Start the Ball Rolling

[TNT]

Hi all, I guess you all have been where I'm about to go. So who better to ask questions of than to those who haven gone before me. What better place than here, to start finding out how to get the ball rolling.

Time has come to find a new adventure in life and leave my home country in Australia. I ride motorbikes and have ridden India , Nepal, Central America and recently rode around Luzon, into Manilla in early May this year. Loved the people, the simplicity of life and I felt right at home. 2 weeks of life changing riding finds me researching what to expect if I were to live here.

I feel that Angeles around the Clark Freeport may suit my needs but also Subic took my fancy as well. So I would ask for advice on the process I should take to firstly test the water so to speak. In particular on

Residency visas and the criteria required to apply and costs
Employment issues
Economic stability of the government.
Setting up a Bank account in Philippines
Best way to transfer money from Australia to Philipines.
What's it like to be an expat in Philipines rather than a tourist.

Floor is yours and thanks in advance for taking the time for a newbie to get the ball Rolling




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[jon1]

First, welcome to the forum TNT!

I too ride motorcycles and live in the Subic freeport.

Resident/non-immigrant visas are expensive (180,000php/$4300) and are on a quota basis. Only so many given per nationality a year. So if you don't apply in January, odds are you won't get one that year. Also, you have to have $40,000USD equivalent in the bank.

The Special Retirement Residence Visa also requires a large amount of money in the bank (depending on your age (it used to be $50,000USD for over 50 and $75,000 for under). This money can be used to invest in a condo, etc..

If you have either of these visas, you will have to pay an additional exit fee of 1500php/$36.

I am currently using the Tourist visa. You have to periodically renew, first at 21 days, then 2 months later and so on and so forth. It costs about $600/year when you add it all up. You can stay in country for 2 years and have to leave for a day to restart.

After you have been here for longer than 1 month, you will need to apply for the Alien Certificate Registration (ACR) ICard. It looks like an ID. I think it cost me around 3000p/$72 for that. You will need a copy of your passport bio page, the page with your entry stamp/visa in it, two Passport sized photos, and fill out an application. For Subic, there is a local immigration office in Olongapo. I am usually in/out in less than 10 minutes for updating my visa. The ICard takes a few weeks to be made.

When you arrive here you need to have a follow on ticket to somewhere else. If you are intending to stay long term, I would just buy a low promo fare for Clark to Hong Kong or Singapore (one way, maybe $100) for the 20th day after you arrive. That way they won't hassle you when you come in. Tell them you are here for holiday and don't offer any info about your intentions to live here (just complicates things).

There are plenty of Aussies here (a lot of them run hotels and bars in Subic and Angeles). As far as employment goes it's very hard to get jobs at a decent salary (above $1000/mo).

Economy is doing pretty good here. The peso has slid to 41.6 recently due to their S&P rating got upgraded from BB to BB+. This will impact the value of your AUS $.

For banking you will generally need 2 photo IDs and typically $500USD to maintain the account. The only foreign currency accounts that I have seen here are for US dollars.

I can't speak to moving $ from the Aus to the PI but for me I write myself a check for deposit (US bank account to PI US Dollar account). That way I don't pay any fees for the transfer of the money. Down side is it takes 4 weeks to clear/have access to the $. So I write a check today for next month. ATMs will soak you with fees (both from your country and here) and typically banks give you a $500/day withdrawal limit.

Overall, I enjoy living here. There are some trials/turbulations but nothing that can't be dealt with. You will have to definitely change your expectations.

Check out this thread Thinking of relocating within Phils. Opinions please
I put a lot of info there about living in Subic vs elsewhere in the country.

If you acquire a real motorcycle (not a scooter) I can link you up with a spot on mechanic.

cheers!

Jon

[TNT]

Thanks Jon for the valuable insight, The cheque idea is a great idea.

For the retirement visa.....do you have to spend the money on a condo as part of the visa requirements or simply demonstrate capacity to house myself if living there.

Subic is a great spot...had a blast on that floating barge and a stack of fun on the jet ski's.

I guess there are some pretty nice mountain roads to ride around Subic too....well get to that one later.

Cheers for the heads up appreciate it greatly.

[jon1]

Your welcome TNT

On the retirement visa, check this link The Bureau of Immigration, Philippines Official Website - Special Retiree Resident Visa The limits I previously mentioned are lower. The money deposited is meant to show that you are capable of supporting yourself and 30 days after the visa approval the funds can then be converted to peso (I take it that you can then do with it what you please).

Sounds like you were out at the Bluerock. It's a great place and always has good food.

There is some curvy roads up towards the Ocean Adventure/Zoobic. Semi-shaded through the jungle. It's a relaxing little ride.

You always have the option of shooting up the SCTEX to Clark/Angeles whenever you feel the need to. It's only about 35 minutes.

Cheers!

[TNT]

Jon Can you fly direct from KL to Subic airport or do you have to go via Clark.

[jon1]

Originally Posted by TNT

Jon Can you fly direct from KL to Subic airport or do you have to go via Clark.

Right now there are no commercial flights into Subic. There are only charted flights. You will have to fly into Clark. Clark Freeport Zone Based on that link it looks like Air Asia is the only airline flying into Clark via Kuala Lumpur

Dear TNT,

Maybe I missed it but I am curious if you are married to a Filipino citizen? If you are it will give you certain visa options beside the ones already mentioned. You can get a one year stamp on your passport eliminating the need to renew a visitor's visa. If you're single then try the tourist visa first before deciding if living here really suits you. It can be a fun place to hang out. Try to find an on line bank that has a relationship with a local bank. Chinabank has little in the way of required paperwork to open an account and you can even arrange for a direct deposit from home such as a retirement check. Just make sure you'll stay before making any long-term banking decisions. Good luck to you and keep checking this site for all sorts of useful information from existing expats.

Mikey48

[TNT]

Hi Mikey, some great suggestion to consider thank you, I will certainly take your advice on the order of try first then set up the accounts.

I'm single, for now but no doubt a pretty philipina will catch my eye in time

I followed the link to the Philippine embassy in Canberra Australia and sent a email re visa options as suggested. I got a response today and this below is the response.

You may wish to apply for a non-immigrant (business/pleasure) visa valid for 3 months which will allow you to stay for a maximum of 59 days upon entry within this period. For more details, please visit our website Philippine Embassy - Canberra, Australia or contact us during office hours at (02) 6273 2535 / (02) 6273 2536 ext. 259. Thank you.

So it would seem to be a 2 mth visa option. More research for me to do now on the how to n how much.

Appreciate the leads folks and I will follow up on them.
Cheers

[jon1]

My only question is why a 3 month visa is valid for only 59 days????

Last I checked 3 months on average = 90 days.....

[TNT]

Ok thanks for that Jon lol....I had my shoes on and got confused when the days weren't rounded to nearest tens

Tried to edit it after but technology whipped me on posting the edit. Guess that's a pint of San Miguel

Cheers