Moving to the Philippines

Reader Thoughts on Retiring in the Philippines.

(Updated January 11, 2019)

Here’s a great comment I received from a reader.  I wanted to make some additional comments and a couple of slight corrections, so I did, marked in blue.

Food is exempt of the 12% sales tax and many stores in the provinces don’t apply it to their sales or services at all. but at the big malls, it is applied, most surely.

Partially correct, but the way you have stated it could be a little misleading.

Food, in the raw, in its natural state is not taxed.  Example, if you buy a kilo of rice, even though it may be milled and polished and cleaned, it is not taxed.

A head of cauliflower, as it comes from the field is not subject to taxation.

But something so simple as a basic can of beans is subject to the 12% VAT.  When you go to the supermarket as I do at least once a week, you’ll soon see that the taxed items far exceed the tax-free items.

 

[Read more…] about Reader Thoughts on Retiring in the Philippines, Jan 2019

Are you thinking of Moving to the Philippines to Retire?

(Updated 8 January 2019)

Are you one of those folks who is thinking about moving to the Philippines to retire?

Perhaps to stretch that ever-shrinking fixed retirement income.

Perhaps to get away from ice and snow and cold forever.

Perhaps just for a change of pace, escaping the treadmill and rat race of the USA to relax in your golden years.

There are many other potential reasons.  But the big question in many people’s mind is,

Does Retiring in the Philippine Even Make Sense?

Well, the answer to that question is going to be different for almost everyone who asks it.

First of all, it is important to remember that there s almost never a definite, for sure and positive yes or no answer.

There are only pluses and minuses which will be different for almost everyone.

All an individual can do is to decide if the pluses or the minuses add up in favor of making the move or not … and specifically for that individual only.

[Read more…] about Moving to the Philippines to Retire

Ask Me Anything

(Updated 25 December 2018)

This post may contain affiliate links. See our affiliate disclaimer above.

Recently my blogging colleagues, Heath & Alyssa hosted an AMA on their website.

If you haven’t heard of it, AMA stands for Ask Me Anything and the trend started long ago on Reddit.

I’ve always wanted to do one, but I don’t use Reddit.

So it wasn’t until I saw Heath and Alyssa’s post that I realized it must be okay for bloggers to host AMAs too!

Ask Me Anything means you can ask me anything.

If you don’t know what to ask, here are a few things we love talking about here on PhilFAQS.com

• Full-time Living in the Philippines
• Part-time Living in the Philippines
• Retiring in the Philippines (at any age)
• Ditching the 9 to 5
• Starting a business That Will Supplement Your Income
• Blogging  (for both fun and profit)
• Travel
• Binge watching Netflix shows

And anything else you can think of.

How To Ask:

• Just leave a public comment below.  I promise to answer every one.
• Send me a spam-free email message using the Contact Form here:
• Call me on my US number 1-719-966-4295.  You’ll probably have to leave a message, as I don’t sit by the phone here.  But if you leave a contact number and tell me what time zone you are in, I promise to call you back.

So Have a Great Christmas and an Even More Wonderful New Year

And ask me anything, the only stupid questions are the ones you don’t ask.

Social Security Office Hours US Embassy Manila

This just in, many thanks to my colleague Jim …..

 

United States Embassy Manila, Philippines Message for U.S. Citizens: New Social Security Business Hours

Beginning Monday, December 3, 2018, the Social Security Administration (SSA) office at the U.S. Embassy in Manila will be open for in-office appointments and walk-in services from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Philippine and U.S. holidays.

SSA’s telephone hours (phone number +63-2-301-2000 extension 9) will be from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, except Philippine and U.S. holidays.

SSA may also be reached by email at FBU.Manila@ssa.gov.

Contact info for Social Security Office Hours US Embassy Manila

Why I’m Staying In The Philippines

(Updated 12 November 2018)

A few days back I published an article here where I made a huge error in the title.  I never should have used the word “Final”.  Never say “never” or “final” or “ultimate” unless you have an iron-clad assure that this will actually BE your final word.

Final USA Observations On The Way Out The Door

Also, I published this article (below) recently as well, detailing why (at this time) moving back to the USA was not the right decision for my wife and me.

Still Keeping Me Rudely Awake 2018

Well Here’s The Thing With “Final”

One of the major things I talked about in those two articles was the ridiculous costs for many things in the USA, compared with what I have to pay here in the Philippines.

Even though I paid all the charges on the three different US-based credit cards I used on the US trip, I found out I wasn’t quite done just yet

Final Charges are like Final Decisions.

They ain’t necessarily so.

Along came a charge on the US credit card I had used to rent a car in the Philippines.  Even though I had a receipt from that company, issued when the car was turned in that said “Final Charges”, I now find I have to pay more than $122 USD for “Airport Taxes and Usage Fees”.

If anyone has read the first article on the is subject you’ll recall I pointed out this “wonderful” practice being carried out by many US cities to screw the visitor, after the fact. [Read more…] about Another Article On Why I’m Staying In The Philippines

Final USA Observations On The Way Out The Door.

(Updated 6 November 2018)

Regular readers will recall I just published an article recently detailing some of my thoughts on staying here in the Philippines or going back to the USA.

You can read it here, and I feel you ought to if you are anywhere near as conflicted as I am over the “move back/Don’t move back” question.  Go ahead, I’ll wait for you here….

[Read more…] about Final USA Observations On The Way Out The Door

How long can you stay in the Philippines if you are a US citizen?

(Updated 3 November 2018)

I’m a US citizen and I want to know how long I can stay in the Philippines if I decide to retire there?

Simple Answer — A Long Time.

Now, how long is a “long time”?  Well in contrast to the USA, where visitors (if they can even GET a tourist visa) are normally limited to a 90-day stay, with no extensions, the Philippines is a dream country for international nomads for overseas retirees.

Apply The KISS Principle

Let’s start with a US citizen (or a citizen of any of the many visa waiver countries listed here).  The simple news is, you need only two things:

1.  Your passport (valid for at least 6 months at the time you enter the Philippines).
2.   Proof of Onward travel within 30 days of your arrival in the Philippines.

That’s all?  Yep, that’s all you need to get in the door.  From that point onward I’ll show you how to stay here in the Philippines legally for up to 36 months.  There are other visas you can get which let you stay even longer (up to the end of your life), but this is the KISS section, so let’s just stay with the initially free to anyone tourist visa.

[Read more…] about How long can you stay in the Philippines if you are a US citizen?

Still Keeping Me Rudely Awake.

Last updated 19 October 2018

Blessed Are the Meek.

First of all, let me throw in a little disclaimer here.  This post isn’t really all that much about religion, but I do throw in some Bible teaching and no matter what your personal feelings about religion, you can’t learn much about the Philippines without recognizing the fact that it is one of the most religious countries on earth.

I am a private individual and I pretty much keep my own religious views private … but I also have the freedom of the press and if I want to speak of things with a religious tone, I will.

You folks who feel that people who mention God or Jesus Christ in public are doing something forbidden, can go ahead and start preparing your “He spoke about God” case against me … or just click on to read something else.  Fair warning.

The Bible is Important in the Philippines

Some time back I think I lost a Filipino reader and a budding friend because he wrote me and told me how wonderful it was that Filipinos are “meek”, and he didn’t understand why I didn’t seem to see that as a great strength of the Philippine nation and people.

I responded to him that perhaps he and I weren’t seeing things exactly the same when it came to the true definition of “meek” … and the conversation died right there, aborning.
[Read more…] about Blessed Are the Meek — Or Are They?