What is Philippines's Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV)?

Retirees and, since the September 2025 restructure, anyone aged 40 or over who can meet the deposit. Administered by the Philippine Retirement Authority rather than immigration. It lasts indefinite, with multiple-entry privileges, for as long as the deposit is maintained. SRRV is itself an indefinite resident visa, which is unusual — but it is conditional on the deposit, so it is permanence you rent rather than own. Naturalisation is a separate and difficult process.

What is Philippines's 9(g) Pre-arranged Employment Visa?

People employed by a Philippine company. The standard work route. It lasts typically 1–3 years, tied to the employment, renewable. Not a direct route. Permanent residence generally comes through marriage to a Filipino citizen (a 13(a) visa) or through the quota immigrant visa, which has a small annual allocation per nationality.

What is Philippines's 13(a) Non-Quota Immigrant Visa (spouse of a Filipino)?

Spouses of Filipino citizens — the most straightforward route to permanent residence in the Philippines. It lasts one year probationary, then permanent. It *is* permanent residence after the probationary year, and it carries the right to work without a separate permit.

GlobeQuest

Moving from Montenegro to Philippines

What your passport gets you at the border — and what it takes to actually stay.

Montenegro

PhilippinesShort stay

Visa required

Montenegro passport holders need a visa arranged in advance to enter Philippines, usually through an embassy, consulate or accredited visa centre.

This is short-stay visitor policy only. It does not let you work, study or settle in Philippines — that needs a residence permit.

Passport Index · updated 17 February 2026Philippines's official immigration service

Long stay

How you actually move to Philippines

RetirementHigh confidenceVerified July 2026

Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV)

Retirees and, since the September 2025 restructure, anyone aged 40 or over who can meet the deposit. Administered by the Philippine Retirement Authority rather than immigration.

What you need

Aged 50 or over, with a pension of at least USD 800 a month (USD 1,000 for a couple) plus a USD 15,000 deposit — or, without a pension, a USD 30,000 deposit
Aged 40–49, the tier added in September 2025: the same pension levels but a USD 25,000 deposit with a pension, or USD 50,000 without one
Courtesy SRRV at a USD 1,500 deposit, restricted to certain categories such as former Filipino citizens and foreign nationals who served in the Philippines
Medical clearance and police clearance
The deposit held in an accredited Philippine bank

How long it lasts: Indefinite, with multiple-entry privileges, for as long as the deposit is maintained.
Path to permanent residence: SRRV is itself an indefinite resident visa, which is unusual — but it is conditional on the deposit, so it is permanence you rent rather than own. Naturalisation is a separate and difficult process.
Cost: USD 1,400 application fee for the principal plus USD 300 per dependant, an annual fee, and the deposit itself as locked capital.
Processing time: Commonly a few weeks once the file is complete.

Worth knowing

The 1 September 2025 revision also discontinued two sub-categories. SRRV Smile, the low-deposit option at USD 10,000–20,000 that younger applicants used, and SRRV Human Touch, for applicants needing medical care, are both closed. Only Classic and Courtesy remain — so any guide quoting a Smile deposit is describing something that no longer exists.
The deposit can in some categories be converted into an active investment such as a condominium purchase, which is the main reason people choose SRRV over a retirement visa elsewhere.
Foreign nationals cannot own land in the Philippines. Condominium units are available within foreign-ownership limits, so 'convert the deposit into property' means a condo, not a house and lot.
SRRV holders do not automatically get the right to work — employment still requires an Alien Employment Permit.

Sources:Philippine Retirement Authority

Digital nomadMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Digital Nomad Visa

Remote workers earning from outside the Philippines. Created by Executive Order No. 86, s. 2025, signed 24 April 2025 and effective 5 May 2025, and issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs rather than by the Bureau of Immigration.

What you need

Aged 18 or over
Work performed remotely using digital technology, for employers or clients located outside the Philippines
Proof of sufficient foreign-sourced income — the executive order sets no figure, and the commonly quoted USD 24,000 a year is a practitioner benchmark rather than a published threshold
Nationality of a country that both offers a comparable digital nomad visa to Filipinos and hosts a Philippine Foreign Service Post — the reciprocity test is a hard gate
Health insurance valid in the Philippines, and a clean criminal record

How long it lasts: One year, renewable once for a further year.
Path to permanent residence: None. It is a stay arrangement for remote workers, not a residence route.
Cost: Application fees are modest relative to the SRRV.
Processing time: Reported at roughly 3–12 weeks, a wide spread reflecting how new the programme is.

Worth knowing

Apply through a Philippine embassy or consulate, not the Bureau of Immigration — this is a DFA-issued visa and applications sent to immigration go nowhere.
The reciprocity requirement excludes a lot of people. If your country does not itself offer Filipinos a digital nomad visa, you are not eligible however much you earn.
No income figure appears in the executive order itself. Treat any specific dollar threshold you find online as an inference, and confirm with the post you are applying to.
It confers no right to work for Philippine employers or clients.
For anyone over 40 with capital, the SRRV is a far more durable status, albeit a much larger commitment.

Sources:Bureau of Immigration Executive Order No. 86, s. 2025 — Official Gazette

Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

9(g) Pre-arranged Employment Visa

People employed by a Philippine company. The standard work route.

What you need

An Alien Employment Permit from the Department of Labor and Employment, which requires the employer to show no Filipino is available for the role
A petition filed by the employer with the Bureau of Immigration
Qualifications for the role; regulated professions face additional restrictions
Medical and police clearances

How long it lasts: Typically 1–3 years, tied to the employment, renewable.
Path to permanent residence: Not a direct route. Permanent residence generally comes through marriage to a Filipino citizen (a 13(a) visa) or through the quota immigrant visa, which has a small annual allocation per nationality.
Cost: AEP and visa fees, usually employer-paid.
Processing time: Several months in total — the AEP stage alone commonly takes weeks, and publication requirements add time.

Worth knowing

Certain professions are constitutionally reserved for Filipino citizens, including much of law, and practice restrictions apply in engineering, medicine and accountancy. Check before accepting a role.
The AEP must come first; a visa petition without it goes nowhere.

Sources:DOLE — Alien Employment Permit Bureau of Immigration

FamilyMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

13(a) Non-Quota Immigrant Visa (spouse of a Filipino)

Spouses of Filipino citizens — the most straightforward route to permanent residence in the Philippines.

What you need

Valid marriage to a Filipino citizen
The Filipino spouse's proof of citizenship
Police and medical clearances, and proof the couple is not likely to become a public charge
Available only to nationals of countries that grant reciprocal immigration rights to Filipinos

How long it lasts: One year probationary, then permanent.
Path to permanent residence: It *is* permanent residence after the probationary year, and it carries the right to work without a separate permit.
Cost: A few hundred US dollars in fees — dramatically cheaper than the SRRV.
Processing time: Several weeks to a few months for the probationary grant.

Worth knowing

The reciprocity requirement genuinely excludes some nationalities. Check it before assuming marriage is sufficient.
Unlike the SRRV, a 13(a) includes work rights and needs no maintained deposit, which makes it the best status available to anyone who qualifies.

Sources:Bureau of Immigration

InvestmentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Special Investor's Resident Visa (SIRV)

Investors placing capital into qualifying Philippine businesses or securities.

What you need

Investment of at least USD 75,000 in eligible instruments or an eligible enterprise
Aged 21 or over
Medical and police clearances
The investment maintained for as long as you hold the visa

How long it lasts: Indefinite while the investment is maintained.
Path to permanent residence: Indefinite residence conditional on the investment, rather than unconditional permanence.
Cost: The USD 75,000 investment plus application fees.
Processing time: Several months, including the Board of Investments' assessment.

Worth knowing

Eligible investments are restricted — the point is capital going into Philippine enterprise, not a bank deposit. Confirm instrument eligibility before transferring anything.
For most people the SRRV is simpler and cheaper; SIRV suits those who wanted to invest in the Philippines anyway.

Sources:Bureau of Immigration

On the ground