Document checklist
Sri Lanka → Philippines: Student Visa (9F)
What you need before you submit, checked against official requirements, not guesswork.
Not yet checked. This page was drafted from the sources listed below but hasn't passed verification yet. Double-check anything critical directly with the official source before you rely on it.
Required documents
13 itemsIdentity
Application forms and photos
RequiredAt an embassy: two filled-in visa application forms with two passport-size photos on a white background (scanned photos aren't accepted). At the Bureau of Immigration: two original copies of the Consolidated General Application Form (CGAF), filled in with capital letters in English, with no item left blank (write "N/A" if it doesn't apply).
Passport valid 6 months beyond your stay
RequiredYour passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the stay you're allowed in the Philippines. If you convert your visa inside the Philippines, you also give copies of your photo page and latest arrival stamp, and show the original passport to be scanned.
Personal History Statement with a 2x2 photo
RequiredA Personal History Statement that you sign, with a recent 2" x 2" photo attached.
Source: Philippine Embassy Pretoria (DFA), Applying for a student visa
Financial
Proof you can pay for school and living costs
RequiredProof that you have enough money for your housing, daily living, school fees and other costs. The Pretoria embassy also lists an affidavit of support from your parents.
Source: Philippine Embassy Pretoria (DFA), Applying for a student visa
Purpose of travel
CHED Certificate of Eligibility for Admission (Medicine or Dentistry)
If you will study Medicine or Dentistry, you need the original Certificate of Eligibility for Admission from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). If you transfer or change course, a CHED endorsement is also needed.
Source: Bureau of Immigration Philippines, Checklist: Conversion to Student Visa (BI Form V-NI-005-Rev 1)
Notice of Acceptance from your school
RequiredThe original Notice of Acceptance from your school, with a clear impression of the school's dry seal (raised stamp). The student visa is for people at least 18 years old taking a course higher than high school at a school allowed to accept foreign students.
Source: Philippine Consulate General New York (DFA), 9(F) Student Visa
School request and endorsement letters (converting in the Philippines)
If you convert your visa at the Bureau of Immigration: a joint letter from you and your school to the Commissioner on school letterhead with the dry seal, an endorsement signed by the School Registrar, and a copy of the school representative's BI accreditation ID.
Source: Bureau of Immigration Philippines, Checklist: Conversion to Student Visa (BI Form V-NI-005-Rev 1)
Other
BI Clearance Certificate (converting in the Philippines)
If you convert your visa at the Bureau of Immigration, you need a BI Clearance Certificate.
Source: Bureau of Immigration Philippines, Checklist: Conversion to Student Visa (BI Form V-NI-005-Rev 1)
Foreign documents in original, authenticated and translated
RequiredDocuments from other countries must be originals, authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate covering where they were issued, with an English translation if they're in another language. Sworn statements must be original and notarised.
Source: Bureau of Immigration Philippines, Checklist: Conversion to Student Visa (BI Form V-NI-005-Rev 1)
Medical health certificate with chest X-ray
RequiredA medical health certificate from an authorised doctor, including a standard-size chest X-ray, authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate. The Bureau of Immigration page lists a notarised Medical Health Certificate (FA Form No. 11) with urine, stool and blood lab reports.
Source: Philippine Consulate General New York (DFA), 9(F) Student Visa
NBI clearance (if converting after 6 months in the Philippines)
If you apply to convert to a student visa 6 months or more after you first arrived in the Philippines, you also need a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance.
Source: Bureau of Immigration Philippines, Checklist: Conversion to Student Visa (BI Form V-NI-005-Rev 1)
Police clearance certificate
RequiredA police clearance from the national police in your home country or country of legal residence, signed and sealed, and authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate there.
Source: Philippine Consulate General New York (DFA), 9(F) Student Visa
School records or transcript
RequiredYour school records or transcript, authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate in your home country or country of legal residence.
Source: Philippine Embassy Pretoria (DFA), Applying for a student visa
Why applications on this route get refused
Blank items or documents out of order
The Bureau of Immigration warns that applications can be summarily dismissed or delayed if the form has blank items, isn't in capital letters, or the documents aren't complete and in the checklist order.
How to avoid it: Fill in every item (write "N/A" where needed), use capital letters, and arrange documents in the checklist order in a legal-size folder.
Under 18 or course not above high school
The student visa is only for people at least 18 years old taking a course higher than high school at a school allowed to accept foreign students.
How to avoid it: Check your age at enrolment and confirm with your school that it can accept foreign students for your course.
Foreign documents not authenticated
Foreign documents such as police clearances and school records must be originals authenticated by a Philippine Embassy or Consulate, with English translations where needed.
How to avoid it: Get your police clearance and school records authenticated in your home country before you travel.
No NBI clearance after 6 months in the country
If you apply to convert 6 months or more after first arriving in the Philippines, the checklist requires an NBI clearance.
How to avoid it: Count the months since your first arrival and get an NBI clearance first if it's 6 months or more.
Notice of Acceptance without the school's dry seal
The Notice of Acceptance must be the original and carry a clear impression of the school's dry seal.
How to avoid it: Ask your school to emboss the dry seal clearly on the original notice before you submit it.
Sources
- Bureau of Immigration Philippines, Student Visa (9F) · checked 14 Sept 2026
- Bureau of Immigration Philippines, Checklist: Conversion to Student Visa (BI Form V-NI-005-Rev 1) · checked 14 Sept 2026
- Philippine Consulate General New York (DFA), 9(F) Student Visa · checked 14 Sept 2026
- Philippine Embassy Beijing (DFA), Student Visa · checked 14 Sept 2026
- Philippine Embassy Pretoria (DFA), Applying for a student visa · checked 14 Sept 2026
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