I Don’t Have an Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR), but I need to leave for an emergency. What are my Options?

One of the requirements for foreign nationals to be able to come and go in the Philippines is for them to have an ACR I-Card. What is an ACR I-Card? According to the Bureau of Immigration website, it is a “microchip based, credit card-sized, identification card issued to all registered aliens whose stay in the Philippines has exceeded fifty-nine (59) days. It also has an embedded computer chip with biometric security features capable of data management and can be updated electronically.” Those who are required to have an ACR I-Card are those “foreign nationals under immigrant and non-immigrant visas including holders of Temporary Visitor’s Visa, who have stayed for more than fifty-nine (59) days on the Philippines.”     

If you are foreign national who needs to leave the country, but you have no Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card or ACR-I Card, you are now allowed to temporarily leave the country, provided that you have with you a valid visa. If your ACR-I Card is pending issuance, you may go to the Bureau of Immigration office to ask to be issued a waiver. 

As stated in the Bureau of Immigration website, the Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card Waiver can be availed of as a “remedy for emergency departures of foreign nationals from the Philippines pending release of their ACR I-Cards.” The following are the list of documentary requirements needed to process the ACR I-Card Waiver as stated in the checklist provided by the Bureau of Immigration website: 

1. Letter request addressed to the Commissioner. Request must include applicant’s address and contact number, signed by the applicant/ authorized representative; 
2. Photocopy of claim stub or official receipt of the ACR I-Card transaction/ renewal;
3. Photocopy of the applicant’s passport bio-page and latest arrival/ visa implementation; 
4. Photocopy of plane ticket showing date of departure;
5. No derogatory record stamp from Window 23;
6. Duplicate copy of the applicant fees for Waiver and ECC with RP/ SRC. Assessment of Fees (OPS) at Window 7-8. Payment at Window 15/16.
7. After completing all requirements (1-6), submit at Window 21.

What is the application process after securing all the necessary documentary requirements? 

The Bureau of Immigration website provides the following: 

1. Submit all the documentary requirements to the Central Receiving Unit (CRU). All applications must be filed at least forty-eight (48) hours before the applicant’s scheduled flight.
2. The CRU shall receive and assess the completeness of the application and requirements.
3. Pay the assessed fees at the Cash Section. 
4. Verify the status of the application. 

Now that you have secured the ACR I-Card Waiver, these are what needs to be presented at the airport upon departure: 

1. Passport with a valid visa
2. Official receipt of the ACR I-Card Waiver application fee
3. Emigration Clearance Certificate (ECC)
4. Whichever is applicable, either a Returning Permit (RP) or a Special Resident Certificate (SRC)

Need further information and assistance regarding the Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card?  Talk to our team at Duran & Duran-Schulze Law to know more about the requirements and process. Call us today at (+632) 8478 5826 or send an email to info@duranschulze.com for more information.