A unique state located on the Malay Archipelago and including more than seven thousand islands. Russians most often visit the islands of Boracay, Bohol, Cebu and, of course, the main “gateway” to the country - Manila, located on the island of Luzon.

There is a simplified visa regime for tourists.

Let us hasten to please Russians planning to spend up to 30 days on the islands: a visa to the Philippines is not required. All you need is a foreign passport, valid for at least six months from the date of entry into the country.

For example, if you come to the Philippines in February 2020, and your passport is valid until June 2020, then you may not be allowed on this basis. Paradise islands and there will be no vacation.

The period of visa-free stay for Russians in the Philippines is 30 days in 2020. In this case, the day of arrival in the country is not included in the 30 days; the countdown begins from the next day. So, if you arrive early in the morning, you actually have the right to live without a visa for even 31 days.

How to apply for a visa for 59 days

If you want to go to the Philippines for a long time, you can apply for a long-term visa for 59 days (almost 2 months) in advance. There is an opportunity for Russians to address this issue to the Philippine Embassy in Moscow.

In addition, you can obtain a Philippine visa at the consulates general, which are located in St. Petersburg and Vladivostok.

Required documents

Before going to the embassy or consulate, you need to collect several required documents:

• International passport. The original and a copy of the first page with the photo are required;
• Completed application form (on English language);

Questionnaire

The application form for a visa to the Philippines consists of only 18 questions. The form must be filled out in English only, preferably in block letters.

Step-by-step filling out the form:

• In the 1st line, enter the last name, first name, patronymic and select the gender: male or female.
• In the 2nd you will need to indicate the date and place of birth, as well as citizenship foreign resident.
• In the 3rd, marital status is selected. You need to mark it with a cross.
• The 4th line is filled out only by those foreigners who are officially married. In this line you need to indicate detailed information, initials and address of the wife or husband.
• The 5th is filled in if a foreign resident is accompanied by minor children. In this column you will need to indicate their initials, dates and places of birth of each.
• The 6th line contains the actual residential address and current mobile or home address of the foreign resident.
• The 7th section indicates the type of occupation and sources of funds for the trip.
• The 8th contains information about foreign passport: number, date of issue, validity period and authority that issued the travel document.
• The 9th indicates the name and address of the inviting person.
• Line 10 is filled in only by those foreigners who want to work in the Philippines. People who want to work in this country must indicate their last place of work in this line. Be sure to indicate the salary and position held.
• In line 11, the applicant signs and puts the date for filling out the application form.

The lower part of the application is not completed by the applicant. It is intended to be completed by consulate employees. Each form, after filling out and checking, is signed by a consular officer.

Photo requirements

It is very important to comply with the photograph requirements for obtaining a visa to the Philippines:

Size: 30x40 millimeters.

No traces of pixelation or photoshop.

No hats or sunglasses. Glasses are only allowed for vision correction, but it is worth considering that the lenses should not create glare, and the frames cannot cover any parts of the face. Headgear is only allowed in photographs for women of the Muslim faith, but it must not cover all or part of the applicant’s face.

The “age” of photographs cannot be more than 90 days.

The applicant's face should occupy 70 to 80% of the total frame space.

Registration deadlines

All visas are issued in Russia for quite a long time - from one week to 10 days. Therefore, it is better not to put off paperwork until the last minute.

Extension of stamp and visa

The Philippines has ideal conditions for those who want to stay in tropical paradise as long as possible. Having already arrived at the airport, you can immediately apply for another, longer visa-free stamp - for 59 days, instead of the usual 30-day stamp. The issue price is 75 US dollars.

Any tourist visa can be extended in the Philippines at immigration offices. There are several important points here:

Every traveler from any CIS country can extend their tourist visa. Each extension is given for 59 days. With these small formal procedures, you can stay in the Philippines for up to 16 months.

Certificate for leaving the country

If a vacation in the Philippines lasts more than 6 months in a row, the traveler will need to issue another document - Special Travel Exit Clearance. Unfortunately, without this document you simply will not be allowed to leave the country: you will either be forced to complete it or be fined.

Therefore, you will have to pay about $12 for registration and prepare several documents:

• Photocopies of the “foreigner”: a page with a photo, as well as pages with all Philippine stamps and visas;
• Previously issued ID (a copy is sufficient);
• Receipt of payment of the fee for the last visa extension;
• Photo (color or black and white) 3x4 centimeters.

The Republic of the Philippines is one of the few countries with developed tourism and simplified visa regime for Russians. In 2020, Russian citizens will be able to enter this country without a mandatory visa, provided that the trip lasts no longer than 30 days and is of a tourist, business or transit nature. In the future, every foreigner can extend his period of residence in the country without any particular difficulties.

If the 30-day visa-free period seems insufficient for a holiday, you will need a visa to the Philippines, which is issued at the diplomatic missions of the state located in the Russian Federation. In total, residents are allowed to reside on the islands for 16 months, then you must leave the state.

Visa-free entry

Entering the country without a visa, the traveler has the right to reside in the Philippines for 30 days, and the day of arrival is not taken into account. At the border you must provide:

• International passport with a “reserve” of 6 months;
• Return ticket in original form or as a printout.

Moreover, in rare cases, border guards have the right to ask for proof of financial well-being to ensure that the traveler has the means to live in the country.

After checking the documents, an entry stamp with the date of arrival is placed in the passport. There is no need to pay any fees or duties or fill out a migration card.

Extension of visa-free entry period

If 30 days for rest is not enough, you can choose one of the options:

• Immediately upon arrival, apply for a 59-day visa at the Immigration Service office located at the airport. You will have to pay a fee of 50 USD+510 PHP and fill out a visa application form, to which you must attach a package of documents. But only Russians who arrived in the Philippines for the purpose of vacation can apply for a visa on arrival.
• 14 days after entering the state, contact the Immigration Service. After filling out the application form, providing a number of documents and paying a fee (about 3,000 PHP), the entry stamp will be extended by 59 days. (Addresses of the Immigration Service offices are available at the link: immigration.gov.ph/index.php/information/directory-of-transactions).

In the future, extension is allowed for another 59 days or immediately for 6 months. The number of extensions is limited: you cannot stay in the country for more than 16 consecutive months.

Video: Visa extension in the Philippines

Registration of ACR I-Card

After living in the country for more than two months, each foreigner is issued an ACR I-Card (Allien Certificate of Registration) - a plastic card, a kind of local identity card, which indicates individual information about the traveler, including his photograph and address of residence in the Philippines. You can use it to open an account or issue a card at a local bank.

An ACR I-Card is required to be issued at the Immigration Service office when a tourist applies for an extension of visa-free entry or a visa after two months of residence in the country. To receive it you will have to pay 50 USD+500 PHP and fill out. Applying for a card is a fairly lengthy process: usually a tourist can pick up the document only 1-2 months after submitting the application. This is due to the fact that the cards are made only in Manila and it takes time to send them.

Medical insurance

A medical policy is not a document required to visit the Philippines. However, it is recommended to take care of purchasing it. Medicine on the islands is completely paid; only emergency care is provided free of charge. In case of sudden illness, injury or other troubles, the tourist will have to pay for the doctor’s services on his own. Therefore, obtaining health insurance is highly desirable, because in this case all expenses will be covered by the insurance company.

Obtaining a visa at the Embassy

If you are planning a vacation in the Philippines for more than 30 days, or visiting the state is not related to tourism, you will need a visa, which is issued at the country’s Embassy. The entry document is also issued at the Consulates General of St. Petersburg and Vladivostok.

Documents needed:

International passport with a “reserve” of 6 months and a copy of the page with personal information. The document must have at least 2 blank pages.

. It is necessary to fill out all fields of the form.

An invitation from the Filipino side indicating the purpose and time frame of the trip (for a guest visit) or a hotel reservation in the form of a printout from the Internet or fax (for a vacation).

Color photograph measuring 3.5x4.5 cm.

Round trip tickets with a specific departure date.

Documentary confirmation of payment of the consular fee.

To open a visa you must:

• Contact the Philippine representative office in person or through an authorized representative with the above documentation.
• Pay the consular fee in cash or by bank transfer to the Embassy's account.
• After 3-5 days, pick up the finished documents.

For children

Minors over 14 years old leave the Russian Federation only with their own passports. It is allowed to include young children in the parents' documents.

If a minor is traveling to the Philippines only with mom or dad, it is necessary to prepare consent for the child to leave the Russian Federation with notarization from the parent remaining in the homeland. If it is not possible to provide such a document, then confirmation will be required this fact(death certificate, certificate from a single mother, court decision on deprivation of parental rights, and so on).

In cases where a minor under 14 years of age travels to the Philippines without parents, a visa will most likely be denied.

For each child, a visa application form is filled out, a package of documents is prepared and a fee is paid.

So, the complete package of documents for a child visa will look like this:

Visa cost

Consular fee for opening single entry visa for 90 days is 40 USD. To receive a multiple for 6 months you will have to pay 80 USD. An entry document for 12 months with the possibility of multiple entries will cost 120 USD. The cost of a visa for a child is the same as for an adult.

Visa-free stay, as mentioned above, is completely free.

Extension of long-term visa

The visa can be extended without leaving the state at the offices of the Immigration Service located in the capital and 44 other cities in the Philippines. To extend for 59 days, you must contact the Immigration Service with documentation no later than 7 days before the expiration date of your visa:

• , where the full name, address of residence in the Philippines, the period for which the visa is extended, passport details and information about the issued entry document are indicated.
• One photograph measuring 3.5x4.5 cm, which should be pasted into the application form.
• A copy of the international passport (pages with individual information and visa sticker).

The documentation is submitted to the nearest Immigration Service office (immigration.gov.ph/index.php/information/directory-of-transactions), and a fee is paid there. When extending a visa after two months in the country, the amount is about 4,900 PHP. The cost of issuing an ACR I-Card is additionally paid (50 USD+500 PHP).

In the future, the visa can be extended for another 59 days or immediately for 6 months. The number of such extensions is limited and the foreigner cannot reside in the Philippines continuously for more than 16 months.

Leaving the country

If the total continuous period of residence on the islands is more than 6 months, then before departure from the country each tourist must fill out a special (Emmigration Clearance Certificate) - this is a kind of exit permit. The presence of a certificate indicates that Philippine law enforcement agencies do not have any claims against the traveler. The certificate indicates the period of time when the tourist can leave the country. The absence of this document can become a serious obstacle to leaving the state.

The certificate is issued at the Immigration Service no later than 72 hours before departure. For this you will need:

International passport and a copy of the page with personal information, as well as a spread with a visa or arrival and renewal stamp;

Receipt of payment for the last renewal;

Copy of ACR I-Card;

A copy of the return ticket;

Photo measures 2x2 inches (5x5 cm).

In addition, during the process of obtaining a certificate, you will need to undergo a fingerprinting procedure.

Customs regulations

The amount of foreign currency allowed to be imported into the islands is not limited. Funds in amounts exceeding 10,000 USD are subject to mandatory declaration. Import and export national currency limited to 10,000 PHP. Information about cash that the traveler has in non-cash form (bank cards, checks) are not subject to inclusion in the declaration.

If you're going to the Philippines, there are three options for which city to see first. You can fly to Manila, Angeles (Clark) or Cebu. Each has its own advantages. Clark is the cheapest and well located. From Cebu Airport you can walk with your suitcases to paradise beach. But I chose Manila because I was going to buy a motorcycle for my “12 Islands” trip and naively thought that it would be easiest to do this in the capital of the country.

This is the first post about a motorcycle trip to the Philippines, in which I will tell you about how a simple Russian guy Sasha came to the Philippines and what happened to him in the first days of his stay in this country. You will also learn the whole truth about the crazy city of Manila.

I left St. Petersburg on November 17, 2013. Cheapest and quick way fly to the Philippines via Hong Kong. Considering that this supercity is visa-free for Russians, it would be a sin not to stay there for a few days, which is what I did. Hong Kong turned out to be so incredible that for the first time in my life I seriously thought about moving to long term. It’s a long story, so I plan to write a separate post about it with delight and colorful photos.

After three wonderful days in Hong Kong, I went to the airport, walked up to the check-in counter and happily handed the girl with the Philippines Air badge my passport and a printed ticket.

Your return ticket, sir! - she said, smiling sweetly.

Why do I need to show my return ticket? - I asked and began to frantically figure out what to answer, since I didn’t have a return ticket

This is a requirement of the immigration service. Without it, we won't be able to put you on the plane.

Eeeeeee... You know, I don't remember where he is.

No problem, sir! Please provide your last name and departure dates. I'll check the database.

I don't remember the date \ It's not mine \ Call my lawyer \ Please!

Unfortunately, there is no way without a ticket. If you don't have it, you can buy it now at our counter. You can’t do it via the Internet because the sites do not confirm the purchase immediately, and the departure of your plane is in an hour. At our counter, confirmation takes place immediately, but since you buy your ticket at the airport, it will cost the maximum fare.

There weren't really any options. I had to buy a ticket from Hong Kong to Manila for 400 bucks! By the way, the flight from St. Petersburg to Hong Kong was cheaper. But the ticket was refundable and I was able to return it in Manila, although it took a couple of days of suffering. At first they said that I needed another return ticket, and when I bought it for 50 bucks, they said that it was not needed. As a result, after 15 days they returned the full cost to the card and did not even charge any commission. But the situation at the airport was certainly nervous.

Therefore, advice number 1. If you fly to the Philippines, always buy a return ticket!

On the plane, I came to my senses from the charming view outside the window. Flying through the South China Sea is very beautiful! You immediately notice that there are many different clouds everywhere. This is one of the main features of the Philippines that guarantees unique sunsets.

The clouds are like a pattern that complements the equally endless sea, the calm of which is disturbed by smoothly sailing ships. And next to the island of Luzon there are millions of small “banka” boats. The flight is only an hour and a half and, to be honest, I want to fly further, continuing to look at natural scenes.

Another surprise awaited me at the Manila airport. There was no cash, so I naturally went to withdraw money from an ATM. It turned out that for unknown reasons some local banks do not service my card (Alfa-Bank Visa). At that moment I was confused when I realized how dependent I was on the card. I'm in new country and I don't even have money to drink coffee. Luckily, there was a friendly ATM at the other end of the airport that gave me the money. This is how I first got pesos.

The first taxi driver traditionally tried to scam me. At first he said that it was 10 pesos per kilometer, and when we drove off, he said that it was 100 or a fixed price of 1,500 rubles. But such things don’t happen to me. If you spent 10 months of your life traveling around India, then you have a nose for scams and a refined technology for eliminating deception in the bud. I quickly said everything I thought about the driver and he brought me back to the reporting point. The journey with another driver cost about 400 rubles. Moreover, airport drivers and even the cops vying with each other said that it is better not to get into ordinary city taxis because no one is responsible for your safety.

Before leaving, I read a lot of stories about local dangers. If you believe what they write on the Internet and say on TV, then the Philippines is a country where everyone walks around with guns, robs and kills until they are all washed away at one moment by a typhoon or hit by an earthquake. “There are cannibals in the north, and terrorists in the south,” a person who has an official connection to the Philippines once told me. What can we say about Manila! There, it’s generally better not to go out into the street and not talk to anyone because in the capital the concentration of everything bad reaches its maximum and every Filipino you meet sharpens a huge knife behind your back.

I understood that these were all stories, but there were so many of them that I gradually began to believe. Therefore, upon arrival, I hung locks on my backpack, assumed a menacing appearance and began to walk quickly, looking around. This is an overall great recipe. Everyone sees that you are acting like a fool and prefers to give you a wide berth.

Then I became convinced that everything they were talking about was nonsense. The locals are wonderful hospitable and kind people who are always ready to help you. But many understand these stereotypes in the head of a foreigner and skillfully use them. Taxi drivers talk about the dangers of traveling with strangers, in hotels they say that their security guard with a shotgun will protect them from all harm, and in a tourist restaurant there is always a man with a pistol proudly hanging. All safe, dont vorri, diar sir! In this way, you can sell unnecessary security, which foreign tourists are asking for.

There is no need to talk at length about Manila. This is a multimillion-dollar urban agglomeration, which consists of different cities. Actually, Manila is a small part of it. There are several dozen more different areas that consider themselves separate cities: Makati, Pasay, Ermita, Valenzuela, Quezon, Pasig, Taguig, Parañaque, etc. If you really want to understand this, then you definitely can’t do without San Miguel beer.

The general opinion about Manila is that it is a terrible city. Tourists mainly use it as a transit point between their country and beautiful beach and often spit, remembering the capital of the Philippines. But there are also those who like Manila. I relate more to the former.

Manila is absolutely nothing of itself. There is a skyscraper district in Makati with beautiful avenues, but after Hong Kong they seem the most boring. There is a fake restored Spanish fortress. And everything else is a typical low-rise Philippine building, which is interspersed with huge shopping centers and large highways. This city's coat of arms should feature traffic jams and street food. Most of the time, motorists stand still, and passers-by are constantly eating something.

The first thing that catches your eye is the unique public transport: jeepneys and tricycles. The jeepney is an example of how Filipinos absolutely loved the American military Jeep Wrangler. Since at that time there was no cooler car on these islands, local mechanics began to copy the design of the jeep, but make cars designed for passenger transportation.

This is how incredible minibuses turned out, without which it is difficult to imagine modern Philippines. Each driver decorates his jeepney in his own way. Everyone is trying to stand out, and that’s why tacky works of art are roaming around towns and villages, dousing passers-by with black solar smoke.

Tricycles are the Philippine version of the auto rickshaw. For some reason they chose the option of a motorcycle with a covered sidecar.

Tricycles are everywhere. This is a national type of individual transport because it is cheap and, if you suck in your stomachs, it can accommodate 10 people. Each region has its own unique tricycle design and you can use them to study the culture of different Filipino peoples.

Thus, during your first time in Manila, what attracts your attention the most are jeepneys and tricycles. The rest is not interesting.

I am deeply convinced that Manila, in terms of tourism, is intended only for masochistic tourists. If you want to spend time in this mediocre city and realize it's only a stone's throw away... snow-white beaches, incredible mountains, volcanoes and lakes, then you are undoubtedly harming yourself. True, there is one exception. You should go to Manila if you have been sitting on a remote beach for a month and miss civilization. There you can sit at Starbucks, shop and taste fast food.

But I’m not saying this because something really spoiled my impression. I didn’t really go sightseeing, but did some business. Maybe that's why I had this opinion. But on the other hand, we got a more independent assessment of this city. It's really boring there.

Manila has a strange quality. There, in the morning, nothing works out for you and all your plans collapse, but in the evening everything is resolved favorably and your plans return to normal. For three days, every morning was nervous and incomprehensible, but in the evening I calmly sipped coffee with a feeling of accomplishment. In India, if it doesn’t work out, then nothing will change until you understand what you’re doing wrong. But here it all depends on the time of day.

On the evening of my last day in Manila, I accidentally met at my hotel a group of Filipinos who turned out to be wonderful guys who gave me important contacts in different cities and told about interesting places on the route. This was the first meeting of which there will be many in this country. I did the right thing by drawing up a rough itinerary for the trip. It will be constantly ruled by chance encounters.

In the next post I will tell you in detail about the long purchase of a motorcycle, which I did not make in Manila.

Read the posts about Manila that I wrote in the VKontakte travel community -

Most travelers view the Philippines as perfect place for a vacation, especially since a visa to the Philippines for Russians in 2020 is not needed for short visits. If a longer trip is planned, then Russian citizens need to apply for a visa in advance at the Philippine Embassy or Consulates in Moscow or other cities.

The Philippines has the third largest English-speaking population in the world.

Requirement for a visa

Simplified entry rules apply for Russians. This means that for any purpose of travel, a visa to the Philippines is not required if the period of stay does not exceed 30 days.

According to Philippine law, the day of arrival is not counted, that is, if the traveler arrived in the state in the morning, then 31 days is the last day for legal stay on its territory.

If the purpose of coming to the Philippines is not tourism or you need to stay for a longer time, then you will have to go through a simple procedure for obtaining a visa at the Embassy in Moscow or at Consulates General in Vladivostok and St. Petersburg.

To the Philippines without a visa

For most trips, a 30-day visa-free period is quite enough to relax, take a diving course, visit friends, and get to know the country. In order to be able to enter the state via visa-free regime You need to have the following documents on hand:

• A valid passport with blank pages, it must be valid for another six months from the date of entry into the Philippines;
• Pre-filled migration card;
• Return ticket to Russia, or its electronic copy;
• Confirmation of availability of money. This requirement is optional; at the border they may ask for confirmation, but they may not focus on this.

There is no need to fill out any additional forms.

Filling out the migration card

The Philippine Migration Card is a special small form that every foreigner must fill out and show at the border; it is often given right on board the plane. There you need to enter your data, information about the hotel and the purpose of the visit. Migration card the authorities will need it in the event of a missing foreigner to make it easier to find him, as well as in the event of any incident.

Border crossing procedure

Each arriving passenger undergoes border control and, if necessary, inspection. After presentation necessary documents A visa stamp is affixed to the passport, which records the date of entry. Visa officers will be guided by this date when a foreigner leaves the country.

Customs regulations

In the Philippines there are certain customs regulations, which must be observed by every guest of the country.

It is prohibited to import:

• Some medical drugs;
• Explosive materials;
• Weapons (cold weapons are allowed, but permission is required);
• Jewelry that does not contain markings.

Allowed to import:

• Animals, if there is an appropriate international veterinary certificate;
• No more than two liters of alcohol, 400 cigarettes (or the equivalent - 50 cigars);
• Food intended for personal use.

It is prohibited to export:

• Any representatives of Philippine flora and fauna;
• Antiques;
• Products from rare wood species;
• Jewelry.

Restrictions are also imposed on the amount of cash with which a traveler arrives in the country. An amount of more than 10,000 US dollars must be declared; more than 10,000 Philippine pesos cannot be taken out of the country. The rule does not apply to non-cash funds stored on cards or in traveler's checks.

More detailed information about customs regulations can be found on the website of the Philippine Embassy.

Extension of stay

If the standard thirty days were not enough, and a Philippine visa was not obtained in advance in Russia, then you can take advantage of the opportunity to extend your stay. You can apply for it immediately at the airport, asking for not the usual 30-day stamp, but another one that gives the right to a 59-day stay (for a fee), or you can do this at the Immigration office in Manila or other cities. As many as 44 offices throughout the country deal with issues of extending stay in the Philippines.

Not only can you extend your entry stamp, but you can also extend any Philippine visa if it has expired. There are a few things to remember about renewals:

• You can extend your stay several times, for a total of 16 months;
• Along with the extension, the tourist receives a special ID document, which contains his personal data and a photo;
• If your stay has been extended several times for a period of more than six months, then you need to obtain a certificate for departure, without it you can be fined at the border, it is done on the basis of a passport and ID and is paid.

Obtaining a visa at the Embassy yourself

There are cases when a visa to the Philippines needs to be obtained in advance in Russia. This will be required if your stay in the country may be prolonged due to extended holidays, work or study in the Philippines, as well as lengthy business trips. Philippine entry permits do not have a clear gradation into “study visa”, “business visa”, “ work visa", "visitor visa". Visas differ in their validity period and there is a slight difference in the list of papers that need to be collected.

A visa to the Philippines is very easy to apply on your own; you will need to submit a small list of documents:

International passport;

A copy of the passport page with personal information and photograph (2 pages);

A form filled out in Latin, it can be downloaded from the Embassy website;

Return tickets with a specified specific date;

One photo size 30 by 40 mm;

Receipt of payment of the consular fee;

The last important document is an invitation (from an employer, or from another organization with which the trip to the Philippines is associated, or from a friend/relative). For a tourist visa, it is enough to show a hotel reservation.

Documents for a visa can be brought in person, it is also possible to submit through a representative or send by courier service, for example, DHL. Documents are accepted both in Moscow at the Embassy and at the Consulates of St. Petersburg and Vladivostok.

Visa for children

For minor children, entry rules into the Philippines are slightly different. If the whole family goes on vacation not exceeding 30 days, then no additional documents need to be provided.

You need to request a separate visa to the Philippines for a child in the Russian Federation, if you are planning a long stay, for this you need to provide a birth certificate.

Features of entering the Philippines with a child

Due to the fact that human trafficking routes (illegal trafficking in people, and especially children) pass through the Philippines, there are nuances regarding the entry of foreign children.

• A child can only enter the state with parents/legal guardians. Entry with relatives or third parties is almost impossible;
• If a minor arrived only accompanied by one parent/guardian, then at the border it is mandatory to present a power of attorney from the second parent/guardian. This document must be translated into English and officially certified by a notary;
• If it is not possible to obtain a power of attorney from the second parent (death, unknown location), you must provide a certificate in English from the competent authority, which states this fact.

Enhanced child safety measures are being taken by the government to minimize risks to minors. While in the Philippines, you should never let your children go alone, even for a few minutes; you should always keep an eye on your child and not lose sight of him. Visa validity periods

Any visa to the Philippines obtained in Russia, as well as entry and extension stamps, have their own time limit.

Price

If you are planning a long-term visit, then it is much more profitable to obtain a visa to the Philippines in advance in the Russian Federation.

There are additional fees for individual documents required by a foreigner:

• Identification document (foreigner ID) – $15;
• Certificate for departure (if stay exceeded 6 months) – $12.

Conclusion

The Philippines is an excellent destination for quality beach holiday tourists. In promotional materials travel companies you can see many fabulous photographs in which the snow-white sand and azure sea attract the eye and make you dream of a vacation, imagining all the possible pleasures. The Internet is replete with numerous reports about visits to Boracay, Cebu, and Mindanao. Some Russians “wait out” the winter in the Philippines and sometimes live there with their entire families, because the absence of the need for a visa eliminates many unnecessary problems.

When going to the Philippines, you should remember the following points:

• Russians do not need a visa for a thirty-day stay;
• If you are planning a trip for a longer period, then it is most profitable to obtain a visa to the Philippines yourself at the Embassy of the country, while still in Russia - you will have to pay more on the spot for extending your stay (especially for repeated extensions);
• Visa refusals are rare possible reasons the same standard as for other countries;
• While in the Philippines, you should carefully supervise children; it is not recommended for minors to be unaccompanied;
• It is better to purchase before traveling health insurance, since in the tropical climate of the country there are bacteria and diseases to which a person from mid-latitudes has no immunity;
• The fine for staying in the Philippines for Russian citizens with an expired visa is $23 for each day, payment is made at a special window at the airport. The fine must be paid in advance during business hours, as the window for paying fines is closed late in the evening and at night.

Video: vacation in Manila, Philippines

Therefore, I would like to describe some points in more detail. Maybe someone will find this information useful.

Bank cards in the Philippines.

ATMs accept any bank cards such as Visa and Master Card. For example, VTB, Alfa Bank, Bank St. Petersburg, Tinkoff cards work fine for us. And Sberbank cards are often blocked after withdrawing money from an ATM (when paying in stores and supermarkets everything is ok), so you need to call the bank and ask to unblock it, maybe this problem will be solved soon. Plus, they are closed in the Philippines on Mondays and Tuesdays. You cannot withdraw money from banks here, as in , only through ATMs. The commission for each withdrawal is 200 pesos, the maximum cash withdrawal amount at one time is 10,000 pesos.
Read more about bank cards in the Philippines.

What is better to fly with - dollars or euros? And where is the best place to exchange them?

It makes no difference whichever is more convenient for you. The course is approximately the same. And you can exchange it right away at the airport, the rate there is no worse. But you will immediately have money for an internal flight from Manila to the desired location, as well as for a taxi, etc.

Internet :

IN tourist places There are no problems with the Internet in the Philippines. At the same. But on Samal Island it is not available everywhere. For example, we had to connect it separately, ourselves. Mail and Yandex work perfectly in the Philippines, nothing is blocked. On the Internet 3g and 4g, the speed reaches 3-3.5 megabits/sec. It works stably, but there are glitches on holidays, for example, New Year.

Flight.

It is more convenient to fly from Moscow to the Philippines via Bangkok or Hong Kong. From some other cities - via Beijing. From there it is better to take tickets from the airline, because... she has the most low prices. At the airport they will definitely ask for return tickets. If you do not show them, you will not be allowed into the country. You only need to show them when entering Manila, not for domestic flights. When flying from Manila to Davao (and vice versa), you need to pay 200 pesos per person (you definitely won’t pass the payment window), and when flying from Manila to another country - 750 pesos per person. There are both ATMs and exchange offices at the airport. You can change it right at the airport, the rate there is the same as everywhere else.
From Moscow (Domodedovo) - Etihad Airways 17,500 rubles; Emitares 18300 rub.
From St. Petersburg (Pulkovo) — Rossiya Airlines + Etihad Airways 16,600 rub.
The most chip flights to the Philippines () you will find on the sites:
http://www.skyscanner.ru
http://mmd.ru.momondo.com
http://www.anywayanyday.com
http://www.trip.ru

How much money do you need to live in the Philippines (Davao, Samal) per week/month?

It’s hard to say without knowing your needs, so you can estimate for yourself based on the prices for basic needs:

— Directions to public transport in Davao: 12-15 pesos per person (8-10 rubles / 0.27-0.34 $)
— Minimum taxi fare in Davao: 40 pesos (28 rubles / $0.93). On average, a half-hour journey costs (90 rubles/$3)
— Taxi bikes in Samal: 10-30 pesos per bike (7-21 rubles / 0.23-0.69 $)
— Tricycles in Samal: 20-40 pesos (14-28 rubles / $0.46-0.93) for the entire tricycle (up to 5-6 people)
— One hour of full body massage: 200 pesos (140 rubles / $4.6) (Types available: Filipino, Thai, Japanese, Swedish, separate massages for legs, back and head)
— Cinema ticket: 130-200 pesos (90-140 rubles / 3-4.6 $)
— Food prices:
Durians: 30-70 pesos/kg, depending on the season (21-49 rubles/kg / 0.69-1.6 $/kg)
: 30 pesos/kg (21 rubles/kg / $0.69/kg)
: 30 pesos/kg unpeeled, 80 pesos/kg peeled (21-56 rubles/kg / 0.69-1.8 $/kg)
: 20-80 pesos/kg, depending on the season (14-56 rubles/kg / 0.46-1.8 $/kg)
Pineapples: 20 pesos/kg (14 rubles/kg / $0.46/kg)
Watermelons: 10-20 pesos/kg (7-14 rubles/kg / 0.23-0.46 $/kg)
Bananas: 10-20 pesos/kg (7-14 rubles/kg / 0.23-0.46 $/kg)
: 15-30 pesos/piece (10-21 rub/kg / 0.34-0.69 $/kg)
: 40-60 pesos/kg (28-42 rubles/kg / 0.93-1.4$/kg)
: 20 pesos/kg (14 rubles/kg / $0.46/kg)
Rambutans: 50 pesos/kg (35 rubles/kg / 1.1$/kg)
Mangosteens: 50-200 pesos/kg (35-140 rubles/kg / 1.1-4.6 $/kg)
: 30 pesos/kg (21 rubles/kg / 0.69$/kg)

Work in the Philippines.

You can’t find a job here, so it’s worth going here with a pre-accumulated amount, or remote work, or renting out an apartment in Russia and living on this money.

How and where to get a visa to the Philippines? What is its validity period?

Russians can come to the Philippines without a visa for 21 days, after which they can renew their visa every 2 months at the immigration office in Davao for $50. Citizens of Ukraine need to apply for a visa in advance, and then also renew it every 2 months. In total, you can stay in the Philippines for no more than 16 months without leaving the country, after which you need to leave the country and re-enter. Read more about the Philippine visa.

What entertainment is there on the island? What are you even doing there?

Samal has beaches, waterfalls, a gorge with bats, waterslides, the opportunity to ride a water scooter, banana boat, etc. In the vicinity of Samal there are beautiful islands with wonderful beaches - Island, Vanishing Island, Wishing Island and two Ligit islands (large and small). On the island of Mindanao, where Davao is located, there are hot springs and Mount Apo, where you can go on a 3-day trek and climb to the very top. Mount Apo also has one of the highest rope descents in Asia (about 200 meters).
We go to the beach (the weather is sunny almost every day, it rarely rains), we communicate with each other, we play chess, Mafia, Uno and other games, we ride bicycles, we walk, sometimes we go to the waterfalls, we go to the fruit market, once or twice a week we go to Davao, play billiards and bowling, etc. It's never boring!

What time of year is best to go to Davao and Samal?

It's entirely up to you. The weather here is always good, all year round, but spring and summer are hotter than autumn and especially winter. The sea is cleaner in winter. All fruits are available all year round.

How much does it cost to stay at a raw food resort in Samal?

This is described in great detail, with photographs and explanations.

What things should you take with you?

You definitely don’t need to take anything warm, it’s summer here all year round, it’s very warm. Read more about that (the list is mostly compiled for girls).

How to get to the resort

Write in a personal message about how to get to our raw food resort after purchasing air tickets. This is for those who want to get to us on their own. There is also a service of meeting at the airport and transfer to the resort ().

I found out that there is an excellent hotel near Domodedovo. Therefore, there is no need to go to the center of Moscow; you can comfortably stay right after the airport. The prices are very reasonable.