So you've decided to make the move ! Chances are if you've made this decision you have already spent countless hours on the computer researching the Philippines. You've  thought of just about everything you need to make the move as smooth as possible. I remember this time last year, Feb 2007 i was in this same period of my life so  i can relate to what 's going on in your mind. Here are some of the thing's you need to research and accomplish before you leave.

Do you have a passport?

Better get one first thing! 

What kind of a visa will you obtain?

Tourist

13a

Balikbayan

SRRV

Do you have on line banking set up for your USA account?

This is the best  way to do your banking and pay any bills you have left to pay in the USA

How will you get the money to live on while living in the Philippines?

Will you use the ATM's

Will you write a check  every month to live on? Remember it takes 21 banking days to clear the check to your account in the Philippines

Will you start a banking account in the Philippines?

Do you have  the necessary requirements to start a banking account?

in most cases you need your passport and bring at least 2 photo copies with you to the bank. If you have the 13A visa then bring in the paperwork showing the 13A number and get a photo copy of it. Your Drivers License is another form of ID get a copy of this also!

How will you get your mail forwarded to you ?

A mail forwarding company ?

Relatives?

What about the  properties you currently own this is land,home,cars all your personal property.

What about health insurance?

Will you have say $10,000 in an account just for medical emergencies?

Is your current Medical insurance good here?  

Will you get PHILHEALTH when you get here if your married to a filipina?

Have you notified your banks and  credit card company's so they wont freeze your accounts when they see an overseas transaction?

Have you decided what to bring and what to leave behind?

Balikbayan Boxes are a good way to ship your personal items just ship them 4 to 6 weeks before you leave!

If your a larger man make sure you ship shoes,shorts,underwear,socks,belts and lots of shirts! it maybe hard for you to find your size!

If you have a lot of relatives in the USA you want to stay in contact with make sure you get a VOIP phone system  calling from the Philippines can get expensive!

            Actual Expats Advice On

       "HOW TO MAKE  THE MOVE" 

   Making The Move-What’s Your Story?

I was just sitting here jotting down some notes on items that we want to send to the Philippines and I got to thinking.As long as I have been associated with the Philippine related groups I cannot remember anyone posting a detailed story of what they did to prepare
for the move to PI. Then what they had to do after they got to PI.Thing's like making a list of what is needed (and the list as an example)
Setting up Bank Accounts
What about the mail ( How was it handled)
Property in USA ( What did you do)
Communications
13A or Tourist Visa(did you get extension in PI or USA)
How much money was needed and for what to make the move?
Tickets and how you handled the round trip requirements
Then what you did upon arrival in PI
Where did you stay?
What your impressions were at first?
What you rented and cost
What was your start up fees and what did you have to do to get
everything turned on?
What Items were needed in your home?


Just information like this. If we could get a lot of members posting on this we could have some valuable information for the move!

My daddy always told me that he used to think the nuclear company he worked for was the best. Then he took a position where he traveled all over the world as a inspector for nuclear operations (INPO). It was at this time he realized  that the company he had worked 25 years for wasn't the
best but had some good ideas. He then told me that what you do is you take the best ideas from all the companies and put them together to make a smoother and better running company. This is what these types of posts can do for future expats, making a smoother and easier move to the country that they love.


Please take part and let us know how you made your move to the Philippines or if you haven't moved how you plan on doing it.

Sincerely

Jerry O

**Setting up Bank Accounts

I already had my account in the states. After I made the final move we
opened an ATM peso account and a dollar account. I brought enough money to open the accounts and to carry me through the first two months. After that I
used the system I've talked about many times of check deposits at my local
account, ATM withdraws and over the counter cash advances.

**What about the mail ( How was it handled)

I used FPO mail and simply completed the standard postal system forwarding
card at the post office and notified all my accounts including utilities of
my new address. I did this about a week before I left. At the same time I
sent a post card to the postmaster at the FPO with my information telling
him I was having my mail forwarded and I would be there to make final
arrangements within 30 days. Then shortly after arrival I went to the FPO
post office and completed the forms, picked up my mail and paid a years
dues.

**Property in USA ( What did you do)

I sold, gave away or dumped everything I owned. For me at least this was
meant to happen. My perfect plan was to retire at the end of February, close
on my house, get what I asked for the house, sell but use my truck up to the
last day and be able to sell but keep all my furniture until shortly before
I closed on the house. I discussed this with a real estate agent and he
suggested we list the house right after New Years. In the meantime my
neighbor agreed to buy my truck but let me keep it until the day before I
left. Another friend also found someone that was willing to make a deal on
all my furniture at one time but let me keep it until after the sale of the
house. The agent came to list my house in the morning and an hour later told me he had someone that wanted to look at the house. That afternoon he told me they had agreed to buy the house but wanted to hold off on closing until the end of February. In exchange for delaying the closing they agreed to pay my asking price. I also had made a deal with the agent that if he was also
the selling agent that he would give me a 2% discount on his commission. The
weekend before closing I held a garage sale and got rid of lots of junk.
What was left went to the Salvation Army or in the dumpster. Two days before
closing the woman that bought my furniture showed up and picked everything up. I was left with my coffee maker, an old sleeping bag, two suitcases of cloths and my laptop. I spent two nights at the house that way. On the morning of closing I got up early, drank my last cup of coffee from my
coffee maker. Loaded the sleeping bag and an old piece of foam I used as a
mattress and hauled them to the dumpster. I returned put the coffee pot in the back of the truck as a present to my neighbor and parked the truck in
his driveway. He was on vacation at the time and had already paid me for the
truck weeks earlier. As we had arranged I left the keys at a specified
location in his back yard. A few minutes later a friend from work picked me
up and I finished my out processing from my job. Mid afternoon the real
estate agent picked me up and we went to the closing of my house after which
he took me to a motel. Early the next morning another friend picked me up
and took me to the airport.

**Communications

I use email and various VOIP products.

**13A or Tourist Visa(did you get extension in PI or USA)

About six weeks before I was planning on leaving I flew to LA and took all
the required documents to the Philippine consulate for a 13a visa. I
explained to them that I was from Arizona and could they complete my visa within one day so I wouldn't have to fly back. I had scheduled my flight in
so that I was at the door when they opened and my flight back wasn't until 7
PM. They told me they would have it ready by 5 PM. Around 3 PM they gave me my passport with the visa attached and the packet.

**How much money was needed and for what to make the move?

This is hard to put together as we got married here about nine months before
I moved and I moved her into an apartment three months before that. During that year I sent extra money so she could purchase appliances and furniture. So by the time I got here we pretty much had the basics. A few months later we purchased a car and after being here about six months we purchased a lot and started building.

**Tickets and how you handled the round trip requirements

When I left Tucson I went to Virginia to visit my daughter before leaving.
From there I flew back to LA and then via Hong Kong to Manila. I had a one
way ticket as I already had my 13a visa. I had no problems with the airlines
when I left but I made it a point in showing them the visa.

**Then what you did upon arrival in PI

My wife met me at the airport in Manila, Over the next two days I did my 13a
processing and then went to Angeles City to finish setting up my FPO mail
and while I was there met Ron S.

**Where did you stay?

While in Manila we stayed at the Kabayan and in Naga in my apartment.

**What your impressions were at first?

Nothing special as I had made six trips here over the previous 18 months.

**What you rented and cost

We had a two bedroom apartment with one CR, small kitchen, eating area and
living room in a nice subdivision for P5,500 per month plus utilities.

**What was your start up fees and what did you have to do to get everything
turned on?

We paid two months advance rent as a deposit plus the first month. The
electric and water were in the owners name so he just presented us with the
bills each month and we paid them. We spent about four hours getting a phone
and cable.

**What Items were needed in your home?

Everything. We started with nothing. Dishes, flatware, pots and pans, stove,
cloths washer, refrigerator, dining table and chairs. computer, beds, couch
and chairs, linen, towels, basic food items, spices, water heater for the
shower, a/c in the bedroom, etc., etc.

Jim
Naga City, Bicol

Re: Making the Move..., Whats Your Story? (Jim)

Hi Jim,

Excellent report. You listed some things I had failed to so I will fill those in now. It really is nice to read about someone else's experience.

**What about the mail ( How was it handled)
I forgot all about this topic. My plan was to arrive in Manila and then just go to the embassy and change my government mailing address
there. For all my US mail I had it forwarded to a relative back in
the states. Well that person moved without notifying me causing my
statements to return to the bank. Thankfully, nothing bad happened
but I really failed to plan on the mail bit. I am on my third relative now because we tend to be gypsies. Now I have changed my bank statements to electronic so I have no other mail going to the US

**Communications
I have used E-mail and Smart for mobile since the start. I am not a
bad texter for a foreigner. For long distance I use Smart at 40 cents a minute I think. Anyway I won't talk long. I don't want long distance on the landline because it can get out of control and I
stick to a budget. We did use VOIP for a while when we were members of that Korean internet club in Makati. It was free and the quality of sound was probably better than using my mobile phone. The only people I have called are my family, banks, and my partner in the studio just to make sure things are still going along.

**Where did you stay?

When I first arrived I stayed at Asia Bill's Townhouse in Manila. It was exactly what I expected and wanted. This is a budget place but is 5 minutes from the airport and Bill had already been answering questions for me through Email for 6 months. He had one of the few Philippine related web sites back then and he was the only person
aside from Don H. who wrote back to me. Both of these guys gave me a lot of their time which is probably why I am paying that forward now. I didn't know anyone in Manila. Bill wasn't in town at that time.

This was really great because there were a lot of people coming and
going to the airport. The Townhouse was packed. I got out my pen and
pad and interviewed about 50 people over two months concerning their
experiences in the Philippines. I might have met some of the members
during that time. People weren't overly friendly but were maybe more open because I was alone. I feel certain that one foreigner was less intimidating. I didn't feel in danger at anytime while being alone. I actually felt like even the squatters nearby were friendlier
because I was alone. I spent quite a few nights sitting out on Roxas Blvd. with those guys.

There was one night though that I had to go to the hospital. When I left I couldn't find a taxi and felt pretty sure I could find my way to the next major road. I came upon a garbage truck that was dumping all of the trash onto the street. About 40 ragged people were
picking through this trash and separating everything to be recycled.
I tried to appear as if I saw this every night when a face came out
of nowhere laughing and smiling with some sort of sodden mouth with
no teeth. This was a shocking image but I kept moving forward and soon found that main road.

I worked out a monthly rate with Bill for an aircon room with cable TV and hot water. That is all I wanted or needed. I had my mailing address switched to the Townhouse which was ok with Bill. I made friends with the staff so they could text me wherever I went after
that. Bill finally arrived in person and gave a pretty intensive seminar about living in the Philippines. I listened and took notes. He invited me to travel with him to his place down in Boracay but by
that time I had met my wife and was courting her.

Since I arrived the first week in November, I failed to realize this
was already Holiday season in the Philippines. Within a few weeks it
was impossible to get around the city so my plan to get to Boracay was foiled. I had planned to go to Boracay, then over to Cebu for a while, then back to Luzon to go up to Baguio with my new girlfriend in tow. Again this was a miracle because this lady who became my wife became very ill about two months later. If we had been
traveling at the time I don't know what would have happened. This is
why I truly believe that sometimes roadblocks turn out to be safety
stations.

Also Note- Christmas can start in late November here in the Philippines. As everyone comes home for the holidays the cities get more and more crowded. I had been told this but didn't really
understand how much it would affect me. All flights out of NAIA were booked and the ferries were over-booked. If I had that to do again I would have come in August, so I would have plenty of time to find a permanent place to live before Christmas came.

Best Wishes,

Boz in BC

Re: PLIP Making the Move"" My story, and Im sticking to it!!

2 centavos worth from Cagayan De Oro

Jerry....wow..what a large order!! Having lived here for almost 4 years (in
mindano),
there are so many things that are "trial and error"...What would work for one
person will not work for the other. from but not limited to:

Your budget ...How much spendable income do you have;???

this will somewhat determine if you are going to get a "nipa hut" @ 500 P a
month

or...you are going to get a 5 bedroom 4 CR house...at 30 to 50K peso a month;

I seriously believe that everyone with "aspirations" of living in the Philippines should come try it. The Philippines is not for everyone!! A man will come here all "pumped up about" his new life/lady, thus..in time the 'honeymoon" wears off and then reality kicks in.

In my opinion, there are many sacrifices that are made by living here. After
all this time, I can not adjust to sardines and eggs mixed, or dried fish (that
smells like its rotten even before they cook it)...and other "minor detailed"
things. lol Of course, there are many American foods that can be purchased at the super markets, but at a nice healthy price...compared to the states.

After all this time I have yet to sale my house in the USA. This is on the
top of my list of things to do in 2007, now that I have fully decided this is
where I will live for the next 20 years (yes, I gotta live that long, as I have
a 2 y.o. little girl). The house is sitting
in the USA....going down hill fast, as there is no one living there...

My mail is forwarded to a friends house (did a change of address) The US post office will only hold your mail up to 6 months.

The bank: I have used the same bank in USA for years. I have my retirement
money deposited there monthly; I have 2 separate banks here in the Phils. Each bank I have a dollar & a Peso account established; Each month, I write myself a check off of the bank in the USA and deposit in one of the accounts I just listed (I have Metro
and Allied banking here). Thus, it does not cost me transfer fee's etc. I also
have a ATM card that I use...for emergencies...It normally takes up to about 30 days for a check to clear the USA bank and be deposited into my account here in CDO.
Visa:
I have not applied for a 13A. My wife and I go on a trip once a year out of
the country, thus receive a "balikbayan visa stamp"(passport is stamped) at
immigration each time we re enter the Phils, and this gives me another year,
without having to go to Immigration here in the city every 59 days for visa extension. This trip out of the country is about paid for (for one person) by
what I save having to pay immigration every 2 months.

First impressions, and...even NOW impressions: OH MY GOD!! The poverty; I really have problems seeing kids eating garbage. Across the street from where I live is a garbage pick up "site". I see little girls about a year older than my little one (3 to 5 y.o.) going thru garbage ..trying to find food...This brings
tears to my eyes. Across the street from me...is a squatters area...a real baby
factory...Many druggies...and young "kids" having kids. Don't understand how they exist on such little money. Many are making less than 3 dollars a
day.....but somehow they manage. All this concerns me, but...just wish I could
save the "children"....This part hurts I can NOT !!

When you set up "housekeeping"...anywhere...it cost money. During the 4 years here, guess we have spent near 15 thousand US dollars. Everything in the house..I bought...or was shipped in from USA. Linen (sheets, towels etc) I sent
from USA to here...The quality of the above items, you can find...but..at a very
high price. The above 15K...refrigs (2 of them) 2 tv's...computer...well the
list goes on and on. The normal price for "getting" into a house is 2 months
rent as deposit + 1 month of rent.
About everyone of the utility companies received a 5K peso..deposit.

Transportation cost for taxi's and jeepneys is very low; Its impossible to
own a car at the rate you can ride on the above. BUT BUT BUT

I just bought a car....reason...for emergencies:..if for no other reason; In
the middle of the night...you get sick, your family gets sick.....sorry for the
words..but"You're screwed"...There is NO such thing as ambulance service,
or....Police to haul you into the hospital.. In my city...its a bit unusual to
even see a policeman...if you do, he
is a traffic cop..with NO vehicle... I still plan to use the taxi's..or jeepneys when I go to the city shopping....Yes take my own car to the beach and different
family outings.

Well..the above (I rambled)....hope will help some....Oh yes, I have a 3
bedroom, 2 bath house...I pay 5000 peso a month (or about 100 dollars ..based on 50 to 1 exchange rate)

We also have many American friends here in CDO..that we have family get
togethers thus enjoy :


Bennie fm NC...now living in CDO.

Re: Making the Move..., Whats Your Story?

Jerry,

Excellent topic as usual.

I already made a post in the last month about my first impressions of the Philippines. I was reading your post and just remembered that I was not preparing to move to the Philippines. I prepared for SE Asia and decided I would stay in each country as long as it remained convenient. My research included the basic requirements for the
Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Access to money- This was without a doubt my biggest concern and
with good reason. I double and triple checked that I would have as few problems keeping the money flowing no matter what.

Access to medical care-I found for me the best option would be to pay fee for service. The reality is that the expensive mechanism required for health insurance is just not in place in the countries I researched. Even the best insurance would be re-imbursement at
their mercy as hospitals over here place about as much value on an insurance card as a bubble gum wrapper. I would have bought a plan while still in the US if I could have found one that paid for
itself, and none that I found would ever account for even the annual premiums. This is like paying someone to hold your money for you at an enormous interest rate. I completely got Mike Farrell's message regarding insurance over here.

Access to Entertainment- To my delight I found that all the movies
are available over here, live music is easier to find than in the US, and there are lots of other entertainment option available that would not be in the US. Even things like a manicure for 50 pesos that would cost $50.00 at least where I am from. I don't need a
manicure so it is more of an entertainment thing. The same goes for
200 to 400 pesos for a massage. This is not the hanky panky type but the rehab type. These things are affordable in all three of the countries that I planned for.

Transportation- I have a few health problems and will never be able
to legally drive again, anywhere. So I had to make sure that affordable public transportation was available and not
some nightmare with chickens flying around on every bus. This might
happen but I haven't experienced it and the information I received was accurate in that some form of affordable transportation can get you anywhere you need to go in the region.

Diplomacy- Was this another area of the world where I had to pretend
to be Canadian just so not hear some anti-American lecture every time I went out? Well my research indicated that Americans are mostly welcome in SE Asia. Local people will tell you about the
regions to avoid and I have no problem respecting that. I don't want to go anywhere that I am not wanted, and not just tolerated but respected if I behaved respectfully.

Visas- I use the perpetual tourist program. I am eligible to apply
for 13a but the benefits seem to be always changing. Also I can't
get a clear answer if my disease is considered to a loathsome disease even though it isn't contagious. We can use either a Balikbayan or just keep renewing. Last year I flew back to Hawaii instead of Bangkok because I got a deal and my wife didn't feel like
going out of the country at that time and we couldn't get her a visa to the states. The bottom line for me is that I am not sure that we are staying in this country, as Thailand still has a lot to offer
but that is another ball of wax. If things crap out here though which is entirely possible, I keep a quick exit plan.

Housing- Trying to stay light, I stayed only in fully furnished places for the fist 3 years. This cost a bit more per month but as I said before deals can be found if someone is willing to work at it.
We paid an average of 20,000 pesos per month to stay in the best
areas of Makati. I learned to offer one month deposit and one month
advance. If they want more than that then I can find another place
who will accept my offer. The advantage is that we are still looking for the ideal place and didn't want to drag a house full of goods with us every time we moved. Now since we have moved up to Baguio we have invested a few thousand dollars in TV's, bedding,
appliances, and other things so we at least have the option of renting an unfurnished place. We have never accepted the 15 page leases that nobody understands and have always declined the post- dated check request. This is no big deal as there are more places for rent than there are people looking to pay. Also, I don't feel
bad for the person leasing these places as a new sucker comes over every day who doesn't give a damn about driving up local prices.

Apartment does not mean the same thing we were used to in the West.
An apartment is generally something added on to an existing building. There are no building codes for these places. A condo is closer to what we are used to as apartments. Not all of the people
trying to rent to you are honest or even courteous. Some have been right down nasty when we told them a place was not what we were looking for. We have most likely looked one hundred places by now. Most people are not going to do this. But we learned a lot. Now I
would spend more time on the phone asking questions before going out
to view a place. I have said this before and will say it again. All utilities listed at any address must be paid by someone before they will turn the utility back on. This does not matter who left the
bill. If you want power, water, cable, and telephone those utilities
should be turned on prior to paying on centavo or signing anything.
We already went through one experience of paying a 20,000 peso phone bill left by the previous tenant in Makati. The landlord was not
honest about this. She spent the deposit money so we had to pay the
bill and deduct from the rent. Remember that deposits are not placed
into an escrow account, but spent the day after you pay. No matter what you landlord says you have to try to protect yourself.

Since this is my story I say in my situation I would not ever consider buying property in this country as a foreigner. I respect the opinion of anyone who respects mine on this subject. My opinion is that real estate is not an investment in the Philippines. If
someone is just looking to have a nice house to live in until they die and don't care what happens after that I can understand. But, buying here would not be considered an investment in western terms. It is not just my opinion as I see new "dream houses" built by
foreigners every week in the Blue Book, and all seem to only be trying to get close to what they put into it.

In summary: My research proved to be right on target regarding most
everything. The source of my research was mostly Lonely Planet, and a Filipino chat room that I found which had a wide array of Filipinos on it that were more than friendly when answering question about their country. One guy in particular was a pilot for PAL and he was the one who directed me NOT to fly his own airline, but instead to get a better deal from Eva Air, and he was right in that the ticket was cheaper. I had not even heard of Eva prior to that. I came in on a one year open date ticket. This cost a few hundred
dollars a year more than a 30 day return ticket, but at the least I got to use it as my show ticket on the first visa trip. I paid $880.00 but this was November of 2002, so rates might have gone up a
bit since then. I paid $600.00 last year for a round trip to Honolulu from Manila, so there are still deals out there if someone is willing to spend a few days on the phone.

I can also add that this is not the first foreign country I have lived in. Representing my old company I spent two years doing research in the European market while being based outside of Amsterdam. I had also resided for a year in the Bahamas and another year in Australia. Those experiences prepared me for the basic
banking experiences and being a foreigner, but in no way prepared me
for the culture shock of the Philippines. I was warned but honestly to see such poverty right along side gross wealth is something that is difficult to describe. This can be viewed in a capsule just by
sitting on the corner of Ayala and Makati Avenue, right near HSBC. That is where I saw the Queen of the Philippines selling flowers. That little girl is probably out there as I type this message. When
you see some young punk in a brand new BMW convertible lay on his
horn as this little girl crossed the street it takes come restraint not to drag him out of the car and just get a good workout pounding his head in. Of course he is most likely a member of the elite over here and they are not people to mess around with. Within the
Philippines the elite are like Gods. They can have anyone of us deported at any time, or jailed, or worse. Who knows? Anyway, they are not hard to avoid. But I saw too much of them in Makati.

Preparing- I cleared all my debt from the credit report thinking it might be needed over here. I learned that nobody over here has access to the credit report but at least I don't have any creditors looking for me. I sold my Jeep, and made arrangement with my bank. I
also visited my doctor to get enough medicine to last for 6 months.
I got one good medical summary from him to show to doctors wherever
I go. I had a music studio in Orlando that I packed up and partnered
with an old friend at Universal Studios so the investment would not
be a total loss. I also got original copies of everything I could think of that might be needed over here. I got a list of my old contacts together and printed out any business plans I had created
for this region. (Don't laugh; I had no idea what the business climate was like over here.)

That's enough.

Boz