Philippines spouse visa (13a)

Section 13(a) of the Philippine Immigration Act covers the wife or husband, or the unmarried child under 21, of a Philippine citizen who accompanies or follows to join that citizen. The marriage must be valid and registered under Philippine law, shown by a Philippine Statistics Authority marriage certificate or a Report of Marriage. Foreign spouses whose country has no reciprocity agreement with the Philippines are handled under the Temporary Resident Visa (Law Instruction No. 33), which has the same PHP 8,620 fee and requires the passport to stay with the BI while the application is pending.

Philippine embassies and consulates can also issue the 13(a) before travel; each post publishes its own checklist, so use the one responsible for your place of residence. The file is built around the immigrant visa form, photos, your passport, the PSA marriage certificate or Report of Marriage, the Filipino spouse's PSA birth certificate and passport copy and a supporting letter from the Filipino spouse, together with proof of financial capacity, a police clearance and a medical certificate. Documents issued outside the Philippines must be translated into English where needed and apostilled or authenticated before the post accepts them.

A spouse already in the Philippines files a joint letter with the Filipino spouse to the BI Commissioner, the immigrant visa application form, the marriage certificate, the Filipino spouse's birth certificate or BI identification certificate, a copy of the passport with valid authorised stay, an NBI clearance if filing six months or more after first arrival, and a BI clearance certificate. Steps: pre-screening at the Central Receiving Unit, payment, hearing, biometrics for the ACR I-Card, online check of approval, visa implementation in the passport and collection of the card.

The 13(a) is first granted as probationary and valid for one year. Before it ends, the holder applies to the BI for amendment to permanent non-quota immigrant status, again PHP 8,620 for the principal plus USD 50 for the card. If the amendment is still being processed when the probationary visa expires, an interim extension allows the holder to travel and return without affecting status.

Unmarried children under 21 can be included as dependants of an immigrant visa or TRV holder upon proof of the relationship. The BI fee for including a dependant child is PHP 8,370 for those aged 16 to 20 and PHP 7,870 for younger children, plus USD 50 for the card.