Planning move - but need advice on containers and what we can take

[10Pints]

Any advice on emigrating to the Philippines?
Hi this looks a great forum. My Filipina wife and I ( I am Brit)
are going to emigrate to the Philippines. There are so many things to do and unknown. Like should we take our stuff in a 20 ft container or simply sell it and buy there?
Can i bring a large car trailer (17 foot by 7 foot)- what would be the import duty on it - it is 4 years old and bought 3 old for 2500 GBP?

Also what about petrol driven strimmer etc. - I guess we got to remove all the petrol vapour first else BOOM!

We wish to buy some farm land - preferably high up.
Some has Title, some just has "Rights" - what is the difference?

WOW so many many things.
If anyone would care to advise we would REALLY appreciate it!!
Thanks !
10Pints

I know I cant bring my range rover... But I would like to bring my tools, trailer and some household goods

 

[bastonjock]

I can't advise you on shipping goods, I have not done that yet

As for buying land I've just bought a 10500 square meter piece up in the hills 

You have to learn how to recognize a clean title, avoid any land that is sold as tax registered ,you will have to buy the land in your wife's name ,to give yourself some protection have your wife lease the land back to you and have that recorded on the title deeds

I think that you can import a container up to a fixed value of goods to the Phil's, it's not a great amount

Good luck on your venture

 

[Huggybearman]

1 hour ago, bastonjock said:

,you will have to buy the land in your wife's name ,to give yourself some protection have your wife lease the land back to you and have that recorded on the title deeds

 

 

My understanding is that husband and wife are considered as a single entity so therefore a wife cannot lease the property to her husband.

Welcome to the forum 10Pints and good luck with your move. 

Ken

 

[Happyhorn52]

I shipped most of my stuff in a 20ft container from Houston to Angeles City. I used what they call a "Hot Load" to keep the costs down. You pack and load the trailer (Shipper sends a truck with container to your house and you and your friends load it. You have 2 hours before they start charging you demerge.)then you unloaded it at your final destination. Get door to door service and have them handle the details. Load the container up with things that are cheap at home but expensive in the Philippines including 3-4 years worth of toiletries etc that don't spoil. I have the SRRV Classic Visa so theoretically the load is tax exempt but the gov with still find $1,000 worth of misc charges for you to pay.

[Dave Hounddriver]

2 hours ago, Huggybearman said:

My understanding is that husband and wife are considered as a single entity so therefore a wife cannot lease the property to her husband.

I believe you are correct.

IMO  Bottom line is:  Your hold on the property is only as good as the woman you married.  And that pretty much works in most countries.  If a guy splits with his wife he gets screwed over on the property holdings.  The basis of trust needs to be there before the property is bought.

Some guys can buy land in a girl friend's name and never get screwed over.  Others are not always as lucky.  I could relate the story of one guy who bought property in his gf's name and then they broke up and she tried to screw him over.  He won.  IF you can call spending US$10K in lawyers fees a win.

[Tukaram (Tim)]

I did not ship any large stuff when I moved (I do miss my living room set).  I used balikbayan boxes.  They are a flat rate box - no weight restrictions.  Great for heavy stuff like my kitchen, DVDs, books... No custom fees or taxes on delivery. It is all paid upfront.

The furniture I have seen here is either garbage, or prohibitively expensive - but the shipping may be just as expensive? 

One thing to keep in mind, I do not regret anything I brought, but I do regret a lot of stuff I left.  If in doubt, bring it.  If you decide you do not want it, some else will. 

[Old55]

Welcome to the forum!

If you have more questions or specific questions please start a new topic in this way you will receive clear answers.

Have you visited Philippines before?

Edited August 24, 2018 by Old55

[Happyhorn52]

I shipped my King size bedroom suit including Temperpedic Mattresses, my Electrolux clothes washer and dryer,  two queen size beds for the guest room, 55 inch big screen TV etc. and about 45 boxes of miscellaneous including my extra large clothes. I gave away lawnmowers etc and my two autos. Only regret was bringing more toiletries and other things that are extremely expensive in the Philippines. 

[Mike J]

Welcome to the forum, I think you will find the members to be a courteous and helpful bunch.  As @old55 stated in his post best to put your question(s) in additional posts as you will get more complete answers.

Bringing items - I would recommend you use balikbayan boxes.  These should work fine for your tools, cookware, toiletries, etc.  Also consider cooking spices, condiments that may be difficult to find here.  We sold all our furniture prior to moving and have no regrets.  Keep in mind that you may be renting when you first arrive here and most rentals are furnished.  There was a thread quite a while back about what people had "wish I had brought"

In the upper right corner of the forum screen you will see a search field with a looking glass.  Enter "What to bring" (include the quote marks) and click the looking glass.  You will find a number of posts that should be helpful about what to bring, not to bring, and how to get it here.  You can do the same with "buying land" , "title vs tax declared", etc.

Buying land - As mentioned only Philippine citizens can own land.  As mentioned your wife cannot lease the land back to you.  You can however, as a foreigner, do a long term lease (up to 50 years, extendable for additional 25).  As others have mentioned buying/leasing property can end up being a nightmare.  Consider renting for a year or so prior to any purchase or long term commitment.  Estimates are that 50% of expats give up living here and return to their home countries within five years.

 

[Huggybearman]

12 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I believe you are correct.

IMO  Bottom line is:  Your hold on the property is only as good as the woman you married.  And that pretty much works in most countries.  If a guy splits with his wife he gets screwed over on the property holdings.  The basis of trust needs to be there before the property is bought.

Some guys can buy land in a girl friend's name and never get screwed over.  Others are not always as lucky.  I could relate the story of one guy who bought property in his gf's name and then they broke up and she tried to screw him over.  He won.  IF you can call spending US$10K in lawyers fees a win.

If you buy land in your girl friends name then the obvious protection I would think is to get a long lease for 25 or 30 years from your gf. That way at least you have control over the land for the duration of the lease. 

That option is not available to you if you are married to her.

Ken

Edited August 25, 2018 by Huggybearman