Is Quota 13 (the immigrant visa with an annual quota) the right visa for you?
Quota 13 is a permanent immigrant status for exceptional individual cases. It is issued only in limited numbers and is not a standard route for most people moving to the Philippines. You apply for it yourself at the Bureau of Immigration (BI – the Philippine immigration authority); an employer or Filipino spouse does not need to sponsor or join the application.
What is particularly important about Quota 13?
- Quota 13 provides permanent resident status without a marriage basis.
- A maximum of 50 places per nationality is available in each calendar year.
- Reciprocity (mutual immigration rights) must exist between your country of nationality and the Philippines.
- BI reviews the documents and conducts a personal hearing (an official interview).
- Approval is not guaranteed.
When should you consider Quota 13 at all?
Quota 13 normally becomes relevant only when the usual residence routes do not fit your circumstances. These include 9A visitor status (an extendable visitor status), the Balikbayan Privilege or 13A Marriage Visa for family connections, the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV – the Philippine retirement visa), the 9G Work Visa (residence status for foreign employees), the 9F Student Visa (residence status for a regular course of study) and suitable investor visas where there is a genuine investment. If one of these routes is available, it is often simpler and easier to plan than a Quota 13 procedure.
What do reciprocity and the annual quota mean?
Your country of nationality must grant Filipino citizens comparable immigration opportunities. This requirement cannot be replaced by a higher fee or additional documents. If the quota for your nationality has already been filled, no further approval can be issued in that year. You should therefore confirm your nationality, reciprocity and an available place before obtaining extensive documents or incurring major costs.
Who submits the principal application?
You submit it yourself. An employer or Filipino spouse is not required.
Is the proof of funds a visa fee?
No. The assets or investment remain separate from the official payment assessment and private service costs.
Which additional permits are still required?
Employment, regulated professions, businesses and international travel require additional applications and documents.
Which deadlines and periods of validity apply?
- Residence: Quota 13 is granted without a fixed end date. The visa itself is not extended regularly.
- Quota: A maximum of 50 people of the same nationality may be admitted in each calendar year. A maximum of 50 also applies to stateless persons. Unused places are not carried over to the following year; allocation of the place and issuance of the visa must occur in the same calendar year.
- Before major expenditure: Obtain written confirmation from BI of your nationality eligibility, an available place and the required proof of funds.
- During the application: Your existing authorized stay must remain valid until the decision. Check its expiry date before filing. If it is unlikely to remain valid until the decision, apply for the necessary extension as a separate application at an authorized BI office before the expiry date.
- Current financial rule: The relevant BI checklist has been effective since 17 November 2025.
- Foreign-national ID: The ACR I-Card (the Philippine foreign-national identity card) has its own expiry date and must be renewed before that date.
- Annual registration: The Annual Report (the yearly BI registration) must be completed during the first 60 calendar days of each calendar year.
- Before starting work: Apply for the required exemption certificate from the labor department.
- Before temporary international travel: Obtain the current exit clearance and re-entry permit.
- Before leaving permanently: Apply for Emigration Clearance Certificate A (ECC-A – exit clearance for permanent departure) at least 72 hours before departure. It is valid for one month from issue and for one departure only.
- Fee note: BI’s general fee schedule from March 2014 is historical guidance only. Your current payment assessment is controlling.
Which requirements must you meet?
- Country of nationality: Your country has diplomatic relations with the Philippines and grants Filipinos comparable immigration rights.
- Available place: A place is still available within the quota for your nationality.
- Personal eligibility: You hold a valid passport and have an authorized stay. Criminal, previous immigration-related or health grounds must not bar your admission.
- Expertise: Skills, training and scientific, educational or technical knowledge may give you priority when they are particularly beneficial to the Philippines.
- Proof of funds: The current checklist specifies a bank certificate showing at least USD 100,000 transferred into the Philippines from abroad, or at least USD 100,000 in corporate ownership or investment. It also specifies documented purchase of a condominium unit, without stating a published minimum amount for that option.
- Philippine police record: NBI Clearance (a Philippine police clearance).
- Immigration record: BI Clearance (a certificate concerning your immigration status).
- Health: You submit the health document required by the current checklist.
How do you clarify possible grounds for exclusion before applying?
- When? Clarify known criminal, previous immigration-related or health issues before transferring money, buying a property or filing the Quota application.
- Where? Ask the Clearance and Certification Section (the BI office for information and certificates) at the BI Main Office to check for possible watchlist or adverse records. Also obtain the NBI Clearance, BI Clearance and health document listed in the current Quota checklist.
- What do you bring? Present your passport. Also bring any previous BI orders, court decisions, entry and extension records, and documents relating to the specific issue that you have available.
- What happens there? BI reviews its records and tells you which certificate or further decision is required. This preliminary review does not replace the decision on the later Quota application.
- What do you keep? Keep BI’s written response, all clearances, the health document, the payment assessment and the official payment receipts for the principal application.
What roles do expertise and capital play?
The BI memorandum gives first preference to applicants with useful skills or scientific, educational or technical knowledge. Applicants with sufficient capital for a genuinely viable investment follow.
Even with special expertise, you must declare sufficient capital and submit one of the published financial or investment documents. Ask BI to confirm in writing which evidence it will accept for your application.
How does the application work step by step?
A pending Quota application does not extend your existing authorized stay and does not prevent an overstay (remaining after your permission expires).
- When? Begin once BI has confirmed your nationality eligibility, an available place and the proof of funds. The point in the timeline explains how long your existing authorized stay must remain valid.
- Where? File the Quota application at the BI Main Office. If your existing status needs to be extended, apply separately through the designated BI channel at an authorized BI office.
- What do you bring? You need the current Quota application form BOC05.QF.001 (the BI form for Quota 13), a request letter, passport, latest entry stamp, current record of authorized stay, previous extension orders and payment receipts, the health document, NBI Clearance, BI Clearance, and evidence of expertise and capital.
- What happens there? BI reviews your authorized stay as well as the application documents. The Quota application does not automatically extend your previous status; if BI requires another extension, you complete it as a separate application. BI then issues the Order of Payment (the official payment assessment). After payment, the process includes a personal hearing, photograph, fingerprints, the ACR I-Card application, the approval review and entry of the visa in your passport. You then collect your passport and ACR I-Card.
- What do you keep? Keep copies of the complete application, all entry and extension records, the Official Receipt (the government payment receipt), the decision, the passport containing the visa entry and the ACR I-Card.
Which costs are added?
According to the published BI fee schedule, the following planning figures apply to the Quota 13 visa in Philippine pesos (PHP – the national currency) and US dollars (USD – the comparison currency):
- PHP 18,830 (about USD 304 at USD 1 = PHP 62) for the principal applicant or the spouse as a dependent family member
- PHP 18,580 (about USD 300 at USD 1 = PHP 62) for a child under 16
- PHP 18,080 (about USD 292 at USD 1 = PHP 62) for a child under 14
- plus USD 50 for the Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card (ACR I-Card – the Philippine foreign-national identity card)
These figures come from BI’s general fee schedule dated March 2014 and are for planning only. BI assesses the principal application, the dependents’ applications and the ACR I-Card in the current Order of Payment Slip (the official payment assessment). The documented assets or investment are not a visa fee but a separate requirement.
Additional costs include birth certificates, police clearances, NBI Clearance, an apostille (an international authentication certificate) or consular authentication (verification by the responsible Philippine mission), depending on the issuing jurisdiction, English translations, notarizations, the health document, travel and appointments, and legal or administrative assistance.
Which documents are typically required?
Depending on your case, expect to provide your passport, birth certificate, police clearance from the relevant country of nationality or recent residence, NBI Clearance after a longer stay in the Philippines, evidence of your financial position, current proof of authorized stay, passport photographs, BI application forms and further personal and family documents. Names and personal details must be consistent across all documents. Records issued outside the Philippines generally need an English translation when issued in another language and either an apostille or consular authentication, depending on the issuing jurisdiction.
Which documents do your dependents need?
Spouses and other eligible dependents submit their own forms, passports, proof of authorized stay, health documents and BI Clearances. Marriage or birth certificates are also required. Obtain written confirmation from BI that each person is eligible before ordering the documents.
How can you recognize unreliable offers?
Be cautious of claims such as “guaranteed approval,” “available to everyone,” “the quota does not matter,” “no personal review” or “just pay and you are done.” A visa with a limited annual quota, a reciprocity review and a personal hearing cannot credibly be guaranteed. A proper preliminary assessment identifies clear grounds for exclusion as well as possible routes.
Which certificate do you need for employment?
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE – the Philippine labor department) exempts Quota 13 holders from the Alien Employment Permit (AEP – the work permit for foreign employees). For employment, however, you need a Certificate of Exemption (a certificate confirming exemption from the AEP requirement).
How do you apply for the DOLE Certificate of Exemption?
- When? File the application at the point specified in the timeline.
- Where? Submit it to the DOLE Regional Office responsible for the planned place of work.
- What do you bring? You need the prescribed notarized application form stating the employer and place of work, a copy of the passport biodata page, and copies of the valid Quota visa and ACR I-Card.
- What happens there? DOLE reviews your immigration status and exemption from the AEP requirement and issues the exemption certificate when the application is complete.
- What do you keep? Keep a copy of the application, proof of filing, the payment receipt and the original certificate. Give the employer a copy.
The exemption certificate replaces only the AEP. It does not replace a Philippine professional license, company registration, local business permit or tax registration. Quota 13 alone therefore does not authorize you to enter a regulated profession or operate a business without these approvals.
Which registration and travel obligations apply?
Keep your passport and ACR I-Card valid. The timeline states the required points for registration, employment and travel.
How do you complete the Annual Report?
- When? Register within the period specified in the timeline.
- Where? Register in BI’s online system and then visit a participating BI office.
- What do you bring? You need the online reference number, your original passport and your original ACR I-Card. Bring previous payment receipts if there are discrepancies.
- What happens there? BI checks the documents, issues the Order of Payment and gives you the Official Receipt after payment.
- What do you keep? Keep the online reference number, payment assessment and official payment receipt together.
How do you prepare for temporary international travel?
- When? Begin at the point specified in the timeline and first check for outstanding BI obligations.
- Where? Apply for ECC-B (exit clearance for registered immigrants) through the current BI online service or at an authorized BI office. Ask BI which office issues the Re-Entry Permit (authorization to return).
- What do you bring? Have your passport, valid ACR I-Card, travel details and latest BI records ready. Add the documents required by the current BI checklist.
- What happens there? BI reviews your status, assesses the fees and issues the ECC-B and Re-Entry Permit.
- What do you keep? Take both permits, the payment receipts, passport and ACR I-Card with you for departure and subsequent re-entry.
What do you do when leaving permanently?
- When? Begin at the point specified in the timeline and clarify the procedure with BI before your departure.
- Where? Ask the Certificate Section (the BI office for certificates) of the Alien Registration Division (ARD – BI’s foreign-national registration division) at the BI Main Office, or an office authorized in BI’s current directory, about the ECC-A and deregistration procedure.
- What do you bring? Bring your passport, ACR I-Card, the current ECC-A form, passport photographs required by the current checklist, copies of the passport biodata page and latest entry stamp, and any existing BI orders and payment receipts. Add every document the current checklist requires for your case.
- What happens there? BI checks for possible watchlist records and outstanding obligations. It tells you whether you must also formally relinquish Quota status and surrender or cancel the ACR I-Card, assesses the fees in the Order of Payment Slip and issues the ECC-A once the requirements have been met.
- What do you keep? Keep copies of the applications, the payment assessment, official payment receipt and ECC-A. Obtain written confirmation of any required surrender of the ACR I-Card or termination of status and keep that confirmation as well.
Would you like to check your nationality, quota and proof of funds?
We first clarify whether Quota 13 is realistic for your nationality or whether another residence route is much more suitable. We review your nationality, the availability of a place, proof of funds and dependents.
Which official sources apply?
- Bureau of Immigration: Quota Visa (13)
- Bureau of Immigration: Current Quota Checklist
- Supreme Court E-Library: BI Memorandum RADJR-11-004
- Department of Labor and Employment: Employment and AEP Exemptions
- Bureau of Immigration: Annual Report
- Bureau of Immigration: FAQ on Registration, Foreign-National ID and Exit Clearance
- Bureau of Immigration: Citizens Charter for the ECC-A Procedure
What is the bottom line?
Quota 13 can provide a path to permanent residence in exceptional cases. For most applicants, however, simpler and more predictable alternatives are available. Before ordering documents or paying fees, you should confirm your nationality eligibility, reciprocity and the availability of a quota place.
Information current as of 15 July 2026. Fees, filing channels, quota availability and requirements can change; the latest official guidance and your payment assessment are controlling.
Philippine pesos (PHP) are the national currency; US dollars (USD) are used here for comparison.
USD planning rate on this page: USD 1 = PHP 62; conversions are rounded from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reference rate published for 3 July 2026.