Special Investor's Resident Visa (SIRV)
Indefinite residence in the Philippines for foreign investors, in exchange for a qualifying investment of at least USD 75,000. Emerhub structures the investment and handles the application.
What is the SIRV?
The Special Investor's Resident Visa is a non-immigrant visa that lets a foreign investor live in the Philippines indefinitely, with full freedom to enter and leave, for as long as a qualifying investment of at least USD 75,000 is kept in place. It is issued by the Bureau of Immigration on the endorsement of the Board of Investments, the BOI.
It is built around capital rather than employment. You are not tied to an employer or a single project; your residence rests on the investment you hold. That makes it the natural route for someone who wants to base themselves in the Philippines while their money works in a local business.
Benefits of the SIRV
Residence, free movement, family, and a tax-free move-in, for as long as the investment is held.
Indefinite residence
Live in the Philippines with no fixed end date and no annual visa renewal, as long as the investment is maintained.
Enter and leave freely
Multiple-entry privileges, with exemption from the exit clearance and re-entry permits other foreign residents need.
Family included
Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can be added to the visa under the same status.
Tax-free move-in
Bring your used household goods and personal effects into the country free of tax and duty as a first-time settler.
How the SIRV works
The SIRV is granted in two stages, so the government can confirm your capital is actually put to work before residence becomes permanent.
The investment
Remitted into a peso time deposit at the Development Bank of the Philippines or Land Bank, held for 30 to 180 days.
Probationary visa
Your entry visa while the funds sit in the deposit and you arrange the qualifying investment.
To convert
From the probationary visa, to move the deposit into an eligible investment and report it to the BOI.
You begin on a six-month probationary SIRV. Your USD 75,000 is first remitted into a peso time deposit at the DBP or Land Bank, where it sits for between 30 and 180 days. Within 180 days of the probationary visa, you convert that deposit into a qualifying investment, usually shares in a Philippine corporation, and report it to the BOI. Once the BOI confirms the investment is in place, your visa is converted to indefinite status. From then on your residence continues without renewal, for as long as the investment is held.
Eligibility criteria
- At least 21 years old
- No conviction for a crime of moral turpitude
- Free of dangerous or contagious disease
- No history of mental-health institutionalisation
- Able to invest at least USD 75,000
- No record of immigration violations
What counts as a qualifying investment
The SIRV accepts investment in the form of shares of stock in Philippine corporations, whether existing, newly formed, or proposed. That includes publicly listed securities and companies in the priority areas of the BOI Investment Priorities Plan, such as manufacturing, tourism, and services. The capital has to be active, working in a business, rather than parked in an asset.
Keeping your SIRV active
An indefinite SIRV still carries yearly obligations. Each year you file an annual report with the BOI, a sworn statement with proof, such as stock certificates or SEC filings, that the USD 75,000 investment is still intact. The BOI also issues a SIRV identity card, separate from the usual alien registration card, which is renewed yearly.
The two things that put a SIRV at risk are missing the annual report and letting the investment fall below the USD 75,000 threshold. Either can lead to the visa being canceled and your status dropped to that of a tourist, so the reporting matters as much as the original investment.
Documents required
- A passport valid for at least six months beyond your intended stay, with recent passport-sized photos.
- A completed Personal History Statement form.
- For married applicants, a marriage certificate authenticated by the Philippine embassy.
- A medical certificate authenticated by the Bureau of Quarantine of the Department of Health, valid for six months.
- A clearance from the Interpol division of the National Bureau of Investigation, the NBI.
- Proof of inward remittance from an accredited depository bank, the DBP or Land Bank.
Documents issued abroad generally need to be authenticated or apostilled before they are accepted. We confirm the full list and the authentication each one needs for your case.
How to apply
From structuring the investment to the BOI endorsement and the conversion to indefinite status, we run the whole process.
Prepare and structure
We confirm you qualify, gather and authenticate the documents, and agree an investment structure that the BOI will accept.
Remit the USD 75,000
The funds are remitted into a peso time deposit at the DBP or Land Bank, with the inward remittance documented for the application.
Apply through the BOI
We file with the BOI SIRV Center, secure the endorsement to the Bureau of Immigration, and obtain your six-month probationary visa.
Convert and go indefinite
We move the deposit into the qualifying investment, report it to the BOI, and convert your visa to indefinite residence.
Investing in the Philippines?
Tell us about your investment plan and we will confirm whether the SIRV fits, structure it for the BOI, and run the application end to end.
SIRV FAQs
The questions investors ask most about the SIRV.
What is the Special Investor's Resident Visa?
It is a non-immigrant visa that grants indefinite residence and multiple-entry rights in the Philippines to a foreign investor who places at least USD 75,000 into a qualifying Philippine business. It is endorsed by the Board of Investments and issued by the Bureau of Immigration.
How much do I need to invest?
At least USD 75,000, in shares of an eligible Philippine corporation. The amount is first remitted into a peso time deposit at the DBP or Land Bank, then converted into the investment within 180 days of your probationary visa.
Is the SIRV permanent?
It becomes indefinite once your investment is in place and confirmed by the BOI. There is no fixed expiry and no annual visa renewal, but your residence is tied to keeping the USD 75,000 invested and filing an annual report. Let either lapse and the visa can be canceled.
Can I buy a condo or property with it?
No. A condominium or property bought to live in is not a qualifying investment for the SIRV, which has to go into an active business. If buying a home and settling is your main goal, the retiree visa, the SRRV, is the route that allows part of the deposit toward property.
Can my family join me?
Yes. Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can be included under the same visa status, with their own documents.
Does the SIRV let me work?
The SIRV is a residence visa based on investment, not a work visa. If you intend to be employed or run the day-to-day management of a company on a payroll, the 9(g) pre-arranged employment visa is the usual route, and is often used by shareholder-directors of their own companies.
What is the difference between the SIRV and the SRRV?
The SIRV is for active business investment, administered by the Board of Investments. The SRRV is the retirement program, administered by the Philippine Retirement Authority, where a portion of the deposit can be applied toward Philippine property to live in. Different agencies, different rules, different fits.
How long does it take?
The probationary SIRV is typically issued within a few weeks of a complete BOI filing. Converting to indefinite status happens within 180 days, once the qualifying investment is in place and reported. We get the documents and structure right first so neither stage stalls.
Talk to our Manila team
A free, no-obligation call: thirty minutes with our Manila team to confirm whether your investment qualifies, structure it for the BOI, and walk through the documents and timeline.
2 26th St, Taguig
1634 Metro Manila, Philippines