Living in the Philippines- Living in PARADISE
Many visitors from the UK to the Philippines fall in love with the lifestyle, scenery, people, pace of life and of course the affordability of life in the Philippines.
This is leading to increasing numbers of British travellers wanting to settle there, many at retiring age, using their private and government pensions to live a lifestyle that is usually a distant dream to many people. In this section we will strive to give you a detailed but concise outline of how living in the Philippines can be achieved, with many links to official and other websites that will give you more detailed information about a particular subject . Also we will offer links to forums that are run by British and other ex-pats with vast experience of these beautiful islands, and downloadable documents that will give you the official explanations.
As ever , if there is a certain topic that isn’t covered here or you find it difficult to find information on, you can always join our newsletter list of subscribers or contact us stating your query , and we will endeavour to get the answers to you as quickly as we can.
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Tips and advice on how to enjoy you time in the Philippines by a man with many years experiance. Click on the book for more info ...............
In my experience, the most popular topics that British nationals want to know about in order to decide if the Philippines is the right place for them to relocate are as follows
MEDICAL ( check links page for detailed info)
The Philippines does run a free programme for the poorer sections of the community, but most medical treatment is paid for at source, including medicines. As a foreigner you will be expected to make allowances for expenditure as and when you or your family require medical services including dental. There are a number of Insurance type companies based in the Philippines that operate to cover medical expenses ( look at links page).
Of course if you continue to be registered as a UK citizen , then you will be entitled to the usual Health Service Benefits, however if you should decide to become a permanent resident of the Philippines you may lose these benefits.
PENSIONS (check links page for detailed info)
Many expats in the Philippines are of pensionable age and have no trouble in arranging their finances, as long as they research and follow the correct procedures prior to relocating.You will still be able to receive your government pension if you decide to relocate to the Philippines. As in the UK it would be paid direct to you bank account. Private pensions can be deposited into a Philippine bank or collected through various means if you decide to maintain a UK bank account.
We strongly recommend that you get expert advise as to the best bank, type of account , and alternative methods of collecting your pensions.
VISAS (check links page for detailed info)
When you start visiting the Philippines it will usually be as a tourist. No Visa is required for the first 21 days , after that time an extension can be applied for which it is quite simple and relatively inexpensive to arrange. You can either arrange this before you come to the Philippines if you know for sure you will staying more that 21 days by simply requesting a form from the Philippine Embassy in London ( This can also be completed online). This costs £22 and will allow you upto 59 days stay in the Philippines from the day of arrival. If you should require further time in the Philippines then you have to obtain a further extension for another 59 days. this can be repeated for upto 2 years before you have to leave the country ( Many expats travel to Hong Kong for a short stay ) then return to Philippines and start the process all over again. there are many travel agents that will do this for you with an additional admin charge , or you can do it yourself by going to your local Immigration office. This method of staying in the Philippines is seen by many as the easiest and less costly of the various methods as you will see later.
The common opinion amongst expats that live there already on Tourist Visas is that its not a good idea to wait until after 14 months or so to leave the county and then return. Staying for the full 24 months usually requires a serious reason why you need to do that. The Immigration Department will not accept just wanting to stay longer as a reason to stay much longer than 12 months, so the surest way to make sure you dont have any problems is to leave every 12 months then return after a day or so. You will however require an onward ticket out of the Philippines to gain entry. Many airlines will not allow you to board to get to the Philippines unless you have a ticket for an onward journey. Some airlines offer refunds on the return part of the ticket , sometime theres a charge. , but is still good value if you intend to stay. At least you get some of your money back after you arrive in the Philippines.
There a number of different visas available and required for foreign nationals that want to reside in the Philippines .
SRRV Visa - (Special Resident Retiree’s Visa)
Is available for all foreigners that satisiy certain criteria. One of the major requirements is that a deposit of upto 50,000 US Dollars ( or its equivalent) is deposited into a Philippine Bank Account. This can be used approximately 6 months after the Visa is granted to be used as investment in various categories of real estate and business.
Certain advantages are gained by obtaining one of these visas, such as easier travel in and out of country, relief from certain taxes. etc
In order to apply for this type of visa , a person applying must also join the PRA ( Philippine Retirement Association) this is quite easy to do and can be applied for in the Philippines or at Philippine Embassies in country of origin. The cost is 1400 US dollars ( or its equivalent) and the PRA. id card costs a further 10 US dollars per annum to renew .
13a Visa
This is only available to spouses of filippina citizens. If you meet and marry a Filippina girl and have been using a tourist visa , then after marriage, you can apply for a 13a Visa
Balikbayan Visa
This is not actually a visa as such but more a stamp on your passport and can be only obtained by being married to a Filippina who has been away from the Philippines for more than a year and you are travelling back to the Philippines with her. You can then request ‘Balikabayan Status’ from immigration. It has been known however that although you are supposed to be travelling WITH your wife, some expats have still gained entry using the Balikbayan stamp without their spouses , but it is by no means assured
There are a number of other types of visas being proposed . For these in detail and more detailed explanation of the visa requirements for all the above , click on the links provided for retiring and living in the Philippines.
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PROPERTY
Foreigners are NOT allowed to own land in the Philippines but they can ‘own’ a building on that land.
However it IS allowed for non filippinas to own condominiums, but what you really own is he space between the walls for as long as the building is standing.
~Most married expats living in Philippines place property in their filippina wife’s name. It is possible to have an attorney to include a clause in the signed deeds to any property that states that the husband is part owner of the property. Although in legal terms the land still belongs to the wife. It is believed that a court in which any divorce or legal argument takes place, will look sympathetically in the husbands favour should this situation arise, but this is by far from certain and in any dealing regarding finances and property or land in particular all matters should be investigated very thoroughly before parting with any money. Although some judges will be sympathetic with Husbands claims on property,usually the wife will get the lot!!!!!
DAY TO DAY LIVING
Most of the things British people would require if living in the Philippines is available , although for some items it might take a little searching for.
Some foodstuffs are hard to find , and some that are branded under the same name as the UK are slighty different to UK standards as they might be made locally to local tastes.Things like unsweetened bread , tea , brown and tomato sauces, and other small items can be hard if not impossible to find depending on where in thePhilippines you are. Many expats decide to settle in areas such as Cebu, Angeles City, Subic Bay due to the fact that because there are many expats living there already 'Western goods and services are more easily obtained.Of course the ‘Local Beer’ is of the Lager variety ie San Miguel. Don’t expect to find Boddingtons Bitter or London Pride in the Philippines.
INTERNET CONNECTION
Internet including WiFi is available in many areas especially in the major cities and towns. In more remote areas this would be harder to find. In some hotels you will have to pay an hourly charge which vary for each establishment. In some hotels the connection is free as is Wi-fi. Many bars and cafes such as Starbucks etc have free Wi-Fi for customers to use. The reliablility and speed of the internet is sometimes not as good as in the UK.
If you wanted internet connection at you apartment or house then you wold be looking at a cost of around 1800 pesos per month although this would include cable television with 58 channels. (approx £25). You will pay more for faster speed and more channels .Some expats use the 'pay as you go' dongles for connection although if you use it a lot then it works out quite expensive. Watch out for 'additional charges' when the company installs you internet... if you are a long way from the pole that the connecting wire comes from you will be charged approximatley 70pesos PER FOOT for the cable(£1 approx)
MOBILE PHONES
Mobile Phones are everywhere in the Philippines. ( don’t expect to find public phone boxes in the street. They would only be found in shopping malls, airports etc). More texts are sent and received in the Philippines than anywhere else in the world and by western standards in quite cheap to use.There is only 2 major players in the supply of mobile air time, They are called Globe and Smart.When you arrive in the Philippines unlkess you want to use your existing phone with the roaming facility ( VERY EXPENSIVE) , you will have to buy a sim card. These are available from many stores. If you are a stranger to the Philippines it would be best to ask someone at the hotel how to add credit or LOAD as its known in the Philippines. You can choose either Globe or Smart, but be aware that in certain provinces only ONE service provider will be used. So if you will be visiting that province you may need 2 sims ,one for each service provider.Most times you buy 'load' it will be in the form of a scratch card , just follow the instructions on the card.You can also buy load at some small stores which is called e-load... with this they just need your phone number and they text it to you. You can buy from 10 to 300 pesos or multilpes thereof.
POWER FAILURES
In the Philippines power failures are common place . These are known as ‘Brown Outs’. They can last for a few minutes or a number of hours. Many hotels , businesses, and even private homes have their own generators as a back up in the event of a power failure.
TERRORISM
Contrary to popular belief, the Philippines is as safe regarding terror attacks as most other places in the world. There is activity in the Southern Islands where there is a bigger percentage of Muslims reside. This was highlighted around the world with the recent shootings of 50+ people on the island of Mindanao so care should be taken if visiting these areas. Although there are many British, American, and Australians Etc living and visiting these areas without any problems. The shooting previously mentioned was strongly linked to family feuds encompassing political ambitions so NOTHING to do with Terrorism as many were made to believe outside of the Philippines.
If you travel and maybe decide to settle in these areas of the Southern Philippines its advisable to get local knowledge, join the many forums online, get official advice and above all be a little more careful than you would in other parts of the Philippines.
FINANCIAL
We recommend that all prospective retirees to the Philippines take care to check all available banking, investment and monetary websites , including official sites before making the move to the Philippines. Forums such as CebuBritclub and Reitire in Philippines are also good for advice on financial matters.
Briefly, on a day to day basis. ATMs can be used just as in the UK with the same cards but with a smaller withdrawal limit in some cases per transaction. Most banks make a charge for this and you might also find yourself being charged by the bank at which ATM you have used.
Credit cards are commonly accepted, whereas British Cash would be hard to use, so changing cash to either Philippine Pesos or American Dollar is very important. It is possible to open a bank account in the Philippines, but they have more restrictions and more qualifying criteria than in the UK. Again , check with bank websites or email the banks direct for more info.
FINALLY
As with any situation where you might be considering relocating to a foreign country and especially to a country in South East Asia, away from the certain safeguards of the EU, great care and preparation must be taken before a decision is made. Always regarding the Philippines I would advise anyone thinking of the Philippines as a retirement home for the future to visit as many times as possible. Stay for extended periods not just 2 or 3 weeks, so as to get a feel for the real Philippines, and try to explore as much of the Philippine Islands as possible. Hopefully , when all that is done, a happy retirement and life will be achieved , as many have achieved there before.
