School in the Philippines: thirteen years of K-12, lessons in Filipino and English, and a Special Study Permit
In the Philippines children go to school for thirteen years: one year of kindergarten, six years of elementary and six years of secondary. Lessons are in Filipino and English. A foreign child not yet in higher education needs a Special Study Permit from the Bureau of Immigration, for ₱ 5,240 plus US$ 50 for the ACR I-Card. With an SRRV the PRA promises exemption from a separate study permit.
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In the Philippines children go to school for thirteen years, in the system called K-12: one year of kindergarten, six years of elementary and six years of secondary. Lessons are in Filipino and English. A foreign child not yet in higher education needs a Special Study Permit from the Bureau of Immigration, the immigration service. It costs ₱ 5,240 (about € 75) plus US$ 50 (about € 45) for the ACR I-Card, the identity card for foreigners.
What does the school system look like?
| Stage | Length | Age | Compulsory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 1 year | from age 5 | required to enter Grade 1 |
| Elementary (Grades 1 to 6) | 6 years | usually starting at age 6 | yes |
| Junior high school (Grades 7 to 10) | 4 years | from age 12 | yes |
| Senior high school (Grades 11 and 12) | 2 years | from age 16 | yes |
That is how the Enhanced Basic Education Act (RA 10533) sets it out. The law calls elementary and secondary together compulsory basic education. Higher education only follows after senior high school.
In which language is your child taught?
In Filipino and English. Those are also the country's two official languages. Until 2024 children from kindergarten to Grade 3 were taught in their mother tongue, the language of the region. The law RA 12027 abolished that. Regional languages may still be used as an auxiliary language.
For a Dutch child that means: English gets you far, but Filipino is part of an ordinary school. Ask the school how they support new children who speak no Filipino.
What papers does your child need?
The student visa, the 9(f) visa, is only for those aged at least 18 in higher education. For all other foreign children there is the Special Study Permit (SSP). The immigration service writes: "Foreign nationals who do not qualify for a Student Visa may still avail themselves of special study permit."
| Cost item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application, implementation, service and certificate | ₱ 3,700 |
| Legal research fee | ₱ 40 |
| Express fees (certificate, filing, I-Card) | ₱ 1,500 |
| Total for the SSP | ₱ 5,240 (about € 75) |
| ACR I-Card | US$ 50 (about € 45) |
The amounts date from 6 March 2014 and may change. The application works like this:
- You get the form (CGAF) at the immigration main office or on its website.
- You hand in the documents at the main office or at another office that handles the SSP.
- You pay, and the receipt shows the date and place of the hearing and of the photo and fingerprints.
- Once approved, you collect the SSP and the ACR I-Card.
A child aged ten or younger has a new photo and fingerprints taken at every extension. From age eleven that is once every five years. How long an SSP is valid, per school year or per semester, is not on the website. Ask the immigration service.
What about the SRRV?
The SRRV is the retirement visa of the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA), from age 40. Your children can join as dependants if they are unmarried and under 21 at the time of application. The deposit covers the main applicant plus two dependants. For each dependant beyond that, US$ 15,000 (about € 13,400) is added to the deposit. Per dependant you pay US$ 300 (about € 270) in application fees.
Among the benefits the PRA lists exemption from a separate work or study permit. Whether that also applies to your children, and not just to you, is not stated explicitly.
Ask the PRA in writing whether your children may attend school on their SRRV without a Special Study Permit. Do so before the school year starts. If you get no clear answer, apply for an SSP anyway.
How do you choose a school?
There are public schools, private schools and international schools. We found no official list of international schools or schools with a foreign curriculum. Ask a school which diplomas it awards, which language it teaches in, whether it helps with the Special Study Permit and which papers it wants to see from your child. Bring the birth certificate with an apostille, and the reports from the school in the Netherlands.
What stops in the Netherlands?
Child benefit stops. Section 7b of the Dutch Child Benefit Act gives no child benefit for a child who does not live in the Netherlands on the first day of a quarter. The agreement with the Philippines covered child benefit until 2015, but it was taken out. Also read emigrating with children.
If a partner comes along, read emigrating with your partner. Where you will live is covered in renting in the Philippines.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 3 of 5 of the journey, step 3.5: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to the Philippines or go straight to step 1.5 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Enhanced Basic Education Act (RA 10533), section 4 — kindergarten, elementary and secondary (K-12) — lawphil.net
- RA 12027 (2024) — the medium of instruction back to Filipino and English — lawphil.net
- Constitution of the Philippines (1987), Article XIV section 7 — the official languages — lawphil.net
- Bureau of Immigration — the Special Study Permit, with the fees and the application — immigration.gov.ph
- Bureau of Immigration — the student visa, only from age 18 and for higher education — immigration.gov.ph
- Philippine Retirement Authority — the SRRV, with the dependants and the exemption from a separate study permit — pra.gov.ph
- Dutch Child Benefit Act, section 7b — no child benefit for a child living outside the Netherlands — wetten.overheid.nl
- Social security agreement with the Philippines (2001) — child benefit has not been in it since 2015 — wetten.overheid.nl
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