Citizeo
Pathway

Philippines Investor Residence Visa

Philippines Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

The Special Investor's Resident Visa is for an eligible foreign national age 21 or older who remits and maintains at least USD $75,000 in an investment accepted by the Philippine Board of Investments.

Type
Investment residence
Investment fit
Investors age 21+ able to place and maintain at least USD $75,000
Core requirements
Money transferred into the country, an investment accepted by the Board of Investments, proof of funds, and clearances
What to know
Usually probationary first, then indefinite while compliance continues
Duration
Indefinite residence while the qualifying investment is maintained.
Renewal / path
Status depends on keeping the approved investment in place.

Summary

The Special Investor's Resident Visa (SIRV) is a Philippine investor-residence program administered through the Board of Investments (BOI). It allows an eligible foreign investor to stay in the Philippines indefinitely, with multiple-entry privileges, while at least USD $75,000 remains in an investment accepted under the program and the holder keeps up with BOI requirements.

The SIRV is not a property-purchase visa and not a general “money in the bank” route. BOI controls how the funds enter the Philippines and what assets may hold them. The investor usually starts with a probationary SIRV lasting six months, places the funds into an eligible investment, documents the completed investment, and asks BOI to endorse conversion to indefinite status.

BOI refreshed its public SIRV application page in March 2026. Applicants should use that page and its linked forms rather than an unofficial checklist. The program's current official FAQ is especially important because it confirms that government securities are an allowable form, with a minimum one-year holding period, and explains which corporate investments are accepted or excluded.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

The BOI rules and current FAQ require the principal applicant to:

Meeting the dollar amount is necessary but not sufficient. BOI reviews the person, the remittance trail, the company or security, foreign-ownership limits, corporate records, and continued compliance.

How the money must enter

The applicant normally remits acceptable foreign currency through the SIRV banking process. The accredited bank certifies the inward remittance and time deposit. The money is not simply released to the applicant when it is converted: BOI's FAQ explains that the bank pays the designated corporation or, for listed shares, the stockbrokerage firm.

BOI may consider an existing investment and may in some cases endorse indefinite status directly. Its current FAQ says prior inward remittances generally must total at least USD $75,000 within the 12 months before filing and the investment must otherwise meet Book V requirements. Obtain written BOI confirmation before assuming an existing holding qualifies.

Accepted and excluded investments

The current BOI FAQ lists these allowable forms:

The FAQ also says that condominium units and ownership of shares in wholesale-trading corporations are no longer accepted. A restaurant is treated as retail and is not accepted merely because it is an operating business. A personal home, ordinary savings account, undeveloped land, private loan, cryptocurrency holding, or unrelated overseas security is not an SIRV investment.

Corporate law still matters. The target company and shareholding must comply with Philippine foreign-investment restrictions, capitalization rules, Securities and Exchange Commission filings, business permits, tax registration, and other laws. BOI's indefinite-status checklist calls for different evidence for a new corporation, an existing corporation, and a publicly listed company.

Probationary and indefinite stages

The probationary SIRV is valid for six months, or 180 days. BOI's FAQ advises showing proof of the completed investment at least 30 days before it expires, allowing time for the indefinite conversion documents. Late investment can trigger penalties and put the status at risk.

Indefinite does not mean unconditional. The minimum USD $75,000 equivalent must be maintained, the asset cannot be transferred or encumbered contrary to BOI controls, and the holder must file required reports and keep the SIRV identification documents current. Fraud, false records, criminal grounds, failure to report, or falling below the investment minimum can lead to cancellation or revocation.

Family members

The principal's spouse and unmarried children under 21 may qualify as SIRV dependents. Each dependent needs a separate application and civil, identity, clearance, and fee package. Dependent status should not be treated as independent investment residence: it is linked to the principal and the qualifying investment.

What This Route Allows

An indefinite SIRV allows the approved principal and dependents to reside in the Philippines and use multiple-entry privileges while the investment and other requirements remain in good standing. It avoids repeatedly extending ordinary visitor status.

The investor may hold the approved corporate shares or government securities and receive lawful returns subject to the investment, corporate, banking, securities, and tax rules. The visa itself does not override sector-specific foreign-ownership caps or management restrictions.

The SIRV ID and annual reporting remain part of the program even though the residence period is indefinite. BOI's March 2026 application page publishes current forms for the probationary filing, indefinite conversion, annual report, ID, and dependent inclusion.

What This Route Is Not

The SIRV is not:

Foreigners generally cannot own Philippine land directly, and an SIRV does not create an exception. A company structure should never be used as a nominee or “dummy” arrangement to evade nationality restrictions.

The residence visa is also not a blanket work permit. Managing an approved investment, holding a corporate role, practicing a profession, and being employed are legally different activities. Before doing paid work, the holder should obtain written advice from BOI, DOLE, BI, and any professional regulator about the exact role and required authorization.

Next Steps

  1. Pre-screen the applicant. Confirm age, nationality eligibility, immigration status, police history, health documentation, and family members with BOI.
  2. Ask BOI to pre-screen the proposed asset. Provide the company name, activity, ownership structure, share class, or exact government security. Do this before moving money.
  3. Trace the source and movement of funds. Prepare bank statements, sale or income evidence, tax records, and the inward-remittance plan required by an accredited depository bank.
  4. Use the March 2026 forms. Download the principal, dependent, bank-letter, deed-of-undertaking, and checklist documents from BOI's current page.
  5. Enter and file in the correct status. Confirm the required 9(a) validity and whether the case should begin as probationary or can use the existing-investment procedure.
  6. Complete due diligence on the investment. Review SEC records, ownership caps, financial statements, permits, tax registration, corporate authority, broker custody, and BOI restrictions with qualified Philippine counsel.
  7. Invest before the deadline. Coordinate the bank's controlled release and begin the indefinite-conversion evidence well before the 180-day limit.
  8. Calendar ongoing compliance. Track the minimum holding, BOI annual report, SIRV ID, company filings, security restrictions, changes in investment, and dependent status.
  9. Get separate tax and employment advice. The visa does not answer either issue on its own.
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