Hi everyone! My mom is a US citizen and she's traveling to the Philippines on December 2. She's flying Alaska Airlines from Spokane to Seattle, then Philippine Airlines (PAL) from Seattle to Manila.
Her return flight is about 50 days after arrival, and she plans to get a 29-day visa extension once she's there. But I'm worried Philippine Airlines might require an onward ticket within the first 30 days.
I don't want to risk being denied boarding, so I'm thinking of buying a real, fully refundable onward ticket that we can cancel once the extension is approved. I'm not interested in fake or dummy tickets.
Has anyone been through this recently? Does Philippine Airlines actually enforce the 30-day requirement? And can you recommend an airline that sells tickets that are truly 100% refundable with no cancellation fee?
Thanks for the advice!
Yes, PAL enforces this. I always buy a fully refundable one-way Manila-Guam ticket on United. When I cancel, the money goes back to my card within 5-7 business days.
I'm always amazed at how much misinformation there is every time this question comes up. Under Philippine immigration rules (law), airlines are required to deny boarding on international flights to the Philippines if you don't have a return or onward ticket within 30 days. Yes, it's a dumb rule, since it's easy to extend in the Philippines. Yes, some airlines ignore the rule. And sometimes airlines just forget to ask. And it's true that Philippine immigration doesn't often ask either. Just because some people got through without a return or onward ticket within 30 days doesn't mean the rule changes.
It's immigration, not the airline, that requires an onward ticket. I entered with the same airlines. I took Alaska Airlines first and transferred to PAL in Seattle. I just got back after 42 days in the Philippines. I had an Air Canada return flight 42 days after entry, but to be safe I bought a throwaway onward ticket for around $14. Immigration didn't say a single word to me! I said good morning, and the officer just stamped my passport and slid it back to me. With a triumphant look on his face. Not one word!!! This isn't usual. On my first trip last year, the officer asked how long I'd be staying. I said 28 days and he didn't ask to see an onward ticket. He only asked where I'd be staying on vacation. You can buy a 'real' ticket on a late-night Manila-Bangkok flight pretty cheap. It should be under $80. You could add the refundable fee, but it might not be worth it. The cost of the 29-day extension surprised me a bit. I did it all online. Doing it online automatically adds an express fee, so I think it was around 4,200 pesos. Still worth it for the convenience. I had a problem filling out the form. I had to get help by emailing support, and oddly the first name and middle name went together on one line with the last name after them. It was a bit strange, but after that everything went fine. Keep this in mind in case your mother runs into the same problem.
You can use the Balikbayan privilege. You can stay for 1 year. You just have to show your old Philippine passport, birth certificate, or another Philippine ID.
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