Travel and Long Term Visa
Hassle Free Travel
The Philippines is a welcoming country and they like to show visitors what they’ve got. This openness is also reflected on the immigration side. No matter the country you are from, you can be sure that visiting the Philippines will not be a big of an issue. For most of the countries it is a visa free destination, which means, that you can simply book your flight and go straight to the islands without thinking of what else is needed for my entry. Sounds good right?
To give you a bit more insights about travelling in an out of the country, we have created a detailed list for you to look at whenever you need some backup information about this island country.
Should you need more information about requirements in case you want to bring more than just your luggage, you can visit the Department of Tourism Facebook page, where they provide updates and contact options. Their new website will be rolled out soon.
Visa Free Entry
Passport holders of the following countries can freely enter the Philippines for a maximum of 30 days:
Andorra
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahamas
Bahrain
Barbados
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Botswana
Brazil*
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Costa Rica
Cote d’Ivoire
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel*
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lesotho
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Monaco
Mongolia
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Norway
Oman
Palau
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Republic of Korea
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Seychelles
Singapore
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
Spain
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Tajikistan
Thailand
Togo
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Republic of Tanzania
United States of America
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican
Venezuela
Vietnam
Zambia
Zimbabwe
*Brazil and Israel are allowed to stay up to 59 days based on an agreement.
Visa Extension
A visitor’s visa holder can exceed the authorized period of their stay by reporting to the Bureau of Immigration. You will have to secure an extension of your stay and pay the corresponding immigration fees. For further information about the fees you can visit the Bureau of Immigration website at www.immigration.gov.ph.
Philippines Long Term Visa and Retirement
The Philippines offer diverse visa options to foreign people who want to stay in the country for more than just 90 days and has great offer for retirees who want to retire in the Philippines and build a new home as well as investors who want to do business here. For any long term visa of this kind, there are a couple of requirements like in any country. We recommend to get a partner who is recognised by a Government institution like the PRA (Philippines Retirement Agency) and who can assist you in the whole process. But, if you wish, you can also do everything on your own how many others already did.
Following we will provide a quick guide which you can follow to get a long term visa on your own. Fill up all the necessary forms for submission, provide the documents and make sure to prepare for a longer vacation to meet all the goals within the Philippines.
The PRA
The PRA, Philippine Retirement Agency, is a Government agency that helps retirees and investors to get a long term visa. It is a recognised institution and by working with them on your own, you can be rest assured to get proper information and receive guidance throughout the process. They provide helpful support, so that you can achieve your goal of staying in the Philippines.
The Process
If you are not yet in the Philippines, we recommend getting all important documents for the visa such as birth certificate, marriage certificate, medical and criminal records. Besides that, you need to provide a proof of a steady income stream (that you are capable of staying long-term) and a deposit, which will be received by the PRA and then returned to you on your bank account in the Philippines. This is why we recommend you to get all those information before your travel, because during the visa application you have to reside within the country and cannot leave the country until the application is been approved. For your convenience, secure yourself a stay which can be extended any time. It is unlikely that it will take several months, but at least be able to extend your stay for a couple of days/weeks.
The Visa
As a visa holder you will be eligible to several benefits such as the following:
- Indefinite stay in the country of the Philippines
- A Meet and Greet Assistance Program at selected airports in the country
- Various discount privileges from PRA accredited merchant partners
- Free assistance when dealing with Government agencies
- Entitlement to Philhealth health insurance
- Excemption of the following:
- Annual Report Philippine Bureau of Immigration
- Customs duties and taxes for first-time importation of household goods and personal effects worth US$7,000.00
- Income tax from pensions and annuities
- Travel Tax, if the retiree has not stayed in the Philippines for more than 1 year from his/her last date of entry
- Student Visa and Study Permit
Tips
Contact the Philippines embassy in your country to get further information about long term visa. They will be able to provide you even more useful information to make your move even easier.
Contact your embassy in the Philippines to make sure that you are registered and you will be notified for any major happenings. Many embassies can also give you access to their club, where they host several events per year and you get to know other citizens living in the Philippines.
To open a bank account in the Philippines you need to document that you are staying in the Philippines for good. This requires passport, proof of stay of your address in the Philippines and usually another requirement which could be a simple billing statement. For any such matters, you can contact the PRA and they will assist you in it.
Useful Links
PRA Website – https://pra.gov.ph
Bureau of Immigration – https://immigration.gov.ph
Department of Tourism – https://philippines.travel
Scuba Diving Philippines – https://www.divephilippines.com.ph
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