Foreign employee annual reporting period opens

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? The annual reporting period for foreign nationals in the Philippines to report to the Bureau of Immigration began Tuesday and ends March 3.

What does the change mean? All foreign nationals holding an Alien Certificate of Registration Identity card (ACR I-card) must report to the main Bureau of Immigration office in Manila or to the appropriate branch office.

• Implementation time frame: Jan. 3 to March 3, 2017.
• Visas/permits affected: ACR I-cards.
• Who is affected: All foreign nationals holding valid ACR I-cards.
• Business impact: Failure to report may be punishable by fines and/or imprisonment.
• Next steps: Unless they fall under an exempt category, all ACR I-card holders should plan to register in person within the next 60 days.

Background: Individuals who have no previous online annual report records and who are not exempt from reporting must present their original ACR I-card and their confirmation number issued via the Annual Reporting 2017 online system. Parents or legal guardians are responsible for reporting children under 14.

Some foreign nationals are exempt from in-person reporting if they personally appeared in at least one of the previous three annual reporting periods and fulfill other requirements, including proof of payment of the latest annual report fee, payment of the express lane fee for nonappearance, a special power of attorney and government-issued ID of a legal representative, presenting a valid passport, and payment of any outstanding liabilities.

BAL Analysis: Affected foreign nationals should plan to fulfil their reporting requirements as early as possible to avoid unexpected delays.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in the Philippines. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

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