One of the least visited country for BD nationals in South East Asia is the Philippines and I feel the reason for the same is the difficulty in obtaining a visa or at least the thought of it!
Here's the guideline for Philippines Visa:
Where to Apply for Philippines Visa in Bangladesh:
The Philippines Embassy in Dhaka does not accept visa application from the applicant directly. The embassy has 3 accredited visa agencies through which you have to apply:
1. PINOY Travels House No #35, Road #1, Block A, Gulshan 1, Niketan, Dhaka Email: pinoytravels@gmail.com anisnora45@yahoo.com 01711544185, 01552404705, +88 02 9853055
2. NOVO Aviation Services Ltd. Novo Tower, (13th floor), 270 Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka Email: naslsales@novocargo.net 01730358586, +88 02 8870901-07, 8870913
3. TRAVEL SMART Limited Gulshan-2, Dhaka, Bangladesh 01617161717, 01779700900, +88 02 9892596, 9893705
Documents Required:
Along with most other documents which are usual for visa application, one also needs to submit a Police Clearance Certificate for Philippines Visa. However, there are some exceptions to the rule, see the statement from the embassy for better understanding:
***Police Clearance – not applicable to minors 17 years old below, government-endorsed applicants, Representatives of International Organizations, BPCCI members with an endorsement letter from the BPCCI President, Honorary Consuls and Bangladeshi nationals with valid American, Australian, Japanese, Singapore, Canadian, United Kingdom and Schengen visas, ensuring that they don’t have derogatory records with the Philippine Bureau of Immigration, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and Interpol.
The official List of Documents required for Philippines Visa is given below: (FOR TOURISM)
1. Accomplished Application for Philippine Visa form
2. Proof of Financial capability e.g. Assets/Ownership, proof of tax payment
3. Bank Statement of visa applicant or letter/proof of financial support by the sponsor
4. Round trip airline ticket
5. Confirmed hotel accommodation/invitation letter from sponsor (stating address in the Philippines) and sponsor’s passport copy
6. Police Clearance ***
7. Travel itinerary
8. For Businessmen: Travel license
9. For Employees: Certificate of employment and employees tax certificate/TIN
10. Passport valid for not less than six(6) months after sojourn in the Philippines
11. Two copies of 2″ x 2″ recent photographs
12. Visa fees
Bank Statement: Many agencies (other than the accredited agencies) also process visa for the Philippines and a common thing you will hear from them is that you need to have above BDT 4.5 lakh shown in your bank statement. Please note that this is not an official requirement. Perhaps the Philippines Embassy does not have a prescribed amount like that of Thailand or Malaysia. However, having a good bank balance definitely increases your chances of being granted a visa.
Interview: Fourth, you may need to appear for an interview for Philippines Visa if the embassy feels they need to verify your documents or personally interview you. It is the decision of the embassy which matters.
Visa Fee: The official visa fee for Philippines Visa is BDT 3400/-, however, the Accredited Agencies takes BDT 4500/- which includes their service charge. Note that the accredited agencies will simply accept or reject your application similar to what VFS/ Saimon do w.r.t. Thai Visa and will not make hotel or flight booking, write NOCs, create itineraries, etc on your behalf. So, don't expect that out of them. If you want such services, do carefully choose an agency which handles Philippines Visa. The agencies usually charge between BDT 5500/- to BDT 6500/- which varies from agency to agency.
Processing Time: Last and most important thing to note is that it requires between 10 to 15 working days to process Philippines Visa and Single Entry Visa (if issued) is valid for 3 months. So it is recommended to apply for your visa well in advance.
Here's the link to the Visa Page of the Official Website of the Philippines Embassy, Dhaka.
My Personal Experience With Philippines Visa Application:
The first time I had applied for Philippines Visa from Bangladesh was back in July 2018. I was not sure whether I will be called for an interview or if my visa would be granted without one or how long it would take for them to make a decision.
I have already discussed more or less everything you are required to submit for Philippines Visa along with other important details above. Anyone having questions regarding the requirement or where to apply please refer to that.
Here is my personal experience, I am writing about the processing time and a few other details. My passport was submitted to one of the authorized agency on 9th July 2018 as I decided to obtain my Thai Visa before applying for the Philippines Visa and the visa was issued on 19th July 2018, so it took 9 working days for the visa to be processed. However, thankfully the visa was processed and issued without any further issue. For those requiring Police Clearance apparently it takes a bit longer to process. (I am not very sure of it though).
The visa issued is valid for 3 months and allows you to stay in the Philippines for 30 days.
Documents which I needed to submit other than the ones mentioned in the previous post, was a photocopy of a Blank Cheque from the same bank of which issued bank statement and solvency. Maybe it is a way to authenticate the account & the bank statement I had submitted, as more and more applications are being submitted with fake/ edited bank statements.
I travelled to the Philippines on 12th August 2018 from Kuala Lumpur for 6 Days/ 5 Nights. I have already written about 2 other posts about the Philippines. You can refer to that for more information if you need.
Read about my short trip to the Phillipino Capital, Maila: https://www.guywiththegreenpassport.net/post/manila-a-visual-guide
& also a comprehensive guide of cost of travel to the Philippines from Bangladesh: Link is given here: https://www.guywiththegreenpassport.net/post/the-philippines-cost-of-travel
Cheers & Happy Travels :)
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