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Philippines: visas, tax & cost of living

Move to the Philippines: the new Digital Nomad Visa, 180-day tax residency, and low island living costs. Estimates only, verify before you go.

Philippines: visas, tax & cost of living
Your passport

United KingdomPhilippines

Your move to Philippines on a United Kingdom passport

  • VisitEasyVisa-free entry
  • NomadEasyNomad visa — likely eligible
  • RelocateMediumResidence with conditions

Visiting

Visa-free for up to 30 days. Travel on a passport valid for your whole stay, with a return or onward ticket and proof you can support yourself.

Passport validity:Passport valid for at least six months beyond your intended stay, with a blank page for the entry stamp.

Heads-up:Free eTravel online arrival card with QR code required within 72 hours before arrival; since 8 June 2025 Indian nationals get visa-free entry for 14 days (30 days if holding a valid AJACSSUK visa or residence permit).

At the border:Officers and airlines may ask for proof of onward or return travel, proof of funds and confirmed accommodation, plus the eTravel QR code, with cash above about 50,000 pesos or 10,000 US dollars to be declared.

Working remotely

Digital Nomad Visa (Executive Order No. 86).

Income needed:No fixed amount in EO 86/2025 (proof of sufficient income earned outside the Philippines; threshold deferred to implementing rules); ~$2,000/mo cited unofficially(estimate)

Duration:12months

Who qualifies:Digital Nomad Visa (Executive Order No. 86, 2025) for remote workers aged 18 or over earning income solely from clients or employers outside the Philippines, with valid health insurance covering the stay, a clean criminal record, and open only to nationals of countries offering a reciprocal nomad visa to Filipinos.

Tax and residency

Aliens are taxed only on Philippine-source income, not foreign earnings; a non-resident alien present over 180 days/yr is treated as engaged in trade or business (graduated 0-35% on PH-source income).(estimate)

The UK decides residence with its Statutory Residence Test (days in the UK plus your ties). As a non-resident you are usually taxed only on UK income; where one exists, a double-tax treaty with the destination decides who taxes what.

Double-tax treaty:yes, in force since 1978

Practical

Currency:PHP. Cost of living:low.

Healthcare:There is no reciprocal public healthcare agreement, so foreigners pay privately and comprehensive health or travel insurance is strongly recommended.

Driving:You can drive on a valid foreign licence for up to 90 days from arrival, and carrying an International Driving Permit alongside it is recommended.

Sources: Philippines, Executive Order No. 86 (2025) · GOV.UK: tax on foreign income · HMRC: double-taxation treaties

Estimates, not advice. Confirm with the official sources before you act.

Should you move to Philippines?

Warm islands, English almost everywhere, and a budget that actually stretches. For a lot of remote workers, the Philippines is an easy yes. Cebu and Metro Manila give you the fastest internet and the biggest nomad scenes. Siargao and Dumaguete trade some of that speed for beaches and a slower pace. By Western standards the money goes a long way, roughly $1,500 to $2,500 a month with a decent condo, and the big-city expat neighbourhoods (Makati, BGC) sit near the top of that range. Prices are in pesos (PHP).

Philippines visa and entry

Here is the good news. The Philippines now has a dedicated Digital Nomad Visa, created by Executive Order No. 86 (signed April 2025, piloting from mid-2025). It lets qualified remote workers stay up to a year, renewable once, as long as you earn from clients or an employer outside the country. Crucially, the order sets no fixed income figure, the actual threshold is left to the implementing rules that are still being written, so plan to show proof of “sufficient” remote income earned outside the Philippines, valid health insurance, and a clean record. The number you will see floated, around $2,000 a month, is an unofficial guideline rather than a published minimum, so treat it as a rough benchmark, not a hard cutoff. One catch worth knowing early: the order ties eligibility to reciprocity, so you generally need to be from a country that offers Filipinos a similar visa, and no official list of those countries has been published yet. The rules are still bedding in, so plenty of people lean on plain tourist-visa extensions in the meantime.

Tax residency and what to check

Stay past roughly 180 days in a calendar year and you can be treated as an alien engaged in trade or business, taxed on a graduated scale. Here is the friendly part. Either way, aliens are generally taxed only on Philippine-sourced income, so your foreign earnings usually stay out of it, though treaty relief and filing have their own steps. Treat this as an estimate, since the new visa’s tax treatment is still being clarified by the BIR.

Figures are estimates. Always check the official source linked below.

At a glance

Currency
PHP
Cost of living
Low
Digital-nomad visa
Yes
Tax & residency
Aliens are taxed only on Philippine-source income, not foreign earnings; a non-resident alien present over 180 days/yr is treated as engaged in trade or business (graduated 0-35% on PH-source income).

Frequently asked questions

Philippines: is there a digital nomad visa?
Digital Nomad Visa (Executive Order No. 86). Digital Nomad Visa (Executive Order No. 86, 2025) for remote workers aged 18 or over earning income solely from clients or employers outside the Philippines, with valid health insurance covering the stay, a clean criminal record, and open only to nationals of countries offering a reciprocal nomad visa to Filipinos.
Philippines: when do you become a tax resident?
Aliens are taxed only on Philippine-source income, not foreign earnings; a non-resident alien present over 180 days/yr is treated as engaged in trade or business (graduated 0-35% on PH-source income).
Philippines: what is the cost of living?
The cost of living is low and the local currency is the PHP. Treat any figures as estimates.
Philippines: do you need health insurance?
There is no reciprocal public healthcare agreement, so foreigners pay privately and comprehensive health or travel insurance is strongly recommended.
Philippines: can you drive on a foreign licence?
You can drive on a valid foreign licence for up to 90 days from arrival, and carrying an International Driving Permit alongside it is recommended.

Terms worth knowing

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Put it to work

Last verified: 2026-06-24

Sources: Philippines — Executive Order No. 86 (2025)

Voymo gives general information to help you organise your move. It is not legal, tax, or immigration advice, always confirm with an official source or a qualified professional before you act.

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