Section 47(A) (2) of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, as amended, allows the President to admit as non-immigrants, foreign nationals who are coming for a temporary period only, under conditions as he may prescribe. This consequently paved the way for the creation of special visas, under special laws, for investors or employees of PEZA and/or BOI-registered companies or those in the oil-drilling industries.

This type of visa requires the employer’s sponsorship and is valid for the duration of the contract/term of office or for one (1) year, whichever is shorter. It is a company-specific visa that limits the percentage of foreign national employees to less than 5% of the total workforce. Holders of this visa are exempted from ACR I-card requirement.

REQUIREMENTS:

BOI
1. BOI Application Form;
2. Duly signed undertaking in the form of Board Resolution;
3. An Understudy Information Sheet, Designation of Understudy, and Understudy Training Program (if applicable);
4. Authenticated passport with valid visa;
5. A Secretary’s Certificate authorizing the application of the Special Non-Immigrant Visa (for elective officers);
6. Affidavit of Support from BOI registered company;
7. Company organizational chart; and
8. Resume and bio-data of the foreigner applying for the visa.

PEZA
1. Letter of Request to PEZA on company’s behalf
2. Authenticated passport with valid visa;
3. A Secretary’s Certificate authorizing the application of the Special Non-Immigrant Visa (for elective officers);
4. Current service contract;
5. Resume and bio-data of the foreigner applying for the visa.

DOJ
1. DOJ application form;
2. Certificate of BOI/PEZA Registration and the terms and conditions;
3. Authenticated passport with valid visa;
4. A Secretary’s Certificate authorizing the application of the Special Non-Immigrant Visa (for elective officers);
5. Current Service Contract (for non-elected positions); and
6. Affidavit of Support from BOI/PEZA registered company.

Procedure:
1. Apply with the appropriate government agency (e.g. BOI, PEZA, DOA);
2. The government agency endorses the application to DOJ; and
3. DOJ approves the application and endorses to the BI for implementation.