Live in the Philippines

Live in the Philippines helps expats with visas, moving and other services regarding the Philippines.

How much does naturalization in the Philippines cost?

Philippine Citizenship / by

Whenever you need the government to do anything, no matter what country you are in, there are fees involved.  No different here in the Philippines.

How much are the various fees in order to become a Naturalized Citizen of the Philippines?

Here is a list of fees that you may encounter.  There may be additional unpublished fees, but this is the list of fees published by the Philippine Special Committee on Naturalization:

philippine-pesoForm Fee – You must purchase the application form to apply for Naturalization.  The cost of the form is P1,000.

Filing and Docketing Fee – When you file the form and have your application placed on the court docket you must pay P39,000.

Oath Taking and Naturalization Fee – When you take your oath, you are required to pay the Naturalization fee, which is P100,000.

Publication Fee – Your application for Citizenship must be publicized in a newspaper so that anybody who objects to your becoming a citizen may file a complaint and stop the process.  The publication fee ranges from P30,000 to P60,000, and is paid directly to the publication where it will be published.

Another cost you may encounter is that you may require the assistance of an attorney to get all of this done.  I inquired with a local attorney about two years ago, and he quoted me a price of P30,000.

So, all in all, the cost of becoming a Naturalized Citizen of the Philippines ranges between P170,000 up to P230,000 or possibly more.

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Comments

  1. That’s a lot of money. I think the charges are too much. The Oath taking and naturalization cost are surprising. P100,000 can buy you a house in rural places in the Philippines.

    • P1000 typically hovers around $20USD which is less than you would pay for a rental application or most college applications. So I don’t see that as a rip off. Oath taking fee would br almost three times what the last US fee I saw was, I think about ($680 USD for application and oath and finger prints) thus I say = rip off. And publication FEE WTF.

  3. Just been browsing a couple of websites on naturalization and can only agree that the Philippines fees are a rip off – but then most fees for foreigners here are. (I presume the high fees are to make up for losing the Annual Count fee and the “Exit Permit fee of P2170 each time a Permanent Resident goes out,)
    in the US the naturalization fee seems to be about US680 while in the UK it is about UK1000 – somewhat lower than here – and I was looking forward to becoming a Good Citizen -mmmmm…

    • Hi Steven – I have to agree that the Philippine fee for naturalization are outlandish. On the other hand, the US has some fees that are also a rip off, albeit perhaps not in the citizenship area. Like you, I believe that I would have been a good citizen of the Philippines, but it is unlikely that I will pursue it.

  4. Hi. I’m a korean and i have been living in this country for 21 years. I graduated with a degree of dental medicine and i really want to take the board exam but the law does not allow me to. Do you know a good lawyer who could help me acquire citizenship? Thank you

  6. Hi im 31 yrs old. born and lived in the philippines all of my life. not left the country in the last five years. married to a filipina for more than five years now. is it going to be easier, faster (and cheaper) for me to apply for citizenship?

      • Yes, you get automatic citizenship at age 18 if you were born and raised in the Philippines!

        Likewise, you may apply after 21 as a regular alien.

        Both scenarios are very easy for someone born here!

        • I am sorry, Heinrich, but your information is incorrect. Some people born in the Philippines do not get Philippine Citizenship. For example, if somebody is born in the Philippines and neither of their parents is a Philippine Citizen, they do not become Philippine Citizens. Only people who are born to at least one Philippine Citizen parent are automatically citizens of the Philippines. The Philippines issues citizenship based on the theory of jus sanguis, not jus soli.

  8. Hi im 19 yrs old indian national born here in the Philippines been residing for more than 10 years already and im also part of the Weightlifting National Team(Philippine Team) i want to acquire the Philippine Citizenship because i won’t be able to compete in any international game/ or play for the Philippines do you think the National Team will handle the Payment and Processing of the Naturalization?

  9. Bob, these are the fees for SCN Administrative Naturalization under RA No. 9139!

    Most people on your sites will not qualify for that! lol