Philippines Investor Visa: How to apply for residency with the FAB Investor Visa (FIV)

The Philippines FIV (FAB-Investor Visa) is a new permanent residency by investment program that offers a fast-track option for investors and global citizens seeking to establish themselves in the Philippines. It is a fast-track investor visa giving you full residency privileges in Southeast Asia’s highest growth economy.

This program grants the applicant a Philippines permanent resident visa, but there’s an important caveat to consider: while the visa is marketed as “permanent residency,” it is more accurately described as a long-term residency that remains valid as long as the investment stays on deposit.

The Wandering Investor is an official agent with this program and we can help you get residency through the Philippines FIV Investor Visa.

• Very streamlined and quick application process
• Among the easiest and most affordable residencies in Asia
• Qualify to apply for Philippines citizenship after five years – the Philippines allows dual citizenship
• Live in a beautiful, tropical country with idyllic beaches and islands
• Solid Plan B option with no minimum stay requirements
• Zero tax on foreign sourced income for non-citizen residents
• No real estate investment or financial disclosures required to apply

The program consists of an application fee, an investment fee and an obligatory fee for an interview and residency registration trip to the Philippines.

• Application fee: $20,000 USD (non-refundable)
• Investment fee: $75,000 USD
• Trip fee: $5,000 (add $2,500 for each additional person on the application)

There are no additional application or investment fees due for spouses and dependents.

The investment fee will be kept in preferred shares of an FAB approved company.  

Your $75,000 investment will not earn any yield or dividends or appreciate for the duration that you keep it deposited.  To recover the full amount, you must keep the money on deposit for at least five years, after which you may apply for citizenship, or opt to keep the money deposited and remain a resident.  The residency will terminate upon taking back your investment capital. 

If you withdraw the investment fee before five years for any reason, a penalty will apply based on how long the money has been on deposit. 

The main applicant will have to provide the following:

• Notarized copy of passport, including all pages containing stamps and visas (2 hard copies)
• Notarized copy of CV in English, signed by applicant (2 hard copies)
• Notarized and apostilled criminal background report, no older than 6 months (2 hard copies)
• Passport photos (8)

All other people on your application, which can include your spouse and dependent, unmarried children under 21, will have to provide the above plus the following documents where applicable:

• For spouse: Notarized and apostilled government issued marriage certificate (2 hard copies)
• For dependent children: Notarized and apostilled government issued birth certificate (2 hard copies)

Notarization can be done in any country, but documents requiring apostille must be apostilled in the applicant’s country of citizenship.

Applying for the Philippines FIV residency is competitively fast, and pre-approval can be received in as little as 7-10 days. 

1. The first step is to prepare the above documents and sign a service agreement
2. Pay the $20,000 application fee
3. Submit application and wait for response, which is usually prompt
4. Receive preliminary approval
5. Pay the $75,000 investment fee within three months of receiving preliminary approval
6. Travel to the Philippines for interview and other formalities
7. Receive your residency card

Your physical residency card is valid for 2-3 years and is easily renewed at the immigration bureau and can be done remotely.

Once your investment fee is submitted, you will be required to buy your own airfare to Clark International Airport (CRK), which is the closest airport to the Freeport Area of Bataan.  You will need to schedule time to remain in the country for five business days to complete various formalities, so it is advisable to fly in on a Monday.  Your trip fee includes:

• Accommodation for four nights
• Philippines ID card processing fee
• Permanent residency card processing fee
• Hospital medical examination fee
• All transportation and meals
• Local SIM card registration fee
• Fingerprinting and biometrics fee
• Miscellaneous fees related to interview and oath-taking
• Document notarization fees

You are responsible for obtaining an entry-visa if the Philippines if your nationality requires it.

The Philippines is among the only countries in East Asia that allows dual citizenship.

There is an expedited path to citizenship which allows you to apply after five years of residency, 2.5 of which you are expected to have spent physically residing in the country. 

To qualify, you are expected to contribute to the Philippine society or economy in some form. This can mean setting up a company in the Philippines, or teaching English for example.

If you elect not to do the expedited path, you may apply after ten years.  In this case, the physical presence requirement would be five of the prior ten years.

English is an official language of the Philippines; it is enough to satisfy language requirements.

Philippines FIV Success Story

Quynh Nguyen learned about the Philippines FIV program and was able to go from application to successful FIV residency for the whole family in one month!

Apply Now

The Wandering Investor is an official agent of the Philippines FIV Residency Program. We are a licensed partner of this residency program. Complete the form to start your application.