requirements to open a bank account in the phillipines, and to obtain 1 year multiple entry visa?

Question

i have been in the philippines twice before, i plan to move there permanently as my place of residence and still work offshore at 6weeks on 6 weeks off, i would like to get a one year multiple entry visa, and a bank account to have part of my wages put into, any info would be most appreciated.

Answer 1

The visa advice is good.

Bank account is no problem, but of course you need the ID because of anti money laundering laws. If you are in UK you can open your account from there easily with Allied Banking Corporation.
For permanent residency:

Visas if you stay for twenty-one days or less, you don’t need one, but you must have an airline ticket out. The visa can be extended by Bureau of Immigration to 59 days for a fee, and six months for a bigger fee, longer than that and it must be done in Manila. Maximum stay is one year if you are not married to a Filipina, but you can say go on a shopping trip to Hong Kong or elsewhere and return the same day. That covers you. There are alternatives you can get residency by depositing $US50,000 which after six months you can use to buy a flat or condominium as they call them, and a motor car, or just leave on bank deposit. You must prove that you can support yourself too. If you are married to a Filipina, if you enter as a tourist but marry, BI will change your status and give you a year, you pay a fee though, then you can apply for “Temporary Permanent Residency” then after a year “Permanent Residency” a new card is out now for permanent residents, and it costs $50, you must register in the first sixty days of the year with BI for which you pay P310.
Driving: you can drive for ninety days on your UK licence, after which you must obtain a Filipino licence, if you show your UK licence you automatically get a full one, but first you must take a drugs test, go to the barangay police medic, get it signed, checked by the police officer, counter signed by the mayor, return to LTO it costs about £7 all in, and lasts three years, expiring on your birthday date.

I hope the above helps.

Answer 2

In order to get the visa that you require, I suggest inquiring at the nearest Philippine Foreign Service Post, whether it be an Embassy or Consulate.

As for opening up a bank account, permanent residency isn't a requirement. While I was here initially on a student visa (am now a dual national), all I needed to give to the bank were various forms of identification and proof of domestic residence.

I opened up a savings account in The Bank of the Philippine Islands (My uncle who's a financial analyst at a British Bank in Singapore has a lot of faith in this bank and says the Philippines will go under sooner than this bank ever will). They asked for 2 forms of Photo Identification, I gave them a photocopy of my passport and my school ID (you can probably show company id), and 2 proofs of residence, I showed them a copy of the Electric and phone bills with the billing address of my aunt's home (where I was staying).

Not a problem at all opening up an account. So, in effect permanent residency isn't a requirement. PROOF OF A RESIDENCY is. The aforementioned uncle in singapore is a US citizen, but owns a condo in Makati City and has several banks accounts at BPI.

Good luck.

Answer 3

You can apply at your local Phil Consulate for a multiple entry visa valid for one year. Pls note that for each stay you can remain in the Phils for 59 days, but that can be extended at the local Immigration office You can also enter the country without a visa for 21 days (can also be extended locally) but you would always need to have an airline ticket to leave the country (open ticket Manila-Hong Kong is sufficient)
For bank accounts, a permanent residence is required - sorry