Move to the Philippines.The first 30 days
Landing is easy. Landing organized is the difference between a move and a mess. Here is the sequence we run with arriving clients.
The short answer
What should you do in your first 30 days in the Philippines?
Days one to three are logistics: a local SIM, cash then cards, transport apps, and a base near your errands. Week one is the admin pass: the PRA steps if you are filing, a peso account, prescriptions and a hospital mapped. Weeks two to four turn it into a life, with housing walked in person before any lease is signed.
The arrival sequence
Day 1 to 3: land standing up
- Local SIM or eSIM at the airport, data first; everything else runs through your phone here
- Cash for the first week, then cards; small bills make taxis and counters easy
- Transport apps set up and tested before you need them in rain
- Temporary base secured near the errands: bank, PRA office if filing, groceries
Week 1: the admin pass
- If filing now: PRA medical certificate and BICC in-country, then the filing itself with our marketer partner
- If already approved: PRA ID in hand, scanned, and backed up; SRRV holders are exempt from the BI ACR I-Card, and the PRA ID is the card you carry instead
- Local peso account opened (the PRA ID is the document bankers want to see)
- Prescriptions mapped to local equivalents and a first-choice hospital picked before anyone needs it
Weeks 2 to 4: make it a life
- Longer-term housing walked in person, rainy-day traffic included, before any lease is signed
- PhilHealth enrollment at the SRRV special rate, layered under your private coverage plan
- VA and TRICARE logistics confirmed against the official sources for your situation
- The annual-fee calendar set: the PRA annual fee recurs, and missing it is the silliest possible problem
The healthcare layer deserves its own read before you land: the veteran healthcare guide maps the VA clinic, the Foreign Medical Program, TRICARE, and the honest gaps.
Or have it run for you
The Arrival Concierge add-on ($750, listed on the pricing page) is this checklist, done with you: airport coordination, the first-week admin pass, banking introductions, SIM and transport setup, and settlement support. The annual-fee calendar comes standard with every package, because a $100 or $360 fee should never become a residency problem.
Wheels down:Already squared away
Arrival is the easy part when the file, the bank, and the calendar were set before the flight.
SRRV Courtesy qualification is determined by the Philippine Retirement Authority on the documents. Many US military retirees may qualify; others fit SRRV Classic. We screen both routes before you commit, and we will tell you plainly if the SRRV is not your best option.