Title
Penalties on Fake Expired Entry Visas
Law
Boi Operations Order No. Sbm-2015-013
Decision Date
May 20, 2015
Foreigners found to have previously issued and/or expired fraudulent visas, but have subsequently converted to valid visas and departed from the Philippines, are required to pay fines and penalties imposed by the Bureau of Immigration. Failure to comply may result in visa forfeiture, departure within 15 days, and inclusion in the Blacklist if applicable.
A

Payment of Fines and Penalties (Section 1)

  • Foreigners with prior fraudulent or expired entry visas who have converted to valid visas and departed:
    • Must pay a Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000) Immigration Arrears Release Certificate (IARC) fine.
    • Must pay an Express Lane Fee of Ten Thousand Pesos (P10,000).
  • For foreigners with fraudulent or expired TVVs or TVV extensions who have converted to valid visas and departed:
    • IARC payment of Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000).
    • Payment of updating fees and penalties corresponding to the fraudulent TVVs or TVV extensions.
    • Payment of Express Lane Fee of Ten Thousand Pesos (P10,000).

Duties of BI Offices Upon Discovery (Section 2)

  • Port Operations Division (POD), Tourist Visa Section (TVS), Immigration Regulation Division (IRD), Intelligence Division (ID), Alien Control Officer (ACO), and other BI offices must:
    • Hold the passport with an Acknowledgement Receipt upon discovery of an expired fraudulent visa.
    • Admit foreigners with valid subsequent visas but hold their passports when discovered during re-entry.
    • Forward the passport and incident report to the Legal Division within 48 hours.

Duties of the Anti-Fraud Section (Section 3)

  • Within 48 hours of receiving a request from the Legal Division, the Anti-Fraud Section must issue a certificate categorizing the suspected expired visa as:
    • Genuine, fake, altered, counterfeit, fraudulent, or indeterminate.
  • Provide a copy of the certificate to the Legal Division and the requesting BI office.

Duties of the Legal Division (Section 4)

  • Within 48 hours of receiving the passport, incident report, and Anti-Fraud Section certificate:
    • Draft an order for the Commissioner's signature directing the payment of imposed fines.
    • Allow the foreigner fifteen (15) working days to pay the fines.
    • Forward related records to the Chairman of the Board of Discipline for possible administrative investigation of involved BI personnel.

Consequences of Non-Compliance (Section 5)

  • If the foreigner fails to pay the fines:
    • Legal Division drafts an order for the Board of Commissioners’ signature.
    • Direct visa forfeiture of the valid visa.
    • Require the foreigner to leave the Philippines within 15 days of receipt.
    • Include the foreigner’s name in the blacklist, if applicable.

Additional Provisions

  • Repealing Clause (Section 6): Repeals or modifies all prior inconsistent rules, procedures, guidelines, and issuances.
  • Effectivity (Section 7): The Order takes effect immediately upon approval and is filed with the Office of the National Administrative Register, University of the Philippines Law Center.

Legal Principles Applied

  • The grant of stay privileges to foreigners is discretionary by the State.
  • Each entry into the Philippines is treated as a fresh entry, hence penalties aimed at fraudulent past visas do not annul valid subsequent visas until non-compliance occurs.
  • Coordination among different BI offices is mandated to ensure proper handling and documentation.

Enforcement Mechanism

  • Holds passports as evidence and issues official receipts.
  • Requires timely reporting and certification of the authenticity of visas.
  • Imposes fines and administrative penalties through official orders.
  • Investigates BI personnel for any administrative lapses linked to the incident.
  • Escalates non-compliance to visa forfeiture, deportation requirements, and blacklisting.

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