What Value Is A Permanent Visa

Comment from a reader on "Investing Without A Visa Is Keeping Your Investmen..."

At the rate $750-$850 for month to month rent of a house in the Subic Freeport, you won't have money to "invest" much longer.

A cost of long term lease, amortized over the life the lease, would likely cost you in the neighborhood of $200 a month. That means that your decision to rent instead of lease has already cost you $8250 in the fifteen months you have been here. Not to mention the opportunity to open your own business, plus the ability to open an account in most banks, without an ACR card.

Perhaps most significantly, your tourist VISA could be non-renewed at any time. What would it cost you if you had to abandon your vehicles, etc? My observation about living in the PI: in for a dime, in for a dollar.

[The Subic Bulletin] We agree that the long term view makes a lot of sense but for retirees and regular travelers its making less sense especially when they hit you up for 3,820 pesos extra to get out of the country.
Legal residents have to pay 1650 travel tax, 2170 Immigration Charges on top of the airport fees. If you leave the country very often the Permanent Visas start to make less sense.