Retire 2 the Philippines

Everybody will receive a 21 Day Tourist Visa upon arrival in the Philippines. If you are retiring there you will probably prefer a permanent resident type visa, either a 13a, 13g or an SRRV (Special Retiree Resident Visa) I’ll give more details about these in later articles, so please bear with me.

Obtaining any of the non-tourist visa’s is fairly straight forward. Your nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate will have all the details and checklists of documents and fees. You will need to undergo a medical examination by an approved physician and provide chest x-rays, plus lots of photographs.

Although each visa and each person’s experience can be different, my story seems to be fairly typical after discussing this topic with numerous expat friends. I applied for my 13a Non-Quota Immigrant Visa at the Philippine Consulate in Sydney, Australia. I was given a form to fill out and a list of documents to produce such as copies of passport, police clearance, evidence of savings, income and any property, proof of marriage to a Filipina and a notarized letter from her inviting me to live in the Philippines with her.

I then had to go to one of a list of approved doctors for my medical, have chest x-rays taken and then submit all the documents and the fee. Within two weeks the visa was authorised and I was ready to go.

Upon arrival at NAIA I had to present my documents to the immigration officer and have my passport stamped. I then flew on to Cebu. The following day I reported to the Bureau of Immigration office (do not wear shorts, casual attire is not permitted inside) to process my Alien Certificate of Registration. I had to go to the Quarantine office and have my medical documents checked, as well as undergo a few more blood tests that had somehow not been performed back in Sydney, and pay another fee. Then I returned to the Immigration Office, paid yet  another fee and was given my ACR.

The one hold up were the photos’. You need fourteen 2×2 photo’s. My wife thought they said passport size and told the girl in the photo shop this. When we returned to Immigration they said they had to be 2×2 and pointed at the example on the wall. I replied that the head is the same size in both sized photo’s, only the amount of empty space is bigger in 2×2. Doesn’t matter, apparently they want more empty space! We didn’t argue, we just went and had more photo’s printed, this time 2×2!

Each year before the end of February I have to renew my ACR, a simple matter of attending the office and paying a small fee. If I change address, I must notify them in person before I move, or else there is a fine levied. It’s not much, but it adds up. There is now an iACR or electronic version which stores your data much like a credit card or ATM card. My advice is to inquire with the Bureau of Immigration via their web site or nearest Consular office and avail of the latest information.