# Living in Philippines



## phannam31 (Oct 28, 2018)

I’m over 50 U.K. citizen and wife to be is South African passport. We aim getting married in SA then looking to go Philippines and stay at least 5 yeas.
Been reading google hits and still confused.
I guess I apply UK but want go sa get married as fiancée Zimbabwean but family in SA..then go straight to Philippines . And I guess then she has to apply as my wife from SA to come with me?
If different I would appreciate clarification.
And if there’s a link to da ones or income needed and ways to stay long term together without being separated or told leave?



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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

You basically have two options to come here on a long term. (If you were marring a local that would give you a third option.)

The first is to simply renew and extend your tourist visa. That can take you up to 3 years, then fly to Hong Kong or anywhere oversight come back and start the process again. You officially cannot get a driver license that way but some are reporting getting them. You also may have some troubles and hassles opening bank accounts, getting long term rentals etc but that too is variable. If you renew for 6 months on a tourist visa then leave the country next day for any reason, they you lose the extension and start again. It will require several trips to the BI and these are reported as being a major hassle in some offices. You need ECC's when you leave after 6 months in country and some other restrictions.

You and your lady would have to apply separately for each extension, married or not, different nationalities or not will have no impact.

The second is the SRRV or Special Residential Retirement Visa. It is much less hassle but costs more. You need a $US1400 application fee plus $US360 a year, including first year. You will need to make a deposit in a special bank account. It is $20k US if you do not have a pension at least $1000 USD a month or $10k with sufficient pension. You need police clearance from home to get it and for a couple would be cheaper over time. However for that you would need to be married. You are also legally allowed to get a driver license and leases, bank accounts etc are easier. You can tax free import household goods up to $US7k in value. You do not need ECCs.

Getting mine only took about 5 hours total including opening bank account and getting medical and the hour in the traffic between the different places. After the first year you can extend for 3 years at a time and that only took be less than an hour start to finish. I am now free of all immigration issues for the next 3 years.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

If you need to work that could become an issue, the philippines is a great retirement destination.


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## mogo51 (Jun 11, 2011)

Gary D said:


> If you need to work that could become an issue, the philippines is a great retirement destination.


We keep saying it Gary but few seem to understand.


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## Slaleh Raiyshi (Oct 30, 2018)

You should go to the relevant Philippines Consulate and ask all your questions and get all the information. Forum members are not qualified immigration officers for any country.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Slaleh Raiyshi said:


> You should go to the relevant Philippines Consulate and ask all your questions and get all the information. *Forum members are not qualified immigration officers for any country*.


Neither do they claim to be.

They do however, often have years of experience living in various countries & dealing with how things happen on a daily basis. 

Which is very often completely different to how it's 'supposed' to be.


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## Slaleh Raiyshi (Oct 30, 2018)

What is ''Whis''?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Slaleh Raiyshi said:


> What is ''Whis''?


A typo. 'Which'

If you have such a low opinion of forums, judging by the posts you have made so far, one has to wonder why you have joined.


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## Slaleh Raiyshi (Oct 30, 2018)

I have joined to provide sensible advice. What is your purpose other than stalking my posts of good advice?


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## siobhanwf (Mar 20, 2009)

Slaleh Raiyshi said:


> You should go to the relevant Philippines Consulate and ask all your questions and get all the information. Forum members are not qualified immigration officers for any country.


No members claims to be qualified but they are sharing personal experiences. Many have lived in the country they are talking about for half a lifetime!.
As such they are dealing with how things happen in that specific country on a daily basis. 

Living there they know that the system can be completely different to how it's '_supposed'_ to be.

This is the purpose of any FORUM - discuss and share


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## phannam31 (Oct 28, 2018)

Slaleh Raiyshi said:


> You should go to the relevant Philippines Consulate and ask all your questions and get all the information. Forum members are not qualified immigration officers for any country.




Thanks for help  


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

siobhanwf said:


> No members claims to be qualified but they are sharing personal experiences.
> 
> .......
> 
> This is the purpose of any FORUM - discuss and share


I participate in a number of different forums. Just about every interest I have has a forum dedicated to that topic be it work related, sports related, expat living related or whatever.

In all of them there is lots of advice that is outdated, not applicable to the OP question or circumstances, self serving, and often just plain wrong.

I take all information posted on the internet the same, only as leads for further research and discussion, It tells me the questions to ask and perhaps gets me thinking of alternatives that I may not have otherwise considered.

Never would I make any significant decisions on information posted on a forum without extensively checking it out. What restaurant for supper perhaps, immigration or major life impacting decisions considerations never.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Personal opinion only but i think our Super Moderator and Moderators posts here hit the nail on the head and while I also 100% agree with Manitoba's input, would like to add that even though we are mostly from different countries and walks of life there is a commonality and perhaps a little camaraderie within expat forums.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

bigpearl said:


> Personal opinion only but i think our Super Moderator and Moderators posts here hit the nail on the head and while I also 100% agree with Manitoba's input, would like to add that even though we are mostly from different countries and walks of life there is a commonality and perhaps a little camaraderie within expat forums.
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


 Amen Steve,


I'm not sure about the other country pages on this site as I don't visit there too often. But here on the Philippines page it seems like almost family in different parts of the country and the world. It's nice that way as most everyone gets along well and makes the forum more fun and interesting.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Asian Spirit said:


> Amen Steve,
> 
> 
> I'm not sure about the other country pages on this site as I don't visit there too often. But here on the Philippines page it seems like almost family in different parts of the country and the world. It's nice that way as most everyone gets along well and makes the forum more fun and interesting.


Same Gene, only Australia page now and again.
I have learnt a lot from expat sites especially about myself and how I react and deal with things I disagree with or if someone disagrees with me, so yes you can teach an old dog new tricks. Tact, diplomacy, tolerance and of course humility always win the day,,,,,,, still learning.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

Asian Spirit said:


> Amen Steve,
> 
> 
> I'm not sure about the other country pages on this site as I don't visit there too often. But here on the Philippines page it seems like almost family in different parts of the country and the world. It's nice that way as most everyone gets along well and makes the forum more fun and interesting.


IMHO a big part of the congeniality here is that we simply do not discuss controversial issues. Some people will like/hate any political person named but we stay away from politics for the most part. Some discussion on local politics but usually from the view of letting people know what is happening rather than positions on issues.

Who is going to get worked up on a restaurant suggestion or a discussion on the new immigration rule?

I'd also guess that we tend to be older, lots of retired people here, who were raised in pre-internet days when manners were considered more important.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

Manitoba said:


> IMHO a big part of the congeniality here is that we simply do not discuss controversial issues. Some people will like/hate any political person named but we stay away from politics for the most part. Some discussion on local politics but usually from the view of letting people know what is happening rather than positions on issues.
> 
> Who is going to get worked up on a restaurant suggestion or a discussion on the new immigration rule?
> 
> I'd also guess that we tend to be older, lots of retired people here, who were raised in pre-internet days when manners were considered more important.


It is possible to discuss controversial issues on the forum but a Super Moderator would have to title the thread in red lettering. From what I see going on the the world though I would suggest against it.
You're right though in that most all of us here on the Philippines page are of retirement age/years and have little interest in sparring with people. From my point of view as long as my pension and Social Security come to me I have no interest in what goes on back home other than a level of amusement watching the news.


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## sleepless_in_pi (Dec 8, 2018)

Manitoba said:


> You basically have two options to come here on a long term. (If you were marring a local that would give you a third option.)
> 
> The first is to simply renew and extend your tourist visa. That can take you up to 3 years, then fly to Hong Kong or anywhere oversight come back and start the process again. You officially cannot get a driver license that way but some are reporting getting them. You also may have some troubles and hassles opening bank accounts, getting long term rentals etc but that too is variable. If you renew for 6 months on a tourist visa then leave the country next day for any reason, they you lose the extension and start again. It will require several trips to the BI and these are reported as being a major hassle in some offices. You need ECC's when you leave after 6 months in country and some other restrictions.
> 
> ...


Those are both terrible options. Tourists can't work here. And SRRV is way to expensive, with none of the benefits. If they are looking for 5 years or so, why not consider residency?


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## sleepless_in_pi (Dec 8, 2018)

mogo51 said:


> We keep saying it Gary but few seem to understand.


Care to help us understand then?


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

sleepless_in_pi said:


> Those are both terrible options. Tourists can't work here. And SRRV is way to expensive, with none of the benefits. If they are looking for 5 years or so, why not consider residency?


Firstly these are both good options that suit individuals and plenty of expats partake in not only these visas but plenty of others. Each to their own and their circumstances. BTW an SRRV means I can work in PH. Most expats come here to retire and smell the roses.
To get residency from my humble understanding one must live in PH. for 10 years, speak Tagalog or the local dialect fluently and then apply. Perhaps I misread things and I am sure others will put me on the straight and narrow. Diplomats and some others get preferential treatment, nose in the bucket etc.

As a twenty year resident in PH. what visa are you on and from your lengthy experiences what hope do/could you offer to the uninitiated?

Cheers, Steve.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

sleepless_in_pi said:


> Care to help us understand then?


As offered earlier perhaps as a 20 year vet you can guide us with your wisdom.

Cheers, Steve.


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## sleepless_in_pi (Dec 8, 2018)

bigpearl said:


> Firstly these are both good options that suit individuals and plenty of expats partake in not only these visas but plenty of others. Each to their own and their circumstances. BTW an SRRV means I can work in PH. Most expats come here to retire and smell the roses.
> To get residency from my humble understanding one must live in PH. for 10 years, speak Tagalog or the local dialect fluently and then apply. Perhaps I misread things and I am sure others will put me on the straight and narrow. Diplomats and some others get preferential treatment, nose in the bucket etc.
> 
> As a twenty year resident in PH. what visa are you on and from your lengthy experiences what hope do/could you offer to the uninitiated?
> ...


lol No. You can apply for residency from abroad. And there is no language or time requirement. I do not have a visa. I am a resident! I never heard of a special processing of residency for diplomats. Do diplomats even need visas?

SRRV is almost 3 million bucks! Residency is about 9,000. You can only bring ONE child with you. 800,000 for each additional kid! For us that would be 10,000,000 bucks! How could even a wealthy family like us afford that, when that is over 100 years of our income!? lol Terrible visa. And it is a visa. Not residency.

You still need an AEP to work here, if you are on an SRRV. Another reason such an expensive visa is worthless.


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## sleepless_in_pi (Dec 8, 2018)

bigpearl said:


> As offered earlier perhaps as a 20 year vet you can guide us with your wisdom.
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


What do you want to know about the Philippines?


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

sleepless_in_pi said:


> What do you want to know about the Philippines?


Perhaps you could start by telling us how you are a resident without a visa, that could be a usefull piece of information.


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## sleepless_in_pi (Dec 8, 2018)

Gary D said:


> Perhaps you could start by telling us how you are a resident without a visa, that could be a usefull piece of information.


Residents neither need, nor qualify for a visa.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

sleepless_in_pi said:


> Residents neither need, nor qualify for a visa.


Yes but how did you become a resident.


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

sleepless_in_pi said:


> Those are both terrible options. Tourists can't work here. And SRRV is way to expensive, with none of the benefits. If they are looking for 5 years or so, why not consider residency?


To work here you need a work permit or a visa type that allows work ( i.e. BB or an actual working visa)

Who wants to work here anyway? I'm retired and what I could earn as a foreigner in a month would not be enough to get me to leave the house if it was a daily rate.

Care to elaborate on the no benefits of an SRRV? I got a local driver license, impossible according to the rules for any tourist visa, no probl3ems with getting a bank account, a lease or utility connections etc. I have spent a total of about 6 hours on it for 4 years validity period. My time and not having the frustration of dealing with the BI is worth a lot to me. It also makes me bullet proof as a non resident for Canadian tax purposes. (Since I am now outside the Philippines working as a consultant, this means that I will save my deposit many times over annually let alone the $360 per year fee.)

I see lots of benefits that make it worth the cost, you may not but your circumstances are not the defining criteria any more than mine are. 

Everyone here has differing circumstances. The many different types of visas may or may not suit everyone but there are several options.

For example I don't want to end up a Philippine citizen or work in country. There are no additional advantages, that I can see, for any of the different residency plans for me over what is offered by the SRRV. I am not sure what being a resident here would mean on my tax situation but the SRRV gives me about as good as I could ever hope for in that regard. 

All we can do is state the advantages and disadvantages of the different plans and then let the reader make up their minds on what is best for them and their particular circumstances.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

As has been clearly pointed out, there are advantages and disadvantages of each method utilized to keep legal our stay in this country, depending on our individual circumstances. We can point out the advantages and disadvantages of each method for the sake of discussion, but for one to state positively that any one method is better or not only depends upon ones own particular outlook and circumstances and so only amounts to a personal opinion.

Fred 

ps. A bit of advice from an old man who has been around the block a few times: "There are times when personal opinions are best kept to oneself".


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

sleepless_in_pi said:


> lol No. You can apply for residency from abroad. And there is no language or time requirement. I do not have a visa. I am a resident! I never heard of a special processing of residency for diplomats. Do diplomats even need visas?
> 
> SRRV is almost 3 million bucks! Residency is about 9,000. You can only bring ONE child with you. 800,000 for each additional kid! For us that would be 10,000,000 bucks! How could even a wealthy family like us afford that, when that is over 100 years of our income!? lol Terrible visa. And it is a visa. Not residency.
> 
> You still need an AEP to work here, if you are on an SRRV. Another reason such an expensive visa is worthless.


Yes diplomats need a visa, that is they need the permission of the country that they are in to enter. Usually easy to get and automatic but every so often you read about one being persona non grata, i.e. visa revoked and kicked out of the country.

$3 million for an SRRV?

For the most common categories of SRRV's:

Application fee is $1400.
Annual fee payable from year one is $360
Deposit varies from $50,000 for under age 50, 10,000 over age 50 with pension of at least $1,000 a month paid into a local bank or $20,000 with no pension.

On top of that I had to get an RCMP clearance. Since I was out of the country that was a little more expensive than it could have been as I had to use an online fingerprint service, ($250 CDN, needed to have the fingerprint card notarized $US 100 and had to pay the local police to actually take the fingerprint for me. 1,000 Haitian Gourde, less than $US20 or so). Getting it authenticated was another $CDN 200 or so since I was no where near Ottawa and had to use a commercial service plus couriers to get it done.)

Far way from $3 million, even if you were using peso and calling them bucks, the max deposit is only 1,000,000 p. and the application fee and sundry stuff less than 100,000 p.

If you don't want to work in the Philippines even applying for a work permit is a waste of time. Getting a different visa that allows working would similarly be a waste of time if it did not give me the same benefits that the SRRV does.

Not everyone is in your situation and what is best for you is not automatically what is best for others.


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