i am thinking about moving to the philippines. i was wondering hard this is to do for an american?

Answer 1

Good luck. It shouldn't be a problem at all with a little preparation.

Contact the Philippine Embassy because they'll process all of your paperwork.

Answer 2

You know I'll be moving to the Philippines within the next 4 years.
I've been there several times (not 8 months out of the year, I wish).
Most of what has been said here is true, some of it basically true.
There is a website: livinginthephilippines3.com.ph , that is run by an American living in the Philippines and has members, including myself, that either live there now or plan on moving there soon. You can ask all kinds of questions and they are happy to answer them.

Now the thing about not being able to own land in the Philippines is not exactly true. I own land in the Philippines. Of course I am married to a Filipina (26 years). Although she is an American citizen, she is still allowed to own property there. We also have one of the cousins, Filipino citizen, on the title, so she can take care of things while we are in the States.
Not being able to own a business is not exactly true either. I own some small businesses, well not a company or anything, but I own pigs (that we sell), own tricycles (that we rent to own), I have a truck (that is used for Pepsi deliveries and get 100 pisos per day) and I plan to get a food delivery business started also.
Now as far as companies go, it is true you can not own it 100%, and I think you can only own 40%, not 50%, as indicated earlier.
Let me know if I can be of further assistance. Be glad to help in any way I can.

Answer 3

I am an american and spend about 8 months of the year (total of several trips) in the philippines.

first, dont worry about the "terrorist state" reply somebody posted earlier. there are thousands of americans currently living in the philippines. it is not a terrorist state.

the philippines is among the worst (possibly number one) countries as far as political corruption. this ranges from the president insuring re-election b y fixing the vote to your local cop insisting to be paid off for minor violations (even if you didnt do anything wrong!!).

please keep in mind that this is a third world country. you can live very well on less than 2,000 US dollars a month in most areas. you will not, however, have all the comforts of home.

if you are looking for work there you can pretty much forget it. why would a company hire you when they can pay someone else about 5 dollars a day?? there are plenty of intelligent and educated filipinos already looking for work. you can start your own business but you are not allowed to own more than 50% of it (so that kinda rules that out!!).

as a foreigner you are not allowed to purchase land in the philippines. this means you will either need to buy a condo (and be very careful if you do this!! remember the corruption!!) or you can rent. luckily rent for a nice place is cheap.

now the good parts.

99% of the people here are great!!! they are friendly, have a wonderful sense of humor and are very welcoming and kind people. some of the girls can be especially friendly.

there are definitely some beautiful places to go in the philippines. its a shame the infrastructure is so bad that its difficult to get to many of them..

to sum it up... and this is just my opinion... if i were going to vacation someplace in asia the philippines would not be very high on my list of places to go. there are more exotic and tourist friendly places that make your vacation easier to enjoy. if you are going to live in asia then the philippines would be near the top of my list of places to stay because of the friendly english speaking people and their relatively westernized society.

Answer 4

You need to contact the Philippines Embassy in America. I can tell you now that to live and work in the Philippines you will need a living visa, a work visa, and an alien registration card. If you are thinking about citizenship that is an entirely different thing. You would have to live in the Philippines for about 10 years (more or less). Even if you did qualify for citizenship you would have to denounce your US citizenship because Asian countries don't allow dual citizenship. I suggest you at least visit the Philippines before you just up and leave. Also getting a work visa in a Asian country is very hard. You will need a college degree, and no there is no getting around it. You will also have to be guaranteed employment upon arrival in the Philippines. This means that you must be hired by a foreign company that says they will be your sponsor. I hope you are serious because Asian countries are very nice. Just keep in mind that getting there won't be easy.

Answer 5

I don't understand the focus of your question. For immigration it should be relatively easy since Filipinos love Americans and there are 30,000 retired vets living in the area of the old US Air Force Base (Clark) and the US Naval base (Subic). It can't be that hard. And sadly, corruption is so rampant that any problem seems fixable concerning government bureaucracies.

The pace of life is slower and the cost of living is less. That's a plus. Filipinos will treat you wonderfully as an American but you will never be in their inner circle. Health care is much lower and air pollution is deadly, traffic is terrible , government infrastructure is almost broken. Alas, there are pros and cons like in every society.

We once thought of retiring there but when we looked hard at the society we decided against it. Basically there is no rule of law : only who you know, your status in the society and the amount of money you have . Those three form the basis of society at the end of the day. You can sue for your rights but you had better have more influence and more money than your opponent. Sad , very sad because Filipinos are such nice people but sadly this is very true. The rich enjoy their life; the poor suffer through their life.
My advice: vacation there; stay here.

Answer 6

Use common sense don't get conned take your time when you get there. Don't go broke buying so much because its cheap. Recommend that you have a steady income. Are you retired/military do a search for RAO Philippines. Check this site go2phil.com then click on Harry the Horse. Read his articles. Prices for a idea only go to: blue-bookph.com Its all ads Best place to start around subic beach area and angeles city cheaper except for outer areas then use more caution. Me I live there half the time travel back and forth Live in Angeles City area lots Americans

Answer 7

maybe the above answer was right philippine is a cheap country to live. but dont you think you find yourself a job before moving in the phil.even how much money you have if you wont spend it wisely its useless.

moving to the philippines for the americans was so easy but the true question is are you ready to face what might happen if you live there.?

Answer 8

US Veteran has no idea what he's talking about. Ignore him. He doesn't understand that there are smart Americans out there that have an open mind and enjoy learning about things on their own free will, instead of being brainwashed into beliefs.

You don't have to decide to move there until you've at least done an exploratory trip first. That's what I would suggest. Don't let the paranoid hold you back. It may be too late for them, but not for you.

Answer 9

moving to any country isn't hard to anybody especially if you are skilled you can find job easily but if your thinking of retiring then i say come here living in the Philippines is not hard at all but be sure to retire in the provinces not in manila like olongapo, zambales, clark there are lots of retired American soldiers there (if you're a retired soldier).

Answer 10

undesirable pricey baby andrea. the truth of turning into an actress contained in the philippines is extremely distinct to different international places. Like each and everything in pi, appearing careers actually have their corruption. many of the actors / actresses have bought their way into acceptance and fortune or commonly used someone to help them get to that degree. many of the actresses ought to have executed issues - unsightly issues - to get a commence as a 'actress' which a delicate woman like you shouldnt even ought to study about yet.