We finally mailed our papers to the Philippine Consulate in Chicago this morning. I've been working on it for over a month and we just couldn't find the time to send it. What it contains were application to amend my last name on my Philippine passport (from being a Hisoler to Lord), Report of Marriage form and Jeff's application for a single entry Philippine visa valid for 3 months. All of these are part of our plans to get married in a church in the Philippines in January. It may not be necessary for me to amend my passport since I could still enter the country even if it still has my maiden name on it but I just wanted to make it easier for us to get married in a Catholic church. They won't require us to attend Pre-Cana seminars and all that stuff since we are already married here in the U.S. and the best way to prove that is to have my passport amended and have our marriage recorded in the Philippines through the Philippine Consulate in Chicago. Now as for Jeff's Philippine visa, this part surprised me at first. I thought there's no need for him to secure a visa since he's married to a Filipina but I was wrong. A foreigner can enter the Philippines without a visa required, if he intends to stay there for only 21 days or less, the nature of the trip is for tourism only, and he is a holder of round-trip airline tickets. He does not meet the first requirement, since he'll be staying there for 31 days. If we choose to go without securing a visa first, it'll still be okay, he'd still be allowed to get into the country but he has to process a visa application while he is there in the Philippines before his 21 days expire which I think is such a hassle that's why we prefer to do it this way. However, no visa is required for former Filipinos who are naturalized citizens of the U.S. and this applies to spouses and children below 21 years old of former Filipinos who are U.S. passport holders as well, but they have to present a copy of their marriage certificate (for spouses) and birth certificates (for children) upon arrival in the Philippines. I thought I'd mention that because my sister may read this blog and I didn't want her to freak out since she and her family will also be going back home to attend my wedding. She's a naturalized U.S. citizen already so she need not worry about getting a visa for her American husband and son. Whew! It's really not easy being married to a foreigner, what with all the never-ending Immigration processing of papers and all that, not to mention the never-ending cultural adjustments that both party has to make. It's really a decision but we still think it's worth it! We would not have it any other way!
