Foremost, an Income Tax Return (ITR) is a yearly tax manually or electronically applied by earning individuals and enterprises in the country. Here in the Philippines, it is filed on or before 15th of April. Thereby, if you are an employee or a business entity, by law, must be responsible on filing of ITR.
On the other hand, though a tourist visa application requires an ITR, depending on the profile of the visa applicant, there may be exemptions. We recommend heading over our article on Is ITR mandatory for Tourist Visa. In this article, we will be sharing our expertise on a known example – the Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs.
In legal means, an OFW is an earning Filipino but the source of income is outside of the Philippines, therefore an OFW is not required to file an Income Tax Return. This is simply stated in Section 23 of the tax code. This was also explained in the Revenue Regulations of 2011 that clearly states that an OFW is a Filipino citizen, is not physically in the Philippines, and his or her salary is not borne by any person and or entity in the country. However, the individual must be registered with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) with a valid Overseas Employment Certificate to claim this tax exemption.
If you do not have an Income Tax Return (ITR) simply declare it in your application form. Always consult your visa application with the experts if you are a first time visa applicant or if you have doubts on your application. Taxes alone, is not a measure of eligibility of tourist visa. If you are in a complicated situation, make sure to consult with us.
You may also be asked to submit an explanation letter, however, this letter may not always be helpful, and if drafted not carefully, may make or break your visa application. This will save you time and headache. Moreover there are cases that you may be required to submit other documents. With our experience as a visa assistance services, here are specific cases that we highly suggest of getting a visa consultation.
- If you are a former OFW but is currently unemployed but wants to travel abroad;
- If you are an OFW but is on leave and just wants to be on vacation;
- If you are a former OFW with bad records (overstaying / blacklisted / deported / with criminal record);
- If you are an OFW but you also have a business in the Philippines;
- If you are a freelancer planning to go to abroad but does not have any travel history or an Income Tax Return;
- If you are a seaman planning for a short vacation with your family that requires a tourist visa;
- If you are an OFW but your trip will be sponsored;
- If you are an OFW or a freelancer or a seaman that will sponsor his or her family for a tourist visa but do not have an Income Tax Return;
- If you have worked abroad but not registered under the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration or POEA;
- If you have already retired or a retiree;
- If you are an OFW that will sponsor your retired parents;
- If you have been rejected with a tourist visa application before;
- If you are invited or sponsored by a family member without an Income Tax Return
- If you are a business owner in the Philippines
We highly recommend consulting with 926 Asia Travel and Tours. We provide visa consultation for tourist visa applications for US, UK, Schengen, South Korea, Japan, China, Canada, Australia. We are a travel agency located in Manila, Philippines, our physical office is in Makati City. Contact us through our online form.