Guide

Philippines SRRV 2025 Rules: Age 40 Floor, USD 30,000 Deposit at 50 and Over

The Philippine Retirement Authority rewrote the SRRV deposit table from September 1, 2025. This guide covers the new age bands, the Classic and Courtesy deposits, which options are left for new applicants, and what is known about current holders.

Published: 2026-10-16 · Last verified: 2026-10-16 · Numbers apply to US passport holders

What changed

New Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV) rules from the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) took effect September 1, 2025. Applicants must now be at least 40. The Classic deposit depends on two things: your age band (40 to 49, or 50 and over) and whether you have a qualifying lifetime pension. USD 30,000 is the Classic deposit at age 50 and over without a pension. That is not a cut. Older published PRA figures show a minimum age of 35 and Classic deposits of USD 10,000 and USD 20,000, so the 50 and over amounts went up.

SRRV Classic deposits from September 1, 2025

The deposit sits in a PRA accredited bank. It covers the principal and two dependents. Each extra dependent adds USD 15,000.

• Age 50 and over, no pension: USD 30,000.
• Age 50 and over, with a qualifying pension: USD 15,000.
• Age 40 to 49, no pension: USD 50,000.
• Age 40 to 49, with a qualifying pension: USD 25,000.

A qualifying pension is a lifetime pension of at least USD 800 per month for a single applicant. That is USD 9,600 per year. With dependents, the minimum is USD 1,000 per month, or USD 12,000 per year. These figures come from the PRA checklist revised September 2025. If you do not use the pension rate, you do not need a pension at all.

How the bands compare. At 50 and over, a pension cuts the deposit by USD 15,000, from 30,000 to 15,000. At 40 to 49, a pension cuts it by USD 25,000, from 50,000 to 25,000. Applying at 40 to 49 instead of 50 or over costs USD 20,000 more without a pension (50,000 vs 30,000) and USD 10,000 more with one (25,000 vs 15,000).

PRA rules let you convert the Classic deposit into an active investment, such as buying a condominium or taking a long term lease on a house and lot. The money must stay in the bank or in an approved converted investment for as long as you hold the visa.

Fees and cash needed on day one

Fees from the PRA Citizen's Charter revised September 2025:

• Application fee: USD 1,500 for the principal and USD 300 per dependent.
• Annual PRA fee: USD 360, covering the principal and two dependents. Each dependent beyond two adds USD 100. You pay this fee every year.

Worked examples at the Classic rates:

• Single, age 50 and over, no pension: 30,000 deposit + 1,500 application + 360 first annual fee = USD 31,860.
• Couple (principal plus spouse), age 50 and over, no pension: 30,000 + 1,500 + 300 + 360 = USD 32,160.
• Single, age 40 to 49, no pension: 50,000 + 1,500 + 360 = USD 51,860.
• Single, age 50 and over, with a pension of at least USD 800 per month: 15,000 + 1,500 + 360 = USD 16,860.
• Principal plus 4 dependents, age 50 and over, no pension: deposit 30,000 + 2 x 15,000 = 60,000; application 1,500 + 4 x 300 = 2,700; annual fee 360 + 2 x 100 = 560. Total USD 63,260.

Over time: at the current USD 360 rate, the annual fee adds up to USD 3,600 over 10 years. Keep in mind the deposit stays your money in the bank or a converted investment, while the fees are spent.

Which sub-categories remain

The PRA processing charter revised September 2025 lists only two deposit types: Classic and Courtesy. SRRV Smile and SRRV Human Touch are not in it, so new applicants should plan on Classic or Courtesy.

Courtesy and Expanded Courtesy are for narrow groups only: former Filipino citizens, retired diplomats, retired officers of international organizations recognized by the Department of Foreign Affairs, retired military personnel from countries with defense ties to the Philippines, and high achievers in fields such as academics, business, arts, sports, and philanthropy. Courtesy deposits for foreign nationals:

• Age 50 and over, pension or not: USD 1,500.
• Age 40 to 49 with a pension: USD 3,000. Under the September 2025 checklist, the pension must be at least USD 1,000 per month (USD 12,000 per year).
• Age 40 to 49 without a pension: USD 6,000.
• Former Filipinos: USD 1,500 at 50 and over, USD 3,000 at 40 to 49, with no extra charge per dependent.

The first annual PRA fee for Courtesy is USD 100 for foreign nationals and USD 50 for former Filipinos. The application fee is the same as Classic: USD 1,500 plus USD 300 per dependent. A typical US retiree without one of the qualifications above applies under Classic.

How existing SRRV holders are affected

The PRA annual fee schedule still lists Smile and Human Touch for existing members. That points to these holders keeping their status and paying annual fees as before. Under the general SRRV rules, which did not change, holders do not renew the visa itself. Each year they renew the PRA ID card and pay the annual fee, and the deposit must stay in the accredited bank or an approved converted investment. Letting the deposit lapse or missing the annual fee can lead to cancellation.

If you hold an older SRRV and want to change sub-category, convert your deposit, or add dependents, ask PRA in writing whether the old or new deposit table applies to that transaction.

Applying and staying

You apply in the Philippines while on a tourist stay with at least 30 days of validity left. A Bureau of Immigration Clearance Certificate is now required. PRA head office lists a turnaround of 10 working days, which does not include the Bureau of Immigration implementation step. US citizens enter visa free for 30 days. The first extension of 29 days costs PHP 3,030, which can buy time if the paperwork runs long. The tourist routes are on the Philippines country page.

Once you have the visa, you can stay indefinitely with multiple entries. Holders are exempt from the Bureau of Immigration annual report and the ACR I-Card. They can also import household goods duty free once, up to USD 7,000.

Tax and citizenship math

No day count alone makes you a Philippine tax resident. Under Sections 22(F) and 22(G) of the National Internal Revenue Code, a foreign national whose residence is in the Philippines is a resident alien. A nonresident alien who stays more than 180 days in a calendar year is treated as engaged in trade or business. Either way, foreign nationals are taxed only on Philippine source income. PRA also lists exemption from tax on pensions and annuities as an SRRV benefit.

Naturalization under Commonwealth Act No. 473 requires 10 years of continuous residence plus the Act's other qualifications. Time on an SRRV counts as residence, which time on a tourist stay does not.

Before you apply

Get the current deposit table, checklist, and fee schedule directly from the Philippine Retirement Authority, and confirm the tourist extension fees with the Bureau of Immigration before you send any money. PRA changes its forms, and the rules for existing members are not fully published. All Philippine routes, including the Special Investor's Resident Visa and the 13(a) marriage visa, are on the Philippines country page.

Country pages

Philippines: every long stay route with the current math on the Philippines country page.

Official sources

• Philippine Retirement Authority, Processing of SRRV Application (Revised Sep 2025)
• Bureau of Immigration Citizen's Charter 2026, 1st Edition

Facts in this guide last verified against the sources: 2026-10-16