Expats usually face the same problem whenever they want to work in the Philippines, which is how to get a permanent resident visa. There are only a handful of methods on how to obtain one and you need to be willing to pay some money for this permanent resident visa. We will tell you what exactly this permanent resident visa is, how to get one, how long it takes and when it expires for the expats in the Philippines.

A permanent resident visa in the Philippines is a kind of visa that lasts for ten years provided that you have a permanent residence in the Philippines. This visa will last one year for the initial application and after further reapplications, it will last for ten years, upon which the expats will receive a I-card which is a card that looks like a credit card, with your ID picture, finger print and personal data.


The application fee costs P 10,000 which is equal to around $225, and the approval fee costs another P 10,000 which is a total of around $550. After one year, you will be asked to register your permanent resident visa yearly which costs another $8.

You also have to provide the signature of your spouse and your marriage certificate as well as your own birth certificate and your spouse’s birth certificate. Expats are also required to hand over a certification of a savings bank account with the minimum $ 10,000, and a certificate of residence from the expats town or city of residence. Usually the ID pictures are taken right at the embassy and you can only obtain your permanent resident visa in the major cities of the Philippines such as Manila, Cebu, Davao City and Bacolod City.

Expats have a lot ahead of them before they can obtain a permanent resident visa in the Philippines, but with the right plan, expats will be able to receive their permanent resident visa for the Philippines.