A UAE Expat’s Guide to Applying for a Philippine Visa

My husband and I spent our overdue honeymoon in the Philippines last February.

For me, it was my first balikbayan visit after 3 long years abroad.

For him, it was his first trip to the Philippines.

–And judging by the look on his face dirt driving on the foot of Chocolate Hills, it was only the first of many more trips to come.

But until we can apply for a long-term Immigrant Visa for him at the Bureau of Immigration, he will have to keep applying for visas before our next few trips there, because Egypt is not one of the countries listed on the Department of Foreign Affairs whose citizens may enter the Philippines visa-free.

I’ve got 2 friends who are planning to bring their boyfriends to the Philippines this year, and if you’re reading this blog, chances are, you also have someone special in mind to bring home to and meet your family (or else, you are that special someone).

In both cases, you’ve made a great (and cheap) holiday choice.

Applying for a Philippine Visa is not rocket science, but as with other visa applications, it mainly requires 2 Ps: patience and papers (lots of them).

In this blog, I will detail my husband’s experience applying for a Philippine Visa.

Step 1: Prepare all the required documents.

• Accomplished computerized Visa Application Forms (2 copies). Available on both the Dubai Consulate and Abu Dhabi Embassy websites.
• Recent ID photos (2 copies). Not older than 6 months.
• Original Passport with UAE Residence Visa. Valid for at least 6 months from the intended date of departure from the Philippines
• Passport Data Page (2 copies)
• UAE Visa Stamp (2 copies)
• If employed, a No Objection Letter from your employer stating the following:
  • Your job position
  • Period of employment
  • Gross monthly salary
  • Additional Note: The No Objection Letter should be printed on a company letterhead, signed by an authorized personnel and sealed with the company stamp.
• If self-employed (i.e. company owner), your Company Trade License (2 copies)
• Proof of financial capacity. Either your most recent Bank Statements (past 3 months) or your Salary Certificate (printed on a company letterhead, signed by an authorized personnel and sealed with the company stamp)
• Flight Booking
• Hotel Booking or Invitation Letter from a Philippine sponsor with a copy of his/her passport or any valid identification card
• Additional requirements. Because my husband is married to a Philippine citizen, he also presented:
  • Our Original Report of Marriage (attested by the Philippine Embassy of Abu Dhabi)
  • My Passport Data Page (2 copies)

You can get the full list of requirements on both the Philippine Consulate of Dubai website and the Philippine Embassy of Abu Dhabi website.

The main difference between the two is that the Embassy requires a Police Clearance issued by the UAE Ministry of Interior, applicable for all visa applicants aged 18 and above.

You can order your Police Clearance here.

Step 2: Bring all your requirements to the Embassy or Consulate.

If you are a Dubai visa holder, apply at the Philippine Consulate in Dubai.

If you are an Abu Dhabi visa holder, apply at the Philippine in Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

But what if you are a Dubai visa holder working in Abu Dhabi?

This was exactly my husband’s case, but fortunately, I visited the Philippine Embassy a couple of weeks before his visa application to process our Report of Marriage.

Since the Civil Section was right beside the Visa Section, I was able to inquire the Visa Officer on what should be done in his case.

He said my husband had to submit proof that his company assigned him to work in Abu Dhabi.

This can either be an additional letter from his company (letterhead, official seal, etc.) or a simple additional sentence on the No Objection Letter, certifying that Mr. XXX has been assigned to work in XXX address in Abu Dhabi.

First-time Philippine Visa applicants need to make a personal appearance in either the Dubai Consulate or Abu Dhabi Embassy between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. from Sundays to Thursdays (Ramadan hours may change).

When you enter the gate, proceed to the information desk and ask for a priority number for the Visa Section.

Keep calm and do not be overwhelmed. 

Both the Consulate and Embassy are crowded more than half the time, but there shouldn’t be more than 1 or 2 people ahead of you at the Visa Section during non-peak hours.

My husband said it didn’t take him more than 10 minutes to submit the documents, pay the initial fee and take a cab back home.

The Visa Officer will not keep your passport after your first visit yet. 

Instead, he/she will advise you to come back on a specific day (usually after 10 working days), which is when he/she will collect your passport for stamping.

Also, you will only pay AED 100 on your first visit.

The remaining AED 160 will be paid on the assigned date of stamping.

Step 3: Return to the Consulate/Embassy on the appointed date between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. with your original passport and the remaining visa fee.

Alternatively, you may now ask a representative to submit your passport for you, since you had already made your personal appearance 10 working days before.

Step 4: Collect your visa between 3:00-5:00 p.m. 

This, I think, is the most irritating part in the entire process.

My husband lives a good 20 minutes away from the Embassy by cab, and it didn’t make any sense for him to go there at 9:00 a.m. and wait until 3:00 p.m., so he had to go home in between and return again in the afternoon.

But I suppose the folks at the Embassy have a perfectly good reason for this, and it really does its job easing the traffic of visa applicants.

Now, my husband is pressuring me to inquire about an Immigration Visa for him in the Philippines, so he can go back anytime he wants (with or without me, he said).