New and interested

[nigelmac]

I am a single male looking to move to the Phillipines quite possibly Cebu to prepare my retirement slowly as i am still only 41 years old, I am working in Africa on a 4 week on/off rotation and so i would NEED to locate myself not more than an hour from a well deserved airport I like most water sports scuba diving etc so on or near a beach resort type area would be ideal however not an area that closes down completely out of the tourist season. I would be looking initially to rent a villa or condo budget of 30.000 PHP before buying , I understand that buying a villa or house for a foreigner is not possible so a nice condo etc will probably be the next best option, I would like eventually to buy more than one to ensure an income in my later years. Although originally from London i have lived in London Marseille Africa and south america as an expat for the last 20 years Manilla with its rush hour and traffic would be very far from what i would be looking for, peace and tranquility with a healthy night scene not far away would be my cup of tea. Taking into account this list of must's and need's where would you guys on this forum suggest that I concentrate my researches.
All that apart I can't wait to come over and hopefully meet up with some of you,

Any help and opinions are appreciated i look forward to reading your posts,

[fred]

I`d rather live in Manila than Cebu.. For some reason I just dont like the place.. What about Makati?

[nigelmac]

Fred, what about it? I honestly have not decided as yet everyone seems to have valid arguments with concerns to different areas I think that I will pitch my tent so to speak in the Cebu area for a year, lease a condo, and then use that as a base from which to travel and visit all the different places that have been suggested to me here and on other forums thus far I prefer the hotter climates by far and i really want to be away from the hustle and bustle of town living traffic etc at the end of the first year when i would be looking to buy, but Cebu seems to be the most centralized place where I can still go through all the admin visa etc process without to much hassle, do you know of any lawyers handlers etc that can take care of all this process for me i understand i will be paying but at least a trusted one should get it all right first time and as I will not be there full time due to my work he can act as a go-between should there be need.

[nigelmac]

I have further questions:

1) Given that I work on a 28/28 day rotation I will never be spending anymore than 26 days at a a time in the Philippines so I presume at least for the next few years whilst I am working I will not need to worry about a resident visa or will I?

2) Can I buy and live in a property condo etc or even lease long term without a resident visa ?

[Terpe]

But what are you currently doing in India nigelmac ...??

[nigelmac]

Somebody has been checking my IP address, lol. I am currently overseeing security operations with concerns to my company's products being shipped on vessels transiting through the High risk area relating to anti-piracy activities, next week you will see me in Pakistan then the week after in Sri Lanka before returning to England then France the month after back to Africa as you can see I travel a lot

[RickyR]

I was on a similar rotation (seafarer) and lived in the Philippines for several years flying in and flying out, staying on tourist visas and extended them in country as required. I got the company travel agent to 'hold' dummy tickets to show I was only staying 21 days whenever I stayed longer.
We stayed in Manila and then Cebu, I liked both for different reasons, but in all honesty I couldn't hack it out there. I think in retirement I would be fine, but I got too frustrated with aspects of the life, but met so many people living a great life there.
Definitely worth doing a few holidays there to find out what you want.

[nigelmac]

Hi Ricky, yes it can be a real drag I have been doing sea and land based activities for the last 3 years now rarely staying more than 3-4 days in any one country luckily I will be on a more regular rotation as of next month 28/28 and in just 1 country land based, hence my decision to finally move out of Europe for good and head to Asia, I dabbled with the idea of Thailand for a while but a few friends living there explained that a getting a permanent resident visa was a real nightmare even after years of living there and owning property, the Philippine SRIV system seems to be quite good and hassle free. As many have done on here I might even go down the marriage path but seeing as that hasn't happened up until now I am not counting on it happening in the Philippines neither although I am ruling nothing out at this stage please tell me Ricky do you absolutely have to have a ticket coming back from the Philippines within the 21 days to qualify for the tourist visa upon entry? is it not know 30 days? tourist visa that is?

[fred]

Yes it is 30 days now and yes you really should have a return ticket out..

We are only a couple of hours away on a ferry from Cebu but from your description of needs and wants I think Bohol would be a bit quiet for you..

I have a mate that lives and works in Makati..He loves it there.. Everything he needs..Close to work,night entertainment,a massive assortment of restaurants,clubs,malls..name it!

I have to go pick up up a family member from Cebu International on Tuesday.. Not looking forward to it.. Only there for 3/4 hours so not too bad!

[nigelmac]

Thanks Ricky and Fred I have looked at Makati as one of my places to definitely visit however I am worried about the city hustle and bustle there and yes Ricky I will definitely be spending a year no matter where before committing myself financially to any one place Fred I understand what you are saying about not liking a place in this instance for you its Cebu, I hate Paris and will avoid it like the plague if at all possible I cant put my finger on why? just the general feel and that from the very first day I went there many years ago, but for the moment Cebu seems to be centralized from where I can explore and ticks most of my boxes in the interim.

[irishman12]

you don't get a tourist visa upon entry - most nationalities can enter/stay for 30 days without visa

[RickyR]

Correct, it's a visa waiver/visa free (but in essence is a 30 day visa on arrival for selected nationalities).

I had forgotten about the change from 21 days to 30 days last year, since I haven't been back since 2012... I am about ready to handle returning and have been told I am spending July and August there this year by my wifey, currently trying to wriggle out of that....

[grahamw48]

Give it a try Nigel.

There's something for everyone in the Phils.

Because of your previous travelling and lifestyle, you'd probably also be better able to enjoy life there.

As for choosing somewhere to base yourself, well some more research will help of course. There are sites dedicated to expat life in Cebu, for instance. Personally I could live virtually anywhere in the Phils and enjoy myself. Perhaps just have an open mind and travel around first to see a few different places.

[Michael Parnham]

Hi Nigel, welcome to the forum, if you don't mind me saying so, you seem to be living a very interesting and well travelled life in your job!

[nigelmac]

Graham, it is true that at this point "wherever I lay my Hat is my home" and I adapt and blend in pretty much anywhere but, I do have a pretty clear idea of my dislikes at this point and seeing as I would like to make this a permanent base for my later years there are other factors to take into account as you might imagine.

Michael, Indeed but all that travel is not always quite as exotic as it may sound and constant airports and displacement can be a real drag at times not least with concerns to relationships as when I get home from work the last thing I want to do is to go on holidays somewhere but overall, I cannot really complain.