Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Read the threads and comments about visiting the Philippines. I am somewhat unclear about the requirements. I contacted the Philippine Consulate in SF once and provided them with copy of my birthcertificate....and explained that although I was born in the Philippines...I acquired U.S. citizenship at birth...through my father, who was also born in the Philippines a U.S. citizen...through his father, who was born in the U.S.
The Philippine Consulate explained to me that because I was NOT NATURALIZED as a U.S. citizen...I would not be eligible for dual citizenship. Not even eligible for a Balikbayan visa. Yet, I have two cousins who were also born in the Philippines..under exactly the same circumstances as I am...who returned to retire in the Philippines...and now have dual citizenship. How is it they were able to do it...and I can't? Another cousin (mother's side)...came to the U.S. many years ago...and became naturalized U.S. citizen...and now travels back and forth between U.S.-Philippines...staying in PI with just the usual entry visa stamped on his U. S. passport...good for a year.
This cousin told me...after I showed him my birth certificate...that I shouldn't have any problem when I arrive at the airport in Manila. You see, my birth certificate shows that I was a Filipino citizen. My parents names...showing on the birth certificate also indicates that they are both Filipino citizens. That when I arrive in Manila...just tell the Immigration official that I am "balikbayan"...and show my U.S. passport (it does show on my U.S. passport that I was born in Manila)..along with the certified copy of my birth certificate...that shows I was born a Filipino citizen. My passport would then be stamped with a one-year balikbayan visa. Not to bother to explain that I acquired U.S. citizenship at birth...under the U.S. Nationality Act of 1941...or something like that. The Immigration official in Manila is not going to know the circumstances of my acquiring U.S. citizenship and as far as it looks...I emmigrated to the U.S. at some point...and became a U.S. citizen by naturalization process. On that basis...I am eligible for the Balikbayan visa and even dual citizenship.
Anyone care to help clear up my situation? Should I just pretend...as my cousin suggested, that I know nothing about my acquiring U.S. citizenship at birth? I really didn't know until I made an inquiry with the U.S. State Department years after I have been living in the U.S. They wrote to me explaining the law that granted me U.S. citizenship at birth. That's why I was granted a U.S. passport in Manila...without ever having set foot in the U.S.
Thanks. Look forward to hear your comments.
Are you going to retire in the Philippines? Where are you going to live? Are you going to rent or buy? How much pension do you have to live on?
If I live in the Philippines until the US economy gets better or 8 months passes by I can live on $1171 - $123 per month SSDI, rent free in our Quezon City house. I eat well - fast food and groceries - and it costs me 11,700 pesos per month.
I can get dual citizenship but I don't know if I want to do that. I wonder if I will be double taxed then.
Are you going to retire in the Philippines? Where are you going to live? Are you going to rent or buy? How much pension do you have to live on?
If I live in the Philippines until the US economy gets better or 8 months passes by I can live on $1171 - $123 per month SSDI, rent free in our Quezon City house. I eat well - fast food and groceries - and it costs me 11,700 pesos per month.
I can get dual citizenship but I don't know if I want to do that. I wonder if I will be double taxed then.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesse69: That's the intent. I have several places I'm considering: Dumaguete, Iloilo (Guimaras Island) or in the area of Puerto Princesa in Palawan. I know I can live there in absolute comfort on my pension of $6,000 per month. Specially in those places I mentioned. I will probably just rent...as I don't want to be bogged down with owning and worrying about a house. A cousin in Iloilo wants to give me a piece of land overlooking a river valley...about 4 hectares. ..free. My concern now is not the decision I have to make to live there...but the issue I elaborated on in my thread earlier about my Balikbayan visa eligibility status or dual citizenship.
You're probably right...if you obtain dual citizenship and live in the Philippines...you are considered as a citizen and resident of the Philippines....subject to whatever taxes you have to pay on your income. I believe you can be exempted from certain tax obligations if you are not residing in the U.S. on a permanent basis. You'll have to check with IRS or one of those Tax Preparer Offices in your area. You need to check with SSA also. Seems that there is provision that if you go abroad....and stay longer than a prescribed length of time, you'll have to start paying taxes on your SS pension.
To answer FCS's question, anything is possible when in the Philippines for money, so yes show your BC and US passport upon arrival and you will more than likely get your BB stamp, it is not a visa but a privilege and if for some reason you were not to get it, then you will still get a 30 day stamp and can extend it for 6 more months for a fee, then once there you will have time and should be able to get your Philippine passport using your BC and if not then hire the right attorney to grease the right wheels to get dual citizenship but it may or may not happen if you tell them too much. I am not suggesting breaking the law, I am suggesting not remembering much about the chain of events leading you to US citizenship.
Now living in the Philippines at $6000 a month might be too up there in some of the places you mentioned and especially if you do not look totally Filipino and speak the language of the areas you will be in, so that you can blend in. My advice would be slow and steady, so as to not rush into buying anything until you have been there a while and see if you like the Philippines and like the area you are thinking of living in. Many parts of the Philippines IMHO still tells me that it is a third world country, even when it is supposed to be a developing nation, not sure what the heck the difference might be but I can tell you that many locals still live without electric or running water or real toilets in many parts of the Philippines.
You might wish to check out Cebu City and the areas right outside the city. My wife and I own a condo in the city and find some parts of the city to be first world such as the IT Park and Ayala Business Park areas but that also means those areas can be pretty expensive to buy anything in. To give you an idea of costs, right next to and attached to Ayala there is a condo going up that starts at around p10 million and there are others in the area that cost p27 million.
Good luck in your adventure but IMHO if you have not been back to the Philippines since you were a child then you might be in for some culture shock.
The one thing I have found in the Philippines to be constant is that the same exact situation can lead to different conclusions depending on who you deal with.
Dumaguete is a very nice little coastal town. Can get a bit boring if you are a younger guy and like to party, but would be ideal for an older gent with a nice lady or two to pass the time with.
Dumaguete is a very nice little coastal town. Can get a bit boring if you are a younger guy and like to party, but would be ideal for an older gent with a nice lady or two to pass the time with.
a nice lady or two...? sounds like a piece of crap to me. I know there are women that live in poverty and foreign men take advantage of that. There are women that are just prostitutes. But why do that? Why go to a poor country and use the women there for your pleasure. If you are that type of guy stay in your country and sleep with the prostitutes there.
About Cebu City, I agree Ayala is very nice.
RE: Retiring in the Philippines. OK everyone who replied in this forum...thanks much. I am always learning something new...and appreciate it. Mr. Lee, I have been back in the Philippines many times since I left for the first time when I was still in high school. When I joined the U.S. Army in California after high school, I was stationed on Okinawa from where I had numerous opportunities to visit the Philippines. Then, to my big surprise...they reassigned me to an Army support detachment in Manila! I didn't even know the U.S. Army had a detachment in Manila back then; right in Port Area...to be exact inside the Luzon Stevedoring compound; but they're not there anymore. And I have gone back at least a dozen times during my assignments in Korea, Japan and Guam. So I really haven't been away that long. For sure, if I go back, I would prefer to be away from Manila....and will likely reside in 1) Dumaguete 2) Iloilo (Guimaras Island) or 3) Puerto Princesa in Palawan. I have been to those places and certainly know what it's like. Been to Cebu City...too crowded and too much traffic for me.
About looking like a local...well, funny thing is, when I am in the Philippines people think I am a foreigner...American or Spanish...or something else; when I am in the U.S....people wonder...as they can't quite figure me out. Some say...I kind of look like from some European country...or maybe one of the islands in the Pacific. I speak like an American...but when I speak Tagalog...I speak as fluent as a Pilipino. The same when I speak in Spanish or French. I suppose I can blend with the local...as long as I refrain from talking in English. And as you wisely advised, slow down and don't get carried away buying things until I get adjusted and comfortable. There is no doubt in my mind that I will like it there. And I prefer food and items native to the Philippines anyway. So you'll never see me eating in McDonalds or Pizza Hut over there.
Reference the other comments (ni Medellinhells) about going out with a chick or two (in Dumaguete...or wherever)...You think that old gents have nothing better to do than just hang out with chicks to pass the time away? I have much work to do in the Philippines. I will be doing a lot ethnographic writing, editing research materials, talking to people about a zillion different topics, helping others wherever my skills and abilities could be put to good use, teaching, trekking in remote mountain passes to visit with various indigenous groups (the Mangyans, the Apayaos, the Kalingas, the Tao't Bato, etc)collecting and cataloging artifacts, photographing, meeting with authorities on the topics I will be working on, and when there is free time, I may, socialize with the right type of people (ahem...ladies). So take it easy naman, Dalmain. Don't jump to conclusions with your stereotype of the Ugly American taking advantage of a poor country and use their women for pleasure. Hindi ako ganyan. If anything, my purpose is to give of myself, help others...not take from them.
Last edited by FCStraight; 05-08-2014 at 04:28 PM..
Reason: correct typos; add sentences.
a nice lady or two...? sounds like a piece of crap to me. I know there are women that live in poverty and foreign men take advantage of that. There are women that are just prostitutes. But why do that? Why go to a poor country and use the women there for your pleasure. If you are that type of guy stay in your country and sleep with the prostitutes there.
About Cebu City, I agree Ayala is very nice.
Lol
What is wrong with making a connection with a woman and showing her a good time?
Where and how did prostitutes come into this discussion? No one was talking about such.
RE: Retiring in the Philippines. OK everyone who replied in this forum...thanks much. I am always learning something new...and appreciate it. Mr. Lee, I have been back in the Philippines many times since I left for the first time when I was still in high school. When I joined the U.S. Army in California after high school, I was stationed on Okinawa from where I had numerous opportunities to visit the Philippines. Then, to my big surprise...they reassigned me to an Army support detachment in Manila! I didn't even know the U.S. Army had a detachment in Manila back then; right in Port Area...to be exact inside the Luzon Stevedoring compound; but they're not there anymore. And I have gone back at least a dozen times during my assignments in Korea, Japan and Guam. So I really haven't been away that long. For sure, if I go back, I would prefer to be away from Manila....and will likely reside in 1) Dumaguete 2) Iloilo (Guimaras Island) or 3) Puerto Princesa in Palawan. I have been to those places and certainly know what it's like. Been to Cebu City...too crowded and too much traffic for me.
About looking like a local...well, funny thing is, when I am in the Philippines people think I am a foreigner...American or Spanish...or something else; when I am in the U.S....people wonder...as they can't quite figure me out. Some say...I kind of look like from some European country...or maybe one of the islands in the Pacific. I speak like an American...but when I speak Tagalog...I speak as fluent as a Pilipino. The same when I speak in Spanish or French. I suppose I can blend with the local...as long as I refrain from talking in English. And as you wisely advised, slow down and don't get carried away buying things until I get adjusted and comfortable. There is no doubt in my mind that I will like it there. And I prefer food and items native to the Philippines anyway. So you'll never see me eating in McDonalds or Pizza Hut over there.
Reference the other comments (ni Medellinhells) about going out with a chick or two (in Dumaguete...or wherever)...You think that old gents have nothing better to do than just hang out with chicks to pass the time away? I have much work to do in the Philippines. I will be doing a lot ethnographic writing, editing research materials, talking to people about a zillion different topics, helping others wherever my skills and abilities could be put to good use, teaching, trekking in remote mountain passes to visit with various indigenous groups (the Mangyans, the Apayaos, the Kalingas, the Tao't Bato, etc)collecting and cataloging artifacts, photographing, meeting with authorities on the topics I will be working on, and when there is free time, I may, socialize with the right type of people (ahem...ladies). So take it easy naman, Dalmain. Don't jump to conclusions with your stereotype of the Ugly American taking advantage of a poor country and use their women for pleasure. Hindi ako ganyan. If anything, my purpose is to give of myself, help others...not take from them.
Thumbs up, enjoy your stay and it is great to know you will be doing good things while there.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Retiring in Philippines
