A Guide for Indian Citizens Visiting Philippines

From pristine beaches to marvelous natural beauty to historic sites, Philippines offers once-in-a-lifetime experience to travellers. Philippines is located at the eastern edge of the Asia and is home for more than 7,000 islands. The country is a home for 20 active volcanoes, mineral reservoirs, and gold deposits. Philippines is a complete package for all those explorers who want something new and exciting.  

As per the visa waiver program of the Philippines, the citizens of India planning to visit the Philippines for tourism related purpose does not require a visa, if they are planning a 14 day stay in the country. Although, Indian citizens must apply for a visa, if they are travelling for business, employment, and non-leisure purpose. If you are thinking about a long vacation in the Philippines, then you will have to apply for the Philippines tourist visa prior your visit. There are various Philippines tourist visa provider in India, from whom you can buy an affordable package.     

Necessary information for visitors visiting Philippines

• The government of the Philippines has discarded the acceptance of non-machine readable passports, and the applicants are required to bring machine readable passports and electronic passports for visa application. Entry will not be granted to the foreign nationals entering into the Philippines through sea-ports or airports.

• Children aged 15 years and below, travelling to the Philippines unaccompanied by parents must comply with Philippines’ Waiver of Exclusion Ground (WEG).

• The passport holders who were granted a 30 days visa free entry into the Philippines, are required to apply for a visa, if their stay is exceeding 30 days.     

Apart from the Philippines tourist visa, the government of the Philippines also offers other types of visa for foreign nationals such as work permit and resident visa. The improved economic condition of the Philippines has increased the demand of work permit for the Philippines. Philippines offers Alien Employment Permit (AEP) along with employment visa for expats who are planning on working in the country. AEP is issued by the Department of Labor and Employment, Philippines. But before acquiring any of these visa, the applicants must attest their documents.

The attestation procedure for Indian originated documents started with pre-authentication at the state level. The Human Resource Development, Home Department, and the Chamber of Commerce authenticates the educational, personal, and commercial documents. Thereafter, the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, attest the documents. After state level authentication and MEA attestation, the documents will be attested by the Philippines Embassy. Applicants can avail the services for the Philippines Embassy attestation in Mumbai and other Indian states. Only after attestation, the documents will be accepted by the Philippine authorities for further proceeding.   

Pre-Arranged Employment Visa for the Philippines

The pre-arranged employment visa (9g) is the most common type of employment visa used by the foreign nationals for working in the Philippines. The validity of this type of pre-arranged visa depends upon the employment contract of the applicants. The 9g visa is extendable for sponsoring the spouse and children up to 21 years. However, it cannot be extended for more than 3 years. The pre-arranged employment visa is received by the Philippines Embassy from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippines. Also, the applicants will have to go through a personal interview for acquiring this visa. The documents required for pre-arranged employment visa are:

• A duly filled visa application form in English language.
• A passport size, colored photograph, not older than 6 months.
• Bank statement for the last six months, stamped by the bank officer.
• A passports with six months of validity, following the arrival in Philippines.
• Copy of confirmed flight e-tickets.
• A demand draft for the visa application fee payable to the Embassy of the Philippines. Note, the Embassy does not accept cash payments.  
• Attested police clearance certificate.
• A medical examination certificate issued by an authorized physician or clinic.

Role of Home Department in Indian Apostille

In the present times, a lot of people from India go abroad for work, family union and studies. Many of these destination countries require your certificates to be apostilled. Before, coming to the role of Home Department in Indian apostille process, let us come to the definition of apostille process, since it is imperative for you to know what apostille is. Apostille is defined as 'Certification' in French. Prior to 1961, if you wanted to go abroad then you had to get your certificates like birth, marriage etc. authenticated from different authorities from different departments. This led to a lot of inconvenience to applicants, since they had to seek permission and appointments with various authorities to get the necessary work done. Realising the need for a uniform system of authentication, the Hague Convention of 1961 devised a new method of legalization known as Apostille. In this process, once your certificate is apostilled from one member country, then it is automatically valid in a different member country. For example, if your birth certificate is apostilled in India, then it is equivalent to the birth certificate in Oman, and there is no need for validation from the Oman Embassy. In India, Indian govt has appointed Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi as the supreme authority for apostille legalization. Only, the MEA has the exclusive right to perform apostille legalization in India for all kinds of personal documents.

Responsibility of the Home Department in Indian apostille

Home Department is a legal body which is constituted by the various state Govts like Punjab, Haryana etc. to validate personal documents like birth, marriage, death which are issued from the districts inside their jurisdiction. This means that if your birth certificate emanates from Jalandhar in Punjab, then only Punjab state Home Department has the authority to validate the document. For majority of the Home Departments in India, the General Administration Department or commonly known as GAD does the substantiation. The GAD authority will verify the information on your birth certificate and then put his signature, seal 'Home Department attested' on the papers. The fee structure of the GAD varies depending upon the state and the type of document. In some states like Delhi, the Sub Divisional Magistrate or widely known as SDM performs the Home Department attestation.  After verifying your certificate, the Home Department will return the document back to you. Finally, you have to submit your birth certificate to the MEA in Delhi. The MEA authorities, after confirmation will put an apostille stamp, besides their seal and signature on the papers. Congratulations, your birth certificate is ready to be used in Oman. Very often, it has been discovered that in order to avoid hassles, Indian applicants take the assistance of authorized agencies to provide them Home Department attestation services for optimum charges.

Advantages of Home Department authentication 

There are lots of advantages of Home Department authentication particularly, when you are applying for overseas visas. The biggest advantage is that your documents once attested by the Home Department are valid lifelong. This means that your birth certificate which was validated 10 years ago, will be applicable now in the same format for applying for Oman visa. Secondly, the charges for Home Department services are quite low, considering the work they do. Thirdly, your personal document once attested are applicable in all the countries. For example, if you have done SSC from India and you wish to pursue BBA in Oman and MBA in USA, then the same authenticated birth certificate holds good in all the three cases.

Tips to avoid the Hassles Involved in Attesting Certificates

Nowadays many people from India go to overseas countries like UAE for many purposes like employment, family relocation, setting up businesses, education etc. For issuing any kind of visa for Indian nationals, the UAE Embassy authorities require attestation of their certificates like birth, SSC, marriage, degree etc.  As per the rules and regulations of attestation of documents for UAE. If you have gone abroad earlier or if you have applied for visa yourself, then you will be aware of the hassles involved in attesting certificates. The below points will assist you greatly in avoiding hassles involved in attesting certificates.

1. Choose a genuine attestation service provider

The first point which you must remember is that you must always choose an authentic company which will do the attestation of your certificates. Attestation basically means that the information mentioned on your documents is verified by the competent authorities and the certificate becomes legal. To give you an example , in India the Ministry of External Affairs will verify your birth certificate contents and apply their signature and seal on them for it to be used . False attestation can lead to visa rejection and permanent assistance from applying for UAE visa. So always choose a trustworthy company with a solid track record in providing attestation services for number of years. The company must be accessible at all times by email, fax, in person etc. If possible, they should have specialized services for different kinds of attestation like marriage certificate attestation services etc. The company must have facilities for you to track your documents online after you submit your papers with them. The agency must have many branches and there should be an excellent customer care service to guide you.

2. Utilize your connections in HRD / Home Department/Chamber of Commerce departments

If you are doing attestation on your own, then always avail the services of any friends or contacts for acquiring HRD / Chamber of Commerce / Home Department attestation services quickly and with less expenses. HRD attestation is mandatory for educational certificates attestation, Chamber of Commerce and Home Department attestation is compulsory for commercial and personal certificates respectively. These processes often take weeks and months because of the cumbersome bureaucratic procedures involved.

3. Utilize your influence in MEA and the Embassy

To speed up the processing of your case, always take the help of any contacts which you have in the MEA or the UAE Embassy for example. Due to the high number of applications, both MEA and UAE Embassy always take a lot of time for processing including Ministry of Foreign Affairs

4. Documentation should be perfect and fulfil the exact criteria

Cross check twice or thrice with the exact documentation required for the visa process before submitting the papers. For example ensure that your degree must be attested from the HRD of the Indian state from where you passed out your degree along with passport copies and photos with a white background while applying for UAE visa. Incomplete applications will lead to rejection and loss of time and money.

5. Avail online attestation processes if applicable

Check if the country where you are applying has a provision for online attestation. Some countries allow digital signatures from the concerned HRD, Embassy authorities etc. You can avoid the inconvenience of travelling and taking appointments if you get digital signatures. Also, check if the embassy you are applying to accepts payments by credit/debit card. Therefore, you can avoid wasting your money and time in making demand drafts/ MO from the bank and post office respectively.

Tips to avoid the Hassles Involved in Attesting Certificates

Nowadays many people from India go to overseas countries like UAE for many purposes like employment, family relocation, setting up businesses, education etc. For issuing any kind of visa for Indian nationals, the UAE Embassy authorities require attestation of their certificates like birth, SSC, marriage, degree etc.  As per the rules and regulations of attestation of documents for UAE. If you have gone abroad earlier or if you have applied for visa yourself, then you will be aware of the hassles involved in attesting certificates. The below points will assist you greatly in avoiding hassles involved in attesting certificates.

1. Choose a genuine attestation service provider

The first point which you must remember is that you must always choose an authentic company which will do the attestation of your certificates. Attestation basically means that the information mentioned on your documents is verified by the competent authorities and the certificate becomes legal. To give you an example , in India the Ministry of External Affairs will verify your birth certificate contents and apply their signature and seal on them for it to be used . False attestation can lead to visa rejection and permanent assistance from applying for UAE visa. So always choose a trustworthy company with a solid track record in providing attestation services for number of years. The company must be accessible at all times by email, fax, in person etc. If possible, they should have specialized services for different kinds of attestation like marriage certificate attestation services etc. The company must have facilities for you to track your documents online after you submit your papers with them. The agency must have many branches and there should be an excellent customer care service to guide you.

2. Utilize your connections in HRD / Home Department/Chamber of Commerce departments

If you are doing attestation on your own, then always avail the services of any friends or contacts for acquiring HRD / Chamber of Commerce / Home Department attestation services quickly and with less expenses. HRD attestation is mandatory for educational certificates attestation, Chamber of Commerce and Home Department attestation is compulsory for commercial and personal certificates respectively. These processes often take weeks and months because of the cumbersome bureaucratic procedures involved.

3. Utilize your influence in MEA and the Embassy

To speed up the processing of your case, always take the help of any contacts which you have in the MEA or the UAE Embassy for example. Due to the high number of applications, both MEA and UAE Embassy always take a lot of time for processing including Ministry of Foreign Affairs

4. Documentation should be perfect and fulfil the exact criteria

Cross check twice or thrice with the exact documentation required for the visa process before submitting the papers. For example ensure that your degree must be attested from the HRD of the Indian state from where you passed out your degree along with passport copies and photos with a white background while applying for UAE visa. Incomplete applications will lead to rejection and loss of time and money.

5. Avail online attestation processes if applicable

Check if the country where you are applying has a provision for online attestation. Some countries allow digital signatures from the concerned HRD, Embassy authorities etc. You can avoid the inconvenience of travelling and taking appointments if you get digital signatures. Also, check if the embassy you are applying to accepts payments by credit/debit card. Therefore, you can avoid wasting your money and time in making demand drafts/ MO from the bank and post office respectively.

How to Obtain Admission to Masters Program in a British University

Congratulations. You have decided to study MASTERS in a British university. But you are confused about how to obtain admission to the Masters program. The following points will help you in achieving your objective.

1.   Application Requirements of British Universities

The first and foremost thing is the application requirements for applying for masters to the respective university in the UK. Go to the individual universities website for detailed information about the eligibility criteria, documents required for a particular field of study. For example, if you wish to study Masters in Engineering, you require B.E./B.Tech qualification from a recognised Indian university. Also, the requirements vary from university to university. To give an example, Cambridge University will have a stringent criteria and a high cut off. So, choose the university as per your credentials. For assistance, you can use the tool Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) to complete the application. Majority of the British universities use UCAS to accept applications for admissions.

2. Legalized documents required for UK Universities

Indian students have to submit legalized birth, matric, SSC, degree certificates to the university. Since the UK accepts apostille, you are required to get birth certificate apostille, matric, SSC, degree certificates from the relevant authorities. Take the help of the UK embassy authorities, who will provide you with full assistance.

3. Tuition fees and expenses for daily life

Tuition fees will vary depending upon the course of study and the university. For example, medical studies has the highest fees in Edinburgh University. In Oxford, law is the most expensive program. Since you are a non EU citizen (European Union), then please go to the section 'Tuition fees for Non EU citizens'. Many UK universities offer financial aid for international students including Indian students. Apply early for availing financial aid. You can contact the financial aid office of your university in this regard. Daily living expenses vary depending upon the location. London, which is one of the most expensive cities in the world will cost you a minimum of 1000 GBP per month. Universities allow international students to work part time up to 20 hrs. a week in the campus. You can manage some of your expenses by doing part time work and cooking your own meals. University hostels are subsidized, but there is a huge demand for available spaces.

4. International English tests results required

For Indian students, you have to secure a minimum point of 6.5 in your IELTS test for taking admission in masters in any UK university. Some universities accept TOEFL scores also. Depending on the program, the cut off will be higher. Generally Masters in Engineering requires 8.0 + IELTS scores.

5.  Study visa process for UK for Indian students

After getting the acceptance letter from the university, you need the following documents for the education visa.

• A copy of your passport and yours passport size photo.
• A copy of your attested birth certificate and a certificate clearly mentioning the birthplace of both of your parents.
• You have to provide proof of having sufficient funds for your studying and living expenses in the UK. A bonafide six months bank statement from a recognized bank, which is signed and sealed by the bank authorities is required.
• Acceptance letter from a genuine UK university.
• Visa application form which is filled in all respects.

Five Things to Consider Before Relocating to Saudi Arabia

Every year plenty of expatriates move to Saudi Arabia mainly for employment and business purposes. The main attractions for foreign workers and professionals consist of tax free wages, low cost of living. Some companies give generous allowances in the form of housing benefits and four to six weeks paid leave. But expatriates who are coming for the first time, or who hail from liberal societies may experience a culture shock. So kindly consider these five things before relocating to this desert kingdom.

Hot weather

Expats who hail from cold Western countries will face a lot of discomfort initially since the temperatures often soar to 50 degree Celsius in daytime during summers. Generally, companies provide housing known as compounds which have air conditioned facilities. But there are lots of restrictions on the dress and costumes for both foreign men and women, once you are outside the compound. The main reason for this extreme heat is that the country is mainly a desert.

Document legalization

Saudi visa rules requires that all foreigners who wish to work or do business in Saudi Arabia have to get their educational, personal and commercial certificates legalize from the Saudi embassy in India. These rules vary from country to country. For complete information, please contact the Saudi Embassy/ Consulate authorities in your home country.

Timings of prayers

Saudi Arabia is governed by strict Sharia law and therefore all shops, offices close down for the five times prayers as per the Islamic rules. When you reach Saudi Arabia, you will be notified of the prayer timings in your workplaces. The call to the prayers is made through loudspeakers. You are expected to strictly abide by the prayer timings. Nowadays for the convenience of expatriates, special prayer apps have been designed which will keep you updated.

Religious restrictions

There are several restrictions for non-Muslims with respect to practicing their religion. Public worship of all religions except Islam is forbidden. You are not allowed to bring alcohol legally in the country. If you wish to consume alcohol, you will be issued a special license to purchase alcohol from certain hotels.  Consumption of pork is prohibited. Also, possession of narcotics and weapons is forbidden. If you are on medication, then you must always carry your doctor's prescription.

Restrictions on women

Women who wish to live and work in Saudi Arabia have to face many restrictions. They are not allowed to drive and must always be accompanied by a male relative when they have to travel.

Both Muslim and non-Muslim women have to wear a long black covered robes called abaya. Then there is complete separation of women and men in public. For example, in restaurants, there are separate sections for men. Women cannot enter the men's section.

It is to be noted that since Saudi Arabia is governed by Sharia, the punishments for violating the rules are very severe. For example, public flogging for consuming alcohol is a common punishment.

SEPL - Your Trusted Partner for Saudi Attestation Services

Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East, by land area. It is an absolute monarchy, governed by strict Islamic law. Riyadh is the capital city. It is the world's largest producer and exporter of petroleum products. Indians form the largest component of the expatriate population and are heavily involved in technology, healthcare, construction and engineering industries respectively. To streamline the process of Saudi certificate attestation, Saudi Arabia has laid down a specific process for Saudi embassy attestation.

Certificate attestation for Saudi

Certificate attestation for Saudi consists of educational, personal and commercial certificates respectively. For educational certificates, first there is HRD attestation for Saudi, then MEA attestation. Next, there is Saudi cultural attestation and finally, Saudi embassy attestation. Regarding personal certificate attestation, first there is Home Department attestation from the respective state, followed by MEA attestation. In the end, Saudi embassy attestation is carried out both on original and translated certificates respectively. Concerning commercial certificates, in the beginning, there is Indian Chamber of Commerce attestation. After that there is MEA attestation, and concluding with Saudi embassy attestation.

Degree attestation for Saudi Arabia

Degree attestation for Saudi Arabia is basically a part of the educational certificate attestation process. The main requirements for Saudi embassy degree attestation w.r.t to the certificates are described as follows.

•  Original certificate.

•  PAN card copy.

•  Copy of the passport.

•  Copy of the mark sheet.

So, for any requirements regarding Saudi attestation, Superb Enterprises Pvt Ltd, based in New Delhi, is your first choice. They have the most economical charges and the lowest time respectively.