Philippines retirement visa
OPENA retirement visa for those who served.
For US veterans and military retirees considering life in the Philippines. Start with whether the visa fits, what your record supports, and what the move will require.
At a glance
OPENThe decision before the work.
Who this is for
For US veterans, military retirees, and their households considering retirement in the Philippines. Owning Bitcoin is not a requirement.
What the assessment gives you
An initial category review, household document list, cost categories, arrival sequence, and questions to resolve with the relevant authority or local provider.
What is separate
Veteran status alone does not establish eligibility. The authority makes the decision. Deposit, government charges, travel, and later professional work are separate from the session.
A 60-minute strategy session is $2,000 by card or $1,750 via BitSettle. Written assessment within 24 hours after the session. Further professional fees are quoted afterward. The amount paid credits professional fees for services retained within 30 days after the session.
See an illustrative exampleIllustrative working example
A household file before a moving date.
A retired US service member and spouse are considering a move to the Philippines. They have service records, pension evidence, and civil documents. This fictional example does not determine their SRRV category.
Starting facts
Two people would relocate. The applicant can describe the service and pension records already held. The household has not ordered replacement clearances or committed to travel.
What still needs an answer
The applicable category and treatment of the pension evidence need confirmation. Document validity, authentication, deposit instructions, and the spouse’s requirements remain unresolved.
Follow the work and the responsibilities
Household
List the documents held, their issue dates, pension evidence, intended arrival, and healthcare needs. Describe the file without sending scans through the screening form.
Bitcoin Lawyer
Organize category questions and the document sequence. Separate the proposed deposit, official charges, professional work, and ordinary moving costs.
Authority and local provider
Confirm the applicable requirements and filing arrangements before the household relies on a category or deposit figure. The authority retains the eligibility decision.
Household after arrival
Follow the agreed appointment and document sequence, then keep a record of continuing membership, travel, healthcare, and family responsibilities.
The next decision. Resolve the category and document timing first. Arrange the deposit and travel only after the receiving instructions and remaining requirements are clear.
After the initial work
Keep membership, document, travel, healthcare, and household responsibilities on the plan after approval. Any continuing support must appear in the written engagement.
Routes, requirements, and practical work
The route, the file and the life afterward.
Philippines retirement planning is a practical sequence: establish the category, prepare the documents, arrange the required deposit, complete the in-country process and keep the status in order. For veterans and military retirees, the service and income records need to be read together. For every household, the move must also work outside the immigration office.
SRRV eligibility, deposits and government fees
Compare SRRV Classic and Courtesy using the Philippine Retirement Authority’s current published categories, age bands, deposit tables and government fees.
Read the guide Philippines SRRV / The application fileSRRV documents, remittance and arrival sequence
A practical SRRV file: police and medical certificates, service and pension evidence, apostilles, bank remittance, presence in the Philippines and the filing sequence.
Read the guide Philippines SRRV / Life after arrivalPhilippines retirement: healthcare, locations and ongoing support
Plan the life after SRRV: family needs, VA and TRICARE questions, location comparisons, arrival tasks, annual PRA fees and the continuing file.
Read the guideExplore this service6 sections
The programme
Classic and Courtesy, with the actual numbers.
The Special Resident Retiree’s Visa is a Philippine retirement-residence visa administered through PRA and issued by the Bureau of Immigration. It supports long-term residence under programme conditions. It is not Philippine citizenship, and approval is a government decision.
PRA’s published programme starts at age 40. Classic distinguishes pensioner and non-pensioner applicants. Courtesy applies to defined special categories, including qualifying retired military personnel, and separately to former Filipino citizens. The file determines the applicable category. Veteran status alone is not an approval.
Scroll to compare all columns
| Published deposit | Age 40 to 49 | Age 50+ |
|---|---|---|
| Classic pensioner | $25,000 | $15,000 |
| Classic non-pensioner | $50,000 | $30,000 |
| Courtesy foreign national | $3,000 pensioner / $6,000 non-pensioner | $1,500 |
| Courtesy former Filipino | $3,000 | $1,500 |
PRA sources checked 15 October 2026. The Courtesy 40 to 49 checklist also specifies pension or similar benefits of at least $1,000 monthly; obtain PRA pre-evaluation where the category or deposit row is uncertain. Our eligibility guide explains the conditions and separate fees.
The first assessment resolves the expensive uncertainty.
We start with age, nationality history, present location, service record, current pension or benefit evidence and the people moving with you. A DD-214, retirement record and VA benefit letter answer different questions. If a category or the durability of an income stream is unclear, we identify that question for PRA rather than presenting an assumption as eligibility.
Classic pensioner requirements are a lifetime pension of at least $800 per month for a single applicant or $1,000 with dependents. Courtesy has its own category requirements. We compare the actual evidence with the published rules, including any difference between PRA documents that affects the case. The result is a route to investigate, a list of gaps and a sequence.
Preparation to handover
The work from home to PRA identification.
Document plan
Identify service, pension, civil and clearance records; map their issuing authorities, authentication and expiry windows. Resolve inconsistent names before they become filing queries.
Deposit plan
Confirm the exact amount and PRA-accredited bank. Prepare the Letter of Introduction where required and the inward-remittance documentation. The visa deposit is separate from professional fees.
Arrival plan
Check tourist-entry status, time available in the Philippines, temporary accommodation and local medical or clearance steps. A short holiday itinerary is not a filing plan.
Application coordination
Agree the filing arrangement and any PRA-accredited marketer involved. Assemble the complete file, track queries and maintain lawful entry status while the application is considered.
Approval and continuing records
Check the issued documents, retain the deposit and fee receipts, and calendar the annual fee. Identify the ongoing tasks for passports, dependents and later changes.
Time and money, in separate columns.
PRA’s expanded programme document states 30 to 45 working days from complete documentary requirements and physical presence throughout the application. That published period is not a guarantee for your file. Preparation, corrections, authentication, bank certification and travel happen around it. The schedule should allow the applicant to respond to additional requests.
Published government charges include $1,500 for principal processing and $300 for each joining dependent. The annual PRA fee is $360 for Classic, $100 for Courtesy foreign nationals and $50 for Courtesy former Filipinos, covering the principal and two dependents; further dependents change the calculation. The government processing fee is non-refundable on discontinuance.
The strategy session costs $2,000 by card or $1,750 via BitSettle. Professional fees for subsequent work are quoted separately afterward. Our proposal distinguishes preparation, coordination, local providers and optional ongoing support from government fees, visa deposits, travel and third-party costs.
Plan for the family and the ordinary week.
A legally married spouse and eligible unmarried children below 21 at application may be included under PRA’s published dependent rules. Each person needs a document plan. The household size affects deposits and fees, while passports, relationship evidence and the timing of travel affect the sequence.
Healthcare is its own workstream. VA benefits, the Foreign Medical Program, VA Manila, TRICARE and private cover have different roles and eligibility rules. Confirm the care you need and how it is paid for before choosing a location. Compare Manila, Cebu, Subic/Angeles, Davao and Dumaguete against your actual hospital, transport and family needs.
After approval, the file still needs attention. Annual fees, deposit records, passport changes and dependent issues should have an owner. A continuing support engagement can put those tasks on a calendar; the work and price are agreed in writing.
Know who makes the decision.
PRA permits direct applications as well as assistance through accredited marketers. We coordinate the preparation and identify the local filing arrangement in the engagement. Any PRA-accredited marketer involved is named, and its current accreditation is confirmed separately. PRA and the Bureau of Immigration make the government decisions.
Where an immigration, property, tax or other issue requires a licensed professional, the responsible professional is identified before that work is undertaken. An approval cannot be bought from a coordinator. The value is an organized file, an understood process and fewer avoidable surprises.
Before you decide
Common questions.
Do all US veterans qualify for the lowest deposit?
No. The applicant must fit the applicable Courtesy category and satisfy PRA’s documentary requirements. We do not infer eligibility from veteran status or a deposit table alone.
Can the preparation begin before I travel?
Yes. Most record collection and sequencing can start abroad. The application itself requires the in-country steps and presence described by PRA.
Can my family join later?
PRA allows qualifying dependents to join initially or after the principal’s approval. Review their documents, ages, fees and deposit implications before choosing the order.
Is a beach location the best starting point?
The starting point is the life you need to support. Hospital access, regular travel, family routines and reliable income access often decide the shortlist before scenery does.
Eligibility first
Service history is the starting point.
The Special Resident Retiree’s Visa, or SRRV, is a Philippine retirement visa. The Philippine Retirement Authority lists retired military personnel among the Courtesy categories. Veteran status alone does not establish your individual eligibility.
We begin with your service and retirement records, age, household, and intended move. Any uncertainty about the category is raised with the appropriate authority before you rely on a deposit figure or a filing plan.
Keep the amounts separate
A deposit is not a professional fee.
The visa deposit
The applicable category determines the deposit requirement. Confirm the receiving bank, the account instructions, and the conditions before transferring money.
Government fees
Processing and ongoing charges are identified separately for your household and the current rules. We do not present a headline amount as the total cost of moving.
Professional work
Our fee is quoted in writing after the session. Document preparation by third parties, translations, authentication, travel, and other expenses are identified separately.
Two clocks
Preparing the file and processing it are different.
Your preparation
- Confirm the right visa category for the actual record.
- Identify which documents need to be obtained, updated, or authenticated.
- Plan the deposit and travel only when the instructions are clear.
- Establish who is responsible for each step.
The authority’s processing
- The authority determines whether the submission is complete.
- Questions or missing documents can add time.
- A quoted processing period does not include all preparation or travel.
- We do not promise an approval or a guaranteed completion date.
Prepare a list, not an upload
Know what is in your file.
For the first session, describe what you hold. Do not send scans through the website. The final document requirements depend on your category and circumstances.
Identity and household
Current passport and the civil records relevant to any spouse or dependents.
Service and retirement
Separation or retirement records and the evidence relevant to the category you expect to use.
Financial records
The records needed to explain the proposed deposit and any income relevant to the application.
Clearances and medical records
A list of what you already hold, its date, and where it was issued. We identify the current requirements before you order replacements.
Plain talk
The visa has to fit the retirement.
A move should work in ordinary life, not just on an application form.
- Do not assume that every military record qualifies for the same category.
- Do not rely on an old deposit figure without checking the current rules for your household.
- Housing, healthcare, family circumstances, and access to your income belong in the plan.
- If another visa category better fits your circumstances, that should be considered before committing to this route.
A practical first step
Bring your retirement plan.
We use the session to identify the eligibility questions, document gaps, and sequence. Our professional fee for any work afterward is quoted separately in writing.
$2,000 by card. $1,750 with Bitcoin.
The amount paid is credited toward professional fees for services retained within 30 days after the session.