ETHOS Language School
An American school with native speakers located in Cebu City, Philippines
All foreigners who wish to come to the Philippines for English study need to understand a few details about visas and other immigration expenses. Here is a basic list of current requirements (as of July of 2025).
All foreign nationals must have a visa to enter the country. Some countries are required to get a visa from a Philippine consular office or embassy prior to departure, but travelers from many countries only need a round-trip ticket out of the Philippines and can get a FREE 30-day visa at the airport on arrival.
If the student stays longer than the 30-day free visa, they will have to get visa extensions for the duration of their study in the country.
The chart below contains the current monthly Immigration expenses for a stay of up to 6 months.
| IMMIGRATION EXPENSES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| These are the expected immigration fees that students will pay after they arrive in Cebu. They can change without prior notice. | |||
| For Non-Restricted Foreign Nationals | |||
| Month | Details | Cost in Pesos | Cumulative Cost |
| 1st month | First 30 days visa | FREE | ₱11,190 |
| Special Study Permit (SSP) | ₱6,740 | ||
| ACR-I Card | ₱2,950 | ||
| Express fee | ₱1,000 | ||
| Transportation | ₱500 | ||
| TOTAL | ₱11,190 | ||
| 2nd month | 1st visa extension (29 days /visa waiver) | ₱4,160 | ₱16,850 |
| Express fee | ₱1,000 | ||
| Transportation | ₱500 | ||
| TOTAL | ₱5,660 | ||
| 3rd month | 2nd visa extension | ₱6,400 | ₱27,700 |
| ACR-I Card | ₱2,950 | ||
| Express fee | ₱1,000 | ||
| Transportation | ₱500 | ||
| TOTAL | ₱10,850 | ||
| 4th month | 3rd visa extension | ₱3,430 | ₱32,630 |
| Express fee | ₱1,000 | ||
| Transportation | ₱500 | ||
| TOTAL | ₱4,930 | ||
| 5th month | 4th visa extension | ₱4,780 | ₱38,910 |
| Express fee | ₱1,000 | ||
| Transportation | ₱500 | ||
| TOTAL | ₱6,280 | ||
| 6th month | 5th visa extension | ₱4,590 | ₱46,800 |
| Express fee | ₱1,000 | ||
| Transportation | ₱500 | ||
| TOTAL | ₱6,090 | ||
| Emmigration Clearance Certificate (ECC) | ₱1,300 | ||
| Transportation fee | ₱500 | ||
| TOTAL | ₱1,800 | ||
| Notes: | US Dollar values are computed at current exchange rate. | ||
| Foreigners who stay for 6 months must get an Emmigration Clearance Certicicate (ECC) before they leave. | |||
| Any funds left after paying for the immigration expenses will be returned to the student. | |||
For travelers coming only for tourism, the visa is all they need. However, if you are coming to study English, you must get a Special Study Permit (SSP) after you arrive at your school. The SSP allows you to study English at that school for a period of up to six (6) months. If you want to extend your stay beyond six months, you will need to pay for a new SSP.
Please understand that an SSP is “school-specific.” This means that if you receive an SSP at a certain school and then transfer to a different school, even within the first six months of the original SSP, you must get a new SSP to study at the new school.
When applying for the SSP, you must also pay the fee for an Alien Certificate of Registration Card (ICARD). This card is a kind of ID that shows you are a legal alien staying in the country. The ICARD is required and all aliens must have one.
Aside from getting an ICARD with your SSP, all persons studying English who apply for a second visa extension will pay for an additional ICARD fee. Just like the first one, this second one is required.
In addition to the SSP and ICARD, you will pay for what are called “Express Fees.” Immigration adds these charges as processing fees to each transaction. They are required.
On top of this, you will pay the transportation cost for our ETHOS Immigration officer to travel to and from Immigration to process all of your paperwork so that you can stay in school and continue learning English.
So, if you are a foreign traveler coming to the Philippines to study English, in addition to your plane ticket, school tuition, housing, food, and the “free 30-day visa” when you arrive at the airport, you will be required to pay various immigration fees. Your total Immigration cost will depend upon how many months you plan to stay and study.
Immigration fees are paid in Philippine Pesos and they can change at any time. The amounts listed in our chart are based upon the current fee rates (as of July of 2025) and should provide enough to pay for everything.
Our ETHOS Immigration officer will collect your passport, application papers, and money for your fees, and process everything for you. We will will not charge any service fee for doing this. You will only pay the amounts printed on the Immigration fee receipts. We will, however, ask you to pay the transportation cost for our representative to go to the immigration office for you so that you don’t have to go!
Therefore, if you are planning to come study English in the Philippines—regardless of the school— you need to ask the school if these immigration fees are included in their price quotation for your study package.
Just remember that here at ETHOS, Immigration fees are NOT included in our price quotations. You will need to bring additional money with you to pay for your SSP, ICARD, and any visa extension fees while at ETHOS.
One final note about your trip and immigration. All foreign travelers to the Philippines, regardless of the purpose of their trip, must complete the online eTravel registration within the 72 hours before their departure for the Philippines.
It is best if you download the eTravel app and then use the app on your phone for the registration. If registration is successful, you will be given a special QR code screen, which you can save as a picture on your phone. You will need to show this screen when you pass through immigration at the airport when you arrive.
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