As a foreigner, did you enjoy in the Philippines so well since your first visit?
You might had lived for a long time in a particular place in the Philippines which you may called haven.
Or you might had been so in love with a Filipino, decided to marry her/him and finally chose to live here in the Philippines forever.
Those situations might be enough reasons for you to live permanently here.
Then, here comes the lightbulb idea. You are now planning to buy a house and lot in the Philippines.
But you might think "Does a foreigner (non-Filipino) have the right to own or acquire a lot (land) in the Philippines"?
Only Filipino citizens and corporations or partnerships with at least 60% shares are owned by Filipinos have the right to acquire or own land in the Philippines.
- https://www.affordablecebu.com/
However, there are exceptions to this. You can own land in the Philippines if:
- you acquired the land before the 1935 constitution
- you are a natural or legal heir of the land. This means that, if you're married to a Filipino and he/she dies, you become the legal heir and legal owner of the land (it may be a house and lot). The same also applies to legitimate/illegitimate child of a Filipino with foreigner spouse even if the child is non-Filipino.
- you bought not more than 40% share in a condominium project
- you are a former natural-born Filipino citizen subject to law's prescribed limitations. If you have this status, you entitled to own up to 1,000 square meter of residential lot/land and 1 hectare of agricultural land.
- you are a Filipino married to a foreigner and you retain your Filipino citizenship.