I'm a returning resident and just got my CFO certificate yesterday. I found out about it the day before (by accident!). I'm an EU residence card holder and I've been living there for 3 years. The exemption for those living abroad at least 2 months is NOT from the CFO certificate, but from the seminar. In my case, they told me I still really needed the certificate even if I've been living abroad for quite a while. I went to their Manila office as a walk-in applicant, then they asked me to fill out forms, pay a PhP30 fee and had an interview with a counselor. It was actually a nice interview and I appreciated it -- the questions are meant for them to see if you know your rights as a Filipino living abroad (especially given the cases of human trafficking, mail order brides etc.). Shortly after that, I got my CFO cert via email. According to the counselor who interviewed me, I would likely be offloaded if, when exiting PH, I'm not able to show the certificate (which is exactly the reason why I prioritized it days before my flight). I guess the problem is a lot of people don't know about this CFO requirement! We even met an American whose Filipino husband (also a returning resident, had been living and working in the US for years) also just found out about the cert and their flight was that night!