SRRV Info

[Art, just a re(tired) Fil-Am]

Fred,

Lost the old RP passport in the late 60s, an affidavit of lost will do! I do have an RP birth certificate and yes I went through the process once when my wife did hers a few yrs ago, but I was missing a document and haven't yet went back after getting my required document replaced! My visa extensions aren't that costly, it's no big deal! 
The RA9225 application has to be done at a Philippine Consulate or in the BOI in Manila! I can wait, just lazy that's all!   

[Art, just a re(tired) Fil-Am]

You all can now congratulate me, because I finally just got my Expanded SRRVisa and I.D. Card today this afternoon at the Makati PRA office.
I can now stay indefinite in the Philippines and my annual report is only once every 3 yrs ($10 annually) and I will never have to set foot in a BI office ever again for an ACR I-Card. My SRRV I.D. Card acts as my ACR I-Card, ECC, departure/re-entry permit, but the travel tax has to be paid if one has stayed in the Philippines over a year, including myself.
I do not need the new color coded ACR I-Cards that's now being issued to everyone, because my SRRV I.D. Card was issued by the PRA folks, which the BI has already approved it for them.
So, no more BB stamps and or tourist visa extensions or annual BI ACR I-Cards for me!   

[bigrod]

Congrats!

[piozam13]

Well done!  Congratulations!   What a relief?

[Lee2]

Congratulations Art, glad you no longer have to deal with all that bs. 

[Steve & Myrlita]

Very good.

[Art, just a re(tired) Fil-Am]

Thank you all well wishers! Yes, it's a great feeling not having to do a balancing act anymore with immigration when one's visa is about to expire! Being a permanent resident eliminates all the hassles, but then again the Philippines isn't for everyone. "Different Strokes For Different Folks" has always been my motto. So good luck to each and everyone to their own desires where and or when they decide to stay for the long haul or not! Luckily we all have options, don't we? 

[wildbill]

CONGRATS TO YOU ART.....im sure you will be more at rest living out the rest of your dream now... very good.

[Art, just a re(tired) Fil-Am]

Thanks Bill,
Yeah, it sure is a load off my mind. It couldn't have come at a better time when I'm getting tired of doing visa runs every year and or every once every 3 yrs after all of my 6 month tourist visa extensions was about to expire. At least now with my SRRVisa is for a lifetime and I will never have to set foot in another BI field and or regional office ever again, because the PRA office in Makati takes care of my annual report and renewal of my SRRV I.D. Card once every 3 years, which only cost $10 per year, which I paid in advance for 3 yrs. So, my next trip to the PRA office in Makati will be on July 16, 2018.     

[wildbill]

Art thats dam good for sure....happy for you too...right now im still BB but its ok with me for now..

[Art, just a re(tired) Fil-Am]

This may interest U.S. vets and retired military members. I just read this on another forum that shows that changes have been made to the Courtesy and Expanded SRRVisa.
"There is no longer a requirement for directly serving "boots on ground", (tour of duty) in the Philippines to obtain the Expanded Courtesy SRRVisa"
"All Courtesy and Expanded Courtesy SRRVisa holders are not subject to the annual US$360.00 PRA Annual Fee (PAF), as are the holders of the other schemes of the SRRVisa".

See page 18 of the 2015 SRRV guidelines where it now states that $10 is now the current cost of an annual report for the Courtesy and Expanded SRRVisa applicants.
This type of a permanent resident visa for former military members is a lot less of a hassle in obtaining compared to that of the 13a visa and once obtained, one will not ever have to step inside a BI office office ever again and one's annual report of once every 3 years is optional.
So, is the PRA's $1,500 bank security deposit, $1,400 application fee and annual fee of $10 too much for this type of permanent resident visa and only takes two visits at your local PRA office to process?
Sure a 13a visa is cheaper, but a lot more hoops to jump through with at least half a dozen visits to Manila and even trying to terminate or cancel a 13a visa is just as difficult to do.
(see thumbnail attachment below of the new 2015 SRRV guidelines).

[Majal]

Art...I'm definitely looking into this...and I have told my brother in-law and relatives about this also. its probably out of the topic, am I understanding it right that dual citizenship has more relevance to properties and tax than anything else?

[Art, just a re(tired) Fil-Am]

You are better off getting your dual citizenship, if your qualify under RA9225! It will only cost you $50 and just a few hrs at your nearest Philippine Consulate for the processing, not including the cost of a Philippine passport.
I only went the Expanded SRRVisa route, because I was not quailified to apply for dual citizenship under RA9225, because I was not a naturulized u.S. citizen and my father was a U.S. citzen when I was born and of which the Philippine Constitutional Law of 1935 also denys me to acquire Philippine citizenship even though I born in the Philippines!
But with an SRRVisa, you can include your husband on the application too and you both will never have to set foot in a BI office ever again! The SRRV is a permanent resident visa for life as long you do not terminate it for some odd reason and the annual report and your I.D. renewal can be done once every 3 yrs.
Anyway you have a long way to go still before retirement. Just take advantage of the Balikbayan Program for many yrs to come without too much hassles and it's free!
We used the BB stamp for almost 15 yrs, before doing our permanent resident status. 

[lost_in_samoa]

I just finished my SRRV application.  Sky will conduct the swearing in ceremony at my farm.  She wants to see our domes.

Here are my observations,

1.)  For us the security deposit was a big hassle.  You cannot make it at the Landbank branch.  The landbank has a M.O.U. with PRA that states that your deposit must come from a bank.

Our bank branch had very outdated information on how to do the transfer.  So it took two hours of debate before I managed to get the VP of the bank to call Sky directly.  After that things went smoothly.

So my advice is to do some research and due diligence with your bank branch BEFORE you try the deposit.

2.)  For those applicants who have been in the R.P. longer than 6 months you only need to produce a NBI security/police clearance.

BUT, as we found out, you must provide a Barangay residence certificate stating that you have been in residence more than 5 years.  We also presented an additional notarized affidavit attesting that the Barangay prepared certificate was accurate.

It appears that there is a 5 year minimum residence requirement imposed by BOI for those SRRV applicants that present only a NBI clearance and not a clearance from the originating country security/police services.


Neither of these things were show stoppers.  Just minor inconveniences that I wish we had known about before hand.

All in all the process was very smooth.  And Sky is to be commended in the highest possible terms.

[Art, just a re(tired) Fil-Am]

Congratulation in obtaining your SRRVisa. You didn't mention what type of SRRVisa you obtained, since there are different types available depending on age and amount of the bank security deposit.
Here's the new pdf up to date "2015 SRRV Guide":  http://www.pra.gov.ph/As_in_detailed_SRRV_Explanation_090613_2.pdf
I recently obtained my SRRV what's called the "Expanded SRRV" which I recall now Chuck provided this link just last year: http://tinyurl.com/oq954pc for U.S. military members, retired or not and doesn't matter if a member did a tour of duty in the Philippines or not. The bank security deposit is only $1,500 with a $10.00 annual report fee and can be done once every 3 yrs including one's I.D. renewal at one's nearest PRA office.
I recently obtained my expanded SRRVisa at the Makati main PRA office, but accomplished my physical exams and obtained all of my required documents while on vacation in N. California just this past February and finally obtained my SRRVisa and I'D. card on July 18 of this year and I did not require an NBI and or Barangay clearance included with my SRRV application, just my police clearance from my home town's police department in person, luckily was only a few miles away from where I was staying and only cost me $16 paid with a personal U.S. check and the letter was mailed after a week or I could have just picked it up in person. 
My next visit to the PRA office in Makati is on July 18, 2018, 3 yrs from now to renew my annual report and I.D. card and I will never have to step foot inside a BI office ever again! "Knock on wood"!