Updated: Added contact details, update visa entry and notarial portion
Overview
The Consular staff are here to look after the interest of all British nationals living (or visiting) the Philippines. This guide sets out information about the range of services and advice we can offer.
How we can help
What the Embassy can do for you
issue emergency travel documents if you are eligible
provide information about transferring funds
provide appropriate help if you are a victim of crime, need medical help or are in hospital
provide details of local lawyers, interpreters, doctors and funeral directors
do all we properly can to contact you as soon as possible after being told that you have been detained
offer support and help in a range of other cases, such as international child abduction, death of relatives overseas, missing people and kidnapping
provide information and documents for you to get married in the Philippines
provide notarial and documentary services
What the Embassy cannot do for you
get you out of prison, prevent the local authorities from deporting you after your prison sentence, or interfere in criminal or civil court proceedings
help you enter a country, for example, if you do not have a visa or your passport is not valid, as we cannot interfere in another country’s immigration policy or procedures
give you legal advice, investigate crimes or carry out searches for missing people, although we can give you details of people who may be able to help you in these cases, such as English-speaking lawyers
get you better treatment in hospital or prison than is given to local people
pay any bills or give you money (in very exceptional circumstances we may lend you some money from public funds, which you will have to pay back)
make travel arrangements for you, or find you work or accommodation
make business arrangements on your behalf
Contact us
Consular Section
Address: British Embassy Manila 120 Upper McKinley Road McKinley Hill Taguig City 1634
Telephone: +63 2 858 2200
Fax: +63 2 8582342
E-mail: Cons.Manila@fco.gov.uk
To book an appointment for a consular service, visit our Clickbook site
Out-of-hours emergency assistance
British nationals who urgently require consular assistance outside normal office hours should call +63 2 858 2200 where they will be given details on how to proceed. To get the latest Travel Advice, please click here.
Registering your presence with the Embassy
You are no longer required to register with us. You should read and subscribe for e-mail updates to our Travel Advice. You are also advised to stay in touch with us on Facebook and Twitter
Wardens network
The British Embassy in Manila organises a network of British community wardens in the Philippines. Wardens are volunteers who act as a link between the British Embassy and the British community where they live and work. The roles of the wardens are:
To quickly and efficiently disseminate important information about safety and security to British nationals in their areas.
To assist the Consular section in maintaining records of the British community through regular contact with them.
To assist the Consular section during a crisis by reporting the local conditions and passing on details of affected British nationals to the Embassy.
Registering with your British community warden
Please send an e-mail with your complete name, address, e-mail and contact number to Cons.Manila@fco.gov.uk.
Guides we produce
Support for British nationals abroad: a guide
Our publication that sets out the steps that British nationals can take to stay safe abroad, and provides details on what help the Foreign & Commonwealth Office can provide if you do get into difficulty.
Passport application
This outlines the requirements and procedures for first time British passport application. You may also visit GOV.UK for information on passport renewals.
To download the forms, please click SMART Online Form, C1 Adult Form, C2 Child Form and Credit Card Form
Emergency Travel Document
This provides information on how to apply for an Emergency Travel Document (ETD) for urgent travel. You may also visit GOV.UK for more details.
Getting married in the Philippines
This provides information on how to apply for a Certificate of No Impediment (CNI). You may also visit GOV.UK for more details.
To download the forms, please click Notice of Marriage and Affidavit.
Registering a birth
This provides information on how to register a birth overseas. You may also visit GOV.UK for more details.
To download the form, please click Birth Registration Form
Registering a death
This provides information on how to register a death overseas. You may also visit GOV.UK for more details.
To download the forms, please click Death Registration Form and D1 Form
Registering your civil partnership
This provides information on civil partnership registration overseas. You may also visit GOV.UK for more details.
Notarial services
This provides information on the notarial services that we offer to British nationals in the Philippines.
Please note that the British Embassy Manila is unable to certify or authenticate UK documents, you may visit the Legalisation Office website for more information on how to have the certificates legalised.
You may also visit the General Register Office website for information on how to order a copy of a UK birth, death and marriage certificates.
Adoption
This provides information on how to adopt a child in the Philippines. You may also visit the GOV.UK for more details.
English speaking lawyers and translators
The list has been prepared for the convenience of British nationals who require legal advice. Please note that inclusion in this list does not constitute official endorsement by the embassy, consulate or UK government.
Prisoner pack
Information on the legal and prison system to British nationals who are imprisoned
Consular fees
List of charges for some services we provide at the embassy. Payment should be made in cash or manager’s cheque payable to ‘British Embassy’.
To see more of our publications, please click here.
Philippine visa
British nationals may enter and visit the Philippines for up to 30 days without a visa if you hold valid tickets for your return or onward journey. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond your intended stay.
If you plan to live, work, or study in the Philippines, please contact the Philippine Embassy in London to apply for a visa. Certain UK documents (e.g. birth and marriage certificates, school records) must first be authenticated by the Philippine Embassy in London; make sure to get these done before departing for the Philippines. Please visit the Philippine Embassy and Bureau of Immigration websites for more information.
Philippine Embassy in London
Address: 6-8 Suffolk Street London SW1Y 4HG
Telephone: (44) 20 7451 1780
Fax: (44) 20 7930 97870
Email: embassy@philemb.co.uk
Visa website
If you are already in the Philippines and you would like to extend your visa or apply for permanent residency, you may apply at the Bureau of Immigration.
Bureau of Immigration
Address: Magallanes Drive, Intramuros, Manila
Telephone: +632 527 3248
Email: xinfo@immigration.gov.ph
Unaccompanied minor travelling to the Philippines
For foreign minor children who are less than 15 years old and are travelling to the Philippines unaccompanied by parent/s are required to apply for a Waiver of Exclusion Ground (WEG) at the Bureau of Immigration in the Philippines.
If you wish to retire in the Philippines, you may apply for a retiree visa at the Philippine Retirement Authority.
Philippine Retirement Authority
Address: 29/F Citibank Tower, 8741 Paseo de Roxas Makati City 1227 Philippines
Telephone: +632 848 1412 to 16, +632 848 1418
Fax: +632.848.7106; +632.8481411
Email: inquiry@pra.gov.ph
Entry to/Exit from the Philippines using an Emergency Travel Document (ETD)
If you are entering the Philippines using an ETD, you will need to secure a Philippine visa prior to entry at the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate. British Nationals leaving the Philippines on an ETD should get the necessary stamps from the Bureau of Immigration prior to departure.
Visa overstay
Do not overstay beyond the limit of your visa. If you overstay you will automatically be fined for each day you remain in the Philippines beyond the date stamped in your passport. If you cannot pay, you may be arrested, detained over a period of many months and then deported.
UK Police clearance certificates or records
At present, the UK authorities do not provide police clearance certificates. Applicants can however apply for a subject access reply under the Subject Access Provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. This is accepted by most foreign authorities in the absence of any other facility.
Applications for a subject access should be made by the applicant to the local police station that would have covered your last residential address in the UK. Applications can be made in person or by post. A completed application form, an original copy of government approved photo ID (for example a passport or driving license) and a cheque or postal order for £10 sterling (most police stations will not accept other currencies) are required.
By UK law, the subject access application must be processed and the results issued within 40 days of receiving the application. You can obtain more information the National Identification Service.
National Identification Service
Address: Subject Access Office Rm 350 New Scotland Yard Broadway London SW1H 0BG
Tel: 0044 (0) 207 230 2958
Fax: 0044 (0) 207 230 2688
Police certificate required by the Bureau of Immigration in the Philippines
The Bureau of Immigration in the Philippines requires foreign nationals applying for certain types of Philippine visa to submit a police clearance issued by the police authorities of the place where the applicant resides.
For British nationals who are or used to be residents in the UK, you may apply at the Association of Chief of Police Officers (ACPO). The fee is £45 to the get the certificate within 10 working days and £80 for a 2day premium service. If you wish to have this certified by the British Embassy Manila, please book an appointment through Clickbook.
For information on how to apply for a local police clearance in the Philippines, please contact the National Bureau of Investigation.
National Bureau of Investigation
Address: NBI Building, Taft Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000
Telephone: +63 2 523 8231 to 38
Fax: +63 2 526 1216; +63 2 523 7414
E-mail: director@nbi.gov.ph or nbiclearance@nbi.gov.ph
British Citizenship
The British Embassy no longer handles applications for renunciation, naturalisation or registration as a British citizen. All applications are now handled by the UK Border Agency website.
UK Border Agency
Address: Department 1, The Capital, Hew Hall Place, Liverpool L3 9PP
Email: ukbanationalityenquiries@ukba.gsi.gov.uk
Duplicate HO certificate
If you have been granted British citizenship through naturalisation or registration and you want to apply for a duplicate certificate, you may apply at the Home Office.
Home Office
Address: Nationality, Department 17, 4th Floor, The Capital Building, Liverpool, L3 9PP
To check if you can apply for British citizenship, you may visit GOV.UK
Dual citizenship
If you are a British national and you wish to apply for Philippine citizenship, please contact the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines.
Department of Foreign Affairs
Address: 2330 Roxas Boulevard Pasay City
Telephone: +63 2 834 4000
Health
The availability of medical care varies across the Philippines, and may not meet the standards of care in the UK. Although adequate in major cities, medical care is limited in more remote areas. Treatment can be very expensive. Make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and repatriation. Make sure that your insurance policy provides for the following:
an air ambulance, in case you need to be flown home
full medical cover (bills can be very expensive)
bringing the body home, in the event of a death
bringing your family home, in the event of your illness or injury
If you need emergency medical assistance during your trip, dial 117 and ask for an ambulance. You should contact your insurance or medical assistance company promptly if you are referred to a medical facility for treatment.
If you are hospitalised in the Philippines, the British Embassy can contact the hospital to check on your progress and whenever possible, visit you within 24 hours after notification of hospitalisation. We can also contact your family or friends in the UK through the Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) in London.
If you are suffering from mental illness, we will do our best to help you find the support and advice wherever you are.
For information on pre-travel health consultation, please visit the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) and NHS Choices for useful information about healthcare abroad, including a country-by-country guide of reciprocal health care agreements with the UK.
Drugs
Do not get involved with drugs. Penalties for importing and using illegal drugs are sever. Remember to bring your prescription from your doctor or hospital if you are using prescribed medicine.
Do not carry anything through customs for someone else unless you know exactly what it contains.
Money
Some ATMs accept international credit and debit cards. Shops in towns and cities usually accept international credit cards. Banks do not always accept travellers’ cheques. Cash in sterling or US dollars can be exchanged for Philippine pesos at the airport, in banks, hotels and some shops. Scottish and Northern Ireland bank notes are not generally accepted. Buying foreign currencies in the Philippines can be difficult.
If you run out of funds to pay bills, the British Embassy is unable to give you money. We can however advice you on procedures for transferring money from the UK or elsewhere. We can also contact family or friends if other channels are unavailable and arrange for transfer of funds via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in an emergency.
Buying properties
Buying property or land in the Philippines is not a straightforward business. Disputes over titles and ownership are not unknown. It is essential therefore that anyone planning to buy property or land seeks legal guidance before they commit.
Customs
The Bureau of Customs enforces strict regulations concerning importation or export from the Philippines of various items. For more information, you may contact the Bureau of Customs directly.
Bureau of Customs
Address: G/F OCOM Building, Port Area, Manila
Telephone: +63 2 9173201
E-mail: feedback@ruffybiazon.ph
State pensions
You can claim your basic State Pension abroad. For more information, you may contact the International Pension Centre. You may also visit the GOV.UK website for more details.
International Pension Centre
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm
Telephone: +44 (0)191 218 7777
Textphone: +44 (0)191 218 7280
Email: tvp.internationalqueries@thepensionservice.gsi.gov.uk
Life certificate
A ‘life certificate’ is a form the Department for Work and Pensions might send you to check you’re still eligible for the State Pension.
If you get one, you’ll need to get it signed by a ‘witness’ and send it back, as instructed on the form. Your payments may be suspended if you don’t respond.
Check the list of people who can witness a life certificate. This is now the same as the list of people who can ‘countersign’ a passport photo- though they don’t need to live in the UK, or have a British or Irish passport.
Scams
There is an increasing number of scams in the Philippines purportedly involving the British Embassy or a British National in need of assistance.
Persons claiming to be members of the UK Diplomatic Service, the British Embassy, or our Honorary Consul have been targeting individuals in the Philippines, asking for money for various services. These may include offering assistance or services related to visas or passports, handling mail or asking for help for people who are in hospital or having difficulties with immigration or customs. In all cases they seek an advance payment of some form.
Members of Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service and British Embassy employees are not authorized to accept payments for services. Payments for any services are made to our official account at our offices or, in the case of visas, through our accredited agent VFS.
We are also aware of a scam involving a request for payment to release a parcel that has been sent via the diplomatic bag. Please note that the British Embassy never accept parcels for the general public.
There are also scams purportedly involving British Nationals in distress. These have been perpetrated through creative means, and more popularly through emails, text messages, internet chat rooms and on-line dating agencies. After gaining the victim’s confidence through chat, or an exchange of emails, someone sends an email, text or makes a phone call to say that their friend, who they are made to believe is British, is in trouble and in immediate need of funds.
The problems these British persons supposedly find themselves in vary, but include being detained at the Manila International Airport for currency violations, money laundering, being held against their will, being involved in a road accident (frequently in or around the airport), or hospitalisation.
The methods used to persuade victims to send money are very convincing. These may include: a phone call from a frantic young child or elderly parent the person is allegedly travelling with, or an Immigration personnel asking for money to release the British national, or a doctor attending to the “patient,” or an email replete with medical sounding terms purportedly originating from a hospital with scanned hospital bills attached are sent, to make the scam believable.
If you are asked to transfer funds to the Philippines to help with a crisis, you should ask the caller whether they have reported the incident (by phone or e-mail) to the Consular section of the British Embassy in Manila or at the nearest British Embassy/Consulate overseas.
Scams come in many forms, and can pose great financial loss to victims. We therefore strongly advise you to exercise prudence and seek the assistance of the British Embassy before responding to the request for help from somebody you do not really know.
Illegal recruitment
Any foreign national planning to recruit Filipinos for employment overseas must carry out due diligence, comply with local legislation and be licensed. The laws relating to illegal recruitment are strict. Foreign nationals have been known to spend more than 2 years in prison on remand while their cases are processed.
Returning to the UK
If you live in the Philippines and are considering returning to live in the UK (for example on retirement), you should consider how you will support yourself and how non-British members of your family may be able to accompany you. There is information available to help you make informed choices about living abroad and thinking about returning to the UK.
National Insurance
If you have not made full National Insurance (NI) contributions, remember you may not be eligible for state benefits or support. HM Revenue & Customs provide some useful information on returning to live in the UK for non-residents, including how to make NI contributions from abroad.
Healthcare
Your entitlement to free NHS treatment depends on the length and purpose of your residence in the UK, not your nationality. You must be able to show UK residency to be eligible for free treatment, even if you are a British citizen. The Citizens’ Advice Bureau or NHS can provide further information.
Visas
If you wish to return to live in the UK with family members who do not hold British citizenship, they will need to meet the UK’s immigration requirements for settlement in the UK. See the UK Border Agency for details.
Disclaimer
The information contained in these notes is intended for your general guidance only. While care has been taken in compiling these notes, the accuracy of the information cannot be guaranteed and, of course, law and procedures may change from time to time. For these reasons, neither Her Majesty’s Government nor any member of the British Consular Section staff can accept liability for any costs, damage or expenses which you might incur as a result of relying on these notes.