# Visa advice for future move from UK to Philippines



## darrendgw (2 mo ago)

Hi everyone I would like to get some advice on what would be the best option for us as a family.
I currently live in the UK I was born in the UK. In 2024 I can retire with a pension. I only have a UK Passport.
It is our intention for us to sell up in the UK and move to the Philippines sometime after my retirement.
My wife is originally from the Philippines and currently only has a UK passport she does intend to obtain a Filipino passport again soon.
Our daughter is only a toddler and has a UK Passport.
We do go to the Philippines annually to be with family there. ( other than the covid years) 
It would be our intention for me to retire without working. My wife would like the option to work there ( but might not work).
We would not need to buy a house straight away as the family home is good for us all, but in time we would like to purchase a home. 
It would be our intention to stay in the Philippines for the majority of the year , we would school our daughter there and visit the UK perhaps once a year for a few weeks to visit our family and friends.
So I would greatly appreciate any advice re which visa would work best and some knowledge if the visa application is completed in the UK or in the Philippines.
Thanks again.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

darrendgw said:


> Hi everyone I would like to get some advice on what would be the best option for us as a family.
> I currently live in the UK I was born in the UK. In 2024 I can retire with a pension. I only have a UK Passport.
> It is our intention for us to sell up in the UK and move to the Philippines sometime after my retirement.
> My wife is originally from the Philippines and currently only has a UK passport she does intend to obtain a Filipino passport again soon.
> ...


The first thing I would do is get both your wife and daughter dual citizenship. If you intend to travel regularly I'd just go balikbayan for yourself so no costs involved. As for schooling many expats do it the other way around and don't school in the Philippines. It depends where you see your daughters future. A filipino education will somewhat limit it.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Welcome to the forum Darren. If it's possible I'd get all this done in the UK, but I'm not familar with the UK Philippine Embassy's rules or if they are accepting 13a Visas. 

I obtained my 13a Visa in the US through a Philippine Consulate and so when I came to the Philippines I was already a Permanent Resident, I did need to apply for my ACR card though within a week after landing, that was a two month ordeal, so I had to apply for the ACR card and then it took two months for the card to be processed and picked up.

If you decide to work all your documents in the Philippines you could run into issues, such as original certified documents so if possible I'd try to work out all your immigration while in the UK. The other issue is that if you work your immigration paperwork from the Philippines it's probationary so you'll have to wait a year before it's finished and of course run all the paperwork all over again.

So if you live near Manila you could get all this done but if you live on another island or more remote the travel expenses can add up, so as a retiree it could become a stressful situation.

Immigration or living here legally can become a problem and turn into an expensive ordeal, you could fly here and upon landing get your Balikbyan Privilege good for one year and also the wheels at the Immigration office move slowly.

Also the Immigration documents used outside the Philippines vs the documents you'll be filling out here are different so not standardized. 

I created a helpful link on this 13a Visa Permanent Resident information this will be for your Immigration and I'm not sure what your wife would use it's gonna be similar, she'd apply for a 13G Returning former natural born Philippine citizen

Philippine Bureau of Immigration by either message or phone call. PBI Official Facebook page


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

If the wife and daughter re -aquire their Philippine citizenship then that's done and dusted, no further action required. The U.K. Philippine embassy were not doing the 13a unless its changed very recently.
Just thought of a possible hiccup, if the wife only had UK citizenship on the berth of her daughter she may not qualify for Philippine citizenship.


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

You cant get Balinkbayan before your wife has got Philippine passport, and such can take time, so start that process soon so its done before you move. To be done to get land owning possibility done too. Foreigners can own BUILDINGS at leased land too. (And foreigners can own max 40 % of land through a company IF fullfil some demands.)

Other alternatives can be as said 13a
or can be SRRV (=retirement Visa) and SIRV (=investors visa) where money demands can be USED for investments even real estate.

Concerning your wife perhaps will work, almost all employments in Phils get very low salary, so seldom worth it if it isnt for wanting to work.
OR try to get a work for an (UK) foreign company/freelancer which can be handled from anywhere in the world through internet
OR start an own business IF have suiting skills for a possible good profit business, and enough start capital/knowledge to start something not to many Filipinos can copy - because even if the business idea is fantastic but is sensitive for copying to close, then it will be screwed up by soon will a bunch start same just beside, because Filipinos are world champions at copying but very few understand even basic business things as "Supply and demand".
((I have started two business with good potentials, not much sensitive for copying by being productions sold elsewhere, except if many copy then it can be raw material shortage closely and one of the business I want to go on having possibility to go on buying wrong handled running businesses very cheap  which are for sale very cheap by having bad earning by owners dont know how to handle them. And both reduce copyists by they cost a bit to much for most Filipinos to manage to finance and one of them solved by very few Filipinos have the knowledge by even the specialist college for such businesses teach WRONG!!!))
Some foreigners use their contacts from own country e g to export to there.

As said by other most Philippine schools are bad - EXCEPT at language. All kids, who dont have Tagalog as first language, learn their THIRD language very early in school and e g a 10yo I know can speak rather good.
Almost all schools are realy crap at mathematics, even very few teachers know how to count percent, and college did let through at MASTER exam one, who could the simplest, but couldnt recount the most common loan in Phils interest to year interest!!! And most - except OFWs - believe European countries as e g Greece are American states 
One of the few good Filipino teachers I have found even started own home schooling because of that for the own kids plus a few of their friends only teaching them herself. It ended up with it became so popular so even the baranggay recomended it 🤣 became 70 students and some employed teachers!  (Closed now after her kids became grown ups.)

So if I get kids I would make a mix of being in the closest school mostly - to get friends - but get approval to have have home schooling a day per week or so to cover such as mathematics. OR there are some chance I can make the only other GOOD teacher I know to move to "my" village" by giving her some land there (and some building material) because its her dream to "move back to her roots" which is this municipaly.
A reason I started own business is to get wife and kids possibility to work and get income in it after I am dead too. If the kids start in a family business, they dont need to bother about the hazzle to pass the hurdle steps for each year in normal schools nor need to go to college/university.
After learned how to read, much can be learned much faster by self studies...
((Much time of mine was wasted in SWEDISH schools, which were in top 5 in the world back then by I had to wait for the slowest. I went to college just one semester myself, but skiped because I found them not teaching the method, which I knew allready, and teaching to slow  E g a Business economy course has 3 YEARS as normal study time, which I did in 18 HOURS plus the tests time. By many chapters I just red the headline and skiped when it was about things, which can be figuered out by logic thinking. The 1 year Acounting course took a bit longer by needing to understand expressions.)) 
Many mix up Knowledge, Cleverness with Exams... Many WITH exams are realy stupid  And if its own business, then the employer dont demand exam to employ you 

Btw one of the sucessful Filipino businessmen ( I am terrible at remembering names but chineese blood) say he dont pick people by exams but by personality. 
(I do to. It took me long time to find my Filipino business partner though, they are rare by most have shortage of logic thinking capacity.
And e g many years ago in my first business I employed a messed up young guy at a work where he would be controlling himself mainly, handling a project by himself. He shaped up and became a successful lawyer, who has got several assignments from UN...  He has been involved in developing "Ombudsman".)
The Philippines is one of the countries, which have copied from the Swedish Ombudsman. = A government paid institution to which anyone can report missbehaving officials and politicians. In Phils Ombudsman has sued e g a governor, but has got far to litle resourses to fight all such corruption.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Lunkan said:


> You cant get Balinkbayan before your wife has got Philippine passport, and such can take time, so start that process soon so its done before you move. To be done to get land owning possibility done too. Foreigners can own BUILDINGS at leased land too. (And foreigners can own max 40 % of land through a company IF fullfil some demands.)
> 
> Other alternatives can be as said 13a
> or can be SRRV (=retirement Visa) and SIRV (=investors visa) where money demands can be USED for investments even real estate.
> ...


Good one and nice catch Lunkan  and I totally overlooked that, the wife has to be a Philippine citizen or it appears she needs to reacquire her Philippine citizenship in order for the Balikbyan Privilege to work and also owning a home or land, we as foreigners can own condos so if you do go the SRRV route I'd see if the Philippine Retirement Authority PRA can recommend a condominium to cover the cost of the deposit needed. Here's information on the Philippine Retirement Authority PRA useful links for expats short cut

Darren it's good thing you are asking questions now because to show up to the Philippines cold without any plan would have been one heck of an Immigration nightmare and that will be your main concern, all other things should be second on your list of things to do.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

As a formal Philippine citizen she will qualify for the balikbayan privilege, she just needs to show an old passport or birth certificate. She can also own land at a reduced size to a current citizen.


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## grahamw57 (May 27, 2018)

Yes, ideally, have the Mrs reacquire her Filipino citizenship (and become a dual national). Same for the daughter. Can be done in the UK or in the Phils.

Initial entry to Phils, Balikbayans to get you all into the country for a good length of time, (make sure you have your marriage cert with you at Phils airport Immigration desk, and wife's old Filipino passport, and her birth cert) followed by a 13A application for yourself (if unable at this time to do it back in the UK).

Also a Brit, I've done most of this stuff in the past...first marriage.


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## darrendgw (2 mo ago)

Thanks everyone for you replies , some sound advice here and some things for us to do


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

You need to look into your daughters status because if both her parents were British citizens on her birth she is Britsh.


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## freebiefan (Nov 11, 2020)

And please dont forget that the Philippines Embassy is London is beyond useless. Try calling and see if you get a response. See the FB pages about it and the 100s of complaints from Filipinos about their own embassy. SRRV rules requires the police clearance to be apostilled. And yet 3 yeasrs after making the change to that system Philippines embassy continues to send applicant to the Foreign Commonwelath office depsite it being the wrong place for getting things " apostilled ".. You have some work ahead of you, to get this sorted and expect hiccups and bumps in the road. There will be plenty more when you arrive in Philippines.. endless need for paperwork and copies and more copies.... but once done, all is good.


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## Howard_Z (7 mo ago)

For SRRV, the PRA will do an Interpol check for $10USD.
No need for apostle because the PRA did it.


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## freebiefan (Nov 11, 2020)

Remember if going down the SRRV route that every office and every agent will have /give different info. 
One poster suggests that PRA will do an interpol check, whereas many offices ( have 2 friends currently applying in 2 different offices ) continue to state police clearance is required. What about if Ive already been resident in a barangay for 6 months?.. one friend was told a barangay certificate would suffice, other friend told no he still needed his police clearance and still needed to be apostilled. Both doing exact same SRRV application .


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## Howard_Z (7 mo ago)

Freebie, this person does not need the SRRV.

I got my SRRV in September 2022.
James Biron was the PRA marketer who helped me.

Yes, you need a criminal check.
Yes, an Interpol check is an accepted criminal check.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Welcome to the Philippines.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Howard_Z (7 mo ago)

https://pra.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Guidelines-on-the-Acceptance-and-Processing-of-Valid-SRRV-Documentary-Requirements.pdf



Police clearance section

Interpol is mentioned

I had a FBI criminal check, but could not get it apostiled by US state department in time for my trip.

US state department did not authenticate, even after waiting several months. US state department rejected my request because my check did not have my address printed on it.


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## grahamw57 (May 27, 2018)

Are my reading glasses faulty, or did I actually read that the original poster was British ?  

If he applies for (probationary) 13A , after having lived here for at least 6 months, then UK police clearance is not required, just cheap and simple NBI clearance...approx. p250 cost. Wait 14 days, then pick up your certificate. I went through the process during the last 2 years...now having my 13A 'Permanent Resident' stamp and ACR-1 card.


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

freebiefan said:


> One poster suggests that PRA will do an interpol check, whereas many offices ( have 2 friends currently applying in 2 different offices ) continue to state police clearance is required.


 Both can be right  because the check switch from home country to Phils when have lived in Phils a while. 6 months?


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## Matt S (Apr 16, 2015)

Having lived in PH for 5 years and the Region for almost 20, the visa you have many simple solutions as mentioned. You can just come as a tourist and extend to up for 3 years.

Your issues are Health Care, which is poor and expensive and education. In terms of the latter you either need to send your Daughter to an International school or get a load of tutors to fill the many gaps in her education. 

In terms of health care, you need an international insurance such as BUPA, don't go near the local stuff.


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## Talako (Aug 13, 2020)

Regarding home country apostilated police clearance and NBI clearance, I applied (13A) at the local BI office at 4 months, and I was required to get a NBI clearance anyway. Their reasoning was that I had made trips here to the Philippines here in the past.

Rules and requirements are BI office, person, time of day, temperature, expat behavior, and/or hunger status of the door guard dependent. 

You need to be flexible.


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