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Over the last few years, some countries in Asia made it more and more difficult for long-term tourists (or none-working Expats) to stay longer than just a few months in country. Thailand only recently made their Visa Rules more difficult and complicated; before that monthly Visa Runs to the neighbouring countries were quite common.
Indonesia introduced a Visa-On Arrival (VOA) for maximum 30 days with respective fees only back in 2004 – before you could get a 3 months stamp for free. The bureaucratic processes to attain and extend a Social Visa are legendary. Although there were some rumours of longer VOA (up to 120 days) a few months back, those have yet to materialize.
I remember when I first went to the Philippines and overstayed my Visa for a few days, I paid something around USD 150 to be able to follow my already checked-in luggage on my plane out.
Ouch! 
So it’s nice to hear that things are changing for the better:
The Philippines announced just a few days back, that foreigners are now allowed to stay in the country for up to 24 months! That is really great news – as the Philippines are quite far off from the rest of Asia and therefore a more expensive flight ticket would be required to just doing a Visa Run.
Of course there are always these kind of ‘agencies’ who only let your passport travel; but then, those can be quite tricky too in case something goes wrong. Thailand tried to eradicate this kind of businesses with some success, too bad for the foreigners who were caught in the middle.
The Bureau of Immigration of the Philippines is going even further, they are even thinking of doing away with Visas completely!
Wow, that’d sound great. Can’t wait to see that in place!
Besides the many thousands of Pinoy islands with plenty of beaches, the Philippines have still relatively low costs of living in Asia, but you don’t have to miss out on Life’s modern amenities as well.
As we are warming more and more up with moving again to some place new some time next year – the Philippines just moved to our Top Spot on the list of interesting countries. A nice site to learn more about Living in the Philippines is this one for instance.
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Related posts:
- Stay connected abroad…
- 6 Months Philippines – the Best, the Good, the Ugly
- Visit the gorgeous Islands and Beaches of the Philippines
- Cost of Living Chart – Philippines (in Peso, Dollar and Euro)
- Visa Extension in Bali – how does it work?
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I hope that longer timeframe for Visa expiration can attract more tourists in the Philippines
You can’t escape.
I will find you anywhere.
You will see it soon, when i am knocking on your door….
Better make it to Bali first; easier and cheaper accessible than one of the more remote 7001 islands in the Philippines!
Hey cool, cheers for the update. I’m heading that way in January with no set plans in mind so it’s nice to know I can stay for awhile if I want. I guess that also means that one way tickets are ok? I can’t imagine staying 2 years but ya never know eh! Pretty flexible to say the least.
That’s good news. I surmise you’ll soon make it again here in my country, my friend. Good luck to your nomadic journey
I would love to go to the Philippines or anywhere in SouthEast Asia*
Dream Trip*
Canada’s too Cold in the Winter + sadly the Girls just aren’t as Friendly!!
;PPP
[...] The Philippines for instance have the great advantage of having a population which can speak English fluently and who have adopted the American Way of Life to a great extend. Still you can live there on a budget of about USD 500-1.000 per month with a higher standard of living you could enjoy in the US of A on that money. On top of that, the Philippines just relaxed their Visa Regulations for Long-Term Visitors. So it’s really a great place to start, to get out from where you are now and to jump in with less risks than almost anywhere else. [...]
This has got to be the best post on your blog i’ve read so far! Well not really, many of your posts are much more inspiring, but this one really has the most positive ramifications for me! The Philippines have been on my places-to-go list for quite a while, and this will just make it so much easier for me!
darcy – thank you for the compliments and you are most welcome! Do you have already concrete plans? Where are you planning to go in particular?
i want to stay in philippines several years please i want visa of philippines you better to send to me visa visa please ok good bye my email is (jaamacmaxamed1988@hotmail.com)
jama mohamed, sorry – but I don’t provide the Visa, only some information. You would have to go to the Philippines Embassy in your country or arrive to get a Visa on Arrival, which you can extend nowadays up to 2 years, if I’m not wrong. Good luck!
Great news. Going soon in the new year. Still have family there on my xwife side. But there very good to me, spent 12 months last time but did not travel much,this time will be better.will go to places i want to go on my own. Bit left in the air last time about visas. at to pay a fine for not knowing where to go. Good luck with your travels my friends.
Did not have no problem getting a visa when i went there.Stayed the twelve months then went back to Ozz. I’ve been told that you can stay 16 months.This is great news if i can stay two years.Then a Quick trip to Hong Kong will be fantastick. cw969@hotmail.com
The Philippines government should offer long-term visa for skilled foreigners or investors like the Malaysian government did. Already, many countries are targeting the small investors market. The Malaysian government offers the Malaysia my Second Home requires RM150,000 in fixed deposit in Malaysia (around US$40-50,000). Other countries like Brazil also have similar programmes requiring similar amount of investment. I think the other countries in Southeast Asia should offer similar programmes. The majority of their citizens are poor. They have tens of millions of people already, so it doesn’t affect their population to have a few thousands more foreigners. The foreigners are likely to cause a net gain because they are unlikely to earn more than they spend there. So, why should they stop foreigners who wish to spend their money there long-term at all? There is no economic reason to do so. In fact they should encourage more foreigners who can afford to spend their money there to live there longer. Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos should offer these programmes. They could require something similar to Malaysia. If they require a fixed deposit of investment in stocks or mutual funds registered there of US$30-50k, I think their programmes would become more affordable. Of course, I think it’s important for the governments to build safe and modern communities to attract foreigners.who wish to live there for long-term.
Just wonder which places in the Philippines you guys think are good generally for foreigners:
1) crime rate is low
2) modern medical, transport, entertainment and shopping facilities
3) pollution is low
4) police are efficient and just
5) costs low
6) natural disasters, riots, wars, kidnaps uncommon
Davao City fits all of your criteria.
I read that the island where Davo City is is not very safe.
sunny, you should probably consider the islands on or around Cebu. That’s the most laid-back, safe and developed area – besides Manila – but without its pollution and high crime rates.
Yes, Mindanao appears to be less safe than the rest of the country, but Davao (which is on Mindanao) has one of the most rigid mayors in the country and is very much safe. Maybe Mindanao Bob can comment a bit more on that, alternatively you can check out his website, where this question is asked many times over also….
Hi sunny – You read that it is not safe. I’ve lived here for 10 years already. I am telling you that Davao is very safe. Come and check it out and I’m sure you will agree with me.
Many publications these days are saying that Davao is the safest city in the Philippines.
Asiaweek Magazine says that Davao is the most livable city in the Philippines, and one of the most livable cities in all of Asia.
Bob, glad you made that clear and added another destination for sunny to check in regards to his question in comment #15!
The problem is it seems that the fate of this city is linked to its Mayor, who may leave any time. But anyway, I’d like to know how to reach there. I can’t see this city in AirAsia’s list of destinations. The Philippines also offers an investor visa called SIRV. By investing US$75,000 in the Philippines (may include stocks) one could apply for this permanent visa. So it’s not a bad idea, considering that there are many opportunities in this emerging economy and the cost of living is low.
Actually I spent some time in Manila and it was great. Yes it may be crowded and a little polluted, but it is such a great place. The people are great and always smiling and it was a great experience. I see nothing wrong with the Philippines and actually I will probably study abroad there this coming June- October. But don’t hate on something unless you have been there. It is a great place and quite a experience.
This is great! Now more Tourist will come
and can see the beauty of philippines just pity that some of the people here dont speak fluently in english… but anyways if u guys need company hit me up haha jk! 
Bob were just neighbors i live in General Santos City and yes Davao is a great place
Hello,
First of all anywere in the Philippines is terrible the traffic is terrible the crime is very high my cousin was robbed and killed in Davao you people are crazy i live in a southern town and my total cost of living is under 1000 bucks a month and i dont have to worry about crime blacks or all that dumb shit the islands suck
I am so sorry to inform you that I just came back from a 3 month stay in Philippines and this is not the case yet, after the first 21 days I had to pay $150 for a visa extension, that was good for an extra 60 days. This happen on March 2010.
Gerardo G, maybe there is a misunderstanding. It’s still possible to stay up to 18-months in the Philippines. Although you have to make an extension every 1-2 months for around 3.000-4.000 Pesos per extension. Yup, it’s not free, but still a straight-forward and fast process.
You can even negotiate your overall stay with the immigration officer. Let’s say you want to stay 8 months in the country, you simply pay your necessary extensions at once and get only 1 stamp and you’re done for good. Never have to think about your visa again. Yeah, it’s not cheap, but compare the process with the bureaucratic Visa Rules in Indonesia – and it’s still more convenient by a hundred miles.
Very cool,I did not know we can do that, I will keep it in mind for next time since I plan to stay longer1-2 years?
Thanks for the info.
You are most welcome, Gerardo! I hope and wish, that you enjoy your stay!
how do my Fiancee could stay here in Philippines with me without marriage? because we don’t know yet when we go married.
judith, he can simply arrive on the 3-week tourist visa and extend it for up to 16 or 18 months, depending on his country of origin. Immigration offices are scattered around the country in the main towns and the process is pretty fast and painless. He just needs to pay his 3.000-4.000 Pesos per every extension.
He doesn’t even need to extend every month: last time I extended for the whole length of my stay (3 months) in 1 go in the the immigration office in Boracay. Most Immigration Officers I met in the Philippines are pretty flexible and help you even to sort out the best options. Just avoid the centers in Manila or Cebu, where the masses go, as they don’t have time for individual help.
With the nice Lady, who is the Head of Immigration in Boracay, we even shared a coffee and cigarettes and had a few good laughs while extending our visas and getting free consulting about our best options in January.