My name is Natalia. I really love to travel and share experiences and information. I hope you will find this website useful. Constructive criticisms are welcomed.
This article is about my Bukit Lawang and Lake Toba five days and four nights Itinerary. The start point and endpoint of the trip were Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) in Malaysia. Philippines Passport holders do not need a visa to enter Indonesia and are eligible to remain in Indonesia without a visa for 30 days.
Day One.
I
departed KLIA2 via Air Asia flight number
QZ 129 at 08:40, Malaysia time. The flight duration was more or less an hour. At
8:45, Indonesian time, I arrived at Kualanamu
International Airport. Indonesia is an hour behind Malaysian time. The flight cost
me RM 52.55 (Malaysia Ringgit) or roughly $13 based on today’s rate.
The immigration officer asked me if it was my first time in
Indonesia and if I was alone. He also asked where I’d go.
A Philippines citizen secures the National Bureau of Investigation or NBI clearance for different reasons. For example, for local employment and for travelling abroad. All steps necessary to secure the NBI clearance were done in person before the Internet became available to the public. Below is the step by step instructions to secure the clearance. Please be informed that these instructions apply to locals like me. If you are a foreigner, the steps are probably slightly different from ours.
A. NBI Personal Account creation.
Steps: 1. Go to NBI’s website. 2. For new Registration, click the checkbox in front of “No” for the question “Do you have an old NBI clearance?” Note: The Yes option is applicable only on 2014-2018 NBI Clearances.
I travelled to India’s golden triangle last February 5 to 9. It is the beaten path which is composed of New Delhi which is the capital of India, Agra which is part of Uttar Pradesh State, and Jaipur which is the capital of the Rajasthan State. Before going to India, for ordinary Philippine passport holders like me, it is vital to apply for e-VISA to India. In this post, I will share the steps based on my experience and situation.
Update: As of August 10, 2018, the eVisa fee cost $80.
A. Photo and passport copy preparation.
Prepare a clear front-facing photograph with a light coloured background (e.g.: white). The photo format must be a jpeg. Its size must be a minimum of 10 KB and a maximum of 1 MB. The dimensions are minimum of 350 pixels by 350 pixels. You may use a photo editor to accomplish this.
The passport page with your personal details must be scanned and saved in pdf format. Its size must be a minimum of 10 KB and a maximum of 300 KB.
Each city or municipality in the Philippines has the main Police Station where you can get a Police Clearance certificate. You can only get this certificate from Imus City Police Station if you live in the City. I will share the steps on how to secure a Police Clearance certificate from Imus Police Station based on my experience.
The barangays are the smallest units of local government in the Philippines. A Barangay Clearance is a piece of document which you need to secure for many different legal purposes. For example, securing a Police Clearance in the Philippine city where you belong requires a Barangay Clearance.
I will share my experience on how I secured a Barangay Clearance from Pag-Asa II (or Pag-Asa 2) Barangay Hall.
Requirements: An endorsement from your Home Owners Management. For example, if you live in a Subdivision which is part of Barangay Pag-Asa II (or Pag-Asa 2), you must go to your management and get an endorsement. Just inform them that you need it to secure a Barangay Clearance.
Last September 11 to 16, 2017, my husband and I visited Georgia, a country in the Caucasus region. My husband does not need a visa to enter Georgia but for ordinary Philippine passport holders like me need to apply for eVisa. In this post, I will share the steps I’ve been through based on my experience and situation. I will also share suggestions and my border crossing experience.
A. Travel Insurance, accommodation booking and return ticket. It is important to purchase travel insurance (e.g. World Nomads) that is valid throughout the period of stay in Georgia. It is also a must to book a hotel or in Airbnb for the accommodation just in case the immigration officer will ask for it.
B. Photo and passport copy preparation. Prepare a scanned passport size photo and scanned passport page with the personal details. The photo size is 472×610 pixels. The passport can also be in .jpg format.
On February 2017 I visited Sri Lanka, an island nation located in the south of India. Before going to Sri Lanka, ordinary Philippine passport holders like me need to apply for Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). In this post, I will share the steps based on my experience and situation.
A. The Sri Lankan ETA application process.
Steps:
Go to Sri Lanka ETA System. Read the visa exemptions and choose which one is applicable to you.
Click the Apply tab and it is important to read thoroughly the Terms & Conditions before confirming the ETA application. Click the “I Agree” button and then click Apply for an Individual under Tourist ETA.
Fill all mandatory fields like applicant’s information and travel information. You need to enter your intended date of arrival. You can hover your mouse to the question mark icon for a hint. It says the ETA is valid up to three months from the date of issue. Then you need to enter your contact details and answer the declaration questions. The address in Sri Lanka can be the hotel’s address. The copy and paste keyboard functions are disabled in the website so you really must type in everything to the form.
Tourist ETA to Sri Lanka for Filipinos
Review your application and confirm. Double-check all entries. Then the VISA Application Fee Summary will be displayed too.
Select the desired payment option to pay the $35.00 VISA Application Fee. After Paying it you will get an email (Department of Immigration & Emigration Acknowledgement of ETA application). It contains a reference number and it says you will receive a response to your application within 24 hours. Make sure you check your Inbox and Junk folder if you did not get the email immediately.
B. ETA application, Approved. You will receive another email (Department OF Immigration & Emigration Sri Lanka. ETA Approval Notice.) It says that you must ensure that the particulars of the same travel document used for applying online visa are used for entering into Sri Lanka. In the event, if you produce a travel document other than the one used for applying for an online visa, you are compelled to pay again at the port of entry to Sri Lanka to obtain a fresh ETA.
C. Print the approved ETA.
Just print the email and carry a hard copy with you before flying to Sri Lanka.
D. The border crossing experience in Bandaranayake International Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka
The experience was smooth. A question was not asked. The officer attached a small sticker on my passport that shows “1st visit,” the allowed duration of visit, a barcode and a stamped date of arrival.
