The 13a visa requirements are set out under Section 13(a) of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 and come down to three things: a valid, ongoing marriage to a Filipino citizen, a nationality that the Philippines recognizes on a reciprocal basis, and a complete documentary file showing your identity, clean record, and ability to support yourself. Meet those, and you enter a one-year probationary residence that converts to permanent status.
Who Qualifies
The marriage is the whole basis of the visa. Your Filipino spouse must hold active Philippine citizenship when you apply and must keep it for as long as you hold the visa. If they have renounced Philippine citizenship or taken another nationality without retaining Philippine status, you are not eligible for this category.
Your own country also has to have a reciprocity arrangement with the Philippines, meaning it grants comparable residency rights to Filipino citizens. Nationals of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and most European countries qualify. Several dozen nationalities are on the approved list, with notable exclusions in parts of Asia and Africa, and a handful of listed countries carry extra conditions. If you are not sure where your passport sits, the Bureau of Immigration can confirm before you file.
Unmarried children under 21 can be added as dependents on the same application if you can prove the parent-child relationship. They pay under a separate fee schedule and move through the same probationary-to-permanent timeline as you do.
Documents You Need
The core form is the Consolidated General Application Form for Immigrant Visa (BOC04.QF.001), available on the Bureau of Immigration website or from the Public Information and Assistance Unit at the BI Main Office. It asks for detailed information on you, your Filipino spouse, and any dependent children.
Alongside the form, you need:
- A PSA-issued marriage certificate showing the marriage is registered in the Philippines.
- Proof of your spouse’s Philippine citizenship, typically a PSA birth certificate or a valid Philippine passport.
- Your valid passport with a current entry visa showing you are lawfully in the country.
- An NBI clearance if you have lived in the Philippines for six months or longer. It functions as a criminal background check.
- Recent passport-size photographs taken within the last six months.
- Proof of financial capacity: bank statements, credit card statements, property records, or similar documentation showing you can support yourself.
Nationals of countries listed in the Bureau of Immigration’s Operations Order SBM-2014-059-A must also submit a medical clearance from the Bureau of Quarantine. The list covers several countries in Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, and South America. The requirement exists because Philippine immigration law allows exclusion of foreign nationals with certain communicable diseases, and skipping the clearance when it applies to you can lead to denial or later cancellation of an approved visa.
How to File and What It Costs
You file in person at the Bureau of Immigration Main Office in Manila or at a designated regional office. Expect the case to move through these stages:
- Preliminary assessment. An officer checks your documents for completeness and issues a payment slip.
- Fee payment at the BI cashier. For the principal applicant, the base fee is PHP 8,620, plus USD $50 for the Alien Certificate of Registration I-Card. Dependent spouses pay PHP 8,620; dependent children pay between PHP 7,870 and PHP 8,370 depending on age.
- Hearing. You are scheduled for a formal interview with a BI legal officer, who will probe the authenticity of the marriage and your reasons for seeking residence.
- Biometrics. Fingerprints and a digital photograph are taken after the hearing.
- Final review and approval. Plan for roughly one to two months before the probationary visa stamp appears in your passport.
Approval starts your one-year probationary residence.
Converting to Permanent Status After the First Year
The probationary year is a trial period, and the deadline that follows it is the single easiest thing to get wrong. You must apply to convert to permanent status at least 60 days before the probationary visa expires. If it lapses, you generally have to start the whole process again and pay all the fees a second time.
The conversion file has to show the marriage is still real. The key document is a Joint Affidavit of Continuous Cohabitation, a notarized sworn statement from you and your Filipino spouse confirming that you still live together as a married couple. Submit it with any updated identification the immigration officer asks for.
A successful conversion produces a permanent ACR I-Card. The residency itself has no expiration date. The physical card is renewed every five years, at USD $50 plus a PHP 500 express processing fee, so your photo and information stay current.
Ongoing Obligations Once You Hold the Visa
Every registered foreign national in the Philippines has to report in person to the Bureau of Immigration during the first 60 days of each calendar year. For 2026, that window runs from January 1 through March 1. The fee is PHP 310, covering the annual report charge and a legal research fee.
Miss it and the penalties stack. From March 2 onward, a fine of PHP 200 per month of delay accrues, plus a Motion for Reconsideration fee of PHP 1,510. The annual fine total is capped at PHP 2,000. It is a small obligation that gets expensive fast if you forget.
Leaving the country carries its own two-part requirement. You pay the Philippine travel tax on every departure; a Section 13(a) visa does not exempt you. The standard rate is PHP 1,620 for economy class and PHP 2,700 for first class, regardless of where you bought the ticket. You also need an Emigration Clearance Certificate (ECC-B) and a re-entry permit as an ACR I-Card holder. The ECC-B can be obtained at the airport on your departure day within a limited pre-flight window, and you will need your passport, ACR I-Card, proof of valid visa status, and a confirmed departure ticket. Combined cost for an immigrant visa holder is roughly PHP 2,000 to PHP 3,500. Build extra time into the airport trip; travelers who show up unaware of this step have missed flights over it.
When the Visa Is at Risk
Because the visa exists only because of the marriage, anything that ends the marriage puts your status at risk. An annulment under Philippine law or a foreign divorce recognized in the Philippines can lead to revocation, and you cannot renew or hold a 13a visa without a valid, ongoing marriage to a Filipino citizen. If that happens, you would need to shift to another visa category or leave the country.
The death of your Filipino spouse is treated as a termination of the marriage under Philippine family law, and immigration authorities may view the legal basis of your visa as extinguished. If it happens during the probationary year, the chance of denial at conversion is meaningfully higher, and even permanent 13a holders are not automatically shielded from review. Report the death to the Bureau of Immigration promptly and bring the PSA death certificate, your passport, ACR I-Card, and proof of marriage. The common outcome is a downgrade to a temporary visitor category, with the option to move to another long-term visa if you qualify for one.