Moving to the Philippines in 11 months--plenty of questions!

[Stevephoto 230]

11 minutes ago, seekingthetruth said:

Just to be clear, don't use your credit card to get cash at ATMs.  That will hit you with big fees.  The exception would be that some banks / credit unions / brokerages will refund those feed.

 

Unfortunately, permanent residents, like 13A, also have to pay the travel tax that Filipinos pay.  Adult is p1620.

Oh ABSOLUTELY agree...I would never use a credit card for any cash advance...especially at an ATM!

 

Yeah I understand that 🙄!

 

Thanks again.

[IWander 589]

On 1/24/2023 at 1:25 AM, Carpe Vinum said:

We will be going in the next couple of months. Going to use the BB one year privilege and get a feel for which visa to apply for.  My wife set up a bank account at BPI when she was there in April. She had to fill out an I-9 with them. Google it and read up on it. It was painless. 13A is probably best for you. SRRV has some advantages for me as I can get it cheap as a veteran. I have looked into the virtual mailbox providers. You have to be careful as banks are catching on and refusing to use them as the primary address. I.E they want an actual physical US address to send Debit and credit cards, too. I have Schwab and they are beginning to crack down on foreign users also. I have accounts at State Department Federal Credit Union and PenFed Credit Union. Both allow for foreign addresses. I see your bank is allowing a Philippine address. That is my biggest worry about relocating 100%. One day my bank just decides to suspend or close my account because I am in a foreign location. VPNs are fine but banks are becoming more sophisticated and can suspend your account. I just read of one account where Schwab suspended someones account because they couldn't answer a quiz about their past addresses and credit history. They were told that they would have to return to the US and provide a notarized letter from the US proving ID. As you can see I have been researching like you :-))

Most virtual mailboxes that I have looked at also give you a real physical address to use as a part of the service 

[flicks1998 1,044]

On 1/22/2023 at 5:09 PM, Stevephoto said:

Aloha!

Believe it or not, Joan and I are about T-minus 11 months and counting before the move to the Philippines! It will be here before we know it and we will have a LOT to do, especially in the second half of the year. We do have some (OK, a lot!) questions as we plan for the move. Any information would be appreciated as always!

Our local consulate is once again processing 13A Spouse Immigrant Visas. The processing time is about 15 days—way better than months in the Philippines! We still do not have an exact move date, but we are looking at the end of 2023. I will be 62 years old when I retire/we move.

1.    VISA questions:

The process seems straightforward and similar to what it was to bring Joan here (application form, medical, chest x-rays, financial statements, etc.).

A.    How long before the move would be a good time to apply for the visa?

B.    I assume the question about arrests does not include minor traffic violations. Am I correct? I have a few traffic tickets over 40 years but have never been arrested for anything.

C.   They ask for a local police clearance. I assume they want it from Hawaii and not the FBI? Either is fine, I just don’t want to waste time sending the wrong one.

D.   I will obviously note that I have Cerebral Palsy in the “physical defect” question on the application but will note that it does not qualify as an A or B category medical issue (same will be noted on the medical form). Do you see any issues with that?

E.    I searched and searched but could not find any specific reference to the financial requirements. We will own our house and land outright by the time we move and my pensions from NY, CA and HI along with SSA, while not a great deal of money, will cover our bills with some left over. I will not be retired yet if I apply for the visa from Hawaii. Would the calculated estimates plus title (I am listed on the title as “married to...) be sufficient to prove financial stability?

2.    Banking Issues:

A.    Our current bank will allow us to keep the account with a Philippine address, so that is very helpful. We will be setting up a bank account in the Philippines when we visit this summer (I know about the IRS form we need if we maintain a foreign account with at least $10,000.00—no biggie). My pensions need to go into a US bank account (which is OK because we will still have some bills and taxes that will come out of our US account), but SSA can be deposited directly in the Philippines—but I assume that my name needs to be on that account and I believe I can be listed on the account with Joan. We will have to send some of my pension from the US account to the Philippines, so it is not a major problem to have the SSA deposited to the US account and transfer if that is easier.

B.    Speaking of sending money from the US to the Philippines once we live there, do you have any recommendations? We use Remitly now (I know that there are other choices, but so far, they work for us), however, they are only licensed to remit funds from the US if the sender resides in the US. They have a 6-month grace period but will then shut the accounts down. I have looked repeatedly online and I cannot find any options besides bank to bank transfers or ATM withdrawals and both of those are expensive. Do you have any recommendations? We may also have a larger amount to send once we sell our condo, but that might need to be bank to bank transfer unless someone has other experiences.

3.    Health Insurance

A.    Do you have any recommendations for health insurance? I am looking at the Kaiser International Senior Plan for me and something else for Joan, but not sure which way to go.

4.    Driving issues

A.    I have had a driver’s license for over 40 years. I understand that getting a driver’s license might be “interesting” once we get there. Do you see any issues with me obtaining a driver’s license as a person with a disability? To be honest, I would not be terribly upset to “retire” from driving, but it would be good to have a license for emergencies.

5.    Credit card issues

A.    Do you know of any US credit card companies that allow you to have a foreign address? We have 3 now, but probably need to cancel them because they do not allow foreign addresses. We aren’t thrilled with the idea of using a friend or relative’s address. We also need to figure out how to cancel them without hurting our credit score. We have worked very hard and both have high scores.

I think that is it for now. We hope that we have not asked too much!!

Salamat mga kaibigan!

Hello Steve, sorry I have not replied to your PM yet.  I have been in China the last few months and have not been able to log into this site.  Here is some feedback:

 

As others have stated, you should look at applying for the 13A while you are still in the US.  Minor traffic violations do not need to be reported.  They dont matter as part of the process.  Since they do not matter, do not include.  I have seen some people include these and it can cause mass confusion and misunderstandings.  As for the local police clearance, I need to double check my notes on this.  To get an FBI clearance is quite easy but takes some time.  Usually you just need to go to your local police department, they will either do electronic or ink fingerprints (depends on the station) and then these can be mailed to the State Dept to be authenticated/certified etc.  State Dept is backed up so this process may take around 2 months or so.  Dont worry so much on proving financial stability.  Ive seen people with only SS and no assets get approved for the 13A.

 

Its best to follow @seekingthetruth advice on having a US address, although he only "highly recommends" and I "highly highly recommend" you dont change the address to a Philippines address.   With about 99.9% certainty, the person you spoke to at your bank has misinformed you and its likely when the bank runs an audit and they come across your foreign address, they will contact you to close your accounts, usually within 30 days.  You MUST maintain a US address.  The situation with US banks is getting much worse in regards to US citizens living overseas.  I always advise our Expats to never tell their bank they are going overseas.  During my time back in the US, I have found a massively misinformed population on anything that deals with a foreign country.  We joke in the Philippines about sometimes getting the "deer in the headlights" look, but it occurs in the US as well on anything international.  Someone else in this thread mentioned that there are services that can provide you a US address.  Ive used this company (at the link) in the past for mail forwarding and you should call them and discuss what you would like to have done.  https://www.personalmailinternational.com/   There are other companies, but I have first hand knowledge with this one and they were very good for what I needed.

 

As for your medical, alot of the advice from @seekingthetruth is correct.  I think you should consider something like this:

 

      - Having health insurance in the PI for routine things is not really required since the services are cheap.  A doctors visit is around 600-1000p (the upper end are the international hospitals) and X-rays, blood test, etc  are cheap.

 

     - You should have some kind of high-deductible plan that will cover you for major surgeries, etc etc (for example, heart attacks/stroke/cancer/etc)  Although these are much cheaper to treat in the Philippines, the  cost will still be very high.

 

     - Try to get evacuation insurance coverage as well.  I always have had this living there.  If the insurance company requires you to designate countries, I would just put Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand.  There are hospitals in Thailand now that are just as good or better than what you could get in the US.  If you are able to travel, I really dont recommend anything major being done in the Philippines.  You will find some  foreigners who have had good luck, but the ones who have not had good luck far outweigh the others.

 

    - You should subscribe to Philhealth as well.  A few years ago they raised the fee to 17,000p/ year for foreigners.  Normally this will only cover a certain % if you are hospitalized, that % ranging anywhere between 10- 50%.  Will depend on the services and it covers nothing for outpatient etc.  However the BIGGEST advantage of Philhealth is you will be admitted without having to pay a deposit upfront.  For example, if the hospital  does not recognize your private health insurance carrier, alot of times they wont admit you without an upfront deposit.  However, if you have Philhealth, they will.  This can be the difference between life and death as  well.  People have died waiting outside the emergency room as the hospital was requesting payments upfront, but with Philhealth, you will be immediately admitted.

 

     - Try to check out Maxicare, BUPA, AXA, etc.  Maxicare I had as part of my employer insurance.  They are very popular with companies, but they do insure individuals.  Over the past 25+ years, BUPA has been quite popular with foreigners living in SE Asia.  I had them at certain times back in the 90s/early 2000s.  If money is no object to you, then CIGNA by far is the best.  The gold standard.  However their premiums are sky high and I dont see how they will be of good value to you.  You can also check out GEO Blue and Aetna.  Those two will be a little less expensive than CIGNA, but the premiums will still be alot.  

 

    - Also, as other have stated, some insurances providers (alot) end coverage at a certain age, some are 70, some are 72, etc etc.

 

     - Finally, read the fine print over and over and come up with lots of questions and get those answers.  Its best to get those answers in writing as well.  Nothing verbal as these insurance companies in SE Asia will promise you the world on the phone.

 

I guess to just repeat, I strongly suggest you find a way to maintain a US address both for banking and credit card.  If you dont, you will find yourself in a world of problems quite quickly.  Also, on the 13A, you will be able to get a local credit card from BDO, BPI, etc and I suggest you do this. 

 

Finally, one of the go to online banks that expats used has been Schwab but a few months ago, they sent notices to many Americans living in foreign countries (one of them was the Philippines) that US citizens could not longer use their brokerage services if living outside the US.  Essentially they would not be able to add any more money to the accounts and they would remain open for liquidation purposes.  However, Im not sure how this affected their retail online banking services but its another reason to always use a US address and never tell your bank you are permanently living outside the US.  Every time you log into your US bank, you will need to do so via VPN to make it appear you are in the US (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, etc etc etc) will work.  In this day and age, a VPN is a must have for living outside the US.  You will need a VPN to log into the IRS, SS, etc websites as well.

 

The other thing you need to take into consideration is trying to maintain a US phone number.  Since many of these financial institutions are going to 2factor authentication, they will need a US phone number and not an overseas number.  Some people have tried US google voice or google fi, but some banks can recognize this now.  T-Mobile, Verizon offer international plans and I know some Americans in the Philippines maintain one of these numbers strictly to receive 2factor authentication.  The only issue is its an additional monthly expense.  Since you are not moving until the end of the year, I wouldnt research this too much until a few months before as this is a rapidly changing area as well.

 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2023 by flicks1998

[seekingthetruth 1,246]

5 hours ago, flicks1998 said:

- You should subscribe to Philhealth as well.  A few years ago they raised the fee to 17,000p/ year for foreigners.  Normally this will only cover a certain % if you are hospitalized, that % ranging anywhere between 10- 50%.  Will depend on the services and it covers nothing for outpatient etc.  However the BIGGEST advantage of Philhealth is you will be admitted without having to pay a deposit upfront.  For example, if the hospital  does not recognize your private health insurance carrier, alot of times they wont admit you without an upfront deposit.  However, if you have Philhealth, they will.  This can be the difference between life and death as  well.  People have died waiting outside the emergency room as the hospital was requesting payments upfront, but with Philhealth, you will be immediately admitted.

Yes, I forgot to mention Philhealth.  Well worth the 17k and then you can supplement it with another plan.  One other advantage of Philhealth is that they review all the hospital and doctor charges, and have some caps.  So it is less likely that you can be overcharged.

[Stevephoto 230]

GREAT STUFF! Salamat everyone. So much to think about and plan. I will look over this thread over the weekend and start mt "to-do" list. We appreciate everyone.

[Talako 781]

I would say simply:

 

1. VPN - An absolute must

2. 13a - Save yourself some serious hassle and do it stateside.

4.  Google Voice - A US number, and it receives text authentications.  It has worked for NFCU, IRS, Schwab, Vanguard, Nationwide, SS, and others for me.  I have only had one issue with a service spitting back that they don't take VOIP phone numbers.  It was non-financial and a non-essential service.

5. Need a physical address in the US.  A mailing service works, but a non-commercial address is better.  Be careful on address though.  Some financial companies withhold state taxes based on your address.  That is a problem if you lived in no income tax state and used a taxed state address of a relative.

6. Take Flicks' Philhealth recommendation

7. Police clearance - Might want to check with the consulate to see if it needs an apostille.  That is an extra layer of hassle.

8.  Money transfer - Use any service you like, but refer to No. 1.  Use a VPN so it looks like you are initiating from the US.  Never tell them or indicate that you live overseas. 

 

On the VPN, it can be placed on both your computer and a phone.  On the phone to allow you to do mobile banking and other services if you are more of a phone guy than a computer guy.  It can also be placed on an android tv box so you can watch US Netflix and/or Amazon.  Philippine Netflix has a more limited library.  VPN is also mandatory if you wander the darker outskirts of the internet looking for movies and TV programs.  

 

 

[Stevephoto 230]

On 1/26/2023 at 7:32 PM, Talako said:

I would say simply:

 

1. VPN - An absolute must

2. 13a - Save yourself some serious hassle and do it stateside.

4.  Google Voice - A US number, and it receives text authentications.  It has worked for NFCU, IRS, Schwab, Vanguard, Nationwide, SS, and others for me.  I have only had one issue with a service spitting back that they don't take VOIP phone numbers.  It was non-financial and a non-essential service.

5. Need a physical address in the US.  A mailing service works, but a non-commercial address is better.  Be careful on address though.  Some financial companies withhold state taxes based on your address.  That is a problem if you lived in no income tax state and used a taxed state address of a relative.

6. Take Flicks' Philhealth recommendation

7. Police clearance - Might want to check with the consulate to see if it needs an apostille.  That is an extra layer of hassle.

8.  Money transfer - Use any service you like, but refer to No. 1.  Use a VPN so it looks like you are initiating from the US.  Never tell them or indicate that you live overseas. 

 

On the VPN, it can be placed on both your computer and a phone.  On the phone to allow you to do mobile banking and other services if you are more of a phone guy than a computer guy.  It can also be placed on an android tv box so you can watch US Netflix and/or Amazon.  Philippine Netflix has a more limited library.  VPN is also mandatory if you wander the darker outskirts of the internet looking for movies and TV programs.  

 

 

1. Totally agree! It is on the list and in the "budget."

2. That is the game plan. Salamat for confirming our choice.

4. I will look into google voice if keeping my old number is not an viable option. I had not thought of VOIP numbers.

5. Working on it and investing the tax implications

6. Already on the list!

7. Yes, we know about the Apostille process. We went through it last year when we bought the land (before Joan re-acquired her Philippines citizenship. Good point. I have several question for the consulate and I will add this.

8. I chatted with BPI (probably our choice for a USD accout and US checks take about a month to clear. Easy to handle now that we have the information, but it would be great to be able to use the transfer services for emergencies.

 

I am kind of old school (OK, maybe just "old--er!"), but ask @RO_AH, he'll confirm that I a skitterish about phone apps, but maybe it is time to join the 20th Century (I know, it was a bad joke!) By the same token, I don't go venturing too far online!

 

Regarding Netflix, yeah I know that Philippine Netflix is slim pickins--which is scary given the plethora of junk available on US Netflix!

 

SALAMAT again to everyone. Awesome as always.

 

 

 

[Talako 781]

6 hours ago, Stevephoto said:

4. I will look into google voice if keeping my old number is not an viable option. I had not thought of VOIP numbers.

 

You can port your old number to Google voice for a one-time charge of $10-$15 rather than give it up.  I still have and use my Texas cell number that I have been using for the last ten years.

Edited January 30, 2023 by Talako

[Talako 781]

On 1/23/2023 at 6:09 AM, Stevephoto said:

 

4.    Driving issues

A.    I have had a driver’s license for over 40 years. I understand that getting a driver’s license might be “interesting” once we get there. Do you see any issues with me obtaining a driver’s license as a person with a disability? To be honest, I would not be terribly upset to “retire” from driving, but it would be good to have a license for emergencies.

I followed up on this.  I have a step-daughter who is a manager of an office that does licencing medicals for LTO.  She says it is up to the doctor and his or her opinion.

 

What that means in real terms is that you may want to "shop around" if it is an issue to get the result you want.

[RO_AH 1,659]

11 hours ago, Talako said:

You can port your old number to Google voice for a one-time charge of $10-$15 rather than give it up.  I still have and use my Texas cell number that I have been using for the last ten years.

Would you still be able to receive texts?

[top_secret 2,387]

6 hours ago, RO_AH said:

Would you still be able to receive texts?

 

I've been using Google Voice as my primary phone number since 2006 when it was Grand Central before Google bought it out. It works for calls and text for "almost" everything.  You can send and receive SMS messages from your phone or online at voice.google.com.   Basically, anywhere in the world and have 3g or better data or WIFI, my US phone number works. If you miss a call it takes a voicemail, and transcribes it to an e-mail.   Every once and a while I will run into some application that will not accept anything but a true US cellular number but those are fairly rare.  It works fine with 'most' banks including Schwab and Chase.  You do need an actual US phone number to verify while creating the Google Voice account.

[Stevephoto 230]

19 hours ago, Talako said:

You can port your old number to Google voice for a one-time charge of $10-$15 rather than give it up.  I still have and use my Texas cell number that I have been using for the last ten years.

Yes I saw that. Sorry, I posted before I researched it. My badd! Thanks.

[Stevephoto 230]

19 hours ago, Talako said:

I followed up on this.  I have a step-daughter who is a manager of an office that does licencing medicals for LTO.  She says it is up to the doctor and his or her opinion.

 

What that means in real terms is that you may want to "shop around" if it is an issue to get the result you want.

Thank you so very much. I greatly appreciate it. My physician needs to sign off for me every time I renew my license here, so I know the process. I'll put my "shopping hat" on!

[Talako 781]

9 hours ago, RO_AH said:

Would you still be able to receive texts?

Yes, through Google voice.  It is what I use for text authentications.  I receive local texts on my local Philippine number, and I receive US texts through Google voice. 

 

I know I have US texts through popup notifications, and I they are also emailed to my Gmail account.  Voice messages on your US number are also transcribed and emailed.

 

Edit:  What Top_Secret said.  I answered before reading all the posts.

 

 

Edited January 31, 2023 by Talako
Updating

[jskibo 588]

Great info in here. Following but still three years out. We just got back from two months over there setting up banking at a few places (BDO easy, BPI made us wait a week for permission). Also bought some land in Palawan and a couple condos in / around manila.