Moving to Manila as an American: visa routes

The quick answer: you can fly into Manila on your US passport with no visa, stay 30 days and keep extending for a good while. To actually live here, though, most Americans end up on one of three routes: the SRRV retirement visa, the 13A visa through a Filipino spouse, or a 9G work visa.

The short version

Visa-free entry: US citizens are admitted for 30 days on arrival and can apply for a first extension of 29 days at the Bureau of Immigration [1]. Longer stays take more extensions.
Retirement: the Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV) is open from age 40, with a dollar deposit that depends on your age and whether you have a pension [3].
Marriage: the 13A immigrant visa is for foreigners married to Filipino citizens. It starts as probationary [2].
Work: the 9G pre-arranged employment visa goes through your Philippine employer, alongside a Department of Labor work permit.
Before you fly: register on eTravel before every arrival [5].

USD conversions use the European Central Bank cross rate of October 30, 2026 (USD 1 = PHP 63.68), rounded. Fees below come from Bureau of Immigration pages that say they were last updated on March 6, 2014, so treat them as ballparks.

Landing visa-free, then extending

Americans don't need a visa to visit the Philippines. You're admitted for 30 days, and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) calls this the Temporary Visitor (9A) visa waiver [1].

If you want to stay longer, you have options without leaving the country:

First extension (to 59 days): apply for the visa waiver extension of 29 days at the BI Main Office or another authorized BI office. The BI's fee table totals PHP 3,030 (about USD 48) with express processing [1]. You can also file online through the BI's e-services portal.
Beyond 59 days: you apply for extensions of one or two months at a time. For an adult from a visa-free country like the US, the table shows PHP 4,400 (about USD 69) for one month or PHP 4,900 (about USD 77) for two, plus USD 50 for a tourist ACR I-Card [1].
After six months: extensions get a little pricier, with a Certificate of Residence fee added from the seventh month [1].

Overstaying costs PHP 500 (about USD 8) a month in fines on top of the fees [1], plus a lot of hassle at the airport. Don't let your stamp lapse.

Here's the heads-up most people miss: extending again and again is fine for a long scouting trip, but it isn't residence. You can't work on a tourist stay, and banks and landlords may ask about your long-term status. Most Americans pick a real visa within their first year.

The three main routes to living here

Route	Who it's for	Key requirement	Where to apply
SRRV (retirement)	Age 40 and up	Dollar deposit in a PRA-accredited bank [3]	Philippine Retirement Authority
13A (marriage)	Spouses of Filipino citizens	A valid marriage [2]	Bureau of Immigration
9G (work)	People hired by a Philippine employer	A job offer and employer paperwork [4]	Bureau of Immigration, plus DOLE
Tourist extensions	Scouting trips, long visits	Extensions every one or two months [1]	Bureau of Immigration

The SRRV retirement visa

The SRRV is run by the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) and issued by the BI [3]. It's a special non-immigrant visa with multiple entry and indefinite stay, and you don't have to be retirement age back home to get it.

The PRA's current deposit table for the SRRV Classic [3]:

Age	Pensioner	Non-pensioner
50 and older	USD 15,000	USD 30,000
40 to 49	USD 25,000	USD 50,000

To count as a pensioner, you need a lifetime pension of at least USD 800 a month if you're single or USD 1,000 with dependents [3]. Social Security can be part of that picture, but check with the PRA how they treat your specific income.

Other costs: a USD 1,500 processing fee and a USD 360 annual fee for the principal and up to two dependents [3]. The deposit must arrive as an inward remittance from a bank abroad to a PRA-accredited bank, such as the Development Bank of the Philippines or Philippine National Bank [3].

The perks are real: SRRV holders are exempt from the BI annual report, the ACR I-Card, exit and re-entry permits and the travel tax, and they don't need a separate work or student visa [3]. Our full guide covers the options: the SRRV retirement visa in the Philippines.

The 13A visa for spouses of Filipinos

If you're married to a Filipino citizen, the non-quota immigrant visa by marriage (13A) is the classic route [2]. You convert from your tourist status at the BI Main Office or an authorized BI office. The process includes a checklist of documents, a hearing, and fingerprinting for your ACR I-Card [2].

The visa starts as probationary. The BI's fee table lists PHP 8,620 (about USD 135) for the principal, plus USD 50 for the ACR I-Card [2]. Proof of a valid marriage to a Philippine citizen is the core of the file. See the 13A visa for Americans married to Filipinos for the full walk-through.

The 9G work visa and the AEP

If a Philippine company hires you, you'll need two things:

An Alien Employment Permit (AEP) from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Your employer usually starts this. We couldn't open DOLE's AEP page when we checked, so ask your employer for the current requirements.
The 9G pre-arranged employment visa from the BI [4]. Your employer files a notarized certification of how many foreign and Filipino employees it has, and you attend a hearing and give fingerprints for your ACR I-Card [4].

The BI's fee table for a one-year 9G with a company outside the "top 1,000 corporations" is PHP 10,130 (about USD 159) for the principal, with longer validities of two and three years also listed [4]. Spouses and kids can come as dependents.

What about remote work?

When we checked the BI's list of visas in November 2026, we didn't see a dedicated remote-worker visa among the options. Many remote workers start on tourist extensions, but tourist status doesn't allow you to work for a Philippine employer. If you're under 40 and working for a US company, talk to a Philippine immigration lawyer before you pick a route.

eTravel: the form before every arrival

Every arriving passenger, Filipino or foreign, has to fill out eTravel at etravel.gov.ph or in the eGov PH app. The BI reminds travelers to register or update their eTravel details at least 72 hours before travel [5]. It's free on the official site, so ignore lookalike sites that charge a fee.

The annual report and your ACR I-Card

Once you hold a resident visa like the 13A or 9G, you get an ACR I-Card, and you must file the annual report in person at a BI office early each year [6]. The fee is PHP 310 (about USD 5) [6]. File late and you face a PHP 200 monthly fine, counted from March 2, plus a motion for reconsideration fee [6]. SRRV holders are exempt [3].

Your first-month to-do list

Do eTravel before your flight and keep the QR code handy [5].
Enroll in STEP with the US Embassy at 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Manila [7]. Embassy passport and notarial services are by appointment only [7]. See STEP and help from US embassies.
Calendar your extension date. Day 30 comes fast.
Pick your long-term route, and collect US documents (a police clearance, birth and marriage certificates) while you can still get them easily.
Find a place. Start with a short-term rental in BGC or Makati, then sign a lease. See renting in Manila.
Get a local SIM. You'll need it for banking, delivery apps and Grab.
Open a bank account once you have an address. Bring your passport and expect FATCA paperwork.
Keep filing stateside. Uncle Sam still wants your return every year, wherever you live.

When we checked on November 6, 2026, the State Department rated the Philippines Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution), with higher levels for some areas, in the advisory updated September 1, 2026 [8]. Read the area list before you travel outside Metro Manila.

The US Embassy estimates that around 375,000 Americans call the Philippines home [9]. You won't be the only one figuring this out. Ask questions in our community group for Americans in the Philippines, and have a Philippine immigration lawyer check anything that affects your status.

Moving to Manila as an American: the visa routes that actually work