Moving to the Philippines from New Zealand

36 months: New Zealanders can enter without a visa for up to 30 days: the Department of Foreign Affairs' visa-free list names New Zealand, and the Embassy in Wellington says the same. A 29-day visa waiver then brings the stay to 59 days, and after that the Bureau of Immigration grants extensions of one, two or six months at a time. The Bureau says visitors who need no visa may extend up to 36 months, counted from the latest recorded arrival. All of this is visitor status, with no income or savings test. The Bureau's fee tables are marked as updated on 6 March 2014, so the current fees are unknown. The Embassy's page also says New Zealand citizens who want to stay more than 30 days should apply for a visa before travelling, which the first route below comes back to. Your passport must be valid for six months beyond your planned stay.

The Embassy states no amount for financial capacity. It also lists a consulate in Auckland, but its visa page sends applications to Wellington, and whether Auckland takes them is not stated. SRRV: the PRA application form, a medical certificate and police clearance each issued within six months, a Bureau of Immigration clearance certificate, an NBI clearance if you have stayed more than 90 days in the Philippines, eight 2x2-inch photos, a passport with a valid tourist visa, proof of a lifetime pension if you apply as a pensioner, the processing fee and the deposit sent as an inward remittance. Documents issued outside the Philippines must be in English and apostilled or authenticated. The Embassy's guide says e-Visa applications are non-refundable and take 7 to 12 working days for single entry and 15 to 21 working days for multiple entry; it asks you not to buy tickets before the visa is issued. For a paper application it sends its bank details after it has assessed your documents. Its fee schedule lists cash and EFTPOS or debit cards from a local bank, and says it does not take credit cards or international cards. The pages read do not say whether an e-Visa carries a separate service fee beyond the schedule, or how long you may stay on a 9(a) visa on arrival, so those are unknown. Bureau extensions are filed at least a week before the stay expires. The PRA page gives no processing time for the SRRV, so that is unknown.

Until then, New Zealand taxes your worldwide income, including overseas salary and interest from overseas bank accounts, whether or not you bring the money home, and you file an IR3 with the overseas income summary (IR1261) and may claim a credit for tax paid in the Philippines. If you do become a non-resident taxpayer, update your details with your New Zealand bank or investment provider so the right non-resident withholding tax is deducted. The agreement says pensions for past employment are taxable only in the country where you are resident, and social security pensions only in the country that pays them.

Government KiwiSaver contributions need you to live mainly in New Zealand; after a year living overseas (not in Australia) you can withdraw most of your savings, but not the government contributions. A student loan stops being interest-free from the day after you leave if you become overseas-based, which happens when you are in New Zealand 31 days or fewer in a 184-day period. If you already get NZ Super and live overseas, you must apply to keep it, at least 6 weeks before you leave, at a rate based on the months you lived in New Zealand between ages 20 and 65; whether the Philippine Retirement Authority counts it as the lifetime pension for the SRRV is not stated.

SafeTravel says New Zealanders travelling or living in the Philippines should have a comprehensive travel insurance policy that includes medical evacuation by air, and the CDC advises considering travel health and medical evacuation insurance. PhilHealth, the national insurer, lets foreign citizens with a valid ACR I-Card enrol through a Local Health Insurance Office; its 2017 circular set the premium at PHP 17,000 a year (about NZ$480 at the European Central Bank rate), which may have changed, and whether someone on a visitor ACR I-Card can join was not confirmed.

SafeTravel says foreigners must carry identification at all times, and a photocopy of your passport is acceptable. It also lets you register your travel plans so it can send you travel updates. The Bureau's 2014 tables list a fine of PHP 500 a month for overstaying, so keep your extension dates in a calendar.

Inland Revenue says New Zealand tax residents pay tax on interest from overseas bank accounts, whether or not the money is brought home, so keep records of any account you open.

SafeTravel advises avoiding non-essential travel to provinces of eastern Mindanao (excluding Camiguin, Dinagat and Siargao Islands) and not travelling to central and western Mindanao; it does not name Davao City, so check its page and ask the New Zealand Embassy in Manila which advice covers it.