Residence routes to the Philippines: SRRV, extending as a tourist, partner or work
Most people move to the Philippines without a visa in advance: you enter for 30 days and then choose a route. From age 40 you can apply for the SRRV retirement visa, with a deposit from US$ 15,000. As a tourist you extend up to a maximum of 36 months. Married to a Filipino, the 13(a) visa is open to you, and for work you need a 9(g) visa and an AEP.
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Most people move to the Philippines without a visa in advance. With a Dutch passport you enter for 30 days, and then you choose a route: the SRRV retirement visa, extending again and again as a tourist, the 13(a) visa if you are married to a Filipino, or a work visa. Only the SRRV and the 13(a) visa give you a lasting residence status. As a tourist you stay for 36 months at most, and you pay again at every extension.
Amounts are in US dollars (US$) or pesos (₱). Count on about 70 pesos and 1.12 dollars to the euro.
Which route suits you?
| Route | For whom | The bar | Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| SRRV Classic | aged 40 and over | deposit of US$ 15,000 to US$ 50,000, depending on age and pension | US$ 1,500 once, US$ 360 a year |
| Extending as a tourist | anyone with a Dutch passport | 36 months in total at most | per extension, for example ₱ 4,400 (≈ € 63) for one month |
| 13(a) | married to a Filipino | first one probationary year, then permanent | ₱ 8,620 (≈ € 123) plus US$ 50, twice |
| 9(g) with AEP | employee in the Philippines | a work permit from the Department of Labor (DOLE) | from ₱ 10,130 (≈ € 145) for one year |
| SIRV | investor | invest at least US$ 75,000 |
How does the SRRV work?
The Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV) is the retirement visa of the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA). It gives you permanent residence: you may stay indefinitely and travel in and out as often as you like. Two variants remain. For an ordinary Dutch person that is SRRV Classic. SRRV Courtesy is for former Filipinos, retired diplomats, military personnel and staff of international organisations, and for those the PRA counts as high achievers and philanthropists.
You are at least 40 years old. You place a deposit with a Philippine bank approved by the PRA:
| 50 and over | 40 to 49 | |
|---|---|---|
| With pension | US$ 15,000 (≈ € 13,360) | US$ 25,000 (≈ € 22,270) |
| Without pension | US$ 30,000 (≈ € 26,730) | US$ 50,000 (≈ € 44,540) |
"With pension" means a lifetime pension of at least US$ 800 a month for a single applicant, or US$ 1,000 with dependants. The deposit covers you and two dependants; for each further dependant US$ 15,000 is added. Dependants are your spouse and unmarried children under 21. On top of that you pay US$ 1,500 in processing fees, US$ 300 per dependant, and US$ 360 every year. With Classic you may convert the deposit into a condominium with the PRA's approval.
You apply for the SRRV in the Philippines. You enter as a tourist, with a status that is still valid for at least a month and that may be converted. You stay in the country until the application is done, which takes 30 to 45 working days after everything is complete.
If you want to apply for an SRRV or 13(a) later, do not take an e-Visa. According to the Philippine embassy, an e-Visa cannot be converted or extended. Enter visa-free, or with the embassy's 59-day visa.
Can you stay as a tourist?
Yes, but not forever. After the first 30 days you apply to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for a Visa Waiver: 29 extra days, for ₱ 3,030 (≈ € 43). After that you extend by 1, 2 or 6 months, at least a week before your stay runs out. A Dutch national may stay this way for 36 months in total. What happens after that is not on the BI website.
If you stay longer than 59 days, you get an ACR I-Card, the alien registration card (US$ 50). If you stayed six months or longer, you need an exit clearance when you leave, the ECC-A. See registration and numbers. The fees on the BI website date from 2014; at the counter the amount may differ.
What applies if you are married to a Filipino?
Then there is the 13(a) visa for the spouse of a Philippine citizen. You first get one probationary year. After that you apply for the amendment to permanent. Both steps cost ₱ 8,620 plus US$ 50 for the ACR I-Card. You apply in the Philippines, with a hearing and fingerprints. If you have already been in the country for six months or longer when you apply, you also need an NBI Clearance, the Philippine certificate of conduct.
Whether the Netherlands counts as a country with reciprocity for the 13(a) visa, we did not find in an official source. For countries without reciprocity the BI issues a Temporary Resident Visa, for the same amount. Ask the BI or the embassy which of the two applies to you.
If you travel together with your Filipino partner, and they lived outside the Philippines for at least a year, you get one year visa-free on arrival as a Balikbayan family member.
Anyone who voluntarily takes on another nationality loses Dutch nationality. That does not apply if you are married to someone who has that nationality. First read losing Dutch nationality.
What about work and investing?
For employment you need a 9(g) visa and an Alien Employment Permit (AEP) from DOLE. For a job of 3 to 6 months there is the Special Work Permit. Anyone who invests at least US$ 75,000 in the Philippines can get the Special Investor's Resident Visa (SIRV), for as long as the investment stays. See working in the Philippines.
And the digital nomad visa?
It exists on paper: Executive Order 86 of April 2025. As of 20 October 2026 you cannot apply for it yet. Moreover, it only applies to people from a country that itself grants such a visa to Filipinos. Dutch nationals probably fall outside it.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.1: 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 1.1 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.
- Philippine Retirement Authority — the SRRV, deposits, fees and benefits — pra.gov.ph
- Philippine Retirement Authority — Expanded SRRV Program (August 2025), age and applying in the Philippines — pra.gov.ph
- Bureau of Immigration — frequently asked questions, with extending up to 36 months and the ACR I-Card — immigration.gov.ph
- Bureau of Immigration — the Visa Waiver and the extensions, with the fees — immigration.gov.ph
- Bureau of Immigration — the 13(a) visa through marriage to a Filipino — immigration.gov.ph
- Bureau of Immigration — the amendment to permanent residence after one year — immigration.gov.ph
- Bureau of Immigration — the Temporary Resident Visa, for countries without reciprocity — immigration.gov.ph
- Bureau of Immigration — the 9(g) visa for employees — immigration.gov.ph
- Omnibus Investments Code (EO 226), articles 74 and 75 — the SIRV with US$ 75,000 — lawphil.net
- Executive Order 86 (2025) — the digital nomad visa and its conditions — lawphil.net
- Philippine Embassy in The Hague — the 59-day visa and the e-Visa — philembassy.nl
- NederlandWereldwijd — travel advice for the Philippines, with passport and visa — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
- Rijksoverheid — automatic loss of Dutch nationality, and the exception for married people — rijksoverheid.nl
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