Immigration officers, how to deal

[clouds_1028]

My first solo flight I encountered a medyo rude IO na babae. Pupunta ako ng Brunei then, I have all the documents naman with me. May house din kasi yung dad ko dun so no problem sa tirahan. Eh hindi ko kasi masyado marinig talaga yung sinasabi nung IO dahil naka enclose sila tapos may hole lang where you can talk to them. Eh tinatanong niya sakin then kung ano work, eh akala ko tinatanong niya ang work ng dad ko kasi the last question she asked was about my dad. Tapos sabi ko, "sino po?" Sabi ba naman sa akin, "Malamang ikaw, tayong dalawa lang naman naguusap dito diba." Grabe ang rude talaga! 

Pero nitong last flight ko to Australia, since complete documents naman ako lahat, no questions asked. Kapag tourist ka ata talaga, saka sila madami tanong. Pero pag business, smooth lang. 

[princess jaz]

First time ko magtravel papuntan ng China last year, pagdating ko sa Xiamen Airport, naka-encourter ako ng rude na IO.  Na hold ako for 30 minutes, dami nilang kumakausap sa akin, kaso di kami magkaintindihan, di sila masyado marunong mag-english, di naman ako marunong mag Chinese.  Tas sobrang sama nila tumingin, na para bang may gagawin akong kalokohan or may dala akong illegal.  Kahit kinakabahan ako, i tried to look confident. Wala naman akong dapat ikatakot, legal lahat ng papers ko, at isa pa, business trip yun, pupunta ako sa isang construction site. Since di kami magkaintindihan, tumawag sila ng isang tao galing sa office nila, ayun, nakaalis agad ako kase naintindihan nila na legal ako pumunta dun at walang problema.

Sa Narita Airport naman, walang problema, very polite ang mga IO sa pagtatanong.  Recently, di na nila ako tinatanong, di na rin tinitingnan yung travel docs ko, enough na yung passport. 

Tip ko lang sa pagharap sa IO, dapat confident ka.  Be honest, sa lahat ng isasagot mo sa kanila.  Kung may pagkakataon, tanungin mo rin yung IO.  I worked for me.

[aquacharly]

MISS D-EM:   It is easier to enter Macau (then go to HK) or Singapore (then go by rail to Malaysia).    (I kid you not -- medj mainit ang Malaysian Immigration sa young Pinays traveling solo.).

Why don't you recommend they meet na lang in Singapore? More  stuff to see & do there ha vs Malaysia.
Medj, IMO, if 1st time  to travel --  magtaka IO, why Malaysia? - you have family there ?
Just tell yor sister to have a ready credible answer, and confidence.

To cut the risk further of A to A:  have your mom arrive at least a day before your sister lands. Pag ask IO - she can easily prove about meeting up with your   mom -- mom's name will pop up on their computer.

1 dead give away that will warn -- IOs:  pag a single solo traveling Pinay brings in a fully-packed (with clothes)  big suitcase. Hello, tourist ka and you're gonna go shopping.  Even if you got your passport stamped by the IO - if the Customs Officer thinks you're not a tourist/business traveller/has serious doubts about you or finds anything incriminating among or personal effects to counter your tourist claim (ex. seaman's book in suitcase, whatever that is -- na A to A, hindi daw tourist, true story ito).   -- ma A to A pa rin. 

Good luck to yor sis & happy bakasyon. 

[themoltenice]

Hi. Sa mga nag ask dito before, can you share your experience?

I'm planning to go to SG this October. I'll be meeting my boyfriend who will also be transiting from jeddah. I've been to hkg last december but since I have to renew my passport, it will look totally new and I'll be traveling alone.

[merchee]

^they said, usually mahigpit ang IO natin kapag a woman travelling alone (specially unmarried).

last quarter last year, I travelled alone but it's in Hanoi.
I just renewed my passport back then. It was my first flight out for my new passport so wala talagang laman yun that time.Wala naman akong naging problema sa IO natin. but I made it sure na I have pertinent docs, even my old passport. During that time din pala, maraming girls ang nakita kong na on-hold and na-interview sa isang room.

[assie]

Attached nyo lang po yong lumang passport na may mga tatak na sa bagong passport para makita ng IO na hindi first time traveler

[bellanjelah]

yes tama si sis merchee, mahigpit IO kasi rampant daw human trafficking. Kaya make sure all docs are with you like two way ticket, hotel reservation etc. They will ask you things like, your purpose of going to SG, how long will you be staying and will even ask if you're going to work there, just say no. Magre-renew na rin ako ng passport ko and plan of going there this May.

[themoltenice]

^Thanks, everyone. I'm worried lang kasi syempre mag isa lang ako. When I went to HKG, I opted for the direct flight from my hometown but since 1am dating dun, I want to try the morning flight naman this time. I hope everything goes well.. 

[omneecka]

went out of the country with my new clean passport, was asked by IO if its my first time to travel, i said no and my passport was just renewed, they (2 IOs) asked for my old passport and i showed it, and then they let me pass. i have this feeling that if thats my first time to travel abroad, they will surely interrogate me and lead me to the next phase of the interrogation. i overheard pa the 1 IO said, "di naman pala 1st time". this happened in NAIA T3.

[xtine]

I never had any problems with IO, probably because of what I wear.  I tried to avoid wearing shorts or anything casual when travelling to show na I have money.  Also, my documents are complete like where I will stay and return ticket.  Like when I travelled to the US, the PH IO, didn't interrogate me much coz I wore pearl earrings and a simple necklace pero yung damit ko hindi casual na casual.  And I also light make-up, parang business trip lang ang peg.  Then when I reached US IO, no questions were asked except what I am going to do in the US, I said "I'm going shopping" then he smiled and stamped 6 months.

I even went to the length of buying a branded passport holder para lang pag bagsak ng passport ko sa IO, no question about my ability to spend.  Tapos nakasuot pa sa loob ng passport ko sankatutak na travel cards like Krisflyer, mabuhay miles, skymiles just to prove something. 

I have a friend, mataas posisyon nya, malaki ang sweldo pero she wore shorts during her travel.  Napagkamalan syang prostitute.  Maraming tanong like where she works and how much she earns.  But when she opened her mouth (dahil sa fluency sa english) naconvince sila na she's just a tourist and they let her go.  But still, you don't want to have that first impression with the IO. 

Now that I am an OFW, to avoid being questioned during IO, I still dress na feeling "sosyal" with earrings and necklace and gold bracelet pa rin then I just put my OEC and Epass card sa passport para no questions asked.   Then I just look bored to give the impression na, I have been doing the travelling so often.  Para din mabilis ako marelease ng IO with very few or no questions at all.

Sometimes, the lesser that you answer the better.  The more you explain, the more they feel you are hiding something.  Kaya, isang tanong isang sagot ako.  Then I shut up and look bored again.  It works all the time *wink*.

Naawa ako sa mga naququestion sa OFW lane ng immigration lalo na pag matagal tanungin yung mga nagpupunta sa middle east at yung mga nagbabarko, to the point na pati yung name of ship at yung captain, tinatanong.  Minsan, eto yung cause ng mahabang pila sa OFW lane dahil sa Q&A sa iba nating OFW.

In summary, you just have to feel confident and show that you have the ability to travel financially.

[hisana]

Oh my, grabe naman ma-interrogate ng paulit-ulit pa or, worse, be denied your right to travel kung complete naman ang docs and all questions answered. Buti sana kung napakareliable ng profiling skills ng mga IOs ito. Eh ano ngayon kung first time ko makapunta out of the country, kung magsstay sa mga kamag-anak, kung mag-isa lang ako, or kung gusto ko naka cheap t-shirt lang ako pag nagt-travel (though I've been and done all of these things and never got questioned extensively, except for one arrogant-sounding pinoy IO who insisted on finding out things about my personal life. not my professional life or travel habits; my effing personal life). Sure, sige, considered nila as red flags ang mga ito, but man, meron iba jan na powertripping na lang yata. Someday I hope they come up with a more reliable method of dealing with traffickers and potential TNTs. For now, good luck na lang sa atin.

[melmedrano]

Hi,

Tanong lang po, pag ba family ang magt-travel... Like me, my husband and our 3 year old son, sabay sabay na ba kami sa isang IO or isa isa?

[runbarbierun]

^ Pwede na sabay sabay sis

[melmedrano]

thanks sis! :-)

[ianerzz]

Sisses, I'd like to know if allowed na 4 kami agad sa isang IO? I'm worried since our hotel bookings was booked under my name. Di kaya magkaproblem yun dalawang kasama ko pagdating sa IO since sakin po nakapangalan yun hotel reservation?

Thank you.

[xtine]

^You can photocopy your hotel bookings and pass to your friends.  And when the IO asked who the person is in the booking, ituro ka lang.  I don't think this small thing will be the mitsa of your denied departure.

[Miss Charcoal]

Minsan yung IO sa ibang bansa ayaw ng sabay sabay. Last time kasi pinaatras ako dun sa red or yellow line ba yun..buti na lang walang tanong tanong.

[omneecka]

@ sis ianerzz - relatives mo ba sis kasama mo? if not, wag kayo magsabay-sabay, in my experience, naiinis PH IO pag nagsasabay-sabay kami ng friends ko. much better to wait to be asked by IO if may kasama ka and then ask the IO if pwedeng sabay-sabay na kayo - this happened to me this month only, i approached the IO first, then i was asked if im alone, i said no, point my companion and then IO asked my companion to come forward.

[bagaholic_chewy]

Kami ni husband, sabay kami lumalapit sa IO. Pero pag me kasama kami friends, hiwalay sila. Pag family ok lang sabay.

[pampam2]

mga sis bayad muna ba ng Travel tax bago pila sa Immigration? Naiisip ko lang paano pag na offload?