Talako

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.

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.

If you are going to do the 13a, then definitely do it in the US. I came here to the Philippines before the Houston consulate opened back up to processing 13a visas. It has been a headache so far. I was required to get a NBI clearance, and that so far has been a two month ordeal that I might have to do over again. I argued with an NBI encoder and supervisor about American vs. Filipino middle name conventions. I lost, and I now have two first names and no middle name. Now I need to make a trip to the BI, to see if they will accept that or I will have to figure something out.

Yeah, that is sort of the problem. You need a BB box up front to make it work. The owner of a LBC franchise in Texas was a friend of my wife's, so this wasn't an issue for us. I did some research in how my sister in ID could send me a BB box last year. That was how I found out that some of these place have extended routes with pick up points. I imagine you could get a box one time through and send the box on the next. Just thinking out loud.

There is LBC in North Dakota: https://www.lbcexpress.com/branches-world/North Dakota if Fargo is closer than Sioux Falls. Some of these rural area BB shippers have pickup routes or runs they coordinate. I'd call the Forex in SF and LBC in Fargo to see if they do pick up rounds. It beats you having to drive a long ways if you live 10 miles past nowhere. They do this in eastern Washington where west side shippers coordinate pickups in Spokane (Eastside).

As Steve Br noted, check your local office. The speed varies wildly by local office.