Filipinos have been cautioned against buying fake consular documents illegally issued by travel agencies and sold to tourist-visa applicants from the Philippines, a media report said.
The advisory issued by the Philippine Consulate-General in Dubai has warned against buying "all-in-one tourist or visit visa packages" that promise a visit visa, ticket, and the Affidavit of Support and Guarantee (AOS), an attested letter issued to holders of visit visas signifying that they have the support of their family during their stay in the UAE, reported Gulf News.
The AOS is reportedly presented to Philippine immigration officials before they fly to the UAE. It is not required by UAE authorities upon entry to the country.
The document was introduced in 2002 in a bid to curb human trafficking. But it has been removed and reinstated several times since then due to allegations of falsification and uselessness, the report said.
"We issued the advisory because of the increase in complaints we have received regarding fake affidavits of support processed by travel agencies here. We reiterate that all AOS need to be acquired through personal appearance at the Philippine missions because it is a legal document," Consul Ryan Pondoc was quoted as saying. "If you did not appear at the consulate for the document, chances are the document you got is fake."
Pondoc reportedly said some travel agencies are forging the signatures of the three consuls tasked with signing the document. Even the attestation is fake. Pondoc, however, said they have yet to trace where these fake documents are coming from.
Pondoc was quoted as saying that the risks of being offloaded at Philippine Immigration counters are high once officials detect falsified documents.
To have the document attested costs Dh100. To expedite the process, applicants pay Dh140 but this is only for "emergency or urgent cases", officials say. All the payments are sent to the national treasury, Pondoc clarified.
Source: The Filipino Times
The advisory issued by the Philippine Consulate-General in Dubai has warned against buying "all-in-one tourist or visit visa packages" that promise a visit visa, ticket, and the Affidavit of Support and Guarantee (AOS), an attested letter issued to holders of visit visas signifying that they have the support of their family during their stay in the UAE, reported Gulf News.
The AOS is reportedly presented to Philippine immigration officials before they fly to the UAE. It is not required by UAE authorities upon entry to the country.
The document was introduced in 2002 in a bid to curb human trafficking. But it has been removed and reinstated several times since then due to allegations of falsification and uselessness, the report said.
"We issued the advisory because of the increase in complaints we have received regarding fake affidavits of support processed by travel agencies here. We reiterate that all AOS need to be acquired through personal appearance at the Philippine missions because it is a legal document," Consul Ryan Pondoc was quoted as saying. "If you did not appear at the consulate for the document, chances are the document you got is fake."
Pondoc reportedly said some travel agencies are forging the signatures of the three consuls tasked with signing the document. Even the attestation is fake. Pondoc, however, said they have yet to trace where these fake documents are coming from.
Pondoc was quoted as saying that the risks of being offloaded at Philippine Immigration counters are high once officials detect falsified documents.
To have the document attested costs Dh100. To expedite the process, applicants pay Dh140 but this is only for "emergency or urgent cases", officials say. All the payments are sent to the national treasury, Pondoc clarified.
Source: The Filipino Times
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