Claim. Rule. Screen.It stays yours
The claim that the SRRV deposit is money the government keeps confuses two different kinds of money. The deposit is held in your name. Government fees are separate, and they never blend.
The short answer
Is the SRRV deposit a fee the government keeps?
No. The visa deposit is held at a PRA-accredited bank in your name and returned on visa cancellation per PRA rules. It is your money the whole time. What you do not get back are the government fees, which are a separate category: the $1,500 PRA processing fee is non-refundable if the application is discontinued. Government fees go to the government; the deposit does not.
The claim
What you have probably read
The SRRV deposit is a fee the government keeps. It is an easy mistake, because the deposit is the largest line item and it moves at the same time as the fees. But blending the two is exactly the move some marketers make to inflate the apparent cost, or to bury their own fee inside a government number. The two never blend, and on this site they never will.
The rule
Two kinds of money, kept apart
The visa deposit is a bank deposit, not a payment. It is held at a PRA-accredited bank in your name and returned on visa cancellation per PRA rules. Courtesy deposits start at $1,500 for foreign nationals 50 and older; the Classic pensioner deposit is $15,000 at 50 and older. That figure is yours throughout, and it comes back when you cancel the visa.
Refundable, yours
The visa deposit
From $1,500 on Courtesy, or $15,000 on Classic pensioner. Held at a PRA-accredited bank in your name and returned on visa cancellation per PRA rules.
Non-refundable, the government’s
The PRA fees
The $1,500 processing fee is non-refundable if the application is discontinued, plus $300 per dependent and the annual fee. Government fees go to the government.
Our service fees are a third, separate category, listed plainly on the pricing page, never folded into a government number. The full itemized breakdown, with a calculator, is on the cost guide.
PRA figures verified June 18, 2026Sources
The screen
Know your real number
Which deposit applies to you depends on your route, your age, and your pension status, and that is what we screen first. A structured $99 session confirms your deposit level and your document gaps, and the fee is credited toward any package. We will tell you plainly what is refundable, what is not, and what is ours.
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.
Nothing hidden.Screen your case first
One structured session: your route, your deposit level, your document gaps. $99, credited toward any package.
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.