Leaving the Philippines...a Few Checks

[lastlid]

Hi

Just a few questions on this subject. I know they have been covered in the past but things seem to change over the course of time.....

1] Is it still 1620 Travel Tax at the booth in Terminal 1 for those on a Spouse Visa when bookings are made from the UK? No change there? I read somewhere that sometimes the Travel Tax booth isnt open.....:omg:

2] Presumably a one way ticket leaving the Philippines is okay for those on a Spouse Visa?

3] On the UKBA website it seems to exclude the Philippines from the xray requirement list for TB checks. I have seen posts to the contrary so it is a bit confusing.

Any tips on these questions would be much appreciated.

[grahamw48]

One way ticket is fine. :)

If worse comes to worst, she'll be X-rayed upon arrival in UK, which takes about 15 mins.

They used to do it randomly, but not sure about now. Very much doubt it will be done.

Travel tax, yes expect to pay it, so have the cash, but not heard about collection point being closed MOST UNLIKELY that nobody would collect MONEY in the Phils. :icon_lol:

[raynaputi]

Hi lastlid...I just posted a thread regarding travel tax..you can go here..http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php/33680-Travel-Tax-Philippines

I hope that helps..

[RickyR]

Travel tax booth is ALWAYS open :-(

[lastlid]

Travel tax booth is ALWAYS open :-(

Oh. Right. It was just that I read that it can be closed.....so that it might be impossible to pay the tax sometimes and so might be impossible to fly under such circumstances.

Okay, so thats good.

[lastlid]

Hi lastlid...I just posted a thread regarding travel tax..you can go here..http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php/33680-Travel-Tax-Philippines

I hope that helps..

Okay. Got it. Thanks.

[lastlid]

Hi again.................is it possible to insure against the wife not being able to get through "Immigration" checks at Manila Airport, to catch her flight? Or the like......

[Jenky]

Hi Lastlid

When you enter the front door of the NAIA airport in Manila you and all of your bags go through an xray machine. Once clear of that turn immediately right and you will see the travel tax counter. Join the line, show your ticket and passport with spouse visa. You will pay the money (1620 pesos in cash) and you will get a receipt showing that you have paid.

Then just go to your airline check in desks and check in as normal. After check in go through departures and pay your departure tax of 750 pesos (Eveybody has to pay this including kids! you have to fill in a disembarkation card first that is available at check in). Pass through one more xray check for you and your hand bags and you are in departures. Buy some duty free and catch the plane, happy days!

ps. You can check in before going to pay your travel tax but the airline wont give you your boarding pass until you have shown them the travel tax receipt. So to save the hassle of having to possibly cue twice make sure you do the travel tax bit first.

[lastlid]

Hi Lastlid

When you enter the front door of the NAIA airport in Manila you and all of your bags go through an xray machine. Once clear of that turn immediately right and you will see the travel tax counter. Join the line, show your ticket and passport with spouse visa. You will pay the money (1620 pesos in cash) and you will get a receipt showing that you have paid.

Then just go to your airline check in desks and check in as normal. After check in go through departures and pay your departure tax of 750 pesos (Eveybody has to pay this including kids! you have to fill in a disembarkation card first that is available at check in). Pass through one more xray check for you and your hand bags and you are in departures. Buy some duty free and catch the plane, happy days!

ps. You can check in before going to pay your travel tax but the airline wont give you your boarding pass until you have shown them the travel tax receipt. So to save the hassle of having to possibly cue twice make sure you do the travel tax bit first.

Thankyou Jenky. It will be my wife that will be checking in. I am in England just now. Thanks for the help. I have a couple of questions, if I may:

1] What is on the disembarkation card that you mention?

2] At what point will my wife be checked by Phils "Immigration"? Is it where the 750 pesos is paid?#

Many thanks.

[grahamw48]

The card is just names and addresses....home and where you're going to, reason for flight. (plus flight number).

Straightforward enough.

Everything is arranged in a fairly logical progression, including payment of the p750, so she shouldn't have any problems, and of course other 'seasoned' Filipino passengers or staff will advise her if need be. :)

[lastlid]

OK Thanks. I have passed through there twice myself, on my own. I seem to recall that the Filipino passengers go through a different channel at that point?

[Jenky]

Hi Lastlid.

like Graham said the disembarkation card is straightforward enough. Just advise your wife to have a pen with her to fill the damn thing in!

You go to departures by first passing some security guards who just check that you have a boarding pass. Then you reach the departure tax booths where you have to present your boarding pass and pay the 750 pesos. After that you reach the immigration control where they check your passport visa disembarkation card etc. The disembarkation cards are also available at this point just in case you have forgot to fill one in. There are some seperate lanes for Filipinos but they are intended for overseas foreign workers OFW and seamen. Your wife is obviously not that so just take a regular line.

[lastlid]

The disembarkation cards are also available at this point just in case you have forgot to fill one in. There are some seperate lanes for Filipinos but they are intended for overseas foreign workers OFW and seamen. Your wife is obviously not that so just take a regular line.

Thanks. I passed by them in June, but it is a bit hazy now. I can remember not picking up a disembarkation card and had to go back for one......:icon_lol:

[lastlid]

I have been through Manchester airport many times and many times coming back to the UK from outside of the EU etc. But always as a lone traveller and certainly never accompanied by a traveller entering the UK as a foreign national.

I intend to meet my wife in Amsterdam and travel into Manchester with her. Presumably we will have to go through seperate channels? Presumably I cant go through the same channel as her? She of course will be holding a Phils passport with Spouse visa and I will be holding a standard UK passport.

[Jenky]

Hi lastlid

We (wife and two kids) all came to the UK via Birmingham airport. I accompanied my wife through the non EU citizen passport line. The immigration people were fine with me doing that. Indeed it probably made their life easier to have us all together in front of them. I advise you to do the same as they will obviously realise that the reason that you are with your wife is to do everything that you can to make her passage into the UK go smoothly.

[lastlid]

Hi lastlid
We (wife and two kids) all came to the UK via Birmingham airport. I accompanied my wife through the non EU citizen passport line. The immigration people were fine with me doing that.

Excellent. Thankyou for that.....I will try and do the same.

[lastlid]

My wife has checked in at Terminal 1 Manila and cleared "Immigration". Just a small matter of dodging past Typhoon Queil as she departs from Manila to Amsterdam. :omg:

I plan to meet her in Amsterdam tonight.

[grahamw48]

...and BREATHE. :D

Almost there. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[lastlid]

...and BREATHE. :D

Almost there. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

You are so :censored: right there. The flight was delayed about 10 minutes despite the typhoon. I dont know what happened in Immigration but she must have sailed throught it as far as I can tell.

[lastlid]

Just UK Immigration to do now.........

Can someone drop a line to the Phils authorities and explain to them the difference between Immigration and Emigration (dont know if that is the right spelling). :icon_lol:

[grahamw48]

Im to come in.

Em to go out...simples. :)

[Dedworth]

My wife has checked in at Terminal 1 Manila and cleared "Immigration". Just a small matter of dodging past Typhoon Queil as she departs from Manila to Amsterdam. :omg:

I plan to meet her in Amsterdam tonight.

Have a good time in A'dam - if you're at a loose end tomorrow you could go to The Heineken Experience Stadhouderskade 78, a shadow of the former Heineken Brewery but worth a visit.

[stevie c]

Good & happy times ahead lastlid :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[lastlid]

Thanks Steve C

UK Immigration was a doddle, thankfully. Spent all day Sunday shopping for warm clothes for Mrs Lastlid and an iPad2. Arrived in Isle Of Man on Monday afternoon. How wonderful!!

[grahamw48]

Congratulations ! :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Jenky]

Congrats to both of you and many happy times together here in Blighty!! your stress is over now until the ILR application in 2 years time!

On that subject I advise you to try and get your wife to pass the "life in the UK test" well before that time comes around. Its just a matter of buying the official text book and commiting the relevant bits to memory. if you do not buy the official text book then you will be wasting your time because even you or I would probably fail the test without it.

An ipad 2 ........yes my wife also got one of those cos she thought it was the biz!!!.... but it does not play flash video from the internet.....all of her "watch for free filipino tv" websites use flash video. she had to download an ipad app called skyfire to decode them. Trouble was that made it to slow for my creaking internet connection to handle, so I had to upgrade to bt infinity...and more expense!!!! but at least we now have Vic Sotto and "face to face" displayed every day in full Apple glory!!!

[lastlid]

An ipad 2 ........yes my wife also got one of those cos she thought it was the biz!!!.... but it does not play flash video from the internet.....all of her "watch for free filipino tv" websites use flash video. she had to download an ipad app called skyfire to decode them. Trouble was that made it to slow for my creaking internet connection to handle, so I had to upgrade to bt infinity...and more expense!!!! but at least we now have Vic Sotto and "face to face" displayed every day in full Apple glory!!!

Yes. It sounds a bit extravagant but (a) she is a gadget freak anyway and (b) she left her netbook for her mum, back in Phils, to use and needed to get some new means to keep in contact with her mom and family etc. It turns out that the iPad cam pic is bigger and clearer than what we have had in the past.

Does the book that you refer to contain all she needs to know for the Life in the UK Test?

[lastlid]

Hi lastlid

We (wife and two kids) all came to the UK via Birmingham airport. I accompanied my wife through the non EU citizen passport line. The immigration people were fine with me doing that. Indeed it probably made their life easier to have us all together in front of them. I advise you to do the same as they will obviously realise that the reason that you are with your wife is to do everything that you can to make her passage into the UK go smoothly.

Yes. We did just a you suggested. It worked well. All done in about 2 minutes.

[Jenky]

There is an official Govt life in the UK website that tells you all that you need to know and what book you need to buy that is relevant to the test being used at this time.
And yes all that you need to know to pass the test is written in that book.

You can buy it her as an xmas present!! and she can take a leisurely year to commit it to memory!

[lastlid]

And yes all that you need to know to pass the test is written in that book.

You can buy it her as an xmas present!! and she can take a leisurely year to commit it to memory!

A stocking filler. :icon_lol:

[Jenky]

Oh Lastlid another thing.

For the ILR application in two years time you need proof that you are living together as a couple. They ask you to provide letters ideally addressed to both of you at your marital address that cover the upcoming two years of your life together here in the UK..

The letters must come from recommended sources, ie govt depts like inland revenue,
utility bills and banks building societies etc.

So make your life easy and start now. Get your wife a national insurance number asap so she can work. Register her at a doctor and dentist. Consider opening a joint bank account so you have a monthly statement that will be addressed to you both. Change as many of your utility bills as you can (council tax included) to put her name beside your own on the account.

All good preperation for your ILR application in two years time!!! Dont be like me and have to scratch around your old letters for bits and bobs and stress yourself!!!!

[lastlid]

Yes. Thanks for that. Fortunately we don't pay council tax as I live on the Isle of Man and don't have to. As you say, best to compile the documentation asap.