Navigating through visa applications can be stressful and confusing. Duran & Duran-Schulze Law is here to provide you with trustworthy assistance on your visa application. Our goal is to help you navigate through the complexities of the Philippine Immigration Law.

Temporary Resident Visa (TRV)

Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) is given to a foreign national who is legally married with a Filipino citizen. The TRV allows the foreign national to stay in the Philippines for five (5) years and can be renewed for another five (5) to prolong their stay in the country with various reasons, such as continuation of the marital relationship, further education or employment, business or investment activities, medical reasons, and/or legal proceedings or pending applications.

Process for a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) 

To initiate the visa application process, the applicant must fill up the Consolidated General Application Form (CGAF), and must obtain a valid passport with a minimum of six (6) months validity beyond the intended period of stay in the Philippines. The applicant must also submit the PSA birth certificate of his/her Filipino spouse and a marriage certificate as proof of their marital relationship. If the marriage took place outside the Philippines, the certificate must be apostilled by the issuing agency or authenticated by the Philippine Embassy. Additionally, if the applicant has filed an NBI clearance within six (6) months or more upon his/her first arrival in the Philippines, this document may be required.

If the applicant wants to work in the Philippines, he/she does not need to get an Alien Employment Permit (AEP). However, if the applicant is employed locally, he/she needs to get a Special Work Permit (SWP) while the TRV application is being processed. SWPs are renewable for an additional three (3) months after they expire.

Moreover, in accordance with Immigration Administrative Order No. SBM-2014-006, the applicant’s passport must be turned in to the Bureau throughout the application process and will be returned to them via courier after the application has been properly processed. While the application is still pending, any request to remove a necessary document (such as a passport or birth/marriage certificate) will be considered an act of abandoning the current application. In addition, the application will be rejected, and there will be no reimbursement for any money paid in connection with the application.

In order to prevent the necessity for revalidation, it is advised that an applicant maintain a continuous physical presence in the Philippines during the visa processing period.