Philippines 2019 for new expats

[seasia 1,207]

18 hours ago, Larssonn said:

Not a big writer but more of the reading type and must say .....

 

absolutely one of the best threads ive read on theese forums .

 

great job both to the op and the others informative postings .

 

For thai visa issues i think sting where it hurts , before one had quite much money here now keeping nothing and own nothing except home for personal use only not to feed rentals to richer thais , no investment nothing else .

 

declared unwanted = goes for my money too

 

one thing i feeel missing about ph is about investment ....does ph banks give anything and are there and market for condo rentals ?

 

i did read about the problems buying but are there agencys sorting all or anyway to make it abit easier and quicker buying condos ?

 

also is it a safe procedure to buy ?

 

keep up the good work will continue to follow 

Hi

 

I have no knowledge of banks or investment in PI.

 

I do follow the economies of the US, UK and some EU countries as I do some derivative/stock trading

 

This website might be of interest maybe ?

 

Seems generally well balanced.

 

https://tradingeconomics.com/philippines/forecast

 

GL

[ExpatPH 876]

Visa extension after the first 59 days in country, option:

1 month extension.

or

2 months extension.

or

6 months extension.

(6 months extensioncan only be applied twice, within first 16 months).

 

Image cost for 6 months extension.

 

http://immigration.gov.ph/visa-requirements/non-immigrant-visa/temporary-visitor-visa/long-stay-visitor-visa-extension-lsvve

 

Regards

ExpatPH

 

 

[madmen 8,592]

Hard to believe that anybody would choose a country to live in based on an easy visa. Here is a heads up, its easy for good reason and its because they are desperate to attract customers. The Philippines doesn't rate in any other way compared to Thailand except a visa. You guys are going to be sitting in your rooms clutching your shiny new visa and then in a few weeks it will dawn on you what a mistake you made and what a fantastic place Thailand was.

 

[ExpatPH 876]

Bank deposit.

Be aware that only 500.000 peso is insured.

 

[MeePeeMai 1,561]

ExpatPH - 

 

Thank you for the links to the Philippines Penal Code.

 

Makes for great reading and got my questions answered.  I bet that there is still a lot of corruption at the hands of the police if (you are involved in anything illegal or accused of any crime) but this can be a good thing too depending on the circumstance.

 

Having spent much time in Indonesia (and Thailand), I have a much better understanding now of how the S.E. Asian legal systems work.  

 

Knowledge is KING

[Carib 2,097]

3 hours ago, ExpatPH said:

Visa extension after the first 59 days in country, option:

1 month extension.

or

2 months extension.

or

6 months extension.

(6 months extensioncan only be applied twice, within first 16 months).

 

Image cost for 6 months extension.

 

http://immigration.gov.ph/visa-requirements/non-immigrant-visa/temporary-visitor-visa/long-stay-visitor-visa-extension-lsvve

 

Regards

ExpatPH

 

 

Thanks for that !

[Jingthing 63,986]

Hard to believe that anybody would choose a country to live in based on an easy visa. Here is a heads up, its easy for good reason and its because they are desperate to attract customers. The Philippines doesn't rate in any other way compared to Thailand except a visa. You guys are going to be sitting in your rooms clutching your shiny new visa and then in a few weeks it will dawn on you what a mistake you made and what a fantastic place Thailand was.
 

Funny. That's why I chose Thailand originally. Easy visa.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[ExpatPH 876]

Foreigners choose to live in Philippines because we enjoy to be around polite and courteous people, who treat us with respect and a real genuine smile.

 

We choose to live in Philippines, because we want to be surronded by english speaking natives.

 

We choose to live in Philippines, because we feel welcome here!

 

We choose to live in Philippines, a country that does not have highly inflated exchange rates.

 

Those who in 2019 defend los, live in the past, when it was easy visa. Keyword: Was.

 

Defenders deny the fact that tourists and expats has been forced out for years, and the trend has been intensified in 2019.

 

Thailand 2019 is less westerners, mostly left with chinese tour groups and indians.

 

2019 will be the year where tourists, longstayers and expats choose other destinations, who welcome us with less restrictions, less limitations and requirements.

 

[ExpatPH 876]

If you are age 60+ your possibilities are limited on the Thai online dating market (lack of response and interest). Of the few replies I received, most was high maintenance. Also approached people at work, left me with the feeling that I was 'over expiration date', even before age 50. Can't imagine today.

 

Did a comparison on two online dating websites, thaifriendly and pinalove.

On thaifriendly I received almost no messages, and replies. Sent many messages, still lack of response.

On pinalove, messages flooded in even I hadn't written them earlier, and those where I had initiated contact, replies to my messages was 80%+

Filipinocupid, pinalove, dateinasia, badoo, tinder.

For those on the temporary market, these sites are also helpful, and one can just register and sit back and wait for messages and offers of any kind.

 

In early days I went for looks and aimed at a 9 or 10. Most of these was lazy, unemployed, players and high maintenance.

Learned my lesson and aimed only at people who had a job. Even she was a single parent as most are here, a employed person have the drive to take care of herself, and her responsebilities. Mostly also low maintenance.

Seasoned expats told me to approach a person at work and ask if she's single. That worked for me. One will not be alone here, unless one want to.

 

A single westerner living in province, will be approached on a daily basis.

 

Regards

ExpatPH

 

[MeePeeMai 1,561]

I agree with your views on dating and finding a wife or partner.

 

I think that a large number of Asian women (Filipino and Indonesian for example), are encouraged by their family

members to find a foreign man much older than she is.  Many of these women have had a bad experience(s) with someone of their own age/race and have sworn off giving that route another try.  Many in the villages have also seen this first hand and are naturally wary about choosing the wrong partner.

 

This often comes from the fact that finding a man close to her age or of the same race can more easily end in disaster due to things like excessive drinking, drugs, laziness, unfaithfulness, abuse, lack of concern for her child or children, lack of concern for her family, inability to support her, ending up with a drunk playboy, him doing a runner etc...  it happens quite often.

 

Some feel that a much older foreign man can provide her with things like better stability in a long term relationship, better emotional support, a better economic future, a better father or stepfather figure, less drama, less chance of abuse, greater opportunity for travel and change of pace and scenery, better life experience etc... and this is often the case.

 

Some women could care less about what's inside a man and only care about what he looks like or how much money he has. 

 

On the other hand, many good Asian women care more about how they are treated and where his heart lies than his age or how big his belly is.  This does not mean that she just accepts him how he is, it means that she trusts him and loves him for what he does.

 

Anyone who says that "any beautiful young Asian woman with an old foreigner husband is just in it for his money" is misguided.  There are exceptions but having grown up and lived in Hawaii for more than 50 years, I have personally known many (too many to count) elderly Americans who married pretty young Filipino, Indonesian and Thai women who brought them back to Hawaii and were perfectly happy for decades and most are still together in a loving relationship till today.

 

It's sometimes hard to grasp for some ... but nevertheless, it is a fact.

 

 

[rhodie 963]

On 4/14/2019 at 7:54 PM, madmen said:

Hard to believe that anybody would choose a country to live in based on an easy visa. Here is a heads up, its easy for good reason and its because they are desperate to attract customers. The Philippines doesn't rate in any other way compared to Thailand except a visa. You guys are going to be sitting in your rooms clutching your shiny new visa and then in a few weeks it will dawn on you what a mistake you made and what a fantastic place Thailand was.

 

It just adds a dimension to the mix. Thailand used to be a great place and still is for many. But things are not getting easier. 2 years ago my OA long stay visa was AUD$225. It is now AUD$550 for my application next month. It is not 1 thing that causes someone to look around, but the small hills are growing. Good luck to those that are still riding the crest. Some of us are just looking at other places. Nothing wrong with that.  

[balo 12,423]

12 hours ago, ExpatPH said:

A single westerner living in province, will be approached on a daily basis.

I don't want to be approached, I want to be able to walk around without people staring and thinking I am an easy target. 
In Thailand I can do that most places , because there are so many of us here. 

[oznomad 103]

On 4/11/2019 at 1:59 PM, madmen said:

Just wondering what these are about ? no pension is a bit steep and all those deposits are permanent

 

1. With Pension - 50 years old and above - the required time deposit is US$10,000.00 plus a monthly pension of US$800.00 for a single applicant and US$1,000 for couple.

2. Without Pension

• 35 to 49 years old - US$50,000.00 time deposit
• 50 years old and above - US$20,000.00 time deposit
• Former Filipino Citizens (at least 35 years old, regardless of the number of dependents - US$1,500.00)
• Ambassadors of Foreign Countries who served and retired in the Philippines, current and former staff members of international organizations including ADB (at least 50 years old) - US$1,500.00

That last one (Ambassadors etc) also includes ex-military, but not all countries. 

It's a pretty good plan B, or A. Ongoing costs for this group is just $10 USD per year.

[cerox 538]

Many thanks for this topic. Super comprehensive and I learned a lot; I plan my first trip to the Philippines in February; I have been to Vietnam too and I liked it. I love Thailand, do speak Thai, but I agree, a plan B is mandatory these days, for those not willing to buy a 20year visa (Elite card).

 

My concern is the pollution and the Internet. I need fast Internet, so I would opt for a condo e.g. in city centre Cebu, but the air pollution as many mentioned might be an issue. I will have to go myself and see. I am talking about a year-round thing, not seasonal pollution as Northern Thailand, although the latter has become much more prolonged and worrisome.

 

I have a few questions.

 

1. What happens with the ACR card when you leave? Do you have to start all over again like with your visa every time you leave? Or do you keep the card until a defined expiry date?

 

2. I read before that an English driving license is ok, the Thai license is in English too and it is part of the ASEAN agreement, where the countries agreed to accept each others licenses. I already suspected the police will not care. Would you suggest using taxis until we have an ACR card and convert to a Filipino driving license? I have no motorbike license from my home country (only car) so IDP is not an option.

 

3. A few months ago I found out what you wrote in this topic too. Motorbikes are cheaper than in Thailand. But I am more interested in renting first - websites like book2wheel.com quote a 30day rental price of 9500 PHP which is almost 5800 THB and twice as expensive as Thailand. Can you shed some light on this? I just do not understand why motorbikes (buying) are so much cheaper but renting at the same time is super-expensive. Maybe I use the wrong websites; I am happy for advice.

 

4. Carry passport when driving was mentioned here. Photocopy ok? (Scan on smartphone etc.)

 

It seems to me driving is complicated - I mean renting is expensive and I need a local license first, so it might be better to just use Taxis/Grab. Also keeps me more flexible.

 

 

[BritManToo 36,818]

On 4/12/2019 at 3:08 AM, swissie said:

But I know for sure: The day a armed guard would want to check my bags at the nearest 7/11 in Thailand, I would find myself at the Airport the very next day.

Been in the PI loads, never had any security guard ask to look in my bag or say anything other than 'Good morning Sir' as I walk past.