• We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

My move to the Philippines

You younger guys, get an online job you can do anywhere. Get paid in USD and live here. Get your passport, your real birth certificate, not a copy and your divorce decree if your divorced. You won't regret it one bit. Don't bring all your American crap with you, just 4 shorts, 4 t-shirts, 4 underwear, 4 socks a pair of sneakers a pair of sandals, one nice pair of jeans and one nice shirt. It's all you need. Your cell phone and charger. You will need to keep your American number for your job. Get a Philippines phone when you get here and live in paradise.
Just did my Visa renewal, there was an 86 year old guy there with a 20 something wife...
I suggest get a bit older woman, 25 to 35ish they are real, the younger ones are in it for the money. With age comes realness.
Get a one way flight, goto Onwardticket.com
You will need to get a flight to any nearby country, don't mater what one, it's just a reservation, but they give you a boarding pass vai email, for 30 days after your arrival to be allowed into the Philippines. You can renew your tourist Visa for three years. Leave for a day and it resets. Or marry your Filipina and get the 13a spouse Visa, first is 6 months, then a year, then it goes to 5 years.
Watch some YouTube videos about here so your not blind coming in.
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LifeBeyondTheSea - Philippines

Ever thought of going away to live on a tropical island? I did, so I left everything and moved to the Philippines! In 2011, I did a lot of thinking about what I wanted to truly do the rest of my life. I've never been a "travel person" up until that point. I'd only been to border towns...
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This guy has been doing it for 20 years
A Filipinas point of view
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The Filipina Pea

Hi folks, and thanks so much for checking out my channel! For years, I've been observing people and their relationships in cultures around the world. I've traveled quite a bit, gathering perspectives on many topics, and now it's time to share what I've learned! This channel is geared towards...
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Same size apartment as I had in the states, I am paying 247USD for it vs 1100 in the states.
A McDonald's quarter pound meal 4 and some change vs 11
Cigarettes 3 and change vs 11 in the US
A liter and half of Coke 1 and some change
A liter and half of water a quarter
A taxi ride all the way across town from the motel to my apartment cost me 2 and some change

Have your Filipina do the shopping, there is a thing "white tax" where they charge more for foreigners
 
Leave all your American thoughts and demands behind.
Everything is different here
Don't flush your toilet paper the pipes aren't set up for it bag it and toss.
Most places don't have ovens, not a lot of baking done here
Foreigners can't own land
Can own a condo or business
When you marry your Filipina she can buy the land with your money in her name and build a house on it for around 60k usd and up depending on how fancy ie western you make it
The land itself will be from 1k and up depending on how close to a big city it is
Or yiu can lease land from an owner with 25 year lease agreement. With at least one guaranteed extension.
You can't bring your car, until you marry your Filipina. Then it's 15% to 100% value tax plus the shipping from Seattle, there is a drive on drive off shipper there 5k if I remember right.

The power grid is 220 here so don't bring anything that is 110 only. You can get adapters but they short out in time and fry your stuff. Just sell it there and get 220 stuff here
 
Foreigners basically can't work jobs here. Unless your company sends you here. They have a hire Filipino first law.
Even the most basic McDonald's, convenience store clerk job requires a two year college degree.

You can't get double dipped for yearly taxes. If paid from America they have dibs first.

You can basically trade your current valid driver's license for a Philippines one with a vision test and color blind test. No drive or written test required. Do that in your second month.

Your first tourist Visa is good for 30 days. If renewed late 400 peso fine
Your second Visa renewal you can start doing 60 day ones and will get your ACR card, basically a resident alien ID and can open a bank account in the Philippines.

Your cost of living here solely depends on you. There are expats doing it on 500 USD a month.

The residents average 20k peso a month to 25k for the average citizens and they get by.

After converting I get roughly 77k pesos a month, so can live rather comfortably
 
You will get the Philippines flu after arriving, took me two weeks. Lasted 5 days 2 were bad rest sniffles etc. It's different from western version as it's adapted to the heat here. So we westerners don't have the natural antibodies for it like our flu shots give us there.

Don't live in the A/C when you get here. Will take about 30 days of being in the heat for your body to adapt. You will shed a lot of water weight via sweating. Drink plenty of water. Not from the tap, bottled.

Don't move to Manila or Cebu. High tourist areas everything cost more. Move to bigger towns an hour or so away.

Manila and Cebu both have American embassy. So both have hospitals that SSD or standard social security will cover.

Don't try and do online dating, a very good percentage are just trying to get you to send money. Will say anything to get you to do it, have no food, mom needs medication. Boots on the ground is way better.
 
Driving, traffic, just walking around is different than anything you have ever seen. One to two scooters motorcycles for every car. Sidewalks are full of people shopping from vendors selling anything from food to cloths to tools its crazy. Most roads except the really big major ones don't have traffic lights.
Horns are used to pass slower vehicles so lots of honking going on. It's to tell the slower driver you are passing. Sidewalks are not uniform in any way as compared to the states. Rises, lower parts concrete humps where A/C water drains lines are going to the streets.

There will be poverty on a scale you have never seen before. Just a warning, you can't help so don't try. It's sad I know but the truth.

Don't smoke cigarettes on the public Sidewalks. If a cop catches you it's a 400 to 1000 peso fine. Find an alley, not near an a/c unit or open windows.

Cannabis is illegal in any form. Don't try to bring it in and don't have it in your system. If for some reason a cops picks you up, drunk and disorderly etc that can UA you, if in your system major fines or jail time as they will think you used it there.
 
Jexnell said:
And the best one if and when you find your Filipina.

Rice is life!

Make sure you have a rice cooker, as she will eat rice for every meal, and probably eat with her fingers or a fork and spoon. The spoon being both a spoon and a knife.
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So nice to see, good for you. I hope this period in your life lasts a long time.

My life has been pretty good the last 15 years or so, so much to be thankful for. But major challenges also come, no one is exempt from this aspect of life. Just have to deal with those difficult events/seasons in the right way. And make it through.
 
What's the old saying

When in Rome, do as the Roman's

Well when in the Philippines do as they do

I am now learning the fine art of eating with one's fingers as they do. It's actually quite satisfying. No silverware clanking your teeth, getting in the way.
 
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