Markyebay

Has anyone had any experience regards the CFO.
We were awarded the UK Settlement Visa (Thank god lol) My wife had already completed the CFO seminar last year and were told we can get the stamp after we received the Visa.
Now we have the visa in the Passport we went to the CFO to get the sticker. The issue is as the Visa doesn't begin until the 15th March in approx. 4 weeks time they said they could not give her the CFO stamp until after this "Valid" date which is crazy as we are travelling around Asia from the 13th and will not be in the Philippines on the 15th.
Is this normal policy? If not does anyone have a link we can check out about the rules. I have searched high and low on T'internet with no success.
Thanks in advance.

mikemike

1/ Are you coming back to the Philippines or going on to UK from Asia?


If you are coming back then you can do it on arrival just book a date ahead to ensure you are seen

If you are not coming back and are going to UK from another asian port it does not matter as you already have the visa for the UK who do not need to see a CFO

As for rules etc remember where you are, 'their country their rules' and if you start to get all procedural with them, it may be a very very long process

Markyebay

No. we are going to the UK from Asia but they will want to see a CFO for her to leave The Philippines in the beginning?

Stokkevn

A friend here managed to get around his wife having to attend courses on the horrors of marrying a foreigner and the subsequent trips to offices to get stamps, stickers and requests for money to help oil the wheels of government go round. His wife got her passport in her maiden name ( which is legal here ) and subsequently bypassed a heck of a lot of red tape.

mikemike

Your partner does not have to produce a CFO sticker to visit an Asean country. She will need a return ticket so a cheap throw away should do the trick. Once she is out of the Philippines there is no issue.

I take it you have hotel booking to show where you will stay in asia have those available with her return ticket and it should be ok

We got our CFO ticket when my wife changed her passport to married name it was issued without any fuss at all. We have not applied for a UK visa but the CFO has UK authorised travel on it!! talk of being presumptive!!

At worst, you just comply with what they want, one of those grin and bear it moments

kompani101

My wife had to get her passport renewed and wanted to change her name to her new married name but it meant flying over to Manila and doing all the sessions etc. She was advised, by the passport office, to get her passport renewal in her maiden name. This she has now done.

David Mashael

Hi Kompani
That sounds strange, where were you that she couldn't get it changed locally (local office sending passport to Manila on her behalf), and why did they recommend renewing in her maiden name? What were the sessions you refer to? My wife renewed her passport in Philippine Consulate here in Dubai, who took care of the courier to Manila etc., and there was no problem renewing in her married name.

mikemike

David if you are outside the Philippines then here is no need to do a CFO when renewing a philippines passport

In side the Philippines that are very limited places that conduct a CFO. One in Manila and one in Cebu. If you do not live in p one of those places, you may fly in from one of the provinces.

kompani101

We live on Panay Island and our passport office is in Iloilo, 8 hours, or more, round trip by car, but they do not do the classroom session there, they are only done in Manila or Cebu. If she wanted to change her name to her married name, as per our marriage certificate and lots of other official paperwork, then we would have to go to the classes, I believe two separate sessions, therefore two lots of flights and overnight stays in Manila or boat trip/flights to Cebu. The passport office advised her keeping the name the same, ie her maiden name, and it was all completed in a week. The passports are sent to Manila for renewal anyway. It is a strange system but you have to play by their rules.

David Mashael

Yes when my wife renewed her passport in Dubai the passport was sent to Manila for the renewal. As mikemike pointed out, she didn't need a CFO, so I guess that is what made it a simple process.

mikemike

My wife attended one session from memory she was applying for her passport in married name as opposed to applying to emigrate. that they gave her the migration sticker for the Uk was not at all what was expected. DFA then issued the passport.

JohnSurrey

Do actually do it in Davao on a fairly regular basis...

CFO's Mobile PDOS Goes to Davao City

Samo94

Just learned about CFO sticker the hard way ......... no fly to uk today....

Dave

mikemike

Samo

The CFO Sticker is the one they place in the passport once the county you are going to have issued the visa. You will have been advised of the process when getting the CFO Certificate, which is a stand alone slip of paper with name and photograph with date issued. there is o expiry date. You take this with passport and visa to the CFO for them to waste hours of your life before placing a sticker in the passport.

Samo94

Thanks for that info can I ask do you have to take original marriage certificate with you as we was married in Philippines my wife will be attending or is it just visa and passport thy need..... Thanks