GlobeQuest

Philippines visas and residency

Who can visit Philippines without a visa, and the 5 long-stay routes that let you actually live there.

Short stay

Visiting Philippines, by passport

How the 198 passports we track get in. A visitor entry is never permission to work, study or settle — that is what the routes further down are for.

United StatesVisa-free · 30 daysUnited KingdomVisa-free · 30 daysIndiaVisa-free · 14 daysCanadaVisa-free · 30 daysAustraliaVisa-free · 30 daysGermanyVisa-free · 30 daysFranceVisa-free · 30 daysNetherlandsVisa-free · 30 daysIrelandVisa-free · 30 daysSpainVisa-free · 30 daysItalyVisa-free · 30 daysPortugalVisa-free · 30 daysPolandVisa-free · 30 daysSwedenVisa-free · 30 daysSwitzerlandVisa-free · 30 daysSouth AfricaVisa-free · 30 days
Long stay

How you actually move to Philippines

RetirementHigh confidenceVerified July 2026

Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV)

Retirees and, since the September 2025 restructure, anyone aged 40 or over who can meet the deposit. Administered by the Philippine Retirement Authority rather than immigration.

What you need
  • Aged 50 or over, with a pension of at least USD 800 a month (USD 1,000 for a couple) plus a USD 15,000 deposit — or, without a pension, a USD 30,000 deposit
  • Aged 40–49, the tier added in September 2025: the same pension levels but a USD 25,000 deposit with a pension, or USD 50,000 without one
  • Courtesy SRRV at a USD 1,500 deposit, restricted to certain categories such as former Filipino citizens and foreign nationals who served in the Philippines
  • Medical clearance and police clearance
  • The deposit held in an accredited Philippine bank
How long it lasts
Indefinite, with multiple-entry privileges, for as long as the deposit is maintained.
Path to permanent residence
SRRV is itself an indefinite resident visa, which is unusual — but it is conditional on the deposit, so it is permanence you rent rather than own. Naturalisation is a separate and difficult process.
Cost
USD 1,400 application fee for the principal plus USD 300 per dependant, an annual fee, and the deposit itself as locked capital.
Processing time
Commonly a few weeks once the file is complete.
Worth knowing
  • The 1 September 2025 revision also discontinued two sub-categories. SRRV Smile, the low-deposit option at USD 10,000–20,000 that younger applicants used, and SRRV Human Touch, for applicants needing medical care, are both closed. Only Classic and Courtesy remain — so any guide quoting a Smile deposit is describing something that no longer exists.
  • The deposit can in some categories be converted into an active investment such as a condominium purchase, which is the main reason people choose SRRV over a retirement visa elsewhere.
  • Foreign nationals cannot own land in the Philippines. Condominium units are available within foreign-ownership limits, so 'convert the deposit into property' means a condo, not a house and lot.
  • SRRV holders do not automatically get the right to work — employment still requires an Alien Employment Permit.
Sources:Philippine Retirement Authority
Digital nomadMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Digital Nomad Visa

Remote workers earning from outside the Philippines. Created by Executive Order No. 86, s. 2025, signed 24 April 2025 and effective 5 May 2025, and issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs rather than by the Bureau of Immigration.

What you need
  • Aged 18 or over
  • Work performed remotely using digital technology, for employers or clients located outside the Philippines
  • Proof of sufficient foreign-sourced income — the executive order sets no figure, and the commonly quoted USD 24,000 a year is a practitioner benchmark rather than a published threshold
  • Nationality of a country that both offers a comparable digital nomad visa to Filipinos and hosts a Philippine Foreign Service Post — the reciprocity test is a hard gate
  • Health insurance valid in the Philippines, and a clean criminal record
How long it lasts
One year, renewable once for a further year.
Path to permanent residence
None. It is a stay arrangement for remote workers, not a residence route.
Cost
Application fees are modest relative to the SRRV.
Processing time
Reported at roughly 3–12 weeks, a wide spread reflecting how new the programme is.
Worth knowing
  • Apply through a Philippine embassy or consulate, not the Bureau of Immigration — this is a DFA-issued visa and applications sent to immigration go nowhere.
  • The reciprocity requirement excludes a lot of people. If your country does not itself offer Filipinos a digital nomad visa, you are not eligible however much you earn.
  • No income figure appears in the executive order itself. Treat any specific dollar threshold you find online as an inference, and confirm with the post you are applying to.
  • It confers no right to work for Philippine employers or clients.
  • For anyone over 40 with capital, the SRRV is a far more durable status, albeit a much larger commitment.
Sources:Bureau of ImmigrationExecutive Order No. 86, s. 2025 — Official Gazette
Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

9(g) Pre-arranged Employment Visa

People employed by a Philippine company. The standard work route.

What you need
  • An Alien Employment Permit from the Department of Labor and Employment, which requires the employer to show no Filipino is available for the role
  • A petition filed by the employer with the Bureau of Immigration
  • Qualifications for the role; regulated professions face additional restrictions
  • Medical and police clearances
How long it lasts
Typically 1–3 years, tied to the employment, renewable.
Path to permanent residence
Not a direct route. Permanent residence generally comes through marriage to a Filipino citizen (a 13(a) visa) or through the quota immigrant visa, which has a small annual allocation per nationality.
Cost
AEP and visa fees, usually employer-paid.
Processing time
Several months in total — the AEP stage alone commonly takes weeks, and publication requirements add time.
Worth knowing
  • Certain professions are constitutionally reserved for Filipino citizens, including much of law, and practice restrictions apply in engineering, medicine and accountancy. Check before accepting a role.
  • The AEP must come first; a visa petition without it goes nowhere.
Sources:DOLE — Alien Employment PermitBureau of Immigration
FamilyMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

13(a) Non-Quota Immigrant Visa (spouse of a Filipino)

Spouses of Filipino citizens — the most straightforward route to permanent residence in the Philippines.

What you need
  • Valid marriage to a Filipino citizen
  • The Filipino spouse's proof of citizenship
  • Police and medical clearances, and proof the couple is not likely to become a public charge
  • Available only to nationals of countries that grant reciprocal immigration rights to Filipinos
How long it lasts
One year probationary, then permanent.
Path to permanent residence
It *is* permanent residence after the probationary year, and it carries the right to work without a separate permit.
Cost
A few hundred US dollars in fees — dramatically cheaper than the SRRV.
Processing time
Several weeks to a few months for the probationary grant.
Worth knowing
  • The reciprocity requirement genuinely excludes some nationalities. Check it before assuming marriage is sufficient.
  • Unlike the SRRV, a 13(a) includes work rights and needs no maintained deposit, which makes it the best status available to anyone who qualifies.
Sources:Bureau of Immigration
InvestmentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Special Investor's Resident Visa (SIRV)

Investors placing capital into qualifying Philippine businesses or securities.

What you need
  • Investment of at least USD 75,000 in eligible instruments or an eligible enterprise
  • Aged 21 or over
  • Medical and police clearances
  • The investment maintained for as long as you hold the visa
How long it lasts
Indefinite while the investment is maintained.
Path to permanent residence
Indefinite residence conditional on the investment, rather than unconditional permanence.
Cost
The USD 75,000 investment plus application fees.
Processing time
Several months, including the Board of Investments' assessment.
Worth knowing
  • Eligible investments are restricted — the point is capital going into Philippine enterprise, not a bank deposit. Confirm instrument eligibility before transferring anything.
  • For most people the SRRV is simpler and cheaper; SIRV suits those who wanted to invest in the Philippines anyway.
Sources:Bureau of Immigration
On the ground

Where you'd land in Philippines

Manila

English-speaking Southeast Asia with the world's warmest service culture — and a retirement visa that beats the work visa outright.

Full Manila guide
Cebu

The Philippines' second metro — cheaper than Manila, navigable in half an hour, and Cebuano-speaking.

Full Cebu guide

Philippines at a glance

Capital
Manila
Population
116.8M
Languages
Filipino, English
Currency
PHP