Lost your ACR card or had it stolen?

This is what you need to know I recently had my ACR card stolen, and wanted to share with the rest of you the process I had to go through to get it replaced, as the information I got from the web, and from the BI wasnt very clear at times. I did everything at the Bureau of Immigration in Intramuros, Manila, so the process my vary at other places. Firstly get a police report. If it was stolen there is no chance your getting it back dont get worked up, and just make sure the report states your ACR card was stolen. All the better if you remember the number of the card to have that written into the Police Report, as it saves questions later. I could write a whole new article about my police station experience! Secondly you need to write a Letter of Request. This is simply a letter from you asking for a new card. Just sign it. Attach to this a copy of your passport photo page. If you have a copy of your visa, or ACR card, attach this too. Thirdly comes the Affidavit of Loss. You can do this at any law office, or even at the BI if needed. It needs to state how you lost it, your nationality, the card number and your address. This gets stamped and signed by the law office to become valid. Finally, you need to do a Publication. This is basically an advert in a national newspaper saying your card has been lost, and must run for two consecutive weeks. If you are replacing the card in Manila, the best way to do this is head to the office of Manila Bulletin when they open at 8am (it is a short 5 minute stroll from the immigration bureau!) Head to the advertising desks, and say you need a publication for a lost ACR card. They will tell you what you need to write, but it simply states your name, nationality and the ACR card number (Again, helps if you know this!). Although the BI tells you it must run for two weeks, Manila Bulletin will tell you this means ONE DAY A WEEK for two weeks, or two publications in total, and not the 14 that BI told us! After doing the ad they send you off to pay, and you take away the receipt this forms the proof of publication for the BI. There is NO NEED to wait until the publication has been made! Next, head off back to the Immigration Bureau. Your first port of call should be to the 2nd floor and the new Alien Registration Division. Walk in and tell the secretary that you need to replace a lost ACR card. She will check your papers are correct (if you followed the above youll have them all!) and then hand you off to an assessor, who will check the details. After this you are directed to the Fingerprint Bureau. Here they verify that the documents are for your card, that your details are correct, and that youre not wanted by the Philippine police. They take about 30 minutes, then stamp your form, and send you off downstairs to pay. Downstairs, you queue to receive the receipts and are then sent off to the cashier window. The cost is as follows: ACR card replacement 20usd, payable in peso at the days exchange rate.

ACR card fees 2020peso Express lane fee x 2 - 2000peso (this is automatically tacked on just pay it you have no option) Total of around 5000peso, depending on exchange rate. Once youve paid, you need to go back upstairs to the Alien Registration Division and give the receipts back to the assessor, who, if youre lucky, will still be in the same place they were last time! Wait for another 30 minutes or so and youll be directed back downstairs to fill out another application form. Once filled out, you are directed to another desk, where they sign the documents, and send you back upstairs (you get a very good workout!) to see another assessor, who also signs the documents. This will take another 30 minutes or so. After this, the secretary will take the documents, and after a while give you a thin ticket, which serves as a schedule for printing which has a code on it. You take this to window 45 (back downstairs), where they add you to the schedule. If you manage to get to this stage before 10.30am, your card will be released at 11.30am. If before 2pm, youll get the card at 3pm, and if you get there after 2pm, your card will be released at around 5pm. You simply wait around the releasing window (number 36 at the moment). Start queuing around 15 minutes before the release time. You hand them your ticket, and they give you the card, and a log book to sign to say you received it and that is it. You get your new ACR card and youre on your way! Just, try not to lose it again!!!