How difficult was it to renew your visa?

ginnylarry wrote:

ginnylarry, are you a dual citizen? Curious if you can stay in the Philippines without having to come back in the states if you are a US citizen. My parents are both retired and US citizen but both Filipino. They go home and only stay for 6 months because they are afraid that their pension would be jeopardized.

IreneSYK, I am dual citizen and my husband is natural-born American. Before leaving the US, we read a lot in the internet about taxes when abroad, wire transfers, banking here in Ph, etc. We talked to our financial planners and read about receiving Social Security abroad. All that we have read and all that we were told shows that there is no need to go back to America. But the real test is now that we have lived here for a few years. Everything has worked out exactly as we had planned. We have never been back yet. We have no bank accounts in the US anymore. We only have our IRA's. And we have been able to take withdrawals on them which were wired transferred here. My husband has been receiving social security for a couple of years now without a hitch.

Now the laws / rules may change in the future about US citizens living abroad. If in the future we will be required to go to the US, we will decide what to do then. In the meantime, everything is working out regarding our pension and Social Security without a hitch.  Here's the SSA website link that may help: https://www.ssa.gov/international/

My advice to your parents or to anyone taking this unusual step of living abroad, talk to people who are experts in this: i.e. financial planners, Financial Institution managing their pension/IRA, and SOCIAL Security Administration. Also, talk to people who have done it.

Thank you for your question. And I hope this has helped you.

Scott, how difficult was it to renew your visa? My husband and I are thinking of moving there in either CDO or Cebu for the same reason as you. He is 64, as well. In fact, we just bought a land in Xavier Estate, I believe it is very close to where you are. I am Filipina but US citizen and my husband is a US citizen, too. The reason I asked about the visa is that we have a friend, 64 as well, who is thinking about moving there, too. However, he is a US citizen. Did you apply for a visa to relocate to the Philippines here in California? By the way, where in California are you from? I am from San Jose.

Hello Irene, It's a simple and easy process to renew your tourist  visa here in CDO at the local BOI office. I can renew for 2, 4, 6 months at a time up  to 36 months before i have to exit the country , but can return and restart the process again. Yes, you can get a visa at the Phil. consulate in Cali. but i prefer to get it  here. You may want to educate yourself on your options and  Phil.  BOI requirements by Googling it. They have a program called SRRV for foreigners but you need to deposit 10,000 US dollars  in the bank but you can not touch till you leave the country and pay app. fees like 1,400 dls. and yearly renewal fee of 360 dls. That way you dont have to leave the country every 36 months.   Yes, i live down the street from Xavier Estate. Probably the safest, fastest area of growth in the city. Plus, high ground and no flooding like in the city proper. Cebu is nice, but traffic is getting as bad as Manila.  I use to live near Palm Springs when i lived in Cali. Been living here on and off for the better part of 4 years and enjoy my life here so much better than Cali. Read about all the  recent tragic fires in the state. Hope you were not affected much in San Jose? Good luck in your travels   where ever you land up.

"Both of us are US citizens."  Hello ginny/larry. How did you manage to buy land in Davao if you and your husband are both US citizens? Or are you duel citizens?

Scott1953, I am dual and my husband is natural-born US citizen.

OK Ginny, Thanks for clarification.  I  kind of figured that. Sounds like you and your husband have a nice home. Pool sounds inviting. lol

scott1953 wrote:

Scott, how difficult was it to renew your visa? My husband and I are thinking of moving there in either CDO or Cebu for the same reason as you. He is 64, as well. In fact, we just bought a land in Xavier Estate, I believe it is very close to where you are. I am Filipina but US citizen and my husband is a US citizen, too. The reason I asked about the visa is that we have a friend, 64 as well, who is thinking about moving there, too. However, he is a US citizen. Did you apply for a visa to relocate to the Philippines here in California? By the way, where in California are you from? I am from San Jose.

Hello Irene, It's a simple and easy process to renew your tourist  visa here in CDO at the local BOI office. I can renew for 2, 4, 6 months at a time up  to 36 months before i have to exit the country , but can return and restart the process again. Yes, you can get a visa at the Phil. consulate in Cali. but i prefer to get it  here. You may want to educate yourself on your options and  Phil.  BOI requirements by Googling it. They have a program called SRRV for foreigners but you need to deposit 10,000 US dollars  in the bank but you can not touch till you leave the country and pay app. fees like 1,400 dls. and yearly renewal fee of 360 dls. That way you dont have to leave the country every 36 months.   Yes, i live down the street from Xavier Estate. Probably the safest, fastest area of growth in the city. Plus, high ground and no flooding like in the city proper. Cebu is nice, but traffic is getting as bad as Manila.  I use to live near Palm Springs when i lived in Cali. Been living here on and off for the better part of 4 years and enjoy my life here so much better than Cali. Read about all the  recent tragic fires in the state. Hope you were not affected much in San Jose? Good luck in your travels   where ever you land up.

Thanks, Scott. This was very helpful.  My husband and I are very excited about the idea of moving there. I know what you mean about the traffic in Cebu. That is where I am originally from. We were actually there last month and my gosh, the traffic was horrible.  Although we have a home in Cebu, I just don't think we can handle the traffic. Plus my husband and I are an avid golfer and I hear that there is a golf course near Xavier estate.

As for the fires here, we are very fortunate to have been located away from all of it. Thank goodness.

ginnylarry wrote:

IreneSYK, I am dual citizen and my husband is natural-born American. Before leaving the US, we read a lot in the internet about taxes when abroad, wire transfers, banking here in Ph, etc. We talked to our financial planners and read about receiving Social Security abroad. All that we have read and all that we were told shows that there is no need to go back to America. But the real test is now that we have lived here for a few years. Everything has worked out exactly as we had planned. We have never been back yet. We have no bank accounts in the US anymore. We only have our IRA's. And we have been able to take withdrawals on them which were wired transferred here. My husband has been receiving social security for a couple of years now without a hitch.

Now the laws / rules may change in the future about US citizens living abroad. If in the future we will be required to go to the US, we will decide what to do then. In the meantime, everything is working out regarding our pension and Social Security without a hitch.  Here's the SSA website link that may help: https://www.ssa.gov/international/

My advice to your parents or to anyone taking this unusual step of living abroad, talk to people who are experts in this: i.e. financial planners, Financial Institution managing their pension/IRA, and SOCIAL Security Administration. Also, talk to people who have done it.

Thank you for your question. And I hope this has helped you.

Thank you, Ginny! I will definitely look into these websites.

Would you mind sharing as to why you and your hubby decided to move there? My husband, who is Japanese but natural-born American, and I are thinking about moving there, as well. He is in his mid-60s and love fact that everything is slow there. We have a home in Cebu but thinking of CDO as our place of retirement. The only thing that is really kind of holding us back is the health care. Aside from my husband taking blood pressure and gout meds, we are very healthy.

Thanks again.

Hi Irene. I don't mind at all sharing my reasons for moving here. I am actually flattered you ask. I would summarize it in 5 points that may be relevant to an outsider.

1. Davao City for us has the right mix of urban and country/provincial life pace that both my husband and I wanted at this point in our lives. Urban meaning everything you need and want to buy, for entertainment, food and restaurants, banking, hospitals, etc. are available here. Having grown up in Metro Manila and having lived in an urban area in the US East Coast, I knew that I had to be somewhere that had the amenities of urban living. Also, the airport here makes access to major cities in the Philippines easily available (Manila, Cebu, Bacolod, CDO, Clark, Tacloban, Tagbilaran, etc.). At the same time, just outside of downtown, there is lush greenery, fruit orchards, mountains that makes the air fresh and clean. There are beaches I can visit for a day trip, or go for a drive and spend a few days out. Also this provincial life gives us a sense of wider space, quiet and restful nights, and an over-all relaxed lifestyle. The wide area of Davao City itself makes the planning and development of the area potentially more balanced since there is only one Local Government unit doing the planning, administering the government services, etc. I think one of the reasons Metro Manila is so crazy is that there are 16 political jurisdictions there that makes it very difficult to have any unified sense of running and planning for all.

2. The people here in are more diverse, ethnically and linguistically. Again, since I grew up in Manila, I know only Tagalog among the dialects of the Philippines. The people here are from all over the country. Since I didn't want to live anywhere in Luzon anymore, the choice was Visayas or Mindanao. I think Cebuanos and Ilonggos are more uncompromising with their language, and that is not a bad thing. As for me, I am not sure I will be able to completely understand and speak a new language at this point in my life. I have met some people here from Luzon who moved here as adults, and have lived here 15+ years and they still can't speak Bisaya. And it is ok for people here.

3. Before moving here, altough I don't have close relatives here, I have a few very close friends who live here who are my peers. I wouldn't move to move to a place where I don't know anyone. Now we have made a lot of friends, of course. I couldn't say this for any other city in the Visayas region.

4. The peace and order here is top-notched, and for me it is the safest city in the Philippines. The cab drivers are very nice and respectful. I don't have to be watching my purse all the time. I can take out my cellphone anytime in public without fear of it being grabbed from me. I can walk in the streets in the middle of the night and I am not afraid someone might rob me or snatch my purse. There is very little house robberies that I know of, etc. Of course, we are cautious in how we conduct ourselves. I wouldn't want to live in a place where I live in fear of my house getting broken into, or watching my car, my purse, or my property all the time.

5. There are hardly any typhoons that hit this part of the country. Davao is too far south. Also there are the mountains of Davao Oriental that sheilds us from the onslaught of a strong typhoon. Flooding is a problem, tho. When there are rains in Bukidnon and Cotabato, some river systems end up here. So that is an issue.

As for your concern about healthcare, Davao has a lot of top-notch hospitals. The biggest public hospital in Mindanao is here, Southern Philippines Medical Center. All difficult medical cases in Mindanao are brought here to Davao. A doctor friend of mine was telling me how many new hospitals are sprouting in the city. There are many medical schools, which means lots of very good doctors, and other professionals in the medical field are available here.

This is not to say everything is perfect here. My husband and I feel this is the place for the lifestyle we wanted. And having been here a few years now, we believe we made the right choice for us!

I apologize that this may be too long for your short question. But I hope this helps.

Good luck in your decision-making!

Can i live in the phillipines on what visa?? Im currently in Australia, but am american and semi retired.

"Can i live in the phillipines on what visa?? Im currently in Australia, but am american and semi retired." ...............................   Hey Sparky, You can enter the Phil. just using your passport and get 30 day free stay. After that, you can apply and extend your tourist visa up to 36 months with an average cost of about 70.00 dollars for a 6 month extension.

Thanks Scott, i am doing alot of research on the idea. I've been to Philippines twice, and would love to live there, so thanks for the info. Cheers

Scott first 6 months exstension well it cost 13k piso , that includes your ACR card

scott1953 wrote:

"Can i live in the phillipines on what visa?? Im currently in Australia, but am american and semi retired." ...............................   Hey Sparky, You can enter the Phil. just using your passport and get 30 day free stay. After that, you can apply and extend your tourist visa up to 36 months with an average cost of about 70.00 dollars for a 6 month extension.

First month free then 70 dpllars for a month extension then 13k for 6 months think at calbayong bi said 7k for next 6 months so as i know its about 20k a year for 3 years also you need a clearance from bi office to leave after a 6 month stay

"First month free then 70 dpllars for a month extension then 13k for 6 months think at calbayong bi said 7k for next 6 months so as i know its about 20k a year for 3 years also you need a clearance from bi office to leave after a 6 month stay"...................................Hey Jackdn, Been here a year and a half, did a 6 month extension in Sept. 2017  and the total came to P 4,840.00  . Will do another 6 month extension in March 2018 and God only knows what they will charge. I just pay what they require cause it is still inexpensive . Helps that the Dollar has been so strong against the Php. for a long period now.