Philippines Guide

As a foreigner in the country, you have to be prepared physically, mentally, financially and emotionally for the challenges and adventures that you will have. Part of the preparation that you will need to include on your list is to get an expat health insurance. Having an expat health insurance will give you the peace of mind that you will have immediate and appropriate health services in case something unexpected happens during one of your trips.

When choosing expat health insurance, there are some things that you should consider.

Just like most people who buy health insurance, one of the first things to consider in the expat health insurance is the cost. The price of the expat health insurance varies from one person to another. The quote is based on the age of the person, the location, the type of coverage that you choose and if you have any pre-existing conditions. The presence of pre-existing conditions could make your expat health insurance quote higher than that of a person without any health issues.

Get an expat insurance company that you can trust. Ask the expat insurance company how long they have been in business. Ask for papers as proof. It is less risky to deal with an expat insurance company that has been in business for at least ten years. For recommendations on expat health insurance companies, you may ask your friends and the consulate or embassy of the country.

If you currently have insurance, ask how will getting an expat health insurance affect it? Some expat insurance companies will allow you to switch terms from a different insurer without having a waiting period for the approval of your expat health insurance.

Is your family with you, or are you planning to have a family? Ask the expat insurance company if they have coverage for your family members and how you can get insurance coverage for your kids.

When choosing an expat health insurance company, inquire on the terms when having your treatment. Can you choose your own doctor or do you just have to go to the doctors and hospitals that are affiliated with the expat health insurance company?

Request for information on how to file expat health insurance claims. Make sure you understand the process and that the process of filing a claim is easy, practical and will not cause you or your family much disadvantage.

When traveling internationally, it is important that you get an expat health insurance to cover any health issues that you might encounter. You wouldn’t be sure how your body would adapt to the geographic changes.

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Before you will be allowed to enter the Philippines, you are required to secure a visa from the Philippine consulate or embassy in your country. Just like in other countries, there are several expat visa requirements that you need to submit before you will be issued a visa to the Philippines.

One of the expat visa requirements is your passport that should be valid for at least six months from the date of your intended stay in the Philippines. When submitting the expat visa requirements, only the photocopy of your passport is required.

Another important expat visa requirement are the accomplished expat visa application forms. These forms are available from the Philippine embassy or consulate and may also be downloaded from the website of the Philippine government. In order to process your expat visa requirements quickly, fill in all the needed information completely and attach the required documents.

As part of your expat visa requirements, you will need to submit a proof of your status. Are you coming into a country as a tourist or as a businessman? Are you a student who intends to study a short course or are you going to get a college degree in the country? Prepare proof that justifies the purpose of your stay in the country.

Depending on the length of your stay, one of the expat visa requirements could be a return ticket to your country or a ticket to your next destination.

Along with the forms and documents for your expat visa requirements, you also need to submit two pieces passport photos. One will be used for your file and the other will be for your visa.

Once you have all the expat visa requirements, you also need to pay the visa fees so that your visa will be processed.

Other documents may also be required as part of your expat visa requirements, such as your employment history and a contract of employment (if you will be working in the country).

If your spouse or children are coming with you, your expat visa requirements will also include your marriage contract, their birth certificates and photocopies of their passports.

If you just intend to visit the country for not more than twenty-one days, you may be allowed to stay without a visa. Check the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs to know if you meet the conditions.

To have a hassle-free trip to the Philippines, submit the expat visa requirements the soonest time possible.

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New challenges always face expats the first time they set foot in the country. One of the most serious and life-threatening problem that must be immediately addressed is—not really terrorism—but food. Specifically, where to buy expat food that foreign residents often terribly miss and yearn for, especially in the tropics.

The good news is that today the Philippines is more open to expat-food type of cuisines, meaning, the native tongue keeps insisting on accustoming itself with global dishes as an offshoot probably to the thrust to go global in everything. Thus, the country, especially the major cities, is alive with fast food chains that serve expat food varieties targeting not so much the locals as they are a foreign clientele. In fact, the Philippines in no longer just the country in the Far East that it once was but a cosmopolitan tourist destination for expats from all over the world.

Another relevant development here is that the country is, in fact, fast becoming popular for serving one of the best classy expat food items in these parts, sometimes with quality better than those found in their country of origin. This is possible due to the influx of expats who share their culinary technology to the locals, or locals who extracted the technology in their stint abroad. Hence, premier hotels and luxury inns in Philippine cities and municipalities regularly feature special expat food specialties subtly seasoned and concocted for the discriminating foreign palate.

Even the regular fast foods in the country are mostly attuned to expat food standards and the preferences of foreign nationals in the country. Most expats have already accustomed their tastes to native flavors and often prefer a sampling of expat food in native flavors. A good number of them have also altogether adapted the delight of native foods and actually crave for exotic Filipino delicacies. They go out of their way seeking original recipes in the countryside.

But generally, the country is a versatile resource for any kind of food, native or otherwise. Expat food is no longer a big issue in the face of a growing global outlook in the country, and numerous expats have been comfortably settled here, without much ado on expat food. In fact, to stretch it a little, some just come here for expat food.

This may sound a bit exaggerated but the national cuisine perhaps may be expat food. On second, as we look around, this may not be too much to claim.

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If you are of retirement age and wondering what to do and where to live when you retire, consider moving to the Philippines. This beautiful tropical country is one of the best kept secrets in the world, as every expat living there will tell you. Some of the benefits of living as an expat in the Philippines include:
 
- Hospitality. Filipinos are as warm and friendly as the Philippine climate. They are fascinated by the Americans and other foreigners who visit or live in their country and always make them feel welcome. Everyone smiles at you and treats you like royalty. And since Filipinos speak English, it’s easy to strike up a conversation with anyone. You will make friends quickly! One trip is enough to convince many tourists of this fact and keeps them coming back for more. Filipinos are so kind and hospitable that you will definitely miss it all when you go back home.
 
- Low Cost of Living. Cost of expat living is very cheap. With a modest income (by western standards) you can live like a rich man in a nice house with your own maids and driver (or use cheap taxi if you don’t have a car). Labor is ridiculously cheap as you will find when you need a plumber, electrician or carpenter to fix something in your house. That is unheard of in the US where it is better and cheaper to do the work yourself.
 
- Romance. If you are looking for love and marriage, you cannot find a better place for that than the Philippines. Love in a tropical paradise is no mere fantasy; it can become a reality for an expat living there. The exotic beauty and allure of Filipinas is no myth; it’s real as you will find for yourself. Filipinas make beautiful, loyal and devoted wives. Every expat living in the country with a local wife will swear up and down he is married to the nicest person in the world. Not only the women for that matter. Filipino men are romantic lovers who know how to respect a woman and make her feel like a queen. There’s something for everyone and you need never be lonely!
 
- Tourist’s Haven. The Philippines is a tourist’s dreamland. Beautiful beaches, hotels to fit all budgets, world-class shopping malls, diving resorts, and exciting night-life are just some of the things you can enjoy during your vacation. Another thing is medical tourism. If you need to have cosmetic surgery or heart bypass, get it in the Philippines. Medical costs are unbelievably cheaper than in western countries. What is more, the service provided by caring doctors and nurses is unparalleled.
 
These just some of the good things that an expat living in the Philippines enjoys. Why go into lonely retirement in your own country when there is a secret haven waiting for you?
 
Still not convinced? Ask any expat living in the Philippines. They will tell you!

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A foreign national, when visiting in the Philippines, is classified according to his purpose, length of stay, civil status etc. Resident aliens are those who have acquired necessary requirements that permit them to stay in the Philippines for a lengthy time period. However, those who stay in the Philippines for no longer than 180 days are classified as “non-resident aliens”, doing or not doing business in the Philippines. Being classified as a non-resident alien has its own laws regarding employment.

Non-resident aliens can be employed in the Philippines. To satisfy this obligation, the foreign national is required to fulfil an Alien Employment Permit (AEP). This is a documentary form that grants the foreigner to work in the Philippines, as the country prohibits the employment of anyone who does not contain a work permit, alien or otherwise.

The AEP, or expat work permit, is to be filed at the regional office of the Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) where the purposed place of work is under the office’s jurisdiction. The expat work permit requires documents for application.

A letter of request should be accomplished as an initial document for an expat work permit. This is a letter addressed to the Secretary of Labour to grant the expat the authorization of working in the Philippines. Obviously, another requirement for the filing of an expat work permit is for the foreign national has to sign a duly accomplished application form. Lastly, curriculum vitae will also be required of the foreign national. This is to prove the authorities that the foreign national is capable of employment. This criterion will play a major role for the approval of the expat work permit in the Philippines. The foreign citizen’s spouse is also required to file her own expat work permit should she be willing to be employed as well. Normally, in the cases of non-resident aliens or otherwise, the work permit is filed by the employer to complete the employment process.

An expat work permit is hard to accomplish due to a major criterion imposed by the Department of Labour. An expatriate has the greatest chance of his or her employment permit be approved should it be proved that he or she can perform a highly-specialized skill where no one in the Philippines is able to do so. The authorities provide top priority to able Filipinos to address the country’s high unemployment rate.

To be not required of an expat work permit, the expatriate should file for an alien certificate registration that transfers his or status to a resident alien. The expatriate can also choose to be naturalized as a bona fide Filipino citizen. Otherwise, the foreign national can secure a business permit to generate an income in the country.

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Expat banking now makes managing finances even away from home a much easier thing to do. People should have nothing to worry about now when it comes to leaving home and their possessions behind. Through expat banking, nothing gets wasted even if one is away from current finances.

The first important thing to do would be to consider a specific bank account which can serve your expat banking needs. You would do well to ask the opinion of a tax adviser to make sure that everything gets covered as you get into a new account. May expats usually find local currency accounts as the best way to manage expat banking. Such type of bank account would also enable you to have an offshore account which can receive salary and in the long run, bigger savings get accumulated. In the European Union, many local banks enable its patrons with flexible processes for daily money transfers. However, other countries may still require you to build up on a certain credit rate first before you can get into expat banking. This is an important reason why you should get all your information first before zeroing on one particular account.

To avoid these problems, you can choose to open an account in an offshore bank to make things easier for you. These kinds of banks usually provide its customers with check books together with a pin card and a chip. There are also available expat banking services done through the Internet sand through phone. Usually, banks like these are subsidiaries of big bank players and just do your research well to get well informed.

In addition, offshore banks are also more convenient. This is because you can actually make applications through online registration. This definitely saves you a lot of time and effort. Expat banking thus becomes easier and at its finest. After filling up the needed forms, you can download them to print them and then post them to the affiliated bank. Be mindful of the charges you need to pay when making these transactions. Offshore accounts really do a lot to make your savings grow.

Also, offshore banks can help your expat banking needs by allowing you with enough flexibility to access your money. No matter where you are in the world, you can be sure to get in touch with your finances at however way most convenient for you. Expat banking becomes a breeze rather than a burden.

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Expatriates often come across several difficulties in attuning to a foreign land: there’s culture shock, the seeming timidity of life, legal issues, and even the hassle of traveling across the country. These difficulties seem to be magnified in the Philippines, an archipelago, wherein one does not only need to ride a plane or boat to access several amazing tourist spots, one also needs to get used to a variety of languages and people. Fortunately, expat networks are there to help the expatriate be relieved of a stressful life.

On the issue of culture shock, expat networks help by providing the expatriate with information about the country beforehand. Expat networks often have websites that contain valuable information, ranging from geographically-specific problems like heavy traffic in the metro, up to some culturally-related subjects like folk tales and myths.

These websites also provide the expatriate with information regarding possible activities to do and sights to go to. For example, expat networks would help the thrill seeker to find which beaches in the Philippines are sites for wakeboarding.

If one would just like a relaxing time at the famous white sand beaches of Boracay, Pagudpud, and Puerto Galera, websites by expat networks often have information on the best way to travel, the best lodgings, and the various activities one would find there.

These websites also provide information on what native delicacies are to be sought for and where to find them. Do you want spicy foods? Maybe a Bicol Express would satisfy that palate. Or are you on a diet? The fresh vegetables and fruits of Baguio might be your answer.

Expat networks would also lend assistance to expatriates who would like to work in the Philippines. They would be providing guidance from the legal procedures needed to acquire a job to finding the companies that would hire an expatriate. For the expatriate that would like to live a charitable life, some expat networks have ready connections with orphanages and charity institutions.

But perhaps the most comforting aspect expat networks would have is the chance to connect with fellow expatriates. Homesickness is inevitable, and having someone from home in this second home, to share experiences of this new land, if not to tell tales of the old place, would be a very effective relief.

For expatriates in the Philippines, expat networks would help you enjoy your well-deserved relaxed life. From alleviating anxiety about the culture through ample information, to providing assistance in traveling, to connecting you with fellow expatriates, expat networks help make this foreign land your home.

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People who live at a country outside of their citizenship should also consider health expenses aside from the basic living necessities. These expatriates who are in search for living stability should come up with an international insurance for their medical needs. Hence, when living outside of their country, they are often in search of an expat medical insurance.

There are many expat medical insurance programmes that offer different plans to the expatriate community. These are usually international companies who cover these foreign citizens in a country where they choose to reside. Local insurance companies in the chosen country can usually cater only to local citizens, which is why international insurance companies are vastly expanding.

An international insurance company can offer the expatriate different plans based on the place of coverage. For example, if the expatriate already has existing medical care back home, then he can choose not to be covered by a full package, which involves coverage in the home country. The cheapest expat medical insurance programs only cover the area where the expatriate opts to stay (like Europe or East Asia).

An expat medical insurance program contains the usual nitty-gritty; outpatient care, in-patient hospital care and additional benefits such as dental and maternal care. The outpatient care is where consultations for the general practitioner come in—expatriates who are living in a developing country are more prone to illness, hence the need of a regular check-up. The in-patient hospital care usually involves unintended accidents and confinement. Additional benefits are the ones that are added should the expatriate to expand his expat medical insurance plan—surgeries, dental care and optics expenses can be covered with additional charge.

Usually, the expat medical insurance plan does not restrict the plan holder to any restrictions about doctors and hospitals, as it is impossible for an international coverage. However, most insurance companies who manage the program might require the plan holder to call the insurance company before signing a bond to the hospital about in-patient care.

When coming up with the perfect expat medical insurance program, the expatriate should read all the fine print and consider the relative costs. For example, if the client is willing to save up, there is a chance that he or she will be offered a meagre plan than can barely cover the standard medical expenses. Therefore, he or she should be aware about the degree of medical coverage that he or she is comfortable with. The expatriate should then consider the convenience, quality of service and the ability of the program to answer his medical needs.

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Culture shock is most likely the number one problem of any expatriate. If the foreigner is a first-timer in the country, the more the possibility of culture shock. But there are ways to combat this psychological phenomenon to make the expatriate life more comfortable, especially in the Philippines.

The more ethnic divisions or dialects a country has, the more problems we might have with culture shock and expatriate life. Imagine the various cultures one will have to deal with in a single place. The Philippines has hundreds, at least, of dialects, which means it’s possible to be dealing with as many different cultures in a community. What do we do with this? Does this mean we study each culture or dialect just to get along with people? Not necessarily. There are general tips to minimize culture shock for a more tolerable expatriate life.

No matter the confusion or disorientation about how things go or are done in a certain place, take three long and quiet deep breaths and then smile. Deep breaths put more oxygen in the brain and lungs and keep the mind straight and the circulation going right. Then the smile—well, Filipinos (and most people anywhere) often appreciate a smile. It keeps tense situations at bay. But it should be a most natural smile—not one that looks too eager to please people. An “uncommitted” smile is the word.

When the breathing and smiling becomes automatic responses to any stimulus, then go out as often as possible. Get used to the people and the place. Just accept things as they are. Nod and smile. Stop comparing the local situations with what one has back home. It will never work. Just keep mum and keenly observe everything—quiet but alert. The lesser words, the deeper one looks. Filipinos always respect deep-looking people. A good bible proverb says, “A fool, if he keeps quiet, will be deemed wise.”

Culture shock often comes in traffic jams Manila-style. Heavy, crazy traffic is what bothers expatriate life the most. Lots of foreigners show their disappointment—which isn’t wise. Be sure never to react negatively to a negative situation. To most Filipinos disenchanted foreigners are amusing to watch. They like it. But a cool one amid confusion strikes respect in them. Calm-looking foreigners to them are intelligent ones who know exactly what they’re doing.

Culture shock need not bother too much. It does come but it can be mitigated. A deep breath, a gentle smile, a cool positive attitude, and quiet alertness—all add up to a tolerable expatriate life.

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