Temporary Visitor Coming For Short-Term Course/Language Study

Foreigners traveling to the Philippines to participate in short-term (approximately 3 to 6 months), non-degree courses in the Philippines (i.e. language proficiency, computer courses, and other special interest subjects) must apply for a temporary visitor’s 9(A) visa and submit proof of acceptance to the course offered in the Philippines, through a duly-signed letter/certification issued by the accepting Philippine-based learning institution.

Upon arrival in the Philippines and acceptance by the learning institution, the foreign national should apply for a Special Study Permit at the Bureau of Immigration’s Student Desk. Details about the required documents by the Bureau of Immigration for the issuance of the Special Study Permit can be found at their website (http://immigration.gov.ph/services/special-permits/special-study-permit) .

Studying in the Philippines Under a Regular Long-Term University Degree Program

Foreign nationals who seek temporary stay in the Philippines solely for the purpose of taking up a course:

• higher than high school;
• at a university, seminary, college, academy, or school duly authorized to admit foreign students;
• who are at least 18 years of age at the time of enrollment; and
• have the means sufficient for their education and support of study 

may be granted a student visa under category 9(F) of Commonwealth Act No. 613, as amended. 

General Procedures in Applying for a Student Visa

Step 1: The foreign student selects his/her prospective school/university/college duly authorized by Philippine authorities to admit foreign students, offering the course/degree program of study that the foreign student wishes to enter.

The Bureau of Immigration (http://www.immigration.gov.ph) and the Commission on Higher Education (https://ched.gov.ph) publishes its list of schools, universities and learning institutions higher than high school which are authorized to admit foreign nationals as students under regular degree programs.

Step 2: The foreign student shall communicate directly with the Philippine school of his/her choice through its Foreign Student Unit, and comply with the school’s institutional requirements for admission. Foreign documents for submission to Philippine school authorities should include an English translation (if printed in any other foreign language) and be certified by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before being authenticated by the Philippine Embassy in Tehran.

The documentary requirements that the school will require from the prospective foreign student includes the following:

1. Affidavit of Support including bank statements executed by the foreign student’s parents / scholarship provider attesting to the sufficiency of funds to cover all expenses for schooling, accommodation and subsistence, and other incidental expenses.
2. Transcript of Records.
3. Photocopy of the passport data page of the prospective foreign student and his foreign birth certificate.
4. Results of complete medical examination, including chest x-ray and Hepatitis B clearance.

Step 3: The school, if satisfied with the compliance of its documentary requirements, shall issue a Notice of Acceptance (NOA) to the applicant. The Philippine school shall then inform the Office of Consular Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines of its acceptance of the foreign student, and request the issuance of a student visa in favour of the foreign student.

Step 4: The Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines shall inform the Philippine Embassy in Tehran about the list of accepted foreign students endorsed by the admitting school, and authorize the issuance of the 9(F) student visa.

Step 5: The foreign student waits to be notified by the Philippine Embassy in Tehran of his/her schedule of appearance at the Consular Section for interview and filing of his/her 9(F) visa. The accepted foreign student shall submit the following:

1. Duly filled-out non-immigrant visa application form.
2. Original copy of the Notice of Admission (NOA) issued by the admitting Philippine school.
3. Original copy of the Certificate of Admission of Eligibility (CEA) issued by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) of the Philippines if admitted in certain courses such as Medicine and/or Dentistry.
4. Police clearance issued by appropriate Iranian authorities, already authenticated by the Philippine Embassy in Tehran.
5. Medical health certificate issued by a qualified physician, which includes standard chest x-ray examination and Hepatitis B clearance.

Step 6: The Philippine Embassy in Tehran will issue the 9(F) visa to the admitted foreign student after five (5) working days from the submission of the complete requisite documents and payment of applicable visa charges.

Step 7: Within seven (7) days upon arrival in the Philippines of the foreign student who obtained a 9(F) visa from the Philippine Embassy in Tehran, he/she must report to:

1. the admitting school/university/college/Higher Education Institution (HEI), for purposes of enrolment and competency level assessment.
2. the Bureau of Immigration Student Visa Section, for registration and processing of his/her Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) i-Card application.

Foreign Nationals Living Abroad Desiring to Come to the Philippines as a Temporary Visitor (9A) with Intent to Convert Admission to Foreign Student (9F)

Pursuant to FSC No.014-2018 dated 30 January 2018, foreign nationals who desire to travel to the Philippines as a temporary visitor under a 9(A) visa, visit prospective universities and Higher Education Institutions and are prepared to apply for conversion of admission status in the Philippines shall in addition to the documentary requirements for temporary visitors, submit his/her authenticated Police Clearance along with the itemized documents appearing in Step 2 above to the Consular Section of the Philippine Embassy in Tehran.

The applicant should clearly state in the visa application form that he/she intends to travel as a temporary visitor with intent to enter a Higher Education Institution/college/university in the Philippines.

The visa applicant will be issued a single-entry 9(A) visa as a temporary visitor after five (5) working days from the submission of complete documentary requirements and payment of applicable fees. Please read the 15 June 2018 advisory about this matter posted here in the website.