5 Ways To Own Property in The Philippines as a Foreigner - A How To Guide

If you were to build a house or a buy a condo in the Philippines, where would you buy and why? Comment down below! Savvy Guides - FULL Guide on BGC, Philippines www.thesavvyexpat.com/

I advise any foreigner to rent , I have been through most of these options and I can assure you , you will never own land in the Philippines,at the time you might think you do ( or sort of ) but if you ever encounter a problem later on the odds are stacked against you I am married to a filipina and have learnt so much about this topic Another piece of advice , never invest what you can't afford to lose

You missed 1 important option, leasing the land. For example, you have land for sale. As a foreigner I can lease the land from you for 25 or 50 years for the amount you are selling the land. That gives me control of the land for that period of time. I can then build on that land, etc. A long term lease is a very legitimate way to control property without actual ownership.

Dear Savvy Expat, one way to maintain control over a real estate transaction though not ownership, is with a "sale-leaseback." contract. If a foreigner expat wanted to build a new home for their Philippine spouse -for example what the expat could do is provide the funds for the purchase and put the title to the property in the name of the Philippine spouse as you mentioned but then, lease back the property from their Philippine spouse for one peso. The sale and leaseback are two sections of the same contract and are executed at the same time. Philippine law permits long-term leases of property, up to 50 years, with a one time option of renewal, for an additional 25 years. (Which is likely to outlive the foreigner expat.) The foreigner expat gives up ownership to their Philippine spouse but, that doesn't necessarily matter so long as the expat can maintain control over the property for the rest of their life. -So that the expat always has a home in their old age, in the event of a divorce for example. (All though there is no divorce in the Philippines, it is certainly possible that the Philippine spouse could seek a divorce in the expats home country. Citizenship and/or residency in the expats home country is often not required. The Philippine spouse just needs to hire a lawyer in the expats home country and a process server in the Philippines -for the expat to get a rude awakening. The sale-leaseback contract can contain provisions to restrict or prohibit any rights held by the Philippine property owner, such as the right to sell or lease the property, the right to mortgage the property, the right to will or transfer ownership of the property, or the right to exclude/include others from the use of the property -such a children or parents, so that not everyone moves in and, that others always have a home. And so on... You could even include a sale-leaseback contract (for the provision of a family home) as part of prenuptial agreement. Prenups are legal in the Philippines. Though some people may not find them romantic, prenups can be important not just to protect assets but also for the provision of care for children and for ageing parents. You don't always need to own the property but, sometimes you really need to be able to control it. -Yeah, I went to law school. Sue me.

Amen Brother! Thanks for your valuation information.

Great info. Thanks for this.

Clear, precise and no bs vlog. Great info for us foreigners. In short just rent, its the safest..

Good video! Thanks

Foreigners can only own land in the Philippines if they become a citizen of the Philippines. If your married to a Filipino and lived in the Philippines for at least 5 years as a resident you can apply for citizenship and once approved you can buy as much land as you want in your own name and you can doe everything as any Filipino can doe even vote.

Great Topic Evan and Savvy Expat Crew!

There’s a exception; the Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone is a special economic zone and freeport area covering portions of the city of Olongapo and the town of Subic in Zambales, and the towns of Hermosa and Morong in Bataan. Foreigners are permitted to purchase freehold land rights, uniquely in the Philippines. There’s alot to offer in terms of geography (mountains, beaches, parks, recreation ) & the fenced in area, known as Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) is uncrowded & very safe. For those looking to start a business, there are many advantages.

Great information !!

Good info brotha 👊

This video covers a great topic, 'cuz there's so much confusion out there in reference to foreigners owning land and property in the Philippines. Well done, Evan. 👌

Thanks Evan . Good to know. 👍

Great video...

God bless you abundantly!

Great information Evan! I like how you led with the fact that foreigners can't own land in the PI. Your 5 ways to own property are spot on. Especially the risk associated with the 5 ways. Keep up the great work! I especially like your discussion on "Natural Born Philippine Citizens". As someone whose mother was born in the Philippines, I've done extensive research into that question (I'm under the 1973 constitution). Your video is very concise and well written!

Do you have a video covering the SRRV? I would love to see one from you on this subject because you cover things so incredibly well.

Thanks for the informative videos, they are very well produced. Can you share the video system you are using? Thanks