As of October 29, 2026, the Philippines has a digital nomad visa in law but no confirmed way to apply for it. Executive Order No. 86 created the visa in April 2025, and the official pages checked for this guide still list no fee, form, or income figure. This guide separates what is confirmed from what is not, explains where sources disagree, and covers the options remote workers have in the Philippines today.
What Official Sources Show About the Current Status
The pages checked for this guide show the following.
- Legal basis: Executive Order No. 86, dated April 24, 2025, authorizes the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to issue the visa.
- Start date: The order took effect when it was published, which sources place at May 5, 2025.
- Rules and pilot: The order called for implementing guidelines within 30 days and a pilot within 60 days. The deadlines fell near June 4 and July 4, 2025, and no official document found for this guide confirms either one.
- DFA eVisa portal: According to LiveInPH, which reviewed the eVisa portal in October 2026, the site lists one e-Visa product and no digital nomad option.
- Embassy page: The Philippine Embassy in The Hague posted a digital nomad visa page in June 2025 and updated it on July 3, 2025. The page lists the order’s conditions and an email address for questions, with no fee, form, or checklist.
Sources disagree on whether the visa is open. A July 2026 opinion column in the Daily Tribune says the DFA began accepting applications soon after the order. Some visa service websites call the visa live, and one gives a June 2025 launch date with fees of USD 200 to 400.
Other recent sources, including Genki Guide (August 2026), Escape Artist (September 2026), and TravelBinger (October 2026), say applications are not open. This guide found no official notice, form, or fee schedule that supports the claims that the visa is live.
The official sources are the order, the DFA, and the Bureau of Immigration (BI). Until one of them publishes an application route, a careful approach is to treat the visa as not yet open.
What Executive Order No. 86 Says About Eligibility and Validity
The order sets the basic rules and leaves the details to later guidelines. It lists these conditions for applicants.
- Age: 18 or older.
- Remote work: Proof of remote work using digital technology for clients or employers outside the Philippines.
- Income: Proof of enough income earned outside the Philippines. The order gives no amount.
- Criminal record: Proof of no criminal record.
- Health insurance: A policy valid for the length of the visa. The order names no minimum cover.
- Nationality: A citizen of a country that offers digital nomad visas to Filipinos and where the Philippines has a Foreign Service Post, such as an embassy or consulate. Citizens of countries without a Post may apply at the nearest one, subject to later guidelines.
- Security: No security threat, with BI coordinating the clearance.
- Local work: Not employed in the Philippines.
The order also covers how long the visa lasts.
- Length: Up to one year.
- Renewal: Renewable for the same length of time.
- Entry: Multiple entries allowed.
- Revocation: The DFA sets the grounds, which include local employment, fraud or misrepresentation, and immigration violations.
The order works as a framework. A reader cannot work out a final cost, income target, or processing time from it.
What Has Not Been Published Yet
Several details that a visa guide would normally list are missing from official sources. Blogs fill some of them in, and those figures should be treated as unofficial.
- Income threshold: No official figure exists. Some consultancies use about USD 24,000 a year as a benchmark, and about USD 800 a month also circulates. Neither number comes from the DFA.
- Application fee: No official fee has been published. Figures such as USD 200 to 400 have no official source that this guide could find.
- Eligible countries: The Daily Tribune column says the DFA has not published a country list. Some blogs say citizens of the US, UK, Canada, and Australia are excluded because those countries do not offer nomad visas to Filipinos. The claim reflects one reading of the order’s wording, and the DFA has not published such a rule.
- Insurance minimum: The order requires insurance but names no amount. Figures such as USD 35,000 appear on blogs without an official source.
- Forms, location, and processing time: None have been published.
Any guide that lists exact costs and numbered steps for the visa today is filling these items from unofficial sources. For comparison, the income requirements of other nomad visas show what other countries ask for. Readers with passports from outside the West can also compare nomad visas by passport type, since the nationality condition may affect them.
What Remote Workers Can Use in the Philippines Today
Until the nomad visa opens, remote workers entering the Philippines usually do so on a tourist stay. Citizens of many countries can enter visa-free for an initial 30 days, and a few nationalities receive different periods. The DFA and BI websites list which passports qualify.
The BI visa waiver page lists the extension steps and fees below. The page states that its fee table was updated as of March 6, 2014. The fees may change without notice, so BI can confirm the amounts before travel.
- First extension (visa waiver): PHP 3,030 in total, which takes the stay to 59 days.
- Extension beyond 59 days: PHP 4,900 for two months, or PHP 4,400 for one month.
- ACR I-Card: USD 50 plus a PHP 500 express fee for tourists, needed once the stay passes 59 days.
- Later extensions: PHP 2,930 for two months, or PHP 2,430 for one month.
- Seventh-month extension: PHP 4,340 for two months, because a Certificate of Residence is added.
- Long-Stay Visitor Visa Extension: Six months, filed at the BI Main Office, for PHP 11,500 for nationals who do not need a visa and PHP 13,900 for those who do.
- Maximum stay: 36 months in total for nationals who do not need a visa, and 24 months for those who do.
Using two-month extensions, the listed fees for the first 12 months add up to about PHP 21,060. The total leaves out the ACR I-Card, travel costs, and any agent fees. Extensions can also be filed online through the BI e-services portal.
A wider comparison of the two routes is in this guide to a digital nomad visa versus a tourist visa. Some travelers leave and re-enter a country instead of extending, and a guide to how visa runs work legally explains the idea.
Remote Work on a Tourist Stay Is a Gray Area
A tourist visa does not authorize employment in the Philippines, and lawyer commentary says the law defines work broadly. A Chambers practice guide by the law firm SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan says current laws do not specifically recognize remote workers whose companies have no Philippine presence. The Daily Tribune column adds that some foreign remote workers have stayed for long periods on repeatedly renewed tourist visas.
No source promises that remote work on a tourist stay is allowed. An immigration lawyer in the Philippines can give advice for a personal case.
Other Philippine Visa Routes
Two other routes exist, and both fit only some remote workers.
- 9(g) work visa: Requires a Philippine employer, so the visa suits people taking a local job. The nomad visa order excludes local employment.
- Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV): Run by the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) for people aged 40 and older. LiveInPH reports deposits of USD 15,000 for pensioners aged 50 and above and USD 50,000 for ages 40 to 49 without a pension, after a restructure on September 1, 2025. The PRA can confirm current amounts and what each category allows.
Remote workers who need a confirmed route now could look at nearby programs. Examples include Thailand’s DTV, the Malaysia DE Rantau pass, and the Indonesia E33G visa. A list of countries with official nomad visa programs covers more options.
How to Prepare While Waiting for the Rules
Many nomad visas ask for similar paperwork, and the order already names four of the items. Gathering them early can save time if the DFA opens applications. The final list may differ, so these items are a likely starting point and not a confirmed checklist.
- Proof of remote work: Documents such as an employment contract or signed client agreements.
- Proof of income: Bank statements, payslips, or invoices covering several months.
- Criminal record check: Processing times differ by country, and this guide to a police clearance certificate explains the process.
- Document legalization: Some visa offices ask for apostilled documents, and this guide covers how to get documents apostilled. The DFA has not said whether it will require them.
- Health insurance: The order requires a policy for the full visa period. Options are compared in a guide to health insurance for digital nomads.
A fuller documents checklist covers the paperwork most programs request.
Updates could appear on the eVisa portal, the BI website, and Philippine embassy pages. Three details to look for are the fee, the list of eligible countries, and whether the DFA starts with a pilot for limited applicants.
Tax Note for Remote Workers in the Philippines
Executive Order No. 86 says nothing about tax. The Bureau of Internal Revenue is one of the agencies the order tasks with preparing guidelines, so rules for visa holders may follow.
LiveInPH reads the tax code as taxing foreigners only on Philippine-source income, with services sourced to where they are performed. It also says that stays of more than 180 days in a calendar year may trigger graduated rates under Sections 23 and 25 of the tax code. The reading comes from one website and is not an official ruling.
US citizens also have home-country filing rules, which are covered in a guide to filing US taxes while working abroad. This section is general information and not tax advice, and a qualified tax professional can advise on an individual situation.
Who Should Wait for This Visa and Who Should Choose Another Route
The nomad visa could suit remote workers with flexible plans, since the order promises a one-year permit with multiple entries. Waiting suits people whose passports come from countries that offer nomad visas to Filipinos, because those passports are more likely to qualify.
- Good fit for waiting: Remote workers who can spend time elsewhere first and who earn all income from clients or employers outside the Philippines.
- Better to choose another route now: Anyone who needs a confirmed legal status in the next few months, or whose passport may fall outside the nationality condition.
- Not a fit: People who plan to take a job with a Philippine employer, since the order excludes local employment.
Remote workers choosing a base while they wait could read the Cebu guide for digital nomads or compare digital nomad cities in Southeast Asia.
Plan the Trip Around What Is Confirmed
The Philippines visa may become a good option once the DFA publishes its rules. Until then, a tourist stay with extensions is the route that has published fees, and some remote workers add time in nearby countries. If a Southeast Asia stretch is part of your plans, search flights to the Philippines on FlyBibe and compare routes that fit your work schedule.
Immigration and tax rules change, and the Philippines digital nomad visa is still developing. Confirm current requirements with the Philippine Embassy, the DFA, the Bureau of Immigration, or a qualified immigration or tax professional before making plans. This article reflects information as of October 29, 2026, the date it was researched.