Sunday, February 28, 2016

Opening a Bank Account






I have been in the Philippines now for over twelve months and have looked at many banks for the purpose of finding a bank with the least amount of conditions for a foreigner to open a bank account here in the Philippines . The three main banks here are, BDO, Metro Bank and BPI. After looking into to all the criteria that these banks insist on a foreigner to provide in order to open a bank account, I came to the convulsion that BDO is the better option for us to open a bank account.

What do I need to provide?
To open a savings account with BDO, where you will be given a debit card and access to there online banking, you need to provide the following.
  1. your passport
  2. your ARC-I card  which is your alien registration card, you have to be in the Philippines for Three months to get this card.
  3. your address
  4. your contact number

I did not just choose BDO for the ease of opening an account, but also because they have branches all over the Philippines and because they are owned by SM Malls, you are never too far away from an ATM.
 

Thursday, February 25, 2016

How to convert a foreign license to a Philippine license?







REQUIREMENTS:
  •     Original and one photocopy of valid foreign license. If the foreign driver’s license is not in English, the applicant should submit an official English translation from the local embassy of the issuing country.
  •     Original copy of valid passport showing the latest date of arrival in the Philippines of the foreign applicant.
  •     Original and machine copy of valid visa or alien certificate of registration (ACR) if the foreign applicant temporarily resides in the Philippines.
  •     Original copy of medical certificate with official receipt issued by an LTO accredited or government Physician.
  •     Negative drug test result issued by DOH accredited drug testing center or government hospitals
  •     Duly accomplished application for driver’s license (ADL). [Download this form here]
  •     Taxpayer’s Identification Number (TIN), if employed, (In compliance to Executive Order 98 & MC ACL-2009-1251)
  •     New regulations have just came into force, before you qualify to convert your license, you must have been in the Philippines for at least a month and be able to prove that you are staying in the Country for no less than twelve months.

Note: If Foreign License is expired, applicant shall undergo written and practical examinations.




PROCEDURES:

  •     Go to the customer service counter to get your checklist of requirements and secure a driver’s license application form. [This form is available for download here. You can accomplish this form prior to transacting your business at the LTO.] Get a queue number.
    When your number is called, go to the evaluator counter and submit all the required documents and have it checked for completeness and authenticity.
    When your name is called, go to where your photo and signature will be taken.

  •     Go to the cashier to pay the application fee.
  •     Go to the examination room for the lecture and written exam.
  •     After passing the written exam, wait for your name to be called for the practical exam.
  •     After passing the practical exam, go to the Cashier when your name is called for payment of necessary fees and obtain an official receipt (OR).
  •     Go to the releasing counter, wait for your name to be called and present the OR and claim the card type license.

VENUE:

Any licensing center / District office with driver’s license transactions
FEES AND CHARGES:

Valid Foreign License

(No Examination)

Expired Foreign License

Application Fee: P100.00