Philippines
Digital Nomad Visa (Executive Order 86): health insurance requirements
Yes: health insurance is required
Created on paper, not yet confirmed issuing. Executive Order 86 (April 2025) authorises a Philippine Digital Nomad Visa for remote workers earning from foreign clients, valid up to a year and renewable once, and it requires valid health insurance for the full stay. As of mid-2026 there is no official confirmation the visa is actually being issued, so most nomads still use extended tourist visas (up to a 36-month total). Verify the status with the Department of Foreign Affairs before relying on it.
The requirements at a glance
| Local-licensed insurer required | No: compliant international IPMI is accepted |
|---|---|
| Accepted proof | Per Executive Order 86, valid health insurance covering the full period of stay. No official minimum coverage amount has been published, and the implementing rules are not yet confirmed. |
Reported terms (from EO summaries, not yet operationalised): age 18+, remote work for foreign employers or clients only, up to one year renewable once, and a reciprocity condition (open only to nationals of countries that grant Filipinos a similar visa). A widely-cited income figure of about US$24,000/year is not officially confirmed. As of mid-2026 there is no official confirmation the visa is being issued; the practical route remains visa-free entry extended up to a 36-month total, or the SRRV retirement visa.
The Philippines authorised a Digital Nomad Visa by Executive Order 86 in April 2025, requiring valid health insurance for the full stay, but as of mid-2026 there is no official confirmation it is being issued; nomads still rely on tourist-visa extensions up to a 36-month total.
Our take
Two things are solid even amid the uncertainty: the order names insurance as a requirement, and Philippine private hospitals ask for proof of insurance or a deposit before they treat you.
So whether you arrive on the nomad visa or a tourist stamp, insure for real private-hospital costs and evacuation from the islands, rather than waiting for the visa rules to settle.
What happens if you get it wrong
Relying on the nomad visa being available when it may not be issuing yet can derail plans; confirm the current status with the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Arriving uninsured can mean paying a cash deposit before a private hospital will admit you, which is the norm rather than the exception here.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in the Philippines without insurance?
Gravel on a bend outside town. Road rash, a broken forearm, and a night or two before they discharge you.
| Ambulance | $405 |
| Emergency room, on arrival | $30–$275 |
| X-ray on the forearm | $15–$24 |
| Two nights on the ward | $388–$550 |
| You pay, out of pocket | $838–$1,254 |
Priced as one lump instead of itemised, a serious admission in the Philippines runs $1,700 to $5,000.
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
Unclear. Executive Order 86 created it in April 2025, but as of mid-2026 there is no official confirmation it is being issued. Most nomads still use extended tourist visas. Check with the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Per the order, yes, valid health insurance for the full stay. No official minimum coverage amount has been published.
Not officially confirmed. A figure of about US$24,000/year circulates in secondary sources but is not in the published official terms.
Visa-free entry extended in steps up to a 36-month total, or the SRRV retirement visa for those who qualify.
Often, yes. Private hospitals typically require proof of insurance or an upfront deposit before admission, regardless of your visa.
How to apply
- Where to apply
- Not yet operational. When launched, the visa is expected to be issued by the DFA through Philippine Foreign Service Posts and the e-visa portal, but no official application channel is confirmed.
- 1
There is no operational application process yet. The Digital Nomad Visa was created by Executive Order No. 86, signed 24 April 2025, which directs the Department of Foreign Affairs (with the DOJ, DOT, Bureau of Immigration and tax bureau) to issue implementing guidelines.
- 2
As of the latest authoritative immigration and tax firm alerts, those implementing rules had not been published and applications were not being accepted; the official e-visa portal does not confirm a digital-nomad category.
- 3
The framework in EO 86 sets these conditions for when it launches: be a national of a country that grants digital-nomad visas to Filipinos and hosts a Philippine Foreign Service Post; be at least 18; work remotely using digital technology; show sufficient income from sources outside the Philippines; hold health insurance for the stay; and have a clean criminal record.
- 4
Once live, the visa is expected to allow a one-year stay, renewable for a second year, with multiple entries. Watch the DFA and Bureau of Immigration for the implementing rules, fee and portal before planning.
Fees and processing times move, sometimes without announcement, and a consulate can add a document the published checklist does not mention. Treat the above as the shape of the process rather than a guarantee, and check the current requirement with the mission handling your application before you book anything.
What policy actually satisfies this visa
Philippines does not publish a minimum figure, which sounds permissive and is not. It means you are judged against somebody's unwritten idea of adequate, and the safe reading of adequate is enough to cover a serious hospital admission in Philippines, not the cheapest policy that technically exists.
A compliant international policy is accepted, so you are not forced into a local insurer. That matters more than it sounds: it means one policy can follow you when you leave, instead of expiring at the border.
Repatriation is not named as a condition, though it is the benefit you would most want to have if the worst happened, and it costs very little to add.
And the dates. The policy has to run for the whole permit, which a standard travel policy cannot do because it stops at around 90 days. An officer comparing your policy period with your permit period does not have to look hard to see it expire in the middle.
Ask your insurer for a certificate of cover that states your full name as it appears on your passport, the exact policy period, the territory covered, and the benefit amounts. That is a normal request and any decent insurer issues it without fuss. The insurance being real and the paperwork still failing is a more common way to lose an application than being uninsured.
The visa tells you the minimum. It does not tell you what to actually carry. Those are different questions, and the paperwork minimum is nearly always the smaller of the two answers.
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