VERITAS is PRA accredited
Unless you already have arranged for a Retirement visa, an Investment visa or Permanent resident status, your first interaction with the Philippine immigration department could be at Manila airport. You will be allowed an initial thirty day visitors visa. Then can be extended to fifty nine days after which you need to make additional arrangements.
The easy part is getting a tourist visa. You need no assistance with that until you stay here beyond fifty nine days. Please don’t even think about getting any long term visa or residency status without the assistance of a competent immigration attorney. This area of law is complex and needs to be treated accordingly.
Retirement Visas
Special Investors Resident Visa (SIRV) allows the individual to live in the Philippines for as long as the required qualifications and investments are maintained. The applicant must not have any prior criminal convictions, be in sound health not have been institutionalized for any mental disorder or disability. He must also be willing and able to invest US$75,000 in the Philippines.
An advantage is being allowed to import home goods and other items duty free and tax free. He must adhere to the investment requirement in order to continue living here.
Investment Visas
Special Investors Resident Visa (SIRV) allows the individual to live in the Philippines for as long as the required qualifications and investments are maintained. The applicant must not have any prior criminal convictions, be in sound health not have been institutionalized for any mental disorder or disability. He must also be willing and able to invest US$75,000 in the Philippines.
An advantage is being allowed to import home goods and other items duty free and tax free. He must adhere to the investment requirement in order to continue living here.
Permanent Residency
This allows a foreigner to permanently live in the Philippines. It assumes a valid marriage to a Philippine citizen. There must be no derogatory information on the applicant from any Philippine or foreign law enforcement agency. The applicant must be in good health. He must have provable financial means that confirm he can support a family and not become a burden on the country. After a one year probationary period his residency is changed to permanent status.
ACR Cards
This card is required by anyone staying in the Philippines for more than 59 days. It can be a complex mater. We advise you never do this by yourself. An attorney skilled in the bureaucratic challenges is needed to steer you through what can be a difficult process. You are located in Dumaguete but the Dumaguete office cannot process your paperwork so you need to go to their office in Mandaue, near Cebu City. Once your application has been approved in Manila the actual card needs to be sent from there to the Mandaue office and you must collect it there. It can take months for it to arrive. Be wise, hire a professional to take care of this important matter.
TOURIST VISA
Any visitor to the Philippines can enter and stay here initially for up 59 days then regularly renew the visa up to a maximum of three years. This can be come at the Bureau of Immigration office in Dumaguete. The cost for renewal is minimal and relatively stress free. The staff are unfailingly polite and efficient. Its an easy way that many foreigners use to get a feel for life in the Philippines while traveling extensively to ascertain where they might want to live.