There are many great destinations in Asia for digital nomads. However, the Philippines can’t be missed. Therefore, I created a complete guide on the Philippines Digital Nomad Visa.
REMARK: Please note that on 24 April 2025 the President signed Executive Order No. 86 to finally launch the Philippines digital nomad. However, the Department of Foreign Affairs still needs to implement the necessary systems before it will actually go live. Therefore, you can’t actually apply for this visa yet.
Overview of the Philippines Digital Nomad Visa
- The Philippines Digital Nomad Visa is valid for one year.
- Renewal for another year is possible if you still meet the requirements.
- In order to qualify, you need to meet certain conditions (e.g. minimum income & health insurance).
- Although it was mentioned the visa would give an exemption of taxes, it is still to be confirmed if this will actually be the case.
Requirements for Obtaining the Philippines Digital Nomad Visa
In order to obtain the Philippines digital nomad visa you need to meet certain requirements. Hereby an overview:
- Minimum age: applicants need to be at least 18 years old.
- Work remotely: you need to prove that you work remotely whether as an employee or for your own business.
- Minimum income requirement: like for many other DNV’s you need to meet a minimum income requirements and the income needs to come from outside the Philippines. The law doesn’t provide an actual amount but in practice it seems you need an income of around USD 2.000 per month. Obviously, this income should come from sources outside of the Philippines.
- Clean criminal record: provide a clean criminal record from your home country.
- Health insurance: you need health insurance valid in the Philippines for the full duration of your stay.
- Nationality: only nationals from countries which offer a DNV to Filipinos can qualify.
Mainly this last requirement will pose as an issue for many digital nomads. If your country of citizenship, doesn’t offer a digital nomad visa itself, you already don’t qualify.
Application Process for the Philippines Digital Nomad Visa
As we are still waiting for the DNV to become available, it’s not fully clear how the process will exactly look like. However, let’s have a look at what you can expect if you plan to apply.
Document Preparation
The first step is to gather all the necessary documents and information. You will need the following:
- Proof of necessary financial means by providing bank statements or pay slips
- Proof of remote work (e.g. employment contract or freelance contract)
- Copy of your health insurance policy confirming you’re covered in the Philippines
- Clean criminal record from your home country
- Valid passport
File Application DNV Philippines
You’ll have to file your application with the Foreign Service Post of the Philippines.
Therefore, you can only apply from your home country or – in absence of a Foreign Service Post – in the nearest service post. For most nomads this isn’t very attractive as they don’t necessarily spend a lot of time in their home country.
The Filipino authorities there will check your documents to make sure you meet the requirements.
Furthermore, you will have to pay the application fee. At the time of writing it isn’t clear yet how much the fee would be.
Await Approval of your Philippines Digital Nomad Visa
After filing your application, there is nothing more to do than to wait for the outcome.
Once a decision is made, the authorities will contact you to (hopefully) give you the good news.
The digital nomad visa for the Philippines will be valid for one year and you’ll have the option to renew for another year.
Tax Considerations for Digital Nomads in the Philippines
The Digital Nomad Visa Act from 2019 contains a specific provision regarding the taxation of digital nomads who stay in the Philippines based on the DNV.
The provisions confirms that holders of the Philippines Digital Nomad Visa aren’t considered residents for tax purposes. Accordingly, you won’t have to pay any taxes in the Philippines on your income from your remote work. Therefore, we put it on our list of tax free digital nomad visas.
However, this provision regarding the tax free status wasn’t repeated in the new Executive Order launched in 2025. Therefore, it would be good that the Filipino authorities provide more clarification or confirmation on this matter.
Yet, you might want to assess in any case to what extent staying in the Philippines for extended time impacts your tax setup. This might give you some room for tax optimization.
Furthermore, you should know that you’re not allowed to work for a local company. Doing so my result in the revocation of your visa.
However, you can check out our dedicated article if you are actually interested in establishing Philippines tax residency.
How is the Philippines for Digital Nomads?
If you’re a digital nomad, you probably have the Philippines on your list of places you must visit. There are many reasons why the Philippines should be on your list:
- Cost of living: just like most countries in South East Asia the Philippines offer an affordable cost of living. This makes it a desirable destination for people with any kind of lifestyle.
- Nature: I probably don’t need to point out that the nature in the Philippines is great. Just have a look at some of the pictures of the beaches and islands and you’ll know enough.
- Welcoming culture: like many other countries in the region, the Philippines have an open culture towards foreigner and will receive you with open arms.
- English proficiency: apart from being welcoming, most Filipinos are also proficient in English which helps in daily life.
- Improved infrastructure: although reliable internet was a challenge is some places in the Philippines in the past, this has improved a lot over the past few years.
Let Me Help You Lower Your Taxes
If you are planning to stay in a place for an extended period of time, you should always assess the tax consequences.
Whether you apply for a digital nomad visa or not, it mostly doesn’t matter so much as you want to avoid to trigger any unwanted tax consequences.
Reach out if you need any assistance in this respect.
