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I retired early, we SOLD everything and moved to a tropical island, and we think we found the closest thing to paradise.


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Guide to Philippines Visa Renewal, Annual Report, Visa Extensions & Overstaying your Visa

11/26/2016

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There are many people like me that have a permanent residence visa, and there are others who have a 'Long Stay' temporary visa (59 day visa). Each type of visa holder gets issued what is called an ACR I-card (Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card). An I-card is a microchip based, credit card-sized identification card issued to all foreigners who wish to stay in the Philippine for more than 59 days.
The process is relatively straightforward, but tedious, and it is done at the same times as the application for a visa.

For the temporary visa, the application has to be processed before your 59 days of allowed stay. For the Permanent visa the application has to be processed within the first 60 days of the calendar year if you’re renewing your ACR I-Card; otherwise, you’ll face jail time, a fine, or deportation. 

Normally the application filing is done at the same time you apply for a visa extension, but for those who would like to voluntarily apply for an ACR I-Card or renew theirs, here are the steps you need to take:
  1. Secure and fill out an application form (new and for renewal) and attach required documents (new and for renewal). Both forms can be downloaded through the Bureau of Immigration website.
  2. Submit application with complete requirements at Window 1 of the ACR I-Card Area at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) Main Office, located at Magallanes Dr., Intramuros, Manila.
  3. Upon submission, the BI will check their database for any derogatory records under your name.
  4. Once cleared, get an Order of Payment Slip (OPS).
  5. Pay the required fees at the cashier:
    • I-Card Fee: US$50
    • Express Fee: P500
  6. Submit a copy of the Official Receipt.
  7. Once your application has been approved, your ACR I-Card will be printed and a claim stub will be given to you.
  8. Present the claim stub to claim your ACR I-Card.

Make sure you bring your ACR I-Card & passport with you at all times. Losing your ACR I-Card will mean going through the application process and paying a new I-Card fee plus a P1,000 express fee.

Where can you file?
See the Bureau of Immigration website.
Overstaying is a serious matter for anyone who’s looking to visit the Philippines. Much like how Filipinos get deported when they overstay with a tourist visa overseas, any foreign national caught overstaying will get deported.
What is overstaying?
You’re an overstaying national if you’ve exceeded the maximum number of days your visa allows. This poses a problem, though, as 163 countries are allowed visa-free entry into the Philippines for anywhere between seven to 59 days.
Out of these 163 countries, only Brazilians and Israelis are allowed to stay for 59 days without a visa. Anyone who wants to stay beyond 59 days will have to be brought up with the Bureau of Immigration (BI); otherwise, you’ll be sent home packing, no questions asked.

You won’t be able to get away with overstaying in the Philippines since you’ll be deported and blacklisted, i.e. you’ll never be able to go back in the country again. If you want your Black List Order (BLO) lifted, you’ll have to file a letter of request addressed to the Commissioner of the BI. It’s best to get assistance from an immigration lawyer to have this arranged for you.
​
What to do if you’re about to overstay your visa or visa expires?
If you’re about to be tagged as overstaying, there’s really only one thing you can do: go to nearest immigration office or the BI main office seven days before your visa expires and settle everything that needs to be settled (fees and documents).
The process will depend on the length of your stay, but the most you can extend is 6 months. You can still stay in the Philippines without actually extending your stay for 6 months as long as your passport remains valid, but you’ll already be tagged as overstaying the moment it goes beyond what your visa or visa-free entry allows.
​
As most foreign nationals visiting the country are from countries that do not require a visa for a visit of at most 30 days, we’ll put a focus on getting a Visa waiver, issued to tourists who want to request for an initial extension of 29 days.
  1. Fill out and submit a completely filled-out application form and attachments together with the passport to the frontline officer at the BI Main Office, Magallanes Dr., Intramuros, Manila or visit the nearest immigration office that processes an “Extension of Authorized Stay of Temporary Visitors”.
  2. If you do not have any derogatory records, you’ll be issued a BI Clearance Certificate. If you have a derogatory record, you’ll be asked to go to the Verification and Certification Unit for Clearance.
  3. Once cleared, secure an Order of Payment Slip and proceed to the Cashier for payment. You have to pay a total of p3,030, broken down as follows:
    • Visa waiver – P500
    • Visa waiver application fee – P1,000
    • Certification fee – P500
    • Legal Research Fee (LRF) for each immigration fee except Head Tax and Fines – P30
    • Express Fee – P1,000
  4. Submit the Official Receipt with the application form, attachments, and passport to the receiving/assessment officer.
  5. Once all your requirements are verified, your passport will be stamped with your requested extension of stay.

If you want to go beyond 59 days, you should get a Long-Stay Visitor Visa Extension, or LSVVE. The process is similar to getting a visa extension, but it will involve a much higher fee of P11,500, broken down as follows:
  • Extension fee – P3,010
  • Application fee – P910
  • ACR – P1,010
  • Head Tax – P250
  • ECC – P710
  • Certification fee – P510
  • I-Card – P2,100
  • Express Lane Fee – P1,500
  • Express Lane Fee (Certificate) – P1,000
  • Express Lane Fee (I-Card) – P500

​Fine for overstaying is at P500 per month. You’ll also be charged an additional P500 if you go beyond the maximum allowable stay or if you’ve overstayed for more than 6 months to get a Motion for Reconsideration on Updating and Extension of Authorized Stay.


For more information on visa fees, fines, and processes, please visit the Bureau of Immigration website.

IMPORTANT NOTE: My experience has been that it's wise to dress conservatively when visiting the immigration office. I have seen people being told that they could not enter if they were not wearing slacks and a nice shirt.

I hope you found this useful. Keep coming back to learn why Island Life is Awesome.
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Experiencing Beach Withdrawal & Ocean Withdrawal?

11/12/2016

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How do You Feel when you are near the ocean? When you see the blue sky? When you hear the wind blowing through the palm trees? When you feel the powdery sand between your toes?

How do you feel when you are away from the beach and the ocean?
​Do you ever feel:


  • like you get less sleep (insomnia?)
  • headaches (maybe from hearing people constantly whining)
  • elevated blood pressure (up by 35 points)
  • a Low Level happiness light is ON :-(

The reason I'm asking these questions, is because I am away from the island this week, and and I'm having several symptoms of Beach Withdrawal.
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Did You Know...
Since ancient times, people have assigned healing and transformational properties to water? In early Rome, baths were an important part of cultural life, a place where citizens went to find relaxation and to connect with others in a calming setting. In ancient medicine and modern medicine, we still use water for healing.
​

Today, people still turn to water for calmness and clarity. Many of us spend vacations (or our lives) on the beach; get exercise and enjoyment from water sports like surfing, scuba diving, sailing, and swimming; refresh ourselves with long showers and soothing baths, and often build our lives and homes around being near the water.

... and when when people are away from the ocean, it feels painful. Like your Teddy Bear has been taken away...
So what should I ask my doctor?
I think I'm going to ask him for a prescription of Vitamin Sea with instructions to confine me to the beach.
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Hacked, Blocked, Online Security while Traveling AnyWhere

11/8/2016

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Can you imagine traveling on a beautiful vacation and...
  • not being able to use the internet to look at your email?
  • or people spying on you through your webcam?
  • or to be deprived of looking at pages on your favorite website?
  • or Identity Theft?
  • or your Money stolen from your accounts & credit cards?
This is what was happening to me for the past few days while I was doing some research in China. I was extremely frustrated and upset. 

For some reason, China believes that people should not freely be allowed to browse the internet, or publish blogs, or look at their favorite website.

This got me to thinking...
  • What about my online banking, or
  • online purchases, or
  • personal privacy? 
Yikes!

After I landed in Seoul, South Korea, I did some research and I discovered that certain VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) can provide a secure internet experience. I also learned that some are more secure than others (FREE VPNs will help, but they are not secure).  One of website's fans (Paulina Lif...) is helping us find the best VPN to help us do secure internet browsing. 

9 reasons why you should use a VPN everywhere:
  • Do you ever use Wi-Fi? (mall, coffee shop, hotels, home)
  • People steal your personal & private information
  • Prevent On-Line Profiling & Stalkers
  • VPNs let you watch unlimited/streaming TV/videos
  • Prevents slowing down your computer
  • Circumvent Censorship
  • Enjoy better bargains & shopping prices
  • Anonymous Sign-ups & purchases
  • Because you believe Privacy is  Basic Right
  • Higher Levels of Security (banking, email, websites, stalkers)

When I find a VPN that works really well, I will share it with all of you so you can be safe online too.

Standby for this important update... I don't want any of you to lose your life savings.

UPDATE:
 HACKER PROBLEM SOLVED
  • After performing some in depth research, I found a solution. For the Short Answer, CLICK HERE and watch the 1 minute video.
  • If you use Public WiFi then you need to see this -> CLICK HERE

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