang hahanapin samin ng sister ni law ko sa imiigration at mga itatanong?pls reply sana masagot po ang aking katanongan

    1. Hi Anna,

       This other article answers most of your questions:
       https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

       Good luck! (And sorry for the really late reply, I’ve been having internet problems for over a week now.)

95. Hi there i need help please.
    I was about to go hk For a tour on the 8 of june and my chinese friend will gonna sponsor me what requirments do we need to prepare? I work as an ofw in hk since 2012 and just leave hk on the march 2015 now im going back just for a tour but i dont know what will i need to prepare for the immigration here in phillippines and in hk. Looking forward to hear ur reply thanks.

    Kind regards,
    Erma

    1. Hi Erma!

       This other article answers most of your questions:
       https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

       Good luck! (And sorry for the really late reply, I’ve been having internet problems for over a week now.)

96. Hi,
    Im Clauie. Next week is my sheduled trip to Singapore for three days. It’s my first time. What can you advise for first timers ? Do I need to bring CoE even if I have an ID of the company? Thanks

    1. Hi Clauie!

       This other article answers most of your questions:
       https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

       Good luck! (And sorry for the really late reply, I’ve been having internet problems for over a week now.)

       1. Thank you so much 😉

97. Hello good day,
    Need help me and my friend will be having vacation this coming 23 in singapore, I am currently working as a account executive and I only have a company i.d., employment certificate, leave document signed by the sales manager, atm and pocket money.the problem is I don’t have any bank statement or pay slip to show.is there possible that they will look my financial statement? But I have my pocket money to bring. I am scared it’s my 1st time to have a tour in outside the country.

    1. Hi Kjane!

       This other article answers most of your questions:
       https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

       Good luck! (And sorry for the really late reply, I’ve been having internet problems for over a week now.)

98. Hi!

    Me and my BF are going to SG and Kl for tourism pusposes only. I already booked our flight from manila to SG then SG to KL then KL to manila (E-Ticket).we also have hotel reservation voucher,and land tour package voucher.good for 3 days and 2 nights only. I am employed to other country and have my latest working permit with me.i have itr,bank statement,and atm and passbook account abroad and in PI. It is my first time to visit SG and kuala lumpur.

    Do you think my documents are enough to prove my capability to go on tour?

    Waiting for your reply.thank you

    1. Hi MJ!

       This other article answers most of your questions:
       https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

       Good luck! (And sorry for the really late reply, I’ve been having internet problems for over a week now.)

99. Hello Po, I’ve been to HK and Macau with my cousin and uncle, last month lang, and plan ko sana pumunta ng SG alone hopefully this July to celebrate my birthday, reward na din sa sarili ko. Online worker po ako, (odesk.com), though smooth and okey naman ang BI sa amim nun nag HK ako, pag sa sg po ba strict na lalo na at alone lang ako? Gusto ko kasi talaga mag universal studious, busy kasi mga travel buddies ko so ako lang mag-isa this time. I have RT tickets, cdo-manila, manila-sgn, hotel booking, and DIY itirenary, okey na po ba eto? Need ko ka po ba mag show money, or atm and bank statement? Nakakatakot maoffload lalo na’t own expense lahat, hoping for your response po. Your blog is very informative, thank you and God Bless! 🙂

    1. Hi Jodie!

       First of all, thank you for your comment. 🙂

       I think this other article answers most of your questions:
       https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

       Good luck! (And sorry for the really late reply, I’ve been having internet problems for over a week now.)

100. hello good morning.. i am hana po.. im planning o visit malaysia ths 29 to june1 mga 3days lng ako.bali ths is my frsttym magtravel outside phil. wala po bang magiging problima kong im traveling alone/.. vacation lng kasi purpose ko dun and meeting sone of my friend there.. ano po ba mga possible question ang itatanong sakin ng BI. and what document po ba dadalhin ko.. salamt po.

     1. Hi Hana!

        I think this other article answers most of your questions:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck! (And sorry for the really late reply, I’ve been having internet problems for over a week now.)

101. Hi Smalltowngirl,
     Peace to you!
     I am Ro, 41 years old and single.
     Been offload 2x already….last April 28 and the other was last May 19th going to Costa Rica.
     I was invited by my brethren to visit him for 2 weeks and he is the one who spend on my airline tickets and hotel reservation.
     I was asked for a financial proof and I have brought a bank statement, but that is not enough…The Officer ask what if someone just put that money to your bank?
     They need to know how I earn here etc..
     But the problem is I only had a sari-sari store and only have a barangay clearance for it which is acceptable in our Barangay.
     But since that the last Officer ask for a business name DTi that is why I finally applied for a DTI…still I was questioned about it.

     I brought my bank statement with my ATM Card but she did not accept it…

     My ticket and hotel reservation is provided by my brother in Christ (Brethren) He is the one who invited me to go there and visit the country.

     I also have an Authenticated affidavit of support from Philippine Embassy of Costa Rica from my brother who is living in Costa Rica.

     I really dont know why they hinder my tourist travel.
     Is there a way to be able to travel and visit Costa Rica?

     Thank you for the help.

     1. Hi Ro!

        I don’t know of any specific tips for traveling to Costa Rica, but this other article contains most of what I know about going through Immigration, maybe you will find it helpful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck! (And sorry for the really late reply, I’ve been having internet problems for over a week now.)

        1. Thank you for your reply….

           What this new policy they have created is like taking the peoples RIGHTS to TRAVEL.

           *I am not a treat to a national safety etc..
           *I am too old to be a prostitute
           *I never do drugs
           *I live a humbled and upright life.

           I understand that the Phil. Government WANTS to protect its people BUT to insult the people just because they only have a sari-sari store or cannot afford to travel?….is not good thing.

           I actually got sad about what others did just to earn money abroad BUT its not the people’s fault…its more about the government not giving extended help for its people to be able to live in this country.

           Money and connection runs this country….. nothing I can be proud of.

           Thank you again for extending help to someone like me.

102. hi po first time po nmeng magtatravel ng ate ko out of the country.. we already booked the ticket to Hong Kong and the hotel.. im with my boyfriend (foreigner) ,my sister and my sister’s boyfriend foreigner too.. yung mga boyfriend po nmen sagot sa lhat ! me and my ate have no work .. any problems with this about the immigration ? or about po sa mga affifavit…

     1. Hi Elmera!

        This other article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration. I think it answers your question, I hope you will find it useful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck! (And sorry for the really late reply, I’ve been having internet problems for over a week now.)

103. Planning to go to HK disneyland this june, alone. Nagpabook po ako sa agency ng package. Any advices para di po ako maoffload? Unemployed po ako. Pero I have cash.

     1. Hi Kathleynn!

        This other article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration. I hope you will find it useful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck and enjoy HK! 🙂

     2. Hello Kathleym! I’ll be travelling to Thailand in August. Homebased naman ako, un nga lang wala akong ITR or company ID to show. Pero tanong ko lang, kung kumusta ung experience mo with the Immigration Officer?

104. Hello!

     I was invited by a research institute in Taiwan and they will support my accomodation there for two months. So technically, this is an academic visit. In addition, my school here in PH will support for my allowance. What do you think will be the documents needed? Btw, I am an incoming 4th year undergraduate physics major. Thank you!

     Cheers,
     Luis

     1. Hi Luis!

        I’m not very familiar with the requirements for Taiwan but I believe you’ll need a visa for that visit, and then whatever documents you submit for your visa, just bring them along to show to the Immigration guys if they ask.

        Good luck! (And sorry for the really late reply, I’ve been having internet problems for over a week now.)

105. Hi, i just resigned from my job, im planning to go to the us on a tourist visa for a few months, i have enough savings, plus the separation pay. Magkakaproblema ba ako sa immigration, how big are my any chances of getting inadmissible? I have flown there four times before, noong may trabaho pa ako. Pero ngayon i have no proof except for my savings in the philippines, i am also single and no children.

     My other plan is to go backpacking in south america. Strict ba sila sa COE doon? Do i need a return ticket for south am?

     1. Hi Linda!

        I’m afraid I can’t predict if you will have trouble going to the US or to South America. There’s a chance the IO will wonder if you’re going to the US to look for a job, so you’ll have to convince him/her that you’re only going for tourism purposes. You will definitely need a return ticket, though, even if you’re just going to South America, since that’s one of requirements listed by the BI.

        This other article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration. Perhaps you will find it useful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck and enjoy your trip, wherever you decide to go! 🙂

        1. Thanks for your quick reply. Appreciate it.

        2. I hope you have a great time on your trip. North/South America sounds like fun. 🙂

106. hi ask ko lang po i was given an invitation letter last may 11 tanong ko lang po kung ilang days po itatagal ng invitation letter from my auncle in cacau thanks

     1. Hi Ryza,

        Wala naman akong na-come-across na parang validity period ng invitation letter, siguro as long as hindi naman masyadong matagal. Kung May 11 yung date ng letter ng uncle mo, I’m sure okay pa naman yon in the next month or so. 🙂

        1. kasi i got offloaded nung may 23 kc kulang ng oec copy ng uncle ko na pinadala sa akin.. tapos ngayon complete papers nako.. so ok lang po ba kung gamitin ko ulit ung invite na pinadala sakin nung may 11 pag alis ko ulit?

        2. Ah I see. Oo, I think okay lang naman gamitin yun ulit kasi hindi mo naman sya actually nagamit last time kasi na-offload ka. If ever magtatanong ang IO, sabihin mo na lang sa kanya ano yung nangyari the last time, na may kulang kang paper pero ngayon complete na. Hopefully hindi ka na ma-offload. Good luck!! 🙂

107. Hello po tanung ko lng po. Ung sister ko po kc mag travel xa sa singapore ALONE this june 3 to 5 roundtrip ticket n hotel reservation.my pocket money rin xa.wala xa work. Makaka travel po kya xa ? Pls help me po ano b un mga ktanungan sa phil immgrtion..

     1. Hello Yhelle!

        This other article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration, I hope makakatulong ito sa sister mo:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck to her!

108. Ska po kylngan pba nya ng invitation letter glng sa sg. Kun my booking xa sa hotel. Kc mgtravel po xa alone. Thanks po.

     1. Hi Yhelle,

        Hindi naman kailangan ang invitation letter kung talagang wala naman nag-invite sa kanya at kung kaya nyang tustusan yung sarili nyang travel. Pero kung may taga-Singapore na nag-invite sa kanya o kaya magbabayad for some of her travel expenses, kailangan yun ng invitation letter at possibly affidavit of support and guaranty. Good luck!

        1. Thanks po mam. Kaya nya nmn po tustusan Ung Pag travel nya dun my ticket na po xa round trip. My chance po ba na mka Pag travel xa sa SG for 3 days. First time nya po kc. Bka po kc e deny xa ng immigration Pag flight. My hotel reservation din po xa.

        2. Hi Yhelle,
           Definitely may chance naman sya, advise her lang to bring lahat ng documents na pwede nyang dalhin.

109. Hi magtravel po kasi kami ng bf ko ngayong july 2015. marami kasi akong nababasa na mga naoofload. paano po ba hindi maofload or tips? punta po kami singapore. thanks

     1. Hi ANgelyn,

        This other article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration — I think you will find it useful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Medyo strict talaga sila, especially with places like Singapore, so prepare lang talaga. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

110. Hi! Just an update~ am here in Singapore na! on my 5th day ^^ when I departed from Mactan airport, IO just asked when will I return and where will I stay (without asking for my tickets and hotel voucher) whewwww ~ thanks so much sa replies mo 🙂

     1. Yay!! Enjoy Singapore! 🙂 And thanks for the update, I’m planning to compile a list of questions frequently asked by IOs, hopefully it’ll be useful for others, and your update is a big help. 🙂

     2. Hi sir bambi ask ko lng first time mo lng bng ngtravel? Swerte mo nmn haaixt. San ba Ung mactan airport ndi ba cla masyado matanung dun. Ngworry tlaga ko sa kptid ko sana mka lusot xa sa IO. Wla kc xa Ibng mpkita n requirements Kundi Ung package trip nya Ksma n hotel. Tpus ung pocket money mron.

        1. Hi! actually, hindi ko first time. I think factor din yun kung bakit di na ako masyadong inusisa kasi Ive been to korea, china, sg, etc~ mactan airport is in Cebu. Kalalapag lang ng mga friends ko dito sa SG (first timers) yung isa sa NAIA 3 galing, usual questions lang naman daw like kelan babalik, purpose, hotel at tinanong bat di kasama yung bf (wala sya nun. Haha) yun namang isa, sa cebu din kaso inusisa daw siya ng sobra like to the point na kelangan niyang ipakita ang mga pictures niya na nag ta-travel talaga sya sa pinas, like that ~ i hope this helps and hoping sa flight nia na maging maayos ☺

        2. Gnun ba kya nga cgro ndi kna tinanung pa kc mdalas k pla ngtravel. Haaixt Sna nga matyempuhan ng kapatid ko Mdyo ok n IO.
           Salamat sa Pag share mo.

111. Hi,

     I was uploaded last night going to SG, kase nakita daw nila na galing ako Dubai nung ininvite ako ng mga kapatid ko. nag exten kase ako before and nag exit sa kish then bmalik sa Dubai then bumalik sa Pinas pero I didn’t work there nag stay ako ng 7 months while working online sa boss ko dito sa Pinas .. Now im going to SG for a tour hiningiin nila ako ng requirements to present sa knila. if mkumpleto ko ung requirements may chance pa din ba ako ma offload.. nakaka trauma na..

     1. Hi Offloaded Girl,
        Nakakatrauma talaga pag ganyan… I hope di ka na ma-offload ulit. Advice ko lang, bring lahat ng documents na ni-require nila before PLUS all other documents na pwede mong dalhin. Wala talagang guarantees, ang magagawa mo lang is prepare as much as you can.

        This article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration. I hope it will help:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

112. Hi mam thanks po sa Pag reply. Ung about po sa kptid ko Ung meron lng po xa na requirements is passport package trip to SG for 3 days.hotel reservation Tpus ung pocket money nya po more than 30k. Ala po xa bank account or statements. Peo Ung pera po skin manggaling dto po kc ako QATAR OFW po ako. Pwd nya po kaya ipkita sa IO UNG resibo ng pdala ko n gling skin Ung pera. Kun skli man pong hanapan xa… Sobrng ngaalala po kc ako sknya. Syang Ang lht kun hindi xa mka travel.

     1. Hi Yhelle,

        I suggest gumawa ka talaga ng affidavit of support, kasi I don’t think na pwede na yung cash lang o kaya resibo ng padala, pwera na lang kung swertehin talaga yung kapatid mo sa IO na mag-i-interview sa kanya.

        1. Mam kylngan ko prin po ba gumawa ng affidavit of support Pano ko Po ba ggwin un letter lng po ba xa.? Kun skli po b na Svhn nya s IO my father xa dun at gusto nya surprisahin kc more than 10years n nya ndi nkita. Hngi lng po ako advice kun pwd bng dahlias un. peo ndi po xa Ang nag support. Maaari po bng hingan prin xa ng katibayan
           Ang hirap po kc Ang dmi ko ngbbsa dto na naoffload. Peo Ung iba nkakalusot.

        2. http://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg/wp-content/uploads/asg.pdf — example yan pero kailangan mong i-change, magpatulong ka sa Philippine embassy o consulate dyan, kasi baka iba yung process nila.

        3. Hello po mam gud eve. Magtanung lng po ako ulit. Kun skli po n na magtanun Ung IO na kung sino Ung kakilala nya sa SG. Kun Svhn po bng andun Ung father nya kylngan pa po kya nila ng proof. Or invitation letter. Kun ndi nmn po xa ininvite. Mlpit n po kc magtravel Ung kptid ko. Mas maganda po kc kun ready. Thanks po sa Pag reply nyo.

        4. Sabi mo before na i-su-surprise nya ang tatay nya di ba? Kung hindi naman sya ininvite ng tatay nya, at hindi naman sya makikitira sa bahay ng tatay nya, at hindi naman ang tatay nya ang magbabayad for any part of her trip, hindi na siguro kailangan ng invitation letter. In fact, if I were in her shoes, hindi ko na siguro i-me-mention yung tatay nya sa IO para wala ng hassle. But like I said, I can’t predict kung ano ang sasabihin o irerequire ng IO.

           Ang alternative naman dun is, hindi na lang nya isusurprise ang tatay nya at hihingi na lang talaga sya ng affidavit of support/guaranty at mga documents from her father.

           Choice nyo na yun kung ano sa tingin nyo ang mas mabuting gawin. Either way, wala talagang makaka-guarantee na hindi sya ma-o-offload. Kahit ako, ilang balik ko na sa Singapore, pero hindi pa rin ako makakasigurado na sa next time na pupunta ako doon, hindi ako ma-o-offload.

        5. Ganun ba mam.thanks po tlaga ng marami sa advice nyo nkakuha ko ng idea.
           Nung ngtravel po b kau sa SG San kau mdalas na terminal departure. Anu terminal b Ung mhigpit tlaga.
           Hehe Hehe Cnxa n po kau kulit ko. About po pla sa bank statement Ung pinaka amount lng po b Ung nka lagay dun.

        6. Sa bank statement, usually ang end balance and ang total amounts debited and credited within the last quarter.

113. Hi mam! I just wanna ask if theres a possibility that I will be offloaded again. Im planning of going on a holiday for 10 days in Singapore. Ive been there 2 years ago to meet my boyfriend (which I got offloaded since it was my first and we were not official yet, so what I said to the IO that I’m going to meet a friend which led me to one of the most traumatic events of my life. I was even asked to admit that he was my boyfriend so that they’ll let me fly. Stupid me I didn’t, so I was asked to submit a letter as a proof that he will finance me during our trip, though I had enough cash to cover my expenses. They also asked a photocopy of his passport the stamp of arrival and bank statement of my BF. The following day I brought the things that they’ve asked except for the bank statement since my BF was already in Singapore. Good the officer offloaded me was not there anymore). Now, we’re planning to meet again this June. Everything is already booked. I still have a job, but Im thinking of going awol if the management will not approve my leave. I dont know what do.. Im soo nervous if that will happen again. Looking forward for your reply. Cheers!! xx

     1. Hi Peony! To answer your question, there’s always a chance that you (or me, or anyone else) will be offloaded. And I know it can be a very traumatic experience, not to mention sayang ang lahat ng ginastos na! But we can minimize our chances of getting offloaded by bringing all the documents that we can possibly bring.

        This article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration. I hope you will find it useful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck and enjoy your trip!

        1. Thank you so much po mam!! 🙂 next week na po yung alis ko at sobrang kinakabahan na ako though its my second time. T-T

        2. Actually, ako din, kinakabahan pa rin ako every time, kahit naka-ilang beses na akong magtravel. We never know talaga kasi, kung trip ng IO maghigpit ng sobra. Pero sana wala kang maging problema next week. Good luck!!

        3. Hello po Mam! sorry po if medyo makulit ako… hehehe. Im so confused po Mam, na approved po yung leave ko for 14 days. 🙂 what I have right now is round trip ticket, health insurance, pocket money, company ID, COE, hotel booking, pero and name nkalagay lang don e yung bf ko na foreigner. so i was thinking baka mas ok na 1.) i will not tell nlng na i will meet my foreign bf sa IO, so that they wont ask for a CFO and just book a backpackers hotel for 2 days, then kukuha nlng po ng bank cert, ITR and Cert of LOA. or 2.) attend the CFO seminar, tapos hindi nlng po mag bubook ng hotel?? and still get the docs that they might ask… thanks po! 🙂

        4. Hi Peony! Congrats on getting your leave approved. Nag-threaten ka bang mag-a-AWOL na lang, kaya nila in-approve? Hehe. Anyway, I can’t tell you which option is better, but to be honest, if I were in your shoes, I would go with #1 kasi I noticed na if you say you’re meeting someone overseas, mas maraming tanong, and the more questions you have to answer, parang the more dangerous. 😀

        5. Hello po Mam! hindi ko naman po tinethreaten yung manager ko… hehehe… pinili ko po yung #1… 🙂 what I have right now: passport, round-trip ticket, hotel accommodation under my name, bank statement, COE, Leave of absence, pocket money, and I.D. po… do i still need to make an itinerary Mam?? ang ginawa ko sinulat ko lang ang mga gusto kong puntahan… hehehe… Bukas na po ang alis ko… sana po tuloy2x na to… *sigh*

           thank you po sa pag reply Mam… 🙂

        6. nakalimotan ko po isali… nakalimotan ko pong humingi ng ITR sa company namin… ok lang po ba yon??? huhuhu~ 🙁

        7. To answer your question in this comment and in your previous comment, I can’t predict what the IO will require of you. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

        8. Hello po mam! I just wanna say thank you so so much for the advise and to your very informative blog!! I made it through the immigration and spent the happiest 10 days of my life in Singapore with the man I love. The IO was quite nice and funny. She just asked for my company ID, Hotel address/voucher, how long i have been in the company and how much is my pocket money. God Bless and Take Care po!!! :)))

        9. Awwwww! I’m so happy for you. Sana forever na yan. 🙂 And thanks for taking the time to leave a message here, nakaka-inspire. <3

114. Hi! Na-offload po ako etong Saturday lang because of lack of documents, first time ko sana mag-travel non. They asked me if may work ako, sabi ko wala, then they asked me again kung graduate ako sabi ko na lang hindi (which is graduate na talaga ko, sinabi ko lang na hindi for them not to be more suspicious) Ang purpose ko lang naman talaga is to travel, ngayon, tinanong nila ako kung anong assurance na babalik ako dito sa pinas although round ticket naman ang pinresent ko sakanila kaya ang sabi ko mag-eenroll ako etong pasukan. They asked for proof of enrollment and school id. Tanong ko lang, alam ko namang recorded lahat yong statement na sinabi ko pero pwede kaya na hindi na ko ma-offload kung di ako mag-eenroll and sasamahan na lang ako ng dad ko papuntang Macau? Isa pa palang hinihingi sakeng req. is letter of sponsorship, possible po kaya yon? Sana matulungan nyo ko kasi di ko na sana balak mag-enroll dahil waste of money pa kung nagkataon, thank you! PS: pag offloaded po ba may stamp or something na ilalagay sa passport mo? Thanks!

     1. Hi GJnA,

        I don’t think naman na may nilalagay sa passport mo if offloaded ka. And meron din namang mga tao na na-offload na before pero pinayagang umalis on their next try. Kaya lang sana hindi ka nagsinungaling sa IO, hindi talaga good idea yan. I’m not sure kung may record ba sila na sinabi mong student ka pa.

        This other article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration, lahat ng tips, pakibasa na lang:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

        1. Hi! But if ever na kasama ko na lang yung dad ko magta-travel which is maka-ilang beses na rin naman syang naka-labas ng bansa, may possibility po ba na i-ke-question pa nila ako?

        2. May possibility pa rin na i-question ka, siguro less na lang ang possibility, pero possible pa rin. Kahit yata yung anak ni Abigail Valte, yung presidential spokesperson ba yun, ikinuwestyon pa ng IO kahit magkasama sila.

     2. Hello Gjna
        Ask ko lng Saang naia terminal ka. ?
        At ano lng na requirements un pinakita mo sa IO Ngtnung b cla about sa pocket money mo. Hay grave kinkabhan tlga ko.mmya na magtravel Ung sister ko punta ng Singapore. An dla nya lng is round trip ticket then hotel reservation then pocket money. Haaixt grave Sna nmn mging ok an lahat.

        1. Hi! I was in Terminal 3, they asked my pocket money kung magkano, e ang dala ko that time is $400. Yung ibang officials don sinabi saken nung ni-refund ko yung travel tax ko e pag first time traveler talaga tapos bata ka pa, single, babae, e chances are ma-ooffload ka. Mahigpit na daw talaga ngayon, yung mga IO sa NAIA 3 mga galing daw ng Davao, nag-rounds daw ang mga IO para maiwasan yung familiarization. Pati yung mga IO sa NAIA 3 e mga bata pa.

        2. Hello Gjna
           Tnx for Ur reply. Aixt gravi now na mgtravel Ung sister ko oras nlng hintay. Kinkbhan tlga ko kc sayang Ang lahat. Ano ba un may mga ka sa bayan ba Pag initerview na.? Bkit ilan taon ka nba?
           Un sister ko mag 20 plng xa this July. Tpus 1stym nya lng din magtravel. Buti un ticket mo na pa refund mo pa.

115. So kelangan ko na lang po talaga magpakita sakanila ng proof of enrollment and school id?

     1. I’m sorry, hindi ko alam kung ano ang i-a-advice ko sa ‘yo, kasi hindi ko alam if they placed ba talaga on your record na sinabi mong estudyante ka pa, and kung i-co-consider ba nila if sabihin mong actually nag-graduate. Ayoko ring i-advice na mag-enrol ka na lang talaga para lang makalusot sa Immigration, parang napaka-desperate naman nun, kung purpose mo lang talaga, like you said, is magtravel…it’s not worth it naman na gumastos ka pa sa pag-enrol para lang gumala, di ba? Sorry pero di ko alam anong gagawin sa sitwasyon mo.

116. Ang sabi ko lang naman sakanila is mag-eenroll pa lang ako, and assurance na po na babalik ako sa pinas yung kasama ko yung dad ko magta-travel and a round ticket.

117. Hi sir mag travel po ako sa uae as visit visa possible po kaya ma offload po ako visit po ako ng husband ko I have complete document wala po ako cfo na sinasabi kasi tourist lang po ako and proof of sending amount financial support wala po ako work kasi ayaw nya po ako mag work. Please reply back ano po gagawin ko para dipo ako ma offload. Pakistan national po a saw a and leaving in uae.

     1. Hi Maryam,

        Ang sabi ng Bureau of Immigration: “Partners and spouses of foreign nationals intending to depart to meet and/or marry his/her fiancé” ay kailangan may CFO, so kahit tourist ka lang, I think dapat meron kang CFO certificate.

        This other article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration, pakibasa na lang:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

118. Hi po..

     I’ll be going to Hong Kong on June 12 to June 15 po, for tourism purpose only. I have my return ticket and Hotel voucher already. Full payed na po pareho. The problem is, it’s my 1st time to travel and alone pa. Tska boyfriend ko po ng sponsor ng expenses for ticket and hotel accommodation. As of the moment I have no work. But I have pocket money worth HKD 3,700. Pero wala po ako bank account.
     I’m afraid about the possibility of being off loaded.

     Please give some advice. I really appreciate your further response. Thank you!

     1. Hi Gel!

        This article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration, pakibasa na lang, I think makakatulong talaga to sa yo:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Make sure you bring the receipts sa ticket and hotel accommodations mo. Medyo risky talaga kasi wala kang work and wala ka ring bank account, pero try mo lang. Just try to answer the IO’s questions confidently.

        Good luck!

        1. Thanks po further reply.. Atleast kahit paano may idea ako. Actually hindi ko na po dapat itutuloy after ko mabasa na marami pla na o offload. Lalo na pag first time. Pero nabayaran na po kc ng bf ko yung ticket and the hotel accommodation, sabi nya i try ko na lng daw po baka sakali makalusot hehe, but if not kahit nakaka panghinayang yung nagastos ready naman po kami if ever na ma offload ako. Atleast I tried and try nalang ulit next time. ( Pero sana ‘wag naman. Hehe. Gusto ko talaga makapunta ng Disneyland ).

           —
           Thanks po ulit sa pag response, atleast now gumagaan gaan feeling ko. God bless po. 🙂

        2. Oo try mo lang, wala naman masyadong mawawala if you try. Try lang to secure lahat ng documents na pwede mong dalhin pero if ever the IO asks for it, maibibigay mo. Good luck!! Sana makalusot. 🙂

        3. Yes po.. I’ll try para Malaman na rin iba pang possible requirements. Pero if ever po about the “Show me the money thing” enough po kaya yung HKD 3,700 o baka sobra po? May mga nabasa po kc ako sa iba na hnd allow yung sobra pocket money specially kung fully payed na yung Hotel accommodation mo and you’re only staying for 2 days.

        4. Hmmm…di ko alam sa amount…basta ang alam ko, sometimes, ayaw ng IO ng cash, gusto nila bank certification talaga, hindi kasi guarantee ng financial capacity ang cash. (Di ba si Mary Jane Veloso may maraming cash, tapos drug trafficking pala.) Pero yung sa amount, I’m not sure.

        5. Ah ok po … Thanks po for the informations. Sana talaga makalusot ako, or yet better luck next time. 🙂

        6. Hi po .. Good morning.

           Just want to share .. Dito na po ako Hong Kong. I arrived last night. Kahit 1st timer at wala ako work nakalusot po ako sa IO. Although napunta ako sa Secondary inspection dahil nga unemployed ako. Tsambahan lang pala talaga sa mga makakatapat mong IO. I’m so blessed and thankful na mabait yung IO na nang interview sakin. She ask me who sponsored my trip. Sabi ko Boyfriend ko. Tinanong din nya kung kung san aq tutuloy. I gave her my hotel voucher. And then, tinignan nay mga pictures nmin together pati na rin yung mga messages. LuckiLuckily nkapagdala aq ng mga receipreceipt ng remitttance from my bf, humingi sya ng copy. And 30 before my boarding time sinamahan nya ko window ng available na officer para lagyan ng stamp passport and boarding pass ko.

           Basta mating honest lng po tau sa mga questions, I think walang mgiging problema.

           Thanks po ulit sa mga napulot kong advice here. More power smalltowngirls 🙂

           Thanks

        7. Yay!! I’m happy natuloy yung trip mo! And thank you for sharing your experience, I’m sure makakatulong sa iba. Enjoy HK!

     2. Hi advice ko lng sau mhirap kun an sponsor mo is un bf mo.
        Un kptid ko kaka offload lng nya nun Jun 3
        Alone xa at wla ding work. Hiningan xa ng proof na ng sponsored saknya. Peo ako un sponsor nya. Tpus sbi sknya sa IO bata p daw xa at babae pa. Mg 20 plng kc xa this July. Aun kumpleto nmn xa pocket money hotel n round trip ticket. Sobrng higpit ng immigration Ngaun.
        Gud luck nlng sau.

        1. Hi Yhelle,

           Posible naman talagang makalusot sa Immigration kahit bata pa, babae, at first time mag-abroad, basta nag-prepare lang ng mga posibleng kakailanganing documents. Alam naman nating lahat na mahigpit ang Immigration dahil uso talaga ang human trafficking at drug trafficking gamit ang mga Filipino. Unfair nga para sa mga Pilipinong inosente na gusto lang mag-travel, pero alam naman natin na ganun ang reality ngayon kaya responsibilidad din natin na gawin ang lahat ng makakaya natin, including ang paghanda ng documento.

           Sa case ng kapatid mo, hindi “kumpleto” yung “pocket money hotel n round trip ticket.” Alam mo naman yun. How many times ka naman ding sinabihan na kailangan ng affidavit of sponsorship mula sa ‘yo. Sa first comment mo pa lang dito, pinabasa na kita sa isa pang post kung saan nakasulat na kung walang financial capacity yung pasahero, kailangan ng affidavit of support. The next day, inulit ko, nag-suggest ako na gumawa ka ng affidavit of support. Binigyan pa kita ng link nga sample ng affidavit of support. Eh, yun na nga, nung pumunta ang kapatid mo sa airport, yun nga ang kulang. Siguro hindi mo talaga mabigay, baka sobrang busy ka dyan o ano.

           Siguro ang pinaka-lesson na mapupulot natin sa case ng kapatid mo, hindi ang paghihigpit ng Immigration, dahil alam na natin ‘yon. Ang lesson siguro dyan, gawin natin ang lahat ng ating makakaya sa paghanda ng mga documento.

           Wag naman sana nating i-discourage yung iba dyan na magtravel kasi marami namang first-timers na nakakalusot. Paano ba naman magkaka-second time kung walang first time dba? Marami akong kakilala na babae at bata pa nung first time nilang mag-abroad. Pag-sipagan na lang talaga ang documento.

        2. Thanks po sa smalltowngirls 🙂
           Kahit po we’re both not sure if makakalusot, e confident nako humarap sa IO because of your advice, sabi niyo nga po wala naman masama if i try ko like what my bf said. Actually ayoko na po tlaga ituloy kahit medyo malaki na nagatos niya although nakakapanghinayang talaga. Pero mas lalo naman daw po nakakapanghinayangan if hindi ko ni’try and if ever na payagan daw pala q ng IO. He said everything is out of our control. That’s why I’m convinced now to try it be confident when I face the IO..

           Thanks smalltowngirls 🙂

        3. Hi ms. Yhelle,

           Yes I know po na it’s possible na ma offload cause of incomplete requirements. Pero we’re on plan stage na kc.. May return ticket na kc aq plus the hotel voucher and the pocket money so if ever na Hindi pa rin po makalusot ok lang. Atleast I tried, and in that moment makakuha ako ng mga ideas about sa mga kulang na requirements if in case mag try ako ulit atleast may maippakita na po aq enough documents.

     3. Hi gel. Ask ko lang posible bang makalusot din ako, halos same lang kc tayo pero tita ko lang nagregalo sakin ng trip na to, kung mababasa rin nila conversation namin ng tita ko? May roundtrip ticket ako, hotel voucher at 10,000 pesos pocket money. Kinakabahan kc ako, first time ko din magtravel.

        1. Hi Ms. Lou,
           San po ba airport niyo? Ako kc sa Clark Airport. Sobrang labs ko nung nasa check in area na ko. Depende din po kc tlaga sa matatapat na IO sayo. Pero tingin ko po may chance din kayo l, ako basta be honest sa mga pag fil up sa form. May naka indicate dun kung sino nag sponsor sayo and kung saan po resident niya. Naka indicate din dun ang address kung San po kau mag I stay. And kung Hindi nman po siguro kau magttagal for sure wlang magiging problema. Tska ingat po sa pagsagot ng mga questions ng IO. She/he will be asking you if how long will you stay there and when is return to Philippines. Dapat po tugma sa itinerary mga sagot niyo. Ako Hindi na tinanong if magkano pocket money ko, naka indicate dun sa form kung magkano dala mo. Basta Hindi po kayo makikitira sa mga kaibigan or relatives I think wala masyado problema. Yung nakasabay ko kc na nainterview ng 1 IO, ni reject sya dahil mkikita raw sya sa friends nya. Just be confident po, and I suggest mag masid ka muna if sino sa mga IO ung pwd mo lapitan at Hindi ka ppahirapan. Hehe. I try niyo po wla nman masama. Ako nga hnd q tlga ine expect na makakalusot aq. Magdala din po kau ng remittance receipt if pinadadalhan kau ng tita mo and a copy of her passport too.

           Good luck , sana makalusot ka din po. 🙂

119. Hi everyone;
     Actually before pa nmn mahigpit na ang BI during my time 2001 onwards nagppunta ako SG ang uso nmn dati ay A to A (Airport to Airport) ihhold k nla sa Airport don at interrogate then iddeport ka ASAP flight going bck to ur home country. (some of my friends naexperience yan)
     Safe travel everyone

120. Hi there.Can the BID still track previous travel record like 7 years ago? I plan to request a travel clearance fro. BI main office to check if they can still track the record.We’re planning to travel po this year to have a short holiday for 3 days in H. since we teachers in I.S are given a 5 day leave of absence annually.Is there any chance that me and my friend will be offloaded?.We have complete documents naman po to present if ever lang we don’t often travel within Phila tourist destination.I hope you will give me insights on this issue.Thank you.Your suggestions will be much appreciated.

     1. Hi Capricorn girl,

        I don’t know if the BI can still track our travel records from way back. I think they still have those records (that should be part of their responsibility, in case records are needed for criminal investigations and stuff) but I don’t know if they routinely check it when someone presents at the Immigration counter.

        This other article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration, I think it can help answer your question:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

121. True! Yes, it’s quite stressful and nerve-wracking to go through Philippine Immigration for the very first time.. HARD, YES, but not impossible! I have friends who traveled first time to SG just two weeks ago and they didn’t have a major problem. I guess the key to a successful immigration experience is “preparedness”! Dapat alam mo lahat ng galaw mo, lahat ng requirements; kahit hindi official kung sa tingin mong hahanapin..dalahin mo na! ano ba namang hassle kung bibit-bitin mo ilang kaperasong papel lang, diba? Personally, kahit ilang beses na akong nakalabas ng bansa and napatunayan na hindi na talaga ako masyadong inuusisa ng mga BIO, sobrang research at paghahanda pa rin ako before my trip. Plane tickets, hotel voucher, COE, etc. Pag hindi ako hinanapan, okay lang, at least ready diba? and also with the way we dress, sobrang factor yon! ano ba din naman ang tiis-ganda? kahit kating-kati na akong mag shorts and shirt lang para comfortable, nagpa-pants or skirt or dress talaga ako with matching shoulder bag or formal/nice-looking slingbag para lang maka create ng “impression” kumbaga. This is how our immigration works so if you can’t beat them, join them. Bigay mo gusto nila para wala kang problema~ and be confident. Huwag magsasalita kong hindi tinatanong at huwag maraming salita. If IOs ask you something, sagutin lang kung anong tinatanong. Ganon lang. Basta paghandaan lang. Cliche pero sino ba namang soldier ang pumupuntang gyera na walang armas? HAPPY TRAVELS 😀

122. hi can i ask if may nakaexperience na sa inyo na gamitin yung credit card under your maiden name for online hotel booking? kase po plan ko po gamitin yung credit card ko, pero maiden name ko pa nakalagay dun, sa dec 2015 pa xa magexpire, nung june 12 last year po kami kinasal.. baka lang kase questionin sa BI.. please help.. thanks

     1. Hi airishjoy. My cards are still under my maiden name. When I book a hotel, I use the name that’s on my passport as the Guest Name, then I pay for it with my CC that’s still under my maiden name. Pwede naman yun, just bring your marriage cert so you can show it to the hotel if they ask you about it (but usually they don’t).

123. Hello po! Your posts are really very informative, especially ung about “Offloading and Required Docs, and other immigration faqs”. I’ll be travelling for the very first time in August this year to Bangkok, alone, but I’ll be meeting my Korean boyfriend there. I booked na my flight. I did some research and got so bothered about this offloading issues with IO’s.

     You see, I have been a homebased English online tutor for 2 years now, I don’t have an ITR and a company ID to present. But this June, I registered my online job and got my Certificate of Registration from BIR and my DTI. Do you think they will honor those docs since they are ‘new’?

     Also, I have enough funds from my bank account, but how much should it contain considering that I’ll be staying in Bangkok for 5d4n?

     I’ll appreciate it a lot, if you can get to reply. ^^
     Keep posting and God bless you…^^

     1. Hi Grinch! Thanks for your comment. I think they will honor those documents, even if they’re new, but just back them up with other documents showing you have a steady source of income from your online job, like your bank records or PayPal account or however you are paid. As for how much your bank account should contain, the BI hasn’t set any amount because that depends on so many things, but you should have enough to pay for all your travel expenses AND still have some savings left over.

        1. Hi! Thanks for replying. Yes, as of now, I am preparing all needed docs for my travel, including my diploma (hehehe) in case they need proof. It is better to be prepared. Reading blogs and comments from readers helps a lot as well. I’m gonna leave a comment here someday, offloaded or not, to help other future first-time travellers. Thanks again and wish me luck!

        2. Best of luck to you! And, by the way, careful lang about mentioning your boyfriend, kasi baka the IO might ask you to provide a CFO certificate. Enjoy your trip! 🙂

124. Hello, this thread is really informative.. I’m a Gay po at ex abroad po AQ from Dubai march 2014 po AQ dumating at dinA po AQ bumalik. magta travel po AQ to Macau for holiday on December to meet my boyfriend galing xa ng UK. bale 20 days po kmi dun.. yung boyfriend q po 2 beses na po siyang bumisita ng Pinas and we plan our next meeting sa macao.. he made our hotel reservation and meron na rin po aqng plane ticket, pocket money, meron na din po sa akin copy ng kaniyang CC, Company ID, passport, copy of his previous airline tickets and copy ng arrival stamp sa passport nia when he visited me, just in case it needed.. since boyfriend ko po siya at gay po ako, sa tingin mo po ba ma question AQ at ma offload? really need ur advice.. salamat po!

     1. Hi Riyo!

        I’m afraid I’m not really the best person to give you advice, kasi I haven’t come across particular problems that gay people may have with Immigration. You shouldn’t have problems just because of your gender orientation, but I don’t know if the IOs may have biases, etc. Siguro ang ma-a-advice ko lang sa ‘yo, since you can’t control people’s perceptions, work on the things you *can* control, like your documents. I suggest, if you have the financial capacity naman, wag na lang i-mention yung boyfriend mo, unless the IO specifically asks about it, because that will just lead to more questions. But if they ask, then don’t lie. Another thing is, if Filipinos meet their foreign partners/spouses abroad, they usually need to get a CFO certificate, but I don’t know if that rule also applies to same-sex partnerships.

        Sorry I can’t be of more help! I have another article that might give you a bit more information about the documents you’ll need:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Hopefully hindi ka magkakaproblema. Good luck!

        1. Thank you so much for the reply and i apologise for the late reply as well.. i guess i maybe asked about my boyfriend by the IO because on our hotel reservation, both our names was printed on the booking, so i guess i maybe asked who the guy im going to meet there. i had only pocket money with me coz i dont have bank account, much more im jobless, in case, do i need u think a bank statement from him?

        2. Hi Riyo. In that case, yes, I think you will need a bank statement from him and probably also an affidavit stating that he will pay for the entire trip.

        3. thank you so much..with regards to the affidavit of support, since galing po ng London yung affidavit, kelangan po bang notarized? or kelangan from a lawyer? sorry, dont have any idea.. thanks!

        4. I’m not sure. What I know is that some places like the Phil. Embassy in Singapore have procedures for authenticating affidavits — here’s an example: http://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg/wp-content/uploads/asg.pdf — but I don’t know for London or other places.

     2. Hello Riyo!! I think we’re on the same boat. Im also gay and Ill be meeting my boyfriend(whos also a british national) in Singapore for the second time(*crossingfingers*). Im soo paranoid right now if I still need the CFO. Im thinking of just going to the office tomorrow so I can get an appointment. 🙂

        1. Hi Peony, im thinking that as well if CFO is needed.. really paranoid.. have u been asking about the CFO? how it was? kindly inform me if its needed..thanks!

125. Hi. My boyfriend and I will be going to HK. It will be our first time to travel abroad. I think hindi ako magkakaproblema sa immigration pero yung boyfriend ko, who is 31 y/o already ay student pa din (nag stop kasi before). He has a bank account at maraming savings (kasi super tipid sya). What does he need to bring? kelangan nya ba ng bank cert? o kaya reg form from school na proof na babalik sya? can I just say na ako ang mag fund sa kanya since my work na ako. please help. thanks.

     1. Hi Jeck,

        This other article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration and I think it answers most of your questions:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        It’s up to you if you want to say that you will be funding the entire trip — if you do, the IO *might* ask for an affidavit of support from you. The two of you will have to weigh your options, but basically the IO just want proof that you guys can pay for your trip and that you’re coming back.

        Good luck!

126. Hello!

     I’m a frequent traveler (traveling since I was 3, funded by parents) but stopped for almost 6 years now because of priorities in life. I’ll be traveling again (finally) this coming month and I want to know if I still need to present other paperwork like proof of financial capacity, etc.? Everything has been pre-booked already: tickets, accommodation, tickets to attractions (disney land, etc.). Or should I just bring my old passports to prove to them that I’m a frequent flyer? (My mom used to do all these things for me and it’s my first time to travel with friends)

     Thanks! 🙂

     1. Hi April!

        You can refer to this other article — it contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration and I think it answers most of your questions:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

127. hi everyone

     1. Thanks for sharing Gayle!

        I would just add that if your sponsor is working abroad, check with the Philippine embassy/consulate where he/she works, as they may have templates or requirements for the affidavit. Here’s an example from the Singapore embassy:

        http://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg/wp-content/uploads/asg.pdf

128. Hi i would like to ask if i have a big chance to be offloaded again, my experience was, i was offloaded before(1st time kong mg travel) i was going to China with a tourist visa, but not really to be a tourist but to work, so i was offloaded but then i tried for the 2nd time i made them believe i wont work coz i have all the papers and return tickets( 2011 hindi pa strict ung china to change tourist visa to working visa). So nkalusot ako, maybe 4 mos. aqong extend ng extend then i applied for a working visa( i worked as a singer in China) so after nun i worked legally in China for 3 years, wlang uwian or something. So last april 2015, first time qong umuwi. Then my bf(foreigner) is also in the philippines right now, last May 31 we decided to travel to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia via Mactan Airport(Cebu) we went there for 5 days, wla nmng problema, coz we have the return ticket and hotel reservation nmn and then my bf will shoulder all the expenses, the IO just asked me one question, if i worked in China before and i said YES!!! so yun lng. After 5 days umuwi kmi as planned. So ngaun this coming August pupunta kmi ng Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Celebrate our 2nd Anniversary together and will do a backpacking in mainland Malaysia, after Malaysia we will go to India for a month, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam. So hindi pa nmin alam kailan kmi babalik dto sa pinas. But my bf already my return ticket from Malaysia incase mgtatanong cla. Ano ba kailangan kung gawin pra hndi ma offload? by the way our flight going to KL, Malaysia will be via Clark International Airport. Paranoid na ako sa kakaicip anong gagawin, mg tratravel lng dn nmn kmi, hope matulungan nyo pi ako. 🙂

     1. Hi Maria!

        I can’t really predict what your IO will decide, but I would say, probably, your history of being offloaded gives you a slightly higher chance of being offloaded again than if you had no history of offloading. Medyo nakaka-increase lang ng risk but it doesn’t mean offloading is inevitable.

        This other article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration — I think you’ll find it helpful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

129. so what if i will renew my passport?

     1. The BI has travel records.

130. Hello, I’m Rochel. I already had a 3mos. Tourist visa going to Germany. I already had an air line tickets, june 30, 2015 is my departure at ang balik ko po ay September 28, 2015. November 28, 2015 po ang expiry ng passport ko. Payagan po kaya ako ng immigration umalis kahit na malapit na mag expire ang passport ko? Ang hirap po kc mag renew ng passport ngayon hindi po kagaya dati na meron 3days makuha na agad. At ang tagal pa po ng waiting period for the appointment. Actually, may appointment po ako for passport renewal last june 10 po diito sa atc alabang po. Kaso kailangan po pala yon e confirm within 24hrs., friend ko po kc ang kumuha ng appointment online at naka limutan po nya sabihin sakin na kailangan po pala e confirm within 24hrs., without my knowledge po I rushed to a computer shop in SM south mall same day, I was amazed that my appointment was cancelled. At hindi po talaga ako pinagbigyan kahit nakikiusap po ako. Anu po ba ang dapat ko pong gawin?

     SALAMAT PO!

     1. Hi Rochel,

        Ang sabi ng Bureau of Immigration dapat ang passport mo valid pa for 6 months after your date of departure. In your case, since June 30 ang alis mo, dapat valid pa ang passport mo until December 30. I think wala kang ibang choice kundi magpa-appointment ulit at ipa-rush-processing ang passport mo. (Keep in mind rush processing takes 10 working days, according to the DFA website.)

        Sabi din ng DFA:
        “Power failures, technical breakdowns and natural calamities may delay the release of passports. Applicants are advised to book flights taking into consideration such incidents. NO REFUND of fees will be made on account of these unforeseen delays.

        The public is advised to secure their passports prior to booking their flights.

        Flight bookings should ONLY be made if passports are still valid for at least six (6) months.”

131. Napaka inconsiderate po ng system na ginagamit po nila ngayon. Paanu po kng mawalan ng signal sa Internet,? Gagaya po sakin kaya po friend ko ang kumuha ng appointment online kc ang hirap po ng signal samin. I came from mindanao po. At nagtravel pa po ako papunta ng manila para lang sa appointment ko po. Tapos ganun po ang nangyari. Para po akong pinag takloban ng langit at lupa nun araw na yon. Sobrangg disappointed po talaga ako…. Sana may gawing amendment naman po. Sa mga case kagaya sakin po. Kahit naman po tourist visa lang po ako, alam nyo po ba yong paki ramdam ng sobrang excited ka kc sa tagal ng panahon hindimo nakita ang kapatid mo tapos ito na po sana ang THE MOST AWAITING TIME. Tapos ganun pa po ang mangyari.

     1. I understand your frustration and the fact na excited kang makita ulit ang kapatid mo, but in this case, hindi naman yata ang system ang nagkamali.

        The appointment system is there to keep the process orderly. If they consider the request of one person, they will have to consider the request of other persons, to keep it fair, and the process will inevitably break down if they do that. Worse, if people know na pwede naman palang mapakiusapan ang system, maraming taong mag-i-imbento na lang ng kahit anong excuse para makasingit. Actually, buti pa nga sa Manila may appointment system. Dito sa Cebu, nagpipila talaga ang mga tao for hours, ang iba starting midnight pa, para lang kumuha ng priority number, kasi walang appointment system dito.

        Let’s take responsibility na lang siguro for our own actions. We can ask for consideration, but we are not entitled to it. Kaya ang i-blame mo, ang hindi nagsabi sa yo na dapat pala i-confirm ang appointment. 😀 Joke lang po. Pero ganyan talaga. Pag mag-ta-travel tayo, talagang dapat extra attentive at careful tayo sa mga dapat nating ginagawa para hindi masayang ang pera at pagkakataon.

        Anyway, may time pa naman. Try mo ring tumawag sa DFA dyan, ask them anong gagawin if talagang malapit na ang departure date mo. Hopefully, if ma-process mo yan this Monday, makukuha mo pa on June 29. Hopefully walang delays para makakatravel ka on June 30.

        Good luck! 🙂

132. Hi. Flight ko na po sa 21, Sunday going to Bangkok for just 3 days. Kinakabahan po ako baka ma offload ako. First time ko po kc magtravel, solo and i’m only 21.Meron po akong roundtrip ticket, hotel voucher and worth 10,000 pesos pocket money. Gift po sa akin ng tita kong ofw na nasa lebanon. Makakalusot po kaya ako sa mga IO?

     1. Hi Lou,

        If it’s your first time to travel abroad, and since you’re only 21, I think there’s a chance na maghihigpit ang IO sa yo. I’m saying that not to scare you but so that you can prepare yourself and not panic or get scared if ever you’re subjected to secondary inspection.

        Even if it’s your first time, malaki pa rin naman ang chance mo na makalusot sa IO if you prepare all the documents that you might need. Here’s another article that might help:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Try to ask your tita for an affidavit of support. Good luck and sana makalusot ka. Enjoy Bangkok!

133. h! po tanong ko lng po base on my experience first time ko po na offload with my bf foreigner punta sana kmi sa Thailand for tourist for 3 days first time nmin nag meet but my bf 2nd time yana po pmunta dto sa pinas nong tinanong po kami ng officer kong ano po yng status nming dalawa sabi ko po bf ko cya at gnon din yong bf ko sagot din nya gf nya ako after that nag ask yong officer kong ilang taon na yong relasyon nmin sinagot ng bf ko almost 1 yr pro yong totoo almost 3 months plng kmi na panic na po kmi ksi gusto ng bf ko na maka alis cya na kasama ako alam ng BI na nag sinungaling kmi ksi alam nya na gling ako ng dubai hiniram nya yong phone ko pra mkita nya yong conversation nmin ng bf ko at yong mga pictures nmin at alam ng officer na nag sinungaling kmi kong ilang taon na kmi ksi di kmi prepare wla kming idea na gnon pla mangyayari sa amin yong bf ko yong passport nya nilgayn ng offload pro sa akin wla ask ko lang po my plan ulit yong bf ko na pumonta sa ibang bansa na ksama ako magkikita ulit kmi for second time dito sa pinas 6 months na po kmi next month at next month yong plan nmin mag travel sa Singapore and Thailand sa tingin nyo ba mka alis po ba ako ksi nag lie po kmi nong first pro this time mag sasbi na po kmi ng totoo ksi myron na po kming mga proof like a lots of pictures and mag kasama mag travel sa ibang lugar dito sa pinas.
     thanks po sa na may sagot po kayo sa tanong ko god bless po!!!!!

     1. Hi Jean, I think you have a good chance naman na makaalis, kahit nagsinungaling ka before. Siguro lang, maghihigpit sila, because of your previous record, pero if legit naman talaga yung travel mo ngayon and you have all the documents na possible nilang i-require, then there’s no reason for them to offload you this time.

        This other article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration, baka makatulong sa ‘yo:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        By the way, I’m not sure if you will be required to present a CFO certificate, pero siguro kuha ka n lang, just in case.

        Good luck!

        1. thanks po sa reply tumawag po ako ka hapon sa immigration tpos sbi ng IO kumoha lng daw yong bf ko ng affidavit of support pra mawala na yong record ko na offload example po kong offload ako sa terminal 2 at don kmi kukuha ng ticket nmin ng bf ko sa terminal 3 wla po byon probs?ksi nkalimotan ko po mag ask ka hpon sa IO thanks po ulit!

        2. Hi Jean, di ko alam kung ano ang mga internal processes ng Bureau of Immigration and if it matters ba kung saang terminal ka, pero I think yung records nila naka-computer naman at hindi by terminal, so kahit anong terminal ka, ma-a-access pa rin nila ang records mo.

134. Hello po! Good afternoon.

     I’ll travel to Kota Kinabalu this coming June 24 – Jul 1… and it is my first time to travel po. Actually I booked my trip a year ago. Ngayon po, upon checking all the articles about BOI, medyo kinakabahan po ako. I am a medical student and it’s currently our sembreak ngayon. July po start ng pasukan namin.. What do you think are the other requirements I should bring?

     Btw, my parents will shoulder my pocket money, and I was the one who paid my tickets (sariling ipon)

     Thank you so much! 🙂

     1. Hi Michelle!

        This article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration, including the documents that may be required by the IO, please read na lang:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        In your case, since you’re a student, you might be asked for proof of enrollment, yun ang naging experience ng ibang students, so try to bring that as well, and your ID if you have one.

        Good luck and enjoy KK!

        1. Thank you po!

           Pero ang problem po kasi, our enrollment hasn’t started yet. Around 1st – 2nd wk ng july pa po ang enrollment. Kakatapos lang po kasi ng 2nd sem namin. Pano po kaya yun?

        2. I guess you can just tell that to the IO. If you have a copy of the school calendar, maybe that will help.

135. Hi po good morning!

     Just want to ask, magbabakasyon po ako Sa Bangkok June 17-28 my ticket Na po ako balikan at hotel booking under my name and German Bf, I’m working po in Abu Dhabi I’m here in Philippines for vacation may 13-June 30, almost 5 years Na po kami ng bf ko, many times Na rin po sya pumunta ng Abu Dhabi to visit me, it’s my first time to go Bangkok, I have documents to proof that I’m working in UAE, may main concern is do I need to get CFO!? I hope u response asap! Thanks and God bless.

     1. Hi Heaven, I’m not sure but I think so, especially as you’ve been together for a long time.

        1. Hi again! Just gonna share this kasi may nakita akong comment related sa CFO. I checked BI’s website, under FAQ’s-Travel Requirement, and this is what it said about CFO certs:

           6. What are the requirements for Filipino emigrants?
           As required by the Commission on Filipino Overseas (CFO), Filipino emigrants are required to:

           Register with CFO;
           Attend in the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) to prepare them for settlement overseas;
           Children of emigrants aged 12 years and below are exempted from attending the PDOS but should still be registered.

           Children of emigrants aged 13 years and above are required to attend the Peer Counseling Program to help facilitate their adjustment to a new environment.

           I think it is a very helpful piece of information din especially at galing sa BI na mismo. Feedback about this is welcomed kasi there is too much confusion about cfo certs kahit n yan n ang nakasaad sa website nila.

        2. Hi Grinch. Thanks for sharing this. Based na rin sa usual circumstances ng mga nag-co-comment dito, I think the confusion is mostly for Filipinos who are traveling abroad as tourists and meeting their partners there. But this will be helpful for the emigrants who happen to come by. Thank you!

136. Hi!

     Gusto ko lang makasiguro. Yung bf ko kasi magvisit sakin this end of month.more than 1 year nako work dito sa bangkok. nagwowork ako sa business ng auntie ko, more than 40 yrs na din sya dito kasi nakpangasawa ng Thai. 30 days yung plan nya na magstay tutal vacation sa school ng pinagtuturuan nya, which are Koreans. May invi letter naman ako na pinrovide, copy of work permit and passport. Okay naman na siguro yun ano? if ever ano pa kailangan ko iprovide? Thank you!

     1. Hi,

        That should be it from your end, though your boyfriend will have to prepare his own documents too.

        You can show him this article:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck and enjoy your time together!

        1. Thank you!! Well, nagready naman na sya ng cert of employment tsaka ITR at may inipon na money for this trip. Thank you rfor the response! More power and Godbless!

        2. Salamat din. 🙂

        3. Hi!

           Ask ko lang kung yung invitation letter ay self-made letter o meron bang official invitation letter na galing sa embassy? or may format ba na dapat sundan?

        4. Um I’ve never tried so I don’t really know, sorry. I hope someone who’s had experience will see your comment and reply.

137. hello.. i plan want go to philippines …and im from malaysia..age 18 ..i travel alone..what they need? reply

     1. Hello Akmal,

        I suggest you look for information in the website of the Bureau of Immigration (BI), because I don’t know what the requirements are for foreigners planning to visit the Philippines. I’m sure the info you need will be in the BI website.

        1. i alittle confuse about that hehe… because my first travel alone what i read before..they no need visa..

        2. No, you don’t need a visa if you’re Malaysian. I think you won’t really need anything other than your passport and a round-trip ticket, but just check the BI website to make sure.

        3. ahh okay thanks for info.. i be use premium class like business class flight..

138. and this is first time to me 🙂 i travel alone and i stay 5 days 4 night..

     1. I hope you have a great time here. Just look it up in the Bureau of Immigration website, the info you need should be there. 🙂

        1. thanks

139. hello po

     1. Hi pinkgirl! I don’t really know for sure what would be the best answer, but I think the best answer would be her true reason for traveling alone — para, if ever the IO asks follow-up questions, she can defend her answer kasi yun naman talaga ang totoo. Kung solo traveler talaga yung style nya, ask her to bring photos of her solo travels around the Philippines.

        Regarding the documents, ask her na lang to read this article that contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

140. P.s. may 30k pocket money na po sya wala nga lang syang leave form kc di naman nag iissue ng leave form company niya bale di uso leave form2x sa company nya, pero may company id na po sya, ayus na po ba yun? hehe thanks po ng marami

     1. I suggest na she ask her boss na lang to at least give her a certificate of employment and kahit letter man lang (not necessarily a leave form) that says na she’s expected to be back on a certain date. There’s a chance na hindi na yan i-require ng IO, pero mas malaking chance na ire-require nila talaga, especially since first time ng friend mo na mag-abroad.

        1. ah ganun po ba, nag wowork kc kami sa convergys, nag ask na kami sa manager namin about leave form, wala naman talagang leave form sa amin daw.. pano na yan?

        2. Like I said, kahit letter lang, or whatever will show that she still has a job when she returns.

     2. hello pinkgirl! When I went to Thailand last 2013 and to Korea last year the IO didn’t asked for my COE. they just asked for my Company ID and Hotel voucher. IOs are kind naman basta honest ka. But it will still depend sa IO na magtatanong sayo. Gudluck to your friend 🙂

141. hindi pa ba sapat yung company id lang???

     1. Please read that other article that I gave you the link to. If you want to just bring a company ID, you can try, it’s up to you.

     2. hello pinkgirl! When I went to Thailand last 2013 and to Korea last year the IO didn’t asked for my COE. they just asked for my Company ID and Hotel voucher. IOs are kind naman basta honest ka. But it will still depend sa IO na magtatanong sayo. Gudluck to your friend 🙂

        1. To add to the discussion, when I went to KL and Bali this year, the IO didn’t ask me for any document aside from my passport and ticket.

           I prepared and brought 50+ pages worth of documents that never got seen by the IO. But I would rather regret bringing something na hindi nagamit, than regret NOT bringing something that I could have prepared but chose not to, and it turns out na yun pa ang one thing na ire-require ng IO.

           The reason I keep asking people to read the other article (https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/) is because all of this is explained there. But in the end, it is everyone’s own choice and risk. Kumbaga, kanya-kanyang risk-benefit analysis na lang.

142. That’s correct! Just bring nalang all Documents that you think you might need para iwas offload 🙂

143. hi first time ko is hk pero nkalusot ako, second time time ko to ngaun pero to travel to thailand,. ill be meeting my husband there for our honeymoon. kc 3 days after our marriage he left for uk, but he was refused to enter to philippines last may dhil sa complaint na nkafile against sa knya ng kalaban nmen sa politics.though now its under settlement stage, our real purpose is just to see each other and spend our honeymoon in thailand. im 4 months pregnant and i badly want to see him, so i was thinking kung iinterogate nila aq i will still be consistent with my answers,and just be honest. do u think it will be a chance to be offloaded.? many thanks

     1. Hi Jen, I don’t see naman why you would be offloaded.

        1. hi thank you for your response… i hope u will continue ur site para makatulong pa sa madaming travellers. goodluck!! i will give u an update bout my trip. thank you!!!!

        2. Thank you rin! I hope everything goes smoothly so you guys can see each other. Medyo mahirap nga ang sitwasyon ninyo, so sana hindi ka na pahirapan pa ng IO.

           Here’s another article I wrote regarding offloading, etc. — I hope it will help:
           https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

           Good luck! And wag ka masyadong ma-stress, just take care of yourself and your baby. Congrats pala in advance. 🙂

        3. hello… thank you ulet, naniniwala pa din nmn aq na khit papanu they will allow me to out of the country, its been so hard kc my husband cant come home to see that bby is growing fast,. it will definitely breaks my heart if they will offload me some certain silly reason..thank you for being so helpful. wish me luck…

144. Hello,
     Kakadating ko lang ng Pinas from Bangkok this June8. 2yrs ako sa Thailand.. 1yr as tourist visa and ngaun may student visa ako, kaya lang pa expire na ng July1, and i dont have plans na bumalik, so hndi ako kumuha ng re-entry. This July3 kasi flight ko sa Malaysia, my Malaysian bf will follow me here and sabay kami papunta sa KL.. I am kinda worried na baka ma offload ako dahil sa dami ng stamp ko sa passport. Ano po sa palagay nyo? ^^

     1. Ah, no, hindi naman siguro yan sa dami ng stamp sa passport, kasi meron namang iba na talagang labas-pasok sa bansa. There’s a chance though na i-secondary inspection ka, kasi sabi ng DFA automatic na for secondary inspection yung “Passengers who stayed abroad for more than one (1) year during a previous departure from the country as a tourist/temporary visitor, intending to depart for the second and/or subsequent time.”

        Just be prepared lang to show proof na yung tourist and student visas mo last time were all legit, meaning tourist ka lang talaga at student ka lang talaga noon, and that your next trip will also be legit.

        You might find this useful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

        1. Thank you for immediate response.
           May letter naman po ako from school ko, na student nila ako. Including ung class schedules and attendance.
           i hope it will be enough to be a supporting documents.. diba po.

        2. I hope so too! Sometimes mahirap i-predict kung ano ang ire-require ng IO eh. But just try to bring all the documents you can think of, yan lang magagawa natin. Good luck!! Sana wala kang maging problema.

145. HI very helpful inputs indeed 😀
     Ask ko lang po I will be travelling to China on July 03,2015, but I will just get my passport by tomorrow, June 25,2015. Wala po bang magiging problem dito? Thanks!

     1. Hi Ahyen! Hindi naman siguro magiging problema if new yung passport mo. Is it your first time traveling abroad? If it is, siguro expect lang a bit more scrutiny from the IO, naghihigpit talaga sila sa mga first-timers. And if it’s not your first time, bale bagong renew lang yung passport mo, make sure you bring your old passports. I tried, last year, I just had my passport renewed and the IO was very strict kasi akala nya it was my first time going abroad, buti na lang I was able to bring my old passports, hindi na sya masyadong nagtanong after that. Just make sure you have all the documents that you might need.

        In case you haven’t seen it yet, here’s an article that might be helpful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck and enjoy your trip!

146. thanks a lot! will keep you posted.

147. Pingback: Filipina offloaded from flight at NAIA 3 for not bringing her grandfather’s birth certificate? Here’s what probably happened — and how you can stop it from happening to you | SMALL-TOWN GIRLS, MIDNIGHT TRAINS

148. It is actually very sad for Filipinoes to be treated this way in their own country. We have been treated poorly in some countries but we can accept that, pero yung tratuhin ka na para kang criminal na need to interrogate sa bansa mo ay basically a low blow. But then, dahil na rin sa mga ilan nating kababayan na nagpupunta sa ibang bansa to do some nasty things there (good example in Singapore, some of our kababayans go there to ply their trade as prostitutes and 2 years ago, SG authorities caught 3 pinays who were professional pick pockets). yung mga prosti na nakakalusot sa BI, syempre, may lagay. 2,000 SGD lang naman.

     1. Tsk tsk. The BI wouldn’t be so bad if they were clean and consistent with their rulings, but yung mga nagpapa-bribe, those are the ones that give them a bad name I think. Tsk tsk

149. Hi,

     I’ve read some concerns here and I cant find similar to mine that’s why I’m asking.

     I’ll be traveling next year from Malaysia to Vietnam for a month summing up to 6 countries. I’m a student so I don’t have a source of income. The money will come from my parents. I have booked so far a total of 8 flights with hotel accommodation , e.g. Penang, KL, Langkawi, Phuket, Bangkok . Inside each country I’ll be travelling via plane but when crossing to the next country, I will be doing it by land(for adventure).

     Anyway, I am thinking of booking more flights/hotels but since I’m not sure about my ETA in Laos after Myanmar, I might just do it there.

     Can I get your insight?

     1. Is it okay if I don’t complete my other reservations since as a backpacker, plans do change? Though, I have a return ticket to MNL from KL after 29 days.

     2. I have enough cash on hand, in bank and amount in my credit card. But, all those funds came from my parents. What do I have to prepare in case they ask me for a proof whatsoever?

     3. This may be a bitchy move but can I call a lawyer if they do not allow me to travel because I’m a student trying to explore 6 countries in Asia on his first travel abroad alone? I really just got nervous after that story of a woman who wasn’t able to fly to SG.

     Sorry if my thoughts are not organized. I tried to provide as many information as I could. I just need your opinion on what could go wrong. Thank you. Your blog is amazing.

     1. Hi Joshua! First of all, it’s really cool that you’re doing this trip. I wish I could! I think that the Immigration guys do have experience with people who are going backpacking with no clear itinerary, and I think they understand that some people might not be sticking to a fixed schedule. I think that they won’t focus on the schedule as much as your ability to afford the trip.

        Since you’re a student and you don’t have income of your own, you should definitely get a notarized affidavit of support from your parents, and make sure to secure a copy of your parents’ financial documents which will prove that they can support your trip. I think it would be best if the affidavit is detailed, in the sense that it should state that you’re going to several countries, and the amount that your parents are budgeting for your trip.

        Regarding the bookings, I would suggest making a tentative itinerary and booking your hotels based on that. There are sites such as Booking.com that will let you book hotels without paying for them right away, and they can be cancelled up to a few days before your trip.

        Because you’re a student, you might be asked for proof that you have enrolled or plan to enroll after your trip, so try to secure proof of that as well.

        You should know that IOs are usually more strict with people who are traveling abroad for the first time, and in your case, they will probably be even more strict because you don’t have your own income and you’re going on a multi-country trip on your very first international trip. Try to prove to them that you are capable of this trip. For me, getting a lawyer and suing the BI is just too much hassle — if you sue, you’re going to probably have to prove in court anyway that you are capable of this trip, so why not present all that proof to the IO instead. Since you’re going backpacking, bring proof that you have backpacked extensively within the Philippines, etc. Just prepare and be persuasive. Prepare yourself mentally to be asked a lot of questions, and be confident when you answer.

        I don’t know if you’ve seen this article yet, but if you haven’t, you might find it useful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        And regarding that woman who was offloaded from her flight to SG, here’s a little analysis of what might have happened:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/06/25/julianne-dee-julie-ann-dela-cruz-offloaded/

        Good luck! Let me know how the trip goes, I am jealous!

        1. Hi,

           Thank you for responding. I guess I just really got scared by the news on the girl who recently got offloaded. I’ll follow your advice about Booking.com but I’ll cancel it perhaps since I’m going for the Welcome Rewards promo of Hotels.com. I’ll also follow your advice to be overly prepared about my supporting documents. I don’t wanna be offloaded ever. Dreadful.

           Thank you for maintaning this site. I will surely update you about my backpacking adventure. Kudos.

150. Hello,
     I’m married to a filippina since about 8 months ago. One week after getting married in my country, my wife returned back to cebu to take care of her mother who had health problem. Now that her mother is better, she wants to come back to my country. Can you please tell me what are the documents she will need in order not to be offloaded. Is she allowed to fly from Mactam airport to hong kong for the connecting flight to my country or does she need to go to Manila? I shall be grateful if you could help me coz i miss her very much.

     1. Hi Jerome,

        This article addresses the documents that are usually asked for the Immigration officers, I think you and your wife will find it helpful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Your wife will definitely need a certificate from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) if she doesn’t have one yet. Here’s more info:
        http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1348&Itemid=918

        She can fly directly to Hong Kong from Mactan airport; no need to pass through Manila. Good luck to you both!

151. Hi!

     I literally read through the comments from top to bottom just to see if anyone’s in a similar position I am in. No luck, so far. Anyway, I am in great need of advise about my planned trip to UK. First off, I have successfully traveled to UK dated November last year and stayed there for exactly 4 months with my boyfriend and his lovely parents. I was still a student back then when I applied for a visa and used my certificate of enrollment as proof that I’ll be coming back, and as promised, I came back March this year to attend our graduation. It was my first time ever to travel internationally and was fortunately approved a visa. The thing I am really wondering about is that I never attended any CFO seminars nor secured a CFO sticker but was still able to travel without any questions coming from the BI. Now, we are engaged and will be getting married in May. He is coming back this October to come and visit me and he is planning to take me back with him. The catch is I am unemployed (unfortunately) and I am confused on what to do. Do you think us, being engaged, could somehow help my application? It is the only proof I could use since we’re having the wedding here in the Philippines. That being said, I (or we) obviously have to come back for our wedding. We’ve partially paid our wedding coordinator, reception/catering and photographer and all there is that I could use is the receipts which were issued by them. :'(

     I know you’re not a professional adviser with regards to this matter but your insights would greatly help. Anyone is more than welcome to share their thoughts as well!

     Love from Mindanao! xx

     1. https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/07/01/beep-beep-beep/
        So sorry, I will get back to you as soon as I can!

     2. Hi Kate!

        First of all, congratulations on your engagement! For your upcoming trip, I think it’s best if you secure a CFO counseling certificate — even if the BI doesn’t ask for it, it’s better to over-prepare than to under-prepare. Since you don’t have work currently, you can ask your fiance to execute an affidavit of support. And yes, you can bring your wedding suppliers’ receipts to help prove that you are coming back.

        I don’t know if you’ve read this article yet, but it might help — https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

        1. Aww thank you! I am now currently waiting for a decision for my visa application. I will probably get a decision by next week. I really hope I get approved! Fingers crossed! xx

152. h, just wana ask about my case… im want to go to malysia to visit a friend.. i dont have a relative there, i dont have work here aswell.. my mom retired from work and recieve a respectable amount of money.. shes gona give me 150thou as a gift so i can visit my friend.. but after reading alll those comments it looks like im in a bad shape.. any advice?

     1. https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/07/01/beep-beep-beep/
        So sorry, I will get back to you as soon as I can!

     2. Hi Chis! Aside from preparing all the documents you might need — see: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/ — I think you should also prepare to answer the question of why, if you don’t have work here in the Philippines, would you spend your mother’s retirement money just to visit a friend in Malaysia. You might be asked what your plans are, moving forward. If you have a suitable reply for that, and you can substantiate those replies with the necessary documents, you should be fine.

153. I’m traveling to japan this july. Yung mga pamangkin ko nag request na mag dala ng products galing dito sa pinas? may alam ka ba sa mga terms and conditions sa bureau of customs nila? please let me know if okay lang mag dala.

     1. https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/07/01/beep-beep-beep/
        So sorry, I will get back to you as soon as I can!

     2. Hi Michael! Here you go: http://www.customs.go.jp/english/summary/passenger.htm

154. Hi, I travelled to sg last December together with my singaporean bf, last time na- 2nd interview ako ng io, pero 1 hour before my flight they let me go,. 14 days lang talaga dapat ang stay ko sa sg but my bf ask me to stay for 30 days so we rebook my ticket.. my problem is I’m goin back to sg this September to spend and experience the hari raya haji with my bf and his family and plan to stay in sg for 10 days.. magkaka problem po ba ko sa immigration kc nag stay ako ng 1 month sa sg? Eh ang na record nila na stay ko last December is 14 days lang.. kinakabahan po ako hehe kahit sa september pa ung alis ko.. actually sa sobrang nerbyos ko last December before my flight I am having a fever haha but when I reach the boarding gate I feel ok na and my fever is gone lolz.. sana po mabigyan nyo ko ng advice.. ty po

155. Hi, I travelled to sg last December together with my singaporean bf, last time na- 2nd interview ako ng io, pero 1 hour before my flight they let me go,. 14 days lang talaga dapat ang stay ko sa sg but my bf ask me to stay for 30 days so we rebook my ticket.. my problem is I’m goin back to sg this September to spend and experience the hari raya haji with my bf and his family and plan to stay in sg for 10 days.. magkaka problem po ba ko sa immigration kc nag stay ako ng 1 month sa sg? Eh ang na record nila na stay ko last December is 14 days lang.. kinakabahan po ako hehe kahit sa september pa ung alis ko.. actually sa sobrang nerbyos ko last December before my flight I am having a fever haha but when I reach the boarding gate I feel ok na and my fever is gone lolz.. sana po mabigyan nyo ko ng advice.. ty po

     1. https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/07/01/beep-beep-beep/
        So sorry, I will get back to you as soon as I can!

     2. Hi iamjaxshye! Oo, nakaka-nerbyos talaga yung Immigration, dun na rin ako nakakarelax pag nasa boarding gate na hehe. Anyway I can’t predict kung magkakaproblema ka because you stayed longer than planned last time, pero sa tingin ko, hindi naman, as long as your documents for your trip ngayon are complete. You can read about the documents that might be required here: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

156. Hi sana po mareplyan ung comment ko dito..

     1. https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/07/01/beep-beep-beep/
        So sorry, I will get back to you as soon as I can!

     2. Reply posted na!

157. Hallo…
     Me and my Bf( foreigner) will have a 30 days vication in thailand do i need CFO eventhough it is not his country and filipinos are allowed to stay in thailand in 30 days. I work in switzerland for 1and a half year and i have my savings i also have 300€ and 200francs is it already ok for the pocket money?? If ever do i need to show some documents from my past work??

     1. https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/07/01/beep-beep-beep/
        So sorry, I will get back to you as soon as I can!

     2. Hi Lea, I think you will still need a CFO even if you aren’t going to your boyfriend’s country because it’s required for people who are meeting their foreign spouses or partners abroad. Regarding the pocket money, it depends on a lot of things, like where you’re planning to stay and what you’re planning to do there. Basically you just need to show that you can afford your trip and that you will still have some savings left. (Please see my reply to your other comment as well.)

158. hello po i just wanna ask po kung ano po ba the best answer sa immigratio this Is my first time going to HK . Wat will i do

     1. Hi lezah! Kung ano lang po yung totoo, yun ang best answer. Kasi kapag nag-re-rehearse ka ng answer na hindi naman totoo, mapapansin yan ng Immigration, at mag-fo-follow-up question yan, baka hindi mo na masagot ng maayos. Kaya kung ano lang yung totoo, yun lang ang sasabihin mo. So kung ang question “what will you do” sabihin mo kung ano talaga ang plano mong gawin doon, sabihin mo ang itinerary mo, kung saan ka papasyal, etc.

        1. Hi…I would like to ask…if makita bah ng immigration officer sa ka ilang system king kailan ka bumalik ng pinas?

        2. Hi Hazel. Di ako sure pero I think meron dapat silang records sa mga ganyan.

159. hi. I want to travel to sg alone. And one of my purpose is to apply for a job. I have an agency and they are calling me for interview, but sad to say im here in the ph. Thats why i decided to go for a tour. If i would go there they would be the one to work on my Spass. If i bring my Diploma and OTR would the immigration see it? What is the best thing to do? Please help. This is a big oppurtunity for me.

     1. Hi. I’m not familiar with the BI’s rules for people going abroad for a work interview. Can you try to ask other people who have done the same thing and find out if they had trouble with Immigration if they revealed their actual purpose? Anyway, to answer your question, sometimes — but definitely not all the time — the Immigration officer might look at your bags during secondary inspection. I’ve never tried having my bags inspected by Immigration, but I’ve heard of some people who have. I think the first thing that you have to do is to try not to be subjected to secondary inspection. If you’re going there on a tour, make it legit, like actually go to tourist attractions so that you won’t actually be lying to Immigration. Try to bring all the documents that the IO might ask to see (please see this post for a bit more info – https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/). And as a backup plan for luggage inspection, perhaps there’s a way you can make the papers not too obvious? Good luck, I hope you make it!

160. hi! ask ko lang po were planning to go to Bankok Thailand for only 3days with my foreign bf sabay ko po siya here dito din po siya manggagaling sa Ph ano po ba mga requirements ? thaank you ,and do i need CFO ?

     1. Hi Maria. Regarding sa CFO certificate, I’m not sure kasi ang sabi ng CFO, ang kailangan ng certificate ay yung mga “fiancé(e)s, spouses or other partners of foreign nationals” — I’m not sure kung kailangan ba if mag-boyfriend lang kayo. Sa documents, please read this post na lang po: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

     2. i went cfo this feb ’15 for seminar namention ng counselor na khit magvvacay lng with foreign fiancee dpt pumunta sa knla but none from us during tat seminar dare to ask why? and before even me n my foreign fiancee (married n kmi now) nagvvacay kmi overseas yearly but no cfo and lenient pa IOʻs nun. try to call for inquiries kc may good advantages din pagattend ng seminar at under sila ng office of the president., at pro-filipinos sila iniingatan lng din nila tau to prevent maging victim ng any types of trafficking. maganda umattend ng seminar at mura lng nmn at mabilis. very informative and helpful ang cfo.

        1. Thanks for the input Gayle! Did they ever mention about those who just have foreign boyfriends (that is, they’re not yet engaged or married)? That really confuses me too, kasi they include the term “partners” but it’s such a vague term. Like, how about mag-boyfriend lang, not engaged, pero been together for 10 years? Or mag-boyfriend lang for 2 months? Na-mention ba nila yun?

161. Hi… i am planning to visit my husband who is working in uae.. aside from coe… marriage contract and affidavit of support.. ano p mga need n proof… thank you..

     1. Hi Jen,

        This article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration, I think you’ll find it helpful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

162. Hi po ..
     Mg. Ttravel po kme ng anak ko pafrance invite kme ng mom ko my travel consence na ako from lawyer notaryo na xa .. ok na po ba un pra sa immigration pra sa anak ko kc ung den ang pinakita kong docs sa pgkuwa ng pasport nia .. and about sa finacial assistant ipapakita ko nlang ung from na binigay sakin patunay na cla ang ggastos sa lht ok na po ba un or anu po kayang docs pa ang kailangan makalusot kaya ako kc first timer ko kc ako tnx po

     1. Hi Sheila,

        Di ba kapag kukuha ka ng visa for France, may mga requirements yon? Dalhin mo na lang din lahat yon pag pupunta na kayo sa airport.

        Good luck!

163. Hi sis,uʻre welcome

     1. Okay, thanks Gayle! xx 🙂

164. Ok tnx po 🙂

165. These are great tips! Next month I’ll be having my first overseas trip and I’m quite nervous about it.

     1. That’s so exciting!! And I love your site! I need more time to thoroughly explore it but I love what I’ve seen so far. Where are you going on your first overseas trip? I’m always nervous about Immigration, even now that I’ve gone abroad a couple of times already, but all we can do is to prepare as much as we can and see how it goes. I’m sure you can get through. If you haven’t seen this other post, you might find it helpful: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck and happy travels! 🙂

166. hi again, hmm last year december before my trip to sg i went to cfo office to attend a seminar, so i got my cfo cert bago ung flight ko, actually di xa hinanap sakin kahit kasama ko mag travel ung foreigner bf ko.. pero i still prepare my documents for my trip this year.. sabi sakin ng counselor sa seminar mag ingat daw ako kahit may cfo di daw sure kung paaalisin ako ng io.. but i still manage to pass the 2nd interview 🙂 sana this time di ako mahirapan sa immigration..

     1. I hope so too! Good luck and thanks for sharing your experience with us. 🙂

     2. Hello po.. cfo lng ba dala mo when entering sg?thanks

167. Pingback: Do it. | SMALL-TOWN GIRLS, MIDNIGHT TRAINS

168. Hello po. Ask ko lang po kung yung mga documents na ipapakita sa immigration ay need pa legalized ng embassy? I feel very worried. I already have a plane ticket for Italy sa August 10, 2015. Sabi ng via center, aabutin daw ng 2 months ang paglegalize ng documents ko sa Italian embassy. Kasama ko po daughter ko sa pagpunta ko sa Italy. Sana po masagot nyo po katanungan. Huhu. Thank you.

     1. Hi brenicejane,

        I’m not sure what your specific situation is, what your purpose is for your trip to Italy, and why you have documents that need to be legalized at the Italian embassy. But just as a rough guide, kung anong documents ang sinubmit mo sa embassy to get a Schengen visa, yun na rin ang dalhin mo sa airport in case needed sa Immigration.

        Good luck!

169. Hello! Here na in Bangkok after 2 months of preparing. Before coming here, of course I had a very harrowing interview with the immigration, a second interview I mean. The girl who interviewed me was rude, but in my obsevation, it was just a facade to throw me off guard. The key here for first time travellers, it is already a cliche, is to be CONFIDENT all the time. Don’t get rattled and be consistent with ur answers, and BE VERY COURTEOUS, the last thing you want to do is to piss them off. Always prepare ahead of time as well, anticipate what questions might come from your answers and also from documents you have prepared. For example, regarding my DTI, it is relatively new, I processed it solely for the purpose of showing them that I have an online tutorial job and a steady income. The questions were:
     “Who told you to do this (DTI)?”
     – I replied, ” i read online, on blogs, that it is important to prove our source of income.” Just that. Even if I wanted to answer more, i kept my mouth shut because I didn’t want her to ask more questions.
     “How can you prove that you have had this job for a long time now because your DTI shows that it was registered in June?”
     – I showed her the conversations I had with my students way back 2013, so far she was satisfied.

     Also, let me note that maybe they became smarter this time. I didn’t include my bank certificate along with the docs I showed her. She didn’t ask it, but she asked me about my current bank balance, and I told her the amount stated in my bank cert. Honestly, the real amount was lower because i made some withdrawals. To my surprise, She then asked me to make a blance inquiry at a nearby ATM and to bring her the receipt. That time, i was like, “i’m dead, i’m dead” but i wanted to outsmart her. So when, I got to her and handed the receipt, she said sarcastically, “you said ur balance was —–/” I said, “I thought so, too. My student said she would pay her fee yesterday, but I still don’t have it.” Please don’t follow my example, make sure that u really have the amount stated in your bank cert. it was a good thing, too, that i intentionally sent a message to my student regarding her tuition fee details, which the officer has read. Again, plan ahead.

     I think the interview took an hour or less, finally she asked me to go to the first officer to have my passport stamped. I asked the first officer about CFO’s regarding travelling with a foreigner bf/gf he said that it wasn’t necessary as long as the foreigner bf/gf has been “pabalik-balik” in Philippines to visit.

     Well, this comment is very long. sorry for that, but i hope your readers will learn something from it. Anyways, your blog has helped me a lot with my preparations, so thank you..^^

     1. Yay!! I’m happy you made it to Bangkok — your hard work paid off! And thanks so much for taking the time to tell us about your Immigration experience. (I think you said before that you would, but sometimes people get busy, so thank you.) Enjoy your trip and treasure every moment! 🙂

170. Hello im karen 25 pls help me. I am planning to visit my boyfriend in thailan he is also a filipino like me. I am still a atudent here no work yet. My parents are both phillipine airforce they just aupport my financial needs. What documents shpuld i bring? If my boyfriend will send mw an inviation letter is it acceptable by the imgration? I already have my roundtrip ticket. And pocket money and hotel reservation pls i need help

     1. Hi Karen!

        This article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration — I think you will find it helpful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        In your case, since you are a student, you should bring proof that you are a student, such as your enrollment slip/receipt and school ID. If your boyfriend is paying for your entire trip, I think he should make an affidavit of support in addition to the invitation letter, and include his financial documents like his bank statement and his employment contract in Thailand.

        Good luck!

171. Hello. Im nnerah. Im going to Hongkong this Aug. 25, 2015. for 3 days trip. Actually, this is not my first time going to HK. I’ve been there 3 times already with my family, but this time I will go alone. Is it okay just to bring valid passport with attached old passport (proof that Ive been there before), hotel voucher and round trip ticket? I already resigned from my work and Im going there just for vacation, I dont even have a bank statement (or bank cert.) I only have my not so big amount of cash, just enough to make this trip possible. Do you think I will get a stamp and go for boarding? I am just worried, kasi before may naipakita akong Company ID but, since I resigned wala na akong hawak na ID except UMID card and Alumni ID. Please help me, I wanted to sleep na pero I cant kasi I am thinking about it. kasi sayang ang ticket & all kapag na offload ako… My God , hwag naman po… Hoping for your advice…soon…Thank you 🙂

     1. Hi nnerah!

        The fact that you’ve been to HK several times already is a point in your favor, so there’s a chance na baka hindi ka na masyadong kwestyunin ng Immigration Officer. That said, I can’t say for sure if the IO will ask for proof of financial capacity, especially since you’re not currently employed. Siguro if I were in your shoes, I would ask my parents for an affidavit of support for the trip, and prepare that, along with their financial documents, just in case the IO asks for it. Parang magiging gift ng parents mo yung vacation mo before you move on to another job. Parang soul-searching o kaya taking a break from the rat race ang peg. 🙂

        By the way, in case you haven’t read it yet, this article contains a few more details about documents that *might* be required by the IO:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        I hope makakalusot ka with no difficulty. Enjoy your trip! 🙂

        1. Thank you 😀
           I will post my experience facing the Immigration Officer here again … I’m glad I came to your blog, and read lots of stories & experiences travelling abroad…. 😀
           Thank you po ulit 😀 😀 😀

        2. Yay! Yes, please, when you have the time, let us know about your experience, makakatulong yan for sure sa ibang travelers. Good luck!! xx

172. Hello. Nnerah here. I just wanted to share something.
     Pumunta ako ng HK last March 17, 2015 sumunod ako sa pinsan ko na nauna nang nandun with her 2 kids. Mga 9PM ang flight ko nun, that time may work pa ako, at nag 3 1/2 days leave lang super rush(buti pinayagan ng boss) and 6PM nandun na ako sa airport, I wore a blue leggings and checkered red polo shirt and violet jellylike doll shoes (bad combi.). I checked-in my luggage and dumeretso sa may IO, sa time na yun walang pila, so I rushed there, mukhang mashungit ang mukha ng IO, but you can’t tell her personality by her face. hiihih. Time na yun tatanga-tanga ako, inosente kong baga, I have no idea about offloading and Q&A of IO as in no idea even though it was my 3rd time travelling to HK. I showed my *passport, *roundtrip ticket and *boarding pass(given to me by the lady on the checked luggage). She asked me **Bakit ka magtravel to HK? I look at her straight to the eye(nag rattle pa ako nun) I told her that, “may family/relative ako na nasa HK na nauna lang kanina sa akin, so I followed lang kasi may work ako, and I cannot leave my work immediately”, she asked again “where ka mag-stay doon?” I looked at her again straight to the eye of course “In Central po ako”(nag ra-rattle talaga ako, Q&A is my weakness lalo na kapag feeling mo ni-judge ka talaga ng bongga) after that she asked me if I have my ID and hand it over to her.Luckily I accidentally brought my company ID on my little sopphie backpack (lagyan natin ng brand ung bag para labas ang kayaman).
     She asked again, when & where do you stay? “I answered again straight to the eye (don’t forget to blink) Im staying in Central and im going back after 5 days that’s on March 22″…. and so thats it after flipping my passport and maybe she saw some stamps in there, she finally put a stamp on my passport and gave me my company ID, passport, Boarding pass, & return ticket, and I saw her looking at me head to toe…and Off I go next obstacle the scanner/machine/lady guard na mag-scan ng damit mo, shoes, and carry-on-bags hehhehe!
     Tips: look at them straight in the when answering their Questions and learn to build confidence (pero nagrattle ako ng bongga heheh).
     Hays! this coming August 20 something… travel back to HK for 3 days vacation, nag resign na ako sa work and I want to have a nice 3 days vacation alone, wala na ako ID except UMID and Alumni ID…sana HINDI ako ma offload… Please God…sayang kasi if I can’t make it possible…

     Some advise naman dyan sa nag travel alone, no work(currently resigned) pero may enough/budgeted money to spend… hndi na kao mkatulog because Im worried heheheh… Thank you.

     1. Thanks for sharing your experience with us Nnerah! I’m sure makakatulong ito sa iba pang taong maglalakbay abroad. (I answered your question in your other comment.) Crossing my fingers na hindi ka ma-offload!

173. Hi! Planning to go to UK this January and im preparing na all my documents. im currently employed and have the capability o support my 5months stay in uk. my letter of invitation din ako. ano kaya ang mga possible things pra ma deny? medjo takot lng. super thanks and would love to hear from you!

     1. Hi maeria! I’m assuming you’re asking regarding Immigration (and not about the UK visa, for example) since you’re posting your comment on this article. For Immigration, I would suggest bringing all the documents that you prepared for your UK visa, kasi more or less pareho lang naman ang gustong malaman ng UK embassy and ng Immigration, which is that you’re going abroad only for the purpose that you state, you can support yourself, and you’re coming back to the Philippines. So just bring with you to the airport the same documents that you submitted for your UK visa. I think as long as you have the visa na, sobrang liit na lang ang chance na ma-offload ka by Immigration. Good luck and enjoy your trip! (Medyo inggit ako sa 5 months ah! Make the most of it. 🙂 )

174. HI! i will be traveling to US next week via PAL and im unemployed ano po kaya pwede ilagay sa employment status sa departure card? my parents will shoulder my ticket and im gonna visit them since ako nalang mag isa dito sa pinas. this is my 3rd time going to us, yung first is student ako 2010 the yung second right after my graduation 2012. i hope you can help me with this matter, thank you! 🙂

     1. Hi KG! I think you should just write the truth sa departure card, kasi mahirap din if you put something else, tapos they ask for proof of your employment. I think that will be fine as long as you got your parents to make an affidavit of support for your trip. Good luck and enjoy your trip! 🙂

175. Good morning. Nnerah here. I arrived in HK yesterday. Good thing is walang tinanong ng Immigration officer sa akin, He just looked at me and scanned my passport and stamped it.Yay. I took an early flight of cathay pacific terminal 3. Ang layo ng boarding gate nila at hindi masyadong malamig. Nag prepare ako ng hotel reservation, my prev. Itr, and etc.
     When i arrived HKIA immigration no questions ask and they inserted a small piece of paper ( don’t lose it while you’re in HK), malamig pero pagpapawisan kayo sa airport ng HK, i suggest na huwag na kau mag blazer or jacket. Hihihihi. Thank you SGMT for your blog, it helps lot. 🙂

     1. Hello po! Jane here. I am planning for a 4 day vacation to HK this September. First time traveller abroad. I already have a roundtrip ticket, a hotel accomodation. A 60k pocket money. Im a contractual nurse po and we don’t have a company Id. I only have a copy of my jan- june & june-dec 2015 contract. An Income tax return na form. Would it be enough po bah? Please do reply. Thank you!

        1. Hi Jane! I can’t predict if those documents will be enough for the IO but it sounds like you’re in good shape. You might even be asked why you would need 60k pocket money for a 4-day trip to HK. I would suggest that you bring your bank statement as well, to show that you have always been in good standing financially, if that’s indeed the case. Good luck!

176. Im traveling to sweden to visit my bf on October, i already have my visa, round trip tickets, cfo certificate.. nag dadalawang isip lang kami if need pa namin mag secure ng authenticated invitation letter from ph consular office sa sweden or Yung photocopies ng sinubmit kong documents sa embassy is enough na? Thanks

     1. Hi Anne. What I know is that *sometimes* the IO will require an invitation letter that is authenticated by the embassy/consulate. But they don’t require it every time — I think they look at your case as a whole and if they’re a little bit suspicious, that’s when they require all these documents. In your case, since you already have a visa and a CFO certificate, plus the documents you submitted for your visa application, I don’t *think* they will require an authenticated invitation letter, but I can’t say for sure.

177. Hi guys! I need your advice…. Iam planning to go back in Indonesia this september 14 to visit again my boyfriend and i will come back october 13…. Do i need an invitation from my boyfriend? But i traveled together with him last 3weeks ago and i came back here in philippines 1week ago… And now… I will come back there alone. I will stay at my blyfriends house. What should i do? Can i go without invitation? Iam really nervous. I dont know what to do. I don’t know what’s needed. Will immigration not let me travel if i don’t have invitation? Ang im not working now… I studied but i stopped this year. What should i do? Please reply guys……

178. Hi just wanna share my 2 brother’s experience… yung isang brother ko first time lang nya magtravel out of the country, ung isa naman naka 4x na pero lagi nya kasama either me or my mum. The day before their flight super kabado talaga ako, ang dami ko kasi nababasa na mga na-offload…. almost 2 days ako hndi makatulog ng maayos kakaisip na baka ma offload din sila since they are both jobless…. on the day of their flight mas lalo ako kinabahan at nanlalamig pa ako. Ang document na meron lang sila ay passport, return ticket, hotel accommodation, at yung letter ko confirming na ako ang sponsor nila (not notarized)… sa awa ng Dyos ang tinanong lang daw sa kanila ay kung cno magbabayad ng trip nila at ang document lang na hinanap ay ang hotel accommodation nila…. I was so relieved then…. I guess tsambahan din talaga kung mabait matapat sau na officer at dasal..

179. January ,2015 my 3friends and I went to hk+macau, given that we are a group of 4 (1-american citizen, 1-seaman,2kami- government employee) we surpassed the IO so very easy (Yung seaman Yung pinauna namin so sa kanya lahat ng tanong (saan last country ka galing?sure ka babalik pa kayo ha?pag kayo Di bumalik ikaw malalagot sakin, tatandaan kita, she’s joking anyways, so we laughed like a social climber,bwahahahah..June 2015 nag travel naman kami ng Sg, dalawa nlng kami ng ka officemate ko (Yung isa bumalik n ng Us,Yung isa Nasa barko na), government employee kami natira pero since mahirap mag leave sa office na Yung reason Ay mag travel abroad, we just filed a local leave. (at least Naka leave padin kami:)) kasi pag dineclare daw na Govt employee ka sa IO , hahanapin ung official leave…so ayun, nurse ako by profession pero nagwowork ako as social work,Yung kasama ko social work grad pero wala pa prc license and driver license lng Kaya nya ipakita and Yung reason nya nlng pag tinanong, sya daw nag rereview for board exam…lol, the IO asked me first, nakita nya Yung stamp na nag travel ako last January, Ano gagawin nyo dun? “tour po, at manonood ng sea games”( tamang Tama sea games pala), ilang days kayo dun? “5 days” Ano work mo dito? “nurse po” saan ka nagwowork? “dental clinic po” show me your ID ( I handed him my license) then finally stamped my passport without asking for my hotel booking), Yung kasama ko Di Na daw tinanong dahil na noticed siguro na Sabay din kami nag hk+macau last January., July 1 effective na resignation ko, kasi Plano ko pumunta ng dubai….July 23, 2015 pupunta naman ako ng Kuala Lumpur (yes sunod-sunod po Yung travel) pero Yung time na to kinakabahan ako, kasi aside sa mag stay ako for 3 days dun with roundtrip tix, passport and hotel booking, mag Isa nlng tlga ako magtatravel….ng Maka check in na,nag Cr muna, tingin2x sa salamin, breath in breath out, and Mas pinili ko Na mag Mukhang simple Tignan, Naka short and slippers and nakasando at jacket (naisip ko lng na at least this time Hindi masyadong defensive, Hindi ako pwede ma offload for God sake, I already have my ticket goin to dubai and visa malaking pera tong masasayang) Yung next na available na Window ng IO Ay medyo malayo sa Pila , so naglalakad ako Papunta and I can see him staring at me. I handed him my passport and my return ticket, he checked my passport and napansin nya naman siguro na last month na SG ako…he asked me, Ano gagawin mo dun? I answered “tour po” surprisingly, he stamped my passport without anything follows…..and now Im here in Dubai;), … Tama po Yung mga advises dito, just be more confident and Kung anong tanong, yun lng ang sagot…my mga IO lng talaga minsan pag minalas ka, eh Para Kang gumawa ng krimen na pilit makatakas sa pinas. Tulad ng ate ko, magbabakasyon ng Malaysia dapat ngayong Sept. Kompleto lahat ng documents, sa saudi sya nagwork for 10years, hanapan ba naman ng invitation letter ng kakilala nya daw sa malaysia? Hello? Turista po sya, and Kaya ng nag hohotel booking kasi wala ka naman matirhan dun, eh Kung meron Kang invitation letter edi sana Di Na sya nag book ng hotel! Pero pano Kung my invitation letter, sure ba na Di Na sila magtataning ng hotel booking? I doubt. Kasi may kilala akong na offload na Hindi na nag book ng hotel dahil daw my invitation letter…si which is which?lol Kaso wala din, magulo naman kasi sila…hahaha ayun, Yung ate ko nag change ng Plano, instead of KL tuloy padin ang Plano itutuloy talaga ang malaysia, Hindi nga lang sa KL kundi sa Sandakan sabah na thru aleson shipping lines from zamboanga-sandakan,Malaysia, by sea po yun sa mga Di nakakaalam, 20hours ung travel at at least refundable ang ticket..6400 po roundtrip, pag na offload babalik Yung bayad ng ticket, pag Ayaw mo na bumalik ng zamboanga, at balak mag Kl, mag book ka ng plane ticket dahil yun ung attachment ng aleson shipping lines para ma refund mo Yung return ticket mo pa zamboanga.amazinggggggggg! Sana smooth Yung travel nya sa monday Sept 14.ngayon ko lng din to nalaman..sana Di ganun ka strict ang port immig. Dun.pero sa mga nababasa ko friendly daw dun sila. baka from sandakan mag local flight sya to Kl haha..bahala sila sa buhay nila, ayusin sana nila ang sistema. Hindi na iimplement ng maayos, minsan OA na sa perfection. GOD BLESS US ALL!:) I’ll get back to u guys if gusto nyo ng update about that alternative route.;)

     1. Also. Better book a ticket na early morning Yung flight…like 1-4am,,, kasi yun lahat ng flights ko, medyo Ayaw pa nila ma stress at Ayaw masira ang make up nila sa umagang tapat..nyahahaha and lahat pala ng flights ko Ay cebu pac din, sa mga nababasa ko dyan lagi marami na ooffload….Mas okay daw sa PAL, cguro nga naman kasi Diba admit it, pag narinig mo ang cebu pac, yubg stereo type na “promo” “cheap flights” “budget”.. Unlike pag PAL, “pangmayaman” “expensive” etc….guys shinishare ko lng po hehe…wala akong connection sa dalawang airlines na yan…..immigration padin ang kontrabida sa pag travel naten….hehe..

        1. Hi Melfailana! Thanks for sharing your experience, makakatulong talaga for everyone here. Ingat dyan!

180. My friend and I are going to visit Malaysia this October. And since wala po akong source of income, do you think it’s enough if I bring these as supporting documents: my old passport since I’ve traveled 4 or 5 times before, Notarized Affidavit of Support with my parents financial documents and my birth certificate, credit and debit cards, bank certificate and possibly land properties.

     Ano pa po ba ang pwede kong dalhin? Wala na kasi akong maisip na pwedeng dalhin pa as supporting documents and I’d like to bring as many as possible, sayang po kasi yung nagastos kung mag-ooffload ako. Salamat po

     1. Hi Itsyel! I don’t know if you’ve already read this article, but it contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration, including the documents that you can bring, so I think you will find it useful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        I can never say whether anyone’s documents will be enough because it all depends on the IO, whether or not there is anything in the situation that will trigger his/her suspicions and will prompt him/her to require more documents, so the best advice I can give is to just bring as many documents as you can. Good luck! 🙂

181. Hi, ask k lg po. Mgtatravel po kmi ng frend ko dis oct. Xa sg as tourist pero ag plane ticket po nmin mgkaiba ag book at ung akin 2 days 3 nights xa knya 1 night 2 days lg kc ung leave nya d naaprove ng 3 days. Pero bka mgkasama po name nmin xa hotel booking. I went to china po Apr 2008 as tourist 4 a month po . makikita po ba xa system nla yn? Pero ung passport k kc dati nawala na po. Is it ok po ba na pg nag ask cla about that sabihib k na ngbakasyin ako xa pinsan k na ngwowork doon? Please help po kc first tine travel ng frend ko. Were both kabado lc about offloading. Ung first time k po was easy kc mdyo naswertehan lg. And long story po nangyari sakin xa airport dt tym. Ung travel k po xa china dti maging advantage kya khit papanu po un? Thanks in advance abd GODBLESS

     1. Hi Iamsparci! I think your 2008 trip to China *should* be in their system but I don’t know if they can/will still check it, kasi I’ve tried before na new yung passport ko and they still asked if it was my first time to travel, buti na lang I was able to bring yung lumang passports ko.

        This other article contains most of what I know about getting through Immigration, including yung mga documents that might be required. I think you will find it useful:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

182. Hi, IM Hustina, nagbabalak po kami magtravel ng fiance ko (Filipino) sa Singapore this coming Oct. Worried lang po ako kasi the last time I went to SG february 2014 then I came back po last September 2014 dito sa pilipinas, then meron po ako follow the ticket nung nagpnta ako Indonesia and tried to come back in Sg. Magiging problema po ba un sa pagbalik ko SG this Oct with my bf?
     Nung first time ko po kasi umalis with my tita smooth lang nangyri , walang tanong tanong stamped agad passport ko. Hope you can give me advice regarding on this. Isa pa po wala po kasi ako bank statement and ung bf ko po is my passbook sya ng account nya. Thanks and God Bless.

     1. Hi Hustina! I’m not sure what you mean by “meron po ako follow the ticket” and like I always say, I can’t predict kung ano ang magiging decision, questions, problems, kasi sa IO naka-depend lahat yun. But, probably, if you went to Singapore on February 2014 as a TOURIST tapos you only came back after 7 months, baka nga medyo magdududa ang IO. And also, since you stayed there for a very long time last time, baka tatanungin ka kung bakit ka pa babalik, eh, marami namang ibang bansa and siguro naman nakita mo na lahat ng pwede makita in those 6 months that you were there. So prepare lang for questions like that. You can find some more info about documents that *might* be required by the IO here: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

183. Hi. Planning to go to sg for a tour. I have a job here in philippines though bf ko yung magfifinance ng vacation trip ko sa sg, he’s in uae by the way. Do i need papers from him like about his work? I dont have credit card nor bank account. Thanks much!

     1. Hi Arra! If he’s financing your trip then you will need his papers. You can read more about documents that might be required here: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

184. Hey, I just want to ask if there’s a minimum months that I should be out of the country? 3 months?

     1. Hi! There’s no minimum time out of the country — I think you can even fly out and fly back in the same day, if you want, like if you’re going to a business meeting in Singapore or something.

        1. cool.. thanks! im planning to go backpacking in Southeast Asia..

        2. Oh, yay, good luck! Are you planning to do a lot of countries in succession, or one country at a time?

185. Hi Ask ko lang this november me and my husband will go to hong kong engineer ang asawa ko the ako naman wala akong work mgkakaproblem kaya ako dun? Good for 4 days lang kami dun at wala kami g hotel reservation kasi yung friend ng father ko ang sasagot ng accomodation namin thanks

     1. Hi Mau. I can’t predict kung magkakaproblema ba kayo or not but you will probably need an invitation from your father’s friend.

186. I would like to ask, dati po me ngwork s Indonesia until November 2014. Then pabalik blik nlng po ako gawa ng visa ko n allowed me mgstay s Indonesia ng 60 days. Nakareceived po ako n mgturo s software, business presentation and meetings. My letter po me galing company and my return ticket din po. Pero naoffload po ako last May. Nakaalis din nman po ako nung may. Ngaun po my record n po ako s immigration, my problem po is cmula august po tinour ko po Indonesia nanirahan po ako s kapwa pinay, kagagaling ko lng po s bali nd dumating po ako s pinaz nung Sept. 19. Ngaun po nakareceived ulit me ng need ko po mgpresent ng presentation at umatend s meetings. Naibok n din po ticket ko, natatakot lng po mahold.

     Ask lng po as business po, dpo b iba un s tourist? Mahirap po nakaalis ng bansa kht myletter ako at return ticket.

     1. I’m not sure, but if you’re going there for business purposes, I think you need other papers. Wala bang binigay sa ‘yo na list ng documents na dapat mong dalhin, that time na na-offload ka? And also dapat ang company mo ang nag-aasikaso nun para hindi ikaw ang naaabala.

        1. Wala nman pong sinabi basta tinanong bakit po ako laging pabalik balik sa jakarta. Kung hnd po ako ngwowork bkt lagi akong papunta ng jakarta!

        2. Yun nga, kung pumupunta ka doon for work, hindi ka lang turista, kaya kailangan mo siguro ng ibang mga papeles.

187. Hi po.. i heard po that i need to show a credit card in immigration?my problem po kc wala po akong credit card. kahit na yung boyfriend ko yung gagastos sa lahat ng expenses ko sa brunei? Kung saan po sya nagsstay dun din po ako magsstay. magtotourist po ako sa brunei ng 14days lang…

     1. Hi angge! It’s not true that you need a credit card. May mga kaibigan akong nakapunta ng UK kahit walang credit card. You can read about documents that may be required in this article: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

188. Meron po ako invitation from company na mgpresent nd attend po ng meeting. Matuturo din po ako ng software pero 1month lng po talaga ako dun.

     Natatakot po kc ako s immigration, anu p po bng requirements o dpat kong ihanda. Tourist po idedeclare ko pero sa invitation po I go there for business presentation and meetings… Please advice po.

     Thank you

     1. Hi Ana! I don’t really know how to help you kasi sa pagkakaalam ko, if you’re going there for business meetings and a presentation, yan dapat ang i-declare mo, hindi yung tourist lang. And I’m not familiar with the requirements for people who go abroad for business purposes. Hindi rin naman pwedeng i-advice kita to prepare a tourist’s itinerary if hindi naman yung ang gagawin mo. So I’m afraid I won’t be of much help to you, sorry. 🙁

189. Hi! I’m going to Thailand this Oct. 22 and aalis ako magisa, my only purpose is to have a short vacation, natatakot lang po ako baka kasi maoffload ako dahil baka isipin nila maghahanap lang ako dun ng work, although confident naman ako kasi yun lang naman talaga ang sadya ko dun, my problem is wala akong work pero meron kaming family business, I read somewhere na magpresent daw ng business registration permit pero nakapangalan kasi siya sa mom ko, the most helpful solution na nabasa ko is magpresent ako ng certificate from our clients stating na nakikipagtransact sila sakin. Pero what’s your suggestion po ba sa mga docs na kailangan ko ipresent? Thanks in advance!

     1. Hi Collin!

        I’m afraid I don’t really have experience with a case similar to yours so I don’t know what the best thing to do would be. If I were in your situation, I would probably just ask my mother to make an affidavit of support, state there that you are working in the family business and that she is funding your trip, and attach her financial documents, including the business registration. That’s in addition to your own documents. For what it’s worth, you can read most of what I know regarding possible required documents here: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

190. hello im 18 years old this month na ang alis ko Mag totourist ako, at ang nag sponsor sa akin ay ang first cousin ko sa dubai., ano ano po ba ang dapat na ipakita ko sa immigration?

     1. Hi lhencedm! You can read this article for the documents na posibleng i-require ng Immigration:
        https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

191. Hello po. We’re going to Singapore this coming October 27-30, nakapackage tour po kami since it’s our first to go out of the country. Kasama ko po ung husband ko tas 2 kids namin. We’re both doing online jobs, pero wla kaming company id. Ang pwede lng siguro naming irequest is ung certificate of employment. Wla rin po kaming ITR. Would the COE and bank statements be enough? Sa Clark po kami nag pa book ng ticket and now ko lng nalaman na mejo strict sila doon when it comes to such.

     1. Hi Zinnia! I can’t predict what the immigration officer will or will not require, kasi ang basic lang talaga is passport, return tickets and visa (if necessary), and it’s up to the IO what other documents they will ask to see if meron silang doubts. So I can’t say if the COE and bank statements will be enough. If you don’t have an ITR and company ID, just bring whatever you have that will help show that you both have stable jobs, you can afford your trip, and you’re definitely coming back to the Philippines. You might find this other article helpful: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

192. Hi, i plan to trave to hk for a job interview… Anu po required sa immigration? Possible kaya ako mkatravel sa hk?

     1. Hi Rona! You can read this article for more info: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

193. Hi! First time namin magtatravel ng mother ko abroad. We’re going to SG this coming November. Senior Citizen na mom ko and I’m working sa isang govt office pero under pa rin ng agency. Ready na rin ang passport, roundtrip plane ticket at invitation letter namin from my ate who is working there. (Susunduin lang namin sya kasi uuwi na rin for good and at the same time magliliw-aliw na rin kami. Haha!) tanong ko lang kasi medyo kinakabahan ako pag sa immigration na. Okay na po kaya na company id nalang ipresent ko? Or kelangan talaga with CoE pa? And sa mom ko kaya wala na rin kayang magiging prob? Thanks! 🙂

     1. Hi Vnmmm.

        I can’t predict what the IO will or will not require from you or your mom. If you are concerned about being offloaded, I would suggest you bring as many documents as you can tutal wala namang mawawala sa ‘yo. See here for documents that may be required: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2015/01/30/offloading-immigration-faqs/

        Good luck!

194. Hi everyone, I want to know for how long a Phillipine citizen can stay in france for vacation according to the French immigration authority so that I can see that person an invitation letter..
     Also what documents should I,as a migrated worker holding a visa for long stay provide my friend also for a long stay visa(1 or more than 1 year) to stay at my place if that person have a promising job letter..

     1. Hi Dan,

        I don’t know what the absolute maximum length of stay is but Filipinos have the option to apply for a short or long stay (over 90 days) visa. You can see the requirements for a long stay visa here: http://www.ambafrance-ph.org/IMG/pdf/long_stay_-_visitor_en.pdf?3814/ff5e1305e2fa84399844289c433feb108dca07fd

195. Hi everyone!

     Comments are closed as I am currently very busy with work. Please review the article and read through the other comments to look for situations similar to yours. If you feel that you really MUST ask my advice, such that you are willing to pay for my time, please send the details of your situation to travel@smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com — you will then receive a confirmatory email outlining the procedure for travel consultation together with my PayPal and BPI account details. 😀 Please note that this also applies even if you post your question on another article or in Facebook. 😀

     I wish there were more hours in the day so I have enough time for all the things that are important to me: family, work, this blog, etc. But since that’s not possible, this is the best I can do. 🙂 Have a wonderful day!