ACR I-Card and annual report in the Philippines

Once you live in the Philippines on a visa, you carry an alien registration card, check in with immigration in the first 60 days of every year, and clear immigration paperwork before you leave.

The short version

The ACR I-Card (Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card) is the Bureau of Immigration's ID for registered foreigners. Visa holders get one with their visa, and tourists who stay more than 59 days need one too [3][2].
All registered foreigners must file an annual report within the first 60 days of every calendar year. The fee is PHP 310 (about USD 5) [1][2].
Miss it and you pay PHP 200 a month in fines (capped at PHP 2,000 a year) plus a PHP 1,510 motion for reconsideration fee [1][2].
Immigrants leaving temporarily need an ECC-B with a re-entry permit. For an adult with a one-year permit, the charter's fees add up to PHP 3,380 (about USD 53) [2].
SRRV retirees are exempt from both the ACR I-Card and the annual report [6].

USD conversions use the European Central Bank cross rate of October 30, 2026 (USD 1 = PHP 63.68).

Who needs an ACR I-Card

Back in the States, a green card holder carries one card and that's about it. The Philippines works on the same idea, with more steps. The Bureau of Immigration (BI) issues the ACR I-Card to:

Visa holders. If you get a 13A spouse visa, a work visa, a student visa or another immigrant or non-immigrant visa, the ACR I-Card application goes in together with your visa application [3]. Under the 2026 Citizen's Charter, a 13A applicant does biometrics at the Alien Registration Division and claims the card once it's approved [2].
Long-stay tourists. Foreigners on a temporary visitor or tourist visa who have stayed more than 59 days need one [3]. You'll usually handle it at the same time as your tourist visa extension.
Children turning 14. Kids re-register when they hit 14, which counts as a reason to renew the card [4].

The card fee is USD 50, charged at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas rate on the day you're assessed, plus an express fee of PHP 500 (about USD 8) on the BI's renewal page [4][2]. The BI's web pages say their fees are "updated as of 06 March 2014" [3], so check the current amount when you pay.

When to renew or replace it

The BI's renewal page lists four reasons to renew [4]:

The card's one-year validity has run out (this applies to tourist-type cards)
Re-registration at age 14
A change of visa status, such as going from probationary to permanent 13A
A replacement required under the Alien Registration Act of 1950

You surrender the old card, fill out BI Form 2015-08-002, attach a passport copy, and permanent residents add a copy of their Board of Commissioners approval [2].

The annual report: your January–February check-in

Here's the rule straight from the charter: "All registered aliens shall, within the first sixty (60) days of every calendar year, report in person" to the BI main office in Intramuros, Manila, or another participating BI office [2]. It comes from Section 10 of Republic Act 562, the Alien Registration Act. In practice, the window runs from January 1 to March 1, because the BI counts fines from March 2 [1].

It applies to all registered foreigners with an ACR I-Card or a paper ACR, except tourist and temporary visitor visa holders [1]. If you arrived on or before November 2 of the previous year, you owe the report [1].

Annual report item	Fee	About in USD
Annual report fee	PHP 300	USD 4.70
Legal research fee	PHP 10	USD 0.15
Total on time	PHP 310	USD 5 [1][2]
Late fine	PHP 200 a month, max PHP 2,000 a year	USD 3 a month, max USD 31 [1]
Motion for reconsideration (if late)	PHP 1,510	USD 24 [1][2]

Filing in person

Register online at the BI e-services site (e-services.immigration.gov.ph) and get a reference number [1][2].
Go to your chosen BI office with the reference number, your original ACR I-Card and your original passport [1].
Bring your old annual report receipts if there's any chance of a dispute over fines [2].
Get your Order of Payment Slip, pay, and keep the official receipt. That receipt is your proof.

The charter's processing target for this is about 23 minutes [2]. Lines in January and February can make it feel longer, so go early in the window.

Filing virtually

The BI also runs a virtual annual report for foreigners in the Philippines. You book a slot on the e-services site, then join a Google Meet interview. An officer checks your identity and takes a photo of you holding your passport and ACR I-Card. Then you pay online [2]. It's open around the clock for booking, and it beats a trip to Intramuros in Manila traffic.

Proposed fee increase

On October 9, 2026, the BI published a notice of a proposed new schedule: an annual report fee of PHP 500 plus the PHP 10 legal research fee, and an express lane fee of PHP 1,000 in person or PHP 1,500 for the virtual report. It invited public comment for 30 days [5]. As of that notice, these were proposals, not the fees in force. Check the BI site before the 2027 window opens.

Leaving the Philippines: the ECC and re-entry permits

This trips up a lot of new residents. Registered foreigners can't just show a passport at the airport. Depending on your status, you need an Emigration Clearance Certificate (ECC), proof that you have no derogatory record and no unpaid government obligations [2].

ECC-B with a re-entry permit (residents leaving temporarily)

If you hold an immigrant or non-immigrant visa with a valid ACR I-Card and you're leaving temporarily, you get an ECC-B, a single-use receipt that also works as your re-entry permit (RP) if you're an immigrant, or a special return certificate (SRC) if you're a non-immigrant. It's valid for one year or six months [2]. You need the ECC application form (BI Form 2015-08-001), a copy of your ACR I-Card front and back, and passport copies [2]. You can also apply online through BI e-services [2].

ECC-B with RP or SRC	Breakdown	Total
Adult, 1-year permit	PHP 1,400 RP/SRC + PHP 700 ECC-B + PHP 250 head tax + PHP 30 legal research + PHP 1,000 express lane	PHP 3,380 (about USD 53) [2]
Adult, 6-month permit	PHP 700 + PHP 700 + PHP 250 + PHP 20 + PHP 1,000	PHP 2,670 (about USD 42) [2]

Away for more than a year? The NAIA Terminal 3 charter lists a PHP 3,030 a year (about USD 48) payment to extend an RP or SRC for those who stayed abroad longer than one year [7]. Don't let a long stretch back home for a family emergency turn into a lost visa. Ask the BI about extending before your permit runs out.

ECC-A (leaving for good or after a long tourist stay)

The ECC-A is for tourists who stayed six months or more, foreigners whose visas were downgraded or expired, and people with orders to leave [2]. The ECC itself is PHP 700 plus legal research fees, and the charter lists other charges that can apply on top, such as the ACR fee and a certificate of residence for temporary visitors [2]. If you're leaving for good on a cancelled visa, budget a day for this, not an hour.

Who's exempt

SRRV holders. The Philippine Retirement Authority says SRRV holders are exempt from the BI annual report, the ACR I-Card and exit and re-entry permits [6]. Your SRRV ID does that job.
Tourists who stay 59 days or less don't need an ACR I-Card at all [3].
US citizens who are also Filipino citizens. If you're a dual citizen under Republic Act 9225, you enter as a Filipino and aren't a registered alien. Bring your Philippine passport or identification certificate.

The American angle

None of this touches your US obligations. Uncle Sam still wants your Form 1040 every year, and the IRS deadlines don't care about Philippine paperwork. Before trips home, enroll in STEP so the US Embassy in Manila can reach you, and keep a photo of your ACR I-Card and latest annual report receipt on your phone. If you lose your card abroad, those copies make the replacement much easier.

When the January rush starts, our community group for Americans in the Philippines is a good place to ask which BI offices have the shortest lines this year.

ACR I-Card and annual report: the Philippine paperwork every resident American owes