⌛ Retiring in Dumaguete

I am new to this forum although I have read some of the comments while browsing this site.

I am married to a Filippina and presently living in Australia. We have a 3 year old son born here from our marriage and he has an Australian passport. I also have a step-daughter 11 years old. Both my wife and step-daughter have Philippine passports.

Can anyone tell me the best way to go about a visa for my residency, do I apply for a Balikbayan visa which will have to be renewed every year, or is it best to go for the retirement visa which has some financial requirements? I would be interested in reading comments from other people who have settled in Dumaguete.

I would also like to start a small business to supplement my pension, I would have this business registered in my wife's name. Would this be the best option?

 

Hello there I read your message, It is much better for you to apply the 13(a) Quota slot it is a permanent residence visa that allows you to stay here in the Philippines and do business, it is also like an SRRV visa but you dont need to put your money in a certain Bank provided that you have a bank account that you can show to the Philippine Immigration. And if your son was born in Australia, make sure that you got his Authenticated Birth Certificate from the Philippine Embassy there in Australia(red ribbon) so that you can apply for Recognition as Filipino Citizen. Nwayz few here knows about the 13(a) Quota Visa. For reference I can give you the details and sample copy of an Australian who granted the 13(a) Quota Visa.

 

Retirement Visa

I cannot give info on other types of visa. The Special Retiree Visa, which as you correctly point out has financial requirements, is excellent. Easy to get and well managed by PRA. It does require that you renew it once a year, but all this means is going to the PRA office to have it renewed.

 

The 13a is a non quota visa and is very cheap and easy to obtain, mine cost me 3 trips to manila and around 9000pesos. The first one you get is probationary for 1 year and you do the same thing 1 year later and get the permanent one. I now have that and it means i can stay here forever just once a year have to report to the immigration and pay 310pesos reporting fee. If you are married you are much better to go for this then the srrv, Why pay the money they charge and have to tie cash up in a bank savings at crap interest rates?

The immigration site will give you all the requirements you need, Rough idea, 1 2x2 picture of yourself.
Your passport with copy of last entry and picture page.
Filled out application form
Wifes birth cert
Your birth cert
Marriage cert
They do the NBI checks so you dont need to worry about that

I think that was pretty much it ohh and a few thousand pesos.

How to do?

Goto intramorras (spelling is certainly wrong) or your the cebu immigration.
Take all the paper work with you, they check its all there and then you pay the first fee, around 1500pesos if i remember pretty close anyway, Have your finger prints done for your aci card along with computer photo.

You then get a appointment date to see the lawyer there and interview you both so this time make sure you take the wife. Takes around 5 to 10 minutes and is painless.

They then make the visa and you go back in around 3 weeks after the interview to obtain your visa and aci card. Very simple to do and everytime i was there the longest i waited was the last time to get my aci card, 1st and 2nd visits were around 30 mins to 1 hour, last visit was 3 hours.

Or if you cannot be bothered to do it yourself there are people who can do it all for you for around 25-30,000pesos.

Good luck
cheers

 

Please, whatever you do, if you have any money to start a business in the Philippines...put it in your superannuation instead. There you have about 80% probability of a positive return...and great tax benefits until K.Rudd ruins it .An expat business in the Philippines, top of my head, has about a minus 95% probability of doing the same on a sustained basis. If you're loaded and want to pursue some kind of business hobby...help yourself and expect to lose the lot...but at least you may have some fun doing it...If you're determined to make some money on the local economy - you'll have better odds on the PSE if you're reasonably clever...but again the super investment in Oz is the better option...

 

There are (2) Kinds of 13(a) the Non-Quota- married with a Filipina and the 13(a) Quota Visa- Quota Visa because it only approved 50 nationality for every year with reprocity to the Phil.( meaning their country can also accept Filipinos as Immigrant ex. Australia, America, Japanese, Korean)

 

Thank you everyone for your input and I will take your advice and go for the 13a. I intend going over back end of the month to look around Dumaguete before I make a decision on a business.

I have been to Bayawan which is 3 hours by Ceres bus with my wife as her family lives there. I have only seen Dumaguete briefly while passing through but it looked a nice place to live. Let's face it there are always good and bad points to every place, but I couldn't live in Manila and also Cebu City with the traffic and pollution etc.

If any of you guys know about the local Rotary Club let me know because I am in Rotary over in Auss and would like to join in Dumaguete. Good contacts can be made in business through that organisation.