Recommended
9(a) Temporary Visitor (Tourist)
The default for visits and stays under three years. Extend in 1–6 month chunks at BI Cebu.
90
fit score
Verified Jul 2026·source
Why this fits
- Built for tourism.
- Fits a 6–12 month stay.
What it grants
- Multiple-entry visits up to 36 months (visa-exempt) or 24 months (visa-required)
- Travel within the Philippines
- Open a peso bank account (with ACR I-Card past 59 days)
- Extension can be filed and paid online (Landbank Link.Biz or Maya) — an in-person counter route also exists
What it does NOT grant
- Right to work for any Philippine employer or client
- Right to own land or majority of a corporation
- Permanent residence
| Annual fees | ₱21,000–₱24,000/yr |
| Processing time | 0–1 weeks |
BI’s own published fee tables carry the footnote "Fees are updated as of 06 March 2014 and may change without prior notice", and that footnote is still live on every BI fee page. It is not the whole story: BI’s Revision of Fees Committee published a notice on 21 April 2025 raising the express lane fee, and every BI total this site publishes already contains the revised amount. So these figures carry a 2014 stamp over a component revised in 2025, and BI publishes no single dated schedule reconciling the two.
Notes
- — Visa waiver (29 days): 3,030 PHP. First extension beyond 59 days: 4,400 (1mo) / 4,900 (2mo) PHP plus ACR I-Card (USD 50 + PHP 500).
- — Subsequent regular extension: PHP 2,430 (1mo) / 2,930 (2mo). Extension falling on the 7th month of stay: PHP 3,840 (1mo) / 4,340 (2mo). LSVVE 6-month: PHP 11,500 all-in.
- — Continuous 36-month stay, non-visa-required adult: ~PHP 64,000–71,000 in total, i.e. ~PHP 21,000–24,000/yr.
- — All BI totals above already include the express-lane fee — do not add one.
- — BI’s own published fee tables carry the footnote "Fees are updated as of 06 March 2014 and may change without prior notice", and that footnote is still live on every BI fee page. It is not the whole story: BI’s Revision of Fees Committee published a notice on 21 April 2025 raising the express lane fee, and every BI total this site publishes already contains the revised amount. So these figures carry a 2014 stamp over a component revised in 2025, and BI publishes no single dated schedule reconciling the two.
- — Visa-exempt (EO 408) nationals: 30 days free on arrival, max 36 months cumulative.
- — Visa-required nationals: must apply at a PH consulate, max 24 months cumulative, and pay a different fee schedule.