Showing posts with label visa application. Show all posts
Showing posts with label visa application. Show all posts

Monday, May 15, 2017

Reminders when Applying for an Australian Tourist Visa 2017

6:25 AM 2017 travel , Australia 0 Comments

I have plans to visit the land down under so we went to VFS at Ecoplaza Building in Makati to submit our documents to apply for an Australian Tourist Visa (Subclass 600).

 Aside from checking directly on their site the documents required for this application: http://www.vfsglobal.com/australia/philippines/, there are also a ton of blog posts where you can read about the requirements. I've listed below what I recently submitted & what to take note of:

Required Documents

➥Form 1419 

1. Make sure to use black pen or if you are not keen on writing anymore, you can just edit the PDF file & print like what a normal, lazy and millennial person would do.
2. Paste 1 passport-size photo
3. No need to enter N/A for blank fields

➥Subclass 600 Checklist form

Same with Form 1419 except no need to paste or attach a passport-size photo


➥Xerox copy of my NSO-certified Birth Certificate

See my post about the different ways of getting your NSO-certified birth certificate.

➥Manager's Check

1. Most preferably from either BPI or BDO but you can get it from any bank as long as its a commercial & not a rural bank. You need to have an existing/active account with the bank before you can request one.
2. As of this writing, payable amount should be Php 5,300. Note that amount indicated on the check must be in PHP
3. The Pay to the order of value should be addressed to Australian Embassy. They will not accept your check if it states otherwise.
4. Depends on the bank, but BDO charges Php 50 per check. You have the option to either pay it in cash or debit it from your account.

➥Xerox copy of my Passport pages

1. Make sure to xerox the front, back and all pages with stamps and visas on it.
2. If you have an older passport with stamps and visa, xerox copy that as well even if it's already expired. 

➥Xerox copy of ITR

➥Xerox/Printed copy of Payslip (1 month)

➥Bank Certificate

There is no recommended amount but remember that they ask for this information so they can be assured you can sustain yourself financially while you are traveling to their country. So depends on how long your stay will be, make sure your bank account - at least for the visa application - is enough for your day to day activity in Australia.

➥Latest copy of my credit card statement 

Make sure it indicates the current credit limit

➥Invitation letter & other supporting documents from your contact in Australia

1. My friend provided us with a Statutory Declaration (which serves as an Invitation letter) stating that she will be responsible for our stay/accommodation in Australia. 
2. Statutory Declaration form can be downloaded here. 
3. Additional documents provided was a xerox copy of passport, copy of visa grant, school IDs, receipts, etc. 

 Basically for Visa Application, you just need to prove that 1. you have the financial capacity to visit their country during your travel dates and 2. you have no intention of overstaying & will definitely be back to your home country. So any other documents you can provide to help you on this will help.

Submitting Documents

Note: We applied & submitted via the VFS office and not directly to the Australian Embassy. It usually speeds up the process but you still have the option to apply directly or to the AU Embassy.

 1. You can have the option of either scheduling an appointment via their site or go there directly and queue as walk-in. 
2. Upon entering the VFS office, there are specific lanes for each country of visa application, for Australia, it's the first lane on the left after the entrance.
3. After logging in and taking a queue number, you will be asked to enter another room (just beside the first counter) and wait for your number to be called. If you scheduled an appointment, you can go directly to counter 1 or 2.
4. Aside from the xerox copies that you will submit, its best to bring the original documents as well just in case they have questions. For us, they didn't even bother to check our original documents or passport.
5. On the manager's check, they will ask you to write down your name & passport number at the back. 
6. You need to pay a  processing fee of Php 637.00 (additional cost if you opt to subscribe to their SMS update).
7. Wait for the receipt & make sure to check if the name & email address to where they can send the VISA is correct.

 The actual result is expected to arrive in a month but there instances when it can only take 3 days or 2 weeks to receive the result. Mine took 2 weeks and happy to say that it was approved :) Australia issues a label-free visa so you'd have to constantly check your email with the visa grant notice attachment. Make sure to print the visa grant or have a soft copy on your phone as you will need to show this at immigration.
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Thursday, November 17, 2016

Requesting a NSO Certified Copy of your Birth Certificate

6:53 AM birth certificate , ecensus 0 Comments
I feel like birth certificate is the most requested document by Filipinos as this is always if not often part of the requirement when applying for anything in this country. We are so blessed that nowadays, we now have a quite few options to request for this copy without sacrificing much of our time, patience and sanity.

Online

All you have to do is fill out the form, pay and wait for the document to be delivered to you. 

Two sites I can recommend are:


I always get mine at E-Census web site because one of their accredited payment channel is BDO, which is hella convenient for me.

Step 1: Application Form
            Fill out the form and once done you will be provided with a Batch Request Number & Request Reference Number

Step 2: Payment
            You can either pay via online banking (which is what I always do) or pay via BDO ATM machine or go to the nearest BDO or UnionBank and provide the Batch or Request Reference Number

The fees are as follows:

Step 3: Delivery
            After payment, it will take 3-5 working days (Metro Manila) for the document to be delivered. You will receive a Dispatch Notification email to update you when the document is on its way. If in any case, you won't be able to receive the package personally or you opted to have it delivered in your office address, make sure to leave an authorization letter & a xerox copy of any valid ID so the guard on duty can receive it on your behalf.


I have not tried NSO Helpline yet - but based from their FAQ page, their fee is Php 350 but processing time is 2-3 working days. If you are ok with the extra Php 35 charge for a much faster processing time - then this one's for you.


Mall Business Centers

SM Mall Business Center now accepts request for government documents and this is a good option if there is a SM mall near you. Their fee is Php 140 per copy plus an additional Php 20 for service fee. You have the option to pick up the document after 4-6 business days or have it delivered for a fee. 

Serbilis Outlets

Now if you are in a hurry to get a copy of your birth certificate and can't afford to wait for a few days delivery, then you can always go to the nearest Serbilis outlet to request one. The fee is also Php 140 and you can wait for the release of the document within the day.

You can visit this site: https://psa.gov.ph/civil-registration-services/walk-applications-serbilis-outlets to get more information on the steps & timeline of the whole process once there.
           




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Saturday, December 12, 2015

Korea 2016: How to Apply for a Korean Visa

9:33 AM korea , korean embassy 0 Comments
Korea trip is getting near (yay!) - we got our plane tickets and AirBnB booked so next step now is to get our visa filed & approved so we can officially enter their beloved country.

 Searching through b/vlogs & forums really helped a LOT to prep us for this task. And as a way of giving back, I'd like to create my own post on how we got our visa to contribute & help those who are planning to visit Korea as well.

Prepare your documents

Get legit information. Visit the Korean Embassy (Manila) Official Site to get the updated list of requirements for the visa application. A friend and I was lucky enough to have visited an OECD member country - ergo our requirements were much less than those who are first time travelers or have not been to any of the OECD countries. For first time travelers or have not been to any of the OECD member countries, please visit the site for the complete set of requirements.

 1. Original COE which must include the following:
  •  Applicant's position
  • Date Hired
  • Compensation
  • Office Address
  • Office HR Email Address
  • Office HR Landline Number (mobile number not allowed)
2.  Original and True Copy of Bank Statement
3. Original and True Copy of Personal Bank Certificate which must include the following
  • Account type
  • Current Balance
  • Account Opening Date
  • Average Daily Balance (ADB)
Note: For BDO, Bank Cert cost Php 100.00 and usually can be claimed the next day. However, if you have bargaining skills - you can humbly & kindly ask the bank personnel to process it immediately so you can get it within the day (or even in minutes). Bank Statements can be processed immediately but will cost you Php 300.00 for the first 3 pages then Php 10.00 on the succeeding pages. 

 4. ITR (exempted for travelers to any OECD countries but if you have one available, no harm bringing it too)
5. Application Form (to be download from their site). Answers must be handwritten and place N/A for fields not applicable for you. No blank spaces - if it does not apply then place N/A.
6. Passport size photo to be pasted on the form. Before going to the embassy, make sure you have already pasted the photo on your form but if you forgot, they have paste available inside the embassy.
7. Photocopy of the passport bio page. Passport should be valid from more than 6 months.
8. Photocopy of the OECD Visa & arrival stamps. Visa must be valid and used.
9. As of this posting, the embassy currently offers multiple entry visa for BDO Gold clients - just provide them your current billing statement.

Submit your Docs

 Go to the Korean Embassy to submit your requirements. The embassy is located in Taguig:

 122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City 


  • Upon entering the embassy, you have to log your name & number to the guard on duty before you can enter. They might require an ID or not - but just be prepared to have one handy.
  • Give your requirements to the officers on your right (you'll see them once you enter) - they will check your documents, give your queue number & which Visa window you need to go to.
  • No interviews required (or unless the person on the other side of the window needs clarification) so no need to get nervous :P 
  • You will then get a paper that you'd need to keep as that is needed when its time to claim your passport. The paper also indicates the date & time you can go back to claim your passport. No need to call the embassy - they are true to their word. If they say you can claim it on Dec. 12 - then Dec 12 it is.
Claim the prize 

Go back to the embassy and give the claim paper thingy to the officer to your right to get your queue number. Note that embassy will just give you back the passport - and you will just pray to the heavens above that you will find your Korean visa on one of the pages of your passport :)

Now remember, aside from regulary google-ing posts, blogs, vlogs, etc.; much recommended is to just visit the embassy's official site to get the updated requirements for filing a visa. 

 Here one can get the latest announcements of requirements, forms and promos even about the visa application. Better to get the official information - be safe than sorry right?

I hope this lengthy post helps. 
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