Has anyone sent an EU residence card from Europe to the Philippines by mail or DHL?
Hi.
I'm in Manila as a tourist right now and I accidentally left my EU residence card at home. I'm not an EU citizen, just a resident visa holder. My passport doesn't have the visa in it; in Spain I use the TIE.
At departure, immigration let me board based on a photo of the card on my phone.
But they told me I need to go to the embassy in Manila to sort it out before I fly back.
The Spanish embassy in Manila told me to apply for a visa, which I know will take longer.
Has anyone sent important documents like an ID from Europe to Manila by mail/DHL/FedEx?
Does it arrive safely, and is it legal to ship a government-issued ID?
I did it with DHL's international express courier. It was at my door within 3 days, even coming from 11,000 km away.
I had my birth certificate and my proof-of-citizenship document sent to me from the EU via DHL. (a) It took over 3 weeks to arrive (maybe because it was around Christmas) (b) The envelope was in bad shape and the documents had several folds. Luckily they were sealed in plastic, so there was no other damage. I don't see why it would be illegal, but keep in mind the card has a long journey ahead. Make sure it goes in a protective cover so the chip inside doesn't get damaged.
Only use a courier like DHL or UPS. Under no circumstances use the regular post office in an EU country. Once it reaches the Philippines, delivery is up to PhilPost (the Philippine postal service). Then it's basically a coin flip whether you'll ever get it.
I've sent lots of important documents from Spain to Cebu. 5–6 days, 80 euros.
Expats in nationality-based groups often help each other out. Some travel back and forth a lot, so you could ask someone to bring the document for you.
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