The first weeks in the Philippines: 30 days, extending, and the ACR I-Card after 59 days
In your first weeks in the Philippines the immigration clock is running. With a Dutch passport you get 30 days. After that you extend by 29 days for ₱ 3,030, and then by 1, 2 or 6 months. If you stay longer than 59 days, you get an ACR I-Card. Meanwhile the 90 days on your driving licence count, and from June to November the typhoon season.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
The first weeks in the Philippines revolve around the clock of the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the immigration service. With a Dutch passport you get 30 days on arrival. After that you first extend by 29 days, for ₱ 3,030 (≈ € 43), and then each time by 1, 2 or 6 months. If you stay longer than 59 days, you get an ACR I-Card, the alien registration card. Your other deadlines depend on your route.
| What | Deadline | More |
|---|---|---|
| Fill in eTravel | within 72 hours before arrival, and again before departure | free |
| Visa Waiver, the first extension | within your first 30 days; 29 extra days | the residence routes |
| Extending by 1, 2 or 6 months | at least a week before your stay runs out | |
| ACR I-Card | if you stay longer than 59 days | registration and numbers |
| Applying for the SRRV | in the Philippines; 30 to 45 working days after everything is complete | |
| Driving on your Dutch licence | 90 days at most, with an international driving permit | |
| SRRV: household goods duty-free up to US$ 7,000 | within 90 days of the SRRV being issued | |
| Annual Report | every year in the first 60 days | |
| ECC-A on departure | after six months or longer as a tourist; at least 72 hours in advance | |
| Voluntary AOW insurance | within one year after you stop being insured | SVB |
What do you arrange before and on arrival?
Within 72 hours before your flight, fill in eTravel, the online registration for everyone entering or leaving. It is free; sites that ask for money are fake. On arrival you show an onward or return ticket. Your passport must still be valid for at least six months on the day you leave the Philippines again.
If you want to apply for an SRRV or 13(a) visa later, do not enter on an e-Visa. According to the Philippine embassy it cannot be converted or extended. Enter visa-free, or with the embassy's 59-day visa.
Everyone aged 16 and over must always be able to identify themselves. So carry your passport with the entry stamp or your visa. The emergency number is 911; NederlandWereldwijd also lists 117 for the police.
When do you extend?
First you apply for the Visa Waiver: 29 extra days, 59 days in total. After that you extend by 1, 2 or 6 months, at least a week before your stay runs out. A Dutch national may stay this way for 36 months in total.
| Extension | 1 month | 2 months |
|---|---|---|
| The first beyond 59 days, plus US$ 50 for the ACR I-Card | ₱ 4,400 (≈ € 63) | ₱ 4,900 (≈ € 70) |
| After that | ₱ 2,430 (≈ € 35) | ₱ 2,930 (≈ € 42) |
| From the seventh month | ₱ 3,840 (≈ € 55) | ₱ 4,340 (≈ € 62) |
If you overstay, you pay a fine of ₱ 500 per month. The fees on the BI website date from 2014; at the counter the amount may differ. Put the end date of each extension in your calendar.
What applies to your route?
- SRRV. You apply for the retirement visa while you are in the Philippines, and you stay until it is done. If you have already been in the country for 90 days or longer when you file, you also need an NBI Clearance, the Philippine certificate of conduct. After it is issued, you can bring in household goods up to US$ 7,000 (≈ € 6,240) duty-free once. According to a PRA presentation, that must happen within 90 days of issue.
- 13(a). If you file six months or later after your first arrival, you need an NBI Clearance.
- As a tourist. After six months in the country you need an ECC-A, an exit clearance, when you leave. Apply for it at least 72 hours in advance.
May you drive?
With your Dutch licence and an international driving permit you drive for 90 days at most. After that you convert it at the LTO, the Philippine driving licence office. That costs ₱ 785 (≈ € 11), plus a medical examination. For this you need a visa valid for at least 120 days from your arrival, and an official English translation of your licence. In the Philippines you drive on the right. No practical test is needed, because the Netherlands drives on the right too.
What should you watch for with weather and safety?
The rainy season runs from June to November. According to PAGASA, the Philippine weather service, an average of 20 tropical cyclones a year enter the area, of which 8 or 9 cross the country. The peak is from July to October. If you arrive in those months, find out in your first week how your home copes with storms and flooding, and stock water and food for a few days.
The Philippines has 24 active volcanoes. Around Bulusan, Kanlaon, Mayon and Taal there are no-go zones of 2 to 6 kilometres.
The travel advice of 9 September 2026 is red for western Mindanao (the Zamboanga Peninsula, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, Soccsksargen and the ARMM), for the Sulu archipelago (Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi) and for the Sulu Sea, except the Tubbataha reefs. For the rest of the Philippines it is yellow. Choose where you live accordingly.
Opening an account and bringing money is in banking and paying in the Philippines. You arrange your healthcare before you leave; see healthcare in the Philippines.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.3: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to the Philippines or go straight to step 1.3 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- eTravel — frequently asked questions, free registration within 72 hours — etravel.gov.ph
- Bureau of Immigration — frequently asked questions on extending, the ACR I-Card and the ECC — immigration.gov.ph
- Bureau of Immigration — the Visa Waiver and the extensions, with the fees — immigration.gov.ph
- Philippine Retirement Authority — Expanded SRRV Program (August 2025), applying in the Philippines — pra.gov.ph
- Philippine Retirement Authority — presentation with the household goods exemption within 90 days (on tieza.gov.ph) — tieza.gov.ph
- NederlandWereldwijd — travel advice for the Philippines, with the colour codes, the driving licence and the emergency numbers — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
- Philippine Embassy in The Hague — the 59-day visa and the e-Visa — philembassy.nl
- Land Transportation and Traffic Code (RA 4136), sections 21 and 37 — 90 days with a foreign licence, and driving on the right — lawphil.net
- LTO Citizen's Charter 2024 — converting a foreign driving licence (via DOTr Caraga) — caraga.dotr.gov.ph
- PAGASA — tropical cyclones, with the number per year and the peak — pagasa.dost.gov.ph
- PAGASA — the climate, with the rainy and dry seasons — pagasa.dost.gov.ph
- PHIVOLCS — the active volcanoes of the Philippines — phivolcs.dost.gov.ph
- SVB — voluntary AOW insurance, to apply for within one year — svb.nl
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