Guide for buyers living in Philippines
Buying property abroad from Philippines
Rules last checked 30 October 2026 · 2 official sources · Education, not financial, tax, legal or immigration advice.
What a buyer living in Philippines meets before and after buying a home abroad: sending the money out, tax at home on the rent and the sale, and the forms to file.
The three things to know
- Sending money abroad
The Philippines lets a resident buy foreign exchange from a bank to purchase real property abroad without prior Bangko Sentral approval up to USD 60 million per investor per year, with a notice to the central bank above that and bank paperwork showing the investment is in the resident's name.
- Tax at home
The Philippines taxes a resident citizen on worldwide income, so foreign rent and gains are included, with tax paid abroad claimed as a limited credit or deduction, while a non resident citizen is taxed on Philippine source income only.
Sending money abroad
A limit
- Rule
Residents may buy foreign exchange from authorised agent banks for outward investments, which include the purchase of real properties abroad, without prior Bangko Sentral approval, up to USD 60 million or its equivalent per investor per calendar year.
- Limit
60,000,000 USD per calendar year, cumulative purchases per investor
A report
- Rule
A resident investor who needs more than USD 60 million in a year may still buy without prior approval but must notify the central bank (Annex U) at least 15 banking days after determining that the need will exceed the threshold, and show the selling bank the acknowledged notice.
A report
- Rule
The resident submits to the selling bank an Application to Purchase Foreign Exchange (Annex A) and the documents listed in Appendix 1.4 showing that the outward investment is made in the resident investor's name.
For buying a home abroad
- Rule
The central bank states that outward investments by residents funded with foreign exchange bought from banks include the purchase of real properties abroad.
Tax at home
Only a citizen of the Philippines residing in the country is taxed on worldwide income, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue treats only resident citizens and domestic corporations as Philippine residents for treaty purposes.
Rent from a home abroad
- Rule
A citizen of the Philippines residing in the country is taxed on income from sources within and outside the Philippines, while a non resident citizen is taxed only on income from Philippine sources.
Gain on selling a home abroad
- Rule
A resident citizen is taxed on income from sources outside the Philippines, so a gain from selling property abroad is within worldwide income, and this guide does not state the rate or holding period treatment from a verified source.
Relief for tax paid abroad
- Rule
Income tax paid or incurred abroad can be claimed as a deduction or as a credit under Section 34(C), with the credit for each country limited to the share of Philippine tax that income from that country bears to total taxable income, and an overall limit by foreign source income, and the taxpayer must prove foreign income, each country's tax and the foreign returns and payment.
How Freeholt models Philippines residents with property abroad
Where to look
Choose a country to see what its rules say for a buyer with a Philippines passport living in Philippines.
Check a country for a passport
Australia
Depends on the propertyPassport: Philippines. Buyer lives outside Australia. Reading for a home.
Different property types carry different readings. The country guide lists each one.
Australia requires a foreign person to obtain foreign investment approval before buying residential land, and from 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2029 buying an established dwelling is generally banned, while vacant land and new dwellings stay open with approval. Australian citizens, permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens are not caught.
Rules last checked 29 October 2026
Questions people ask
What if a Philippine resident wants to send money abroad to buy a home?
A resident can buy foreign exchange from an authorised bank for the purchase of real property abroad without prior Bangko Sentral approval up to USD 60 million per investor per calendar year. The bank takes an application and documents showing the investment is in the resident's name.
What if the total need goes above USD 60 million in a year?
The investor may still buy without prior approval but notifies the central bank at least 15 banking days after determining that the need will exceed the threshold, and shows the bank the acknowledged notice.
How does the Philippines tax rent from a home abroad?
A citizen residing in the Philippines is taxed on income from sources inside and outside the country. A non resident citizen is taxed only on Philippine source income.
How does relief for tax paid abroad work?
Foreign income tax can be deducted or credited, with the credit limited by country and overall. The taxpayer must show foreign income by country, the tax paid, and the foreign returns and proof of payment.
What if the owner is a foreign national living in the Philippines?
The sources read tax worldwide income only for citizens residing in the country, and an alien resident is taxed on Philippine source income.
Is there an exchange limit for loans or other investments abroad?
The USD 60 million rule covers outward investments in instruments issued abroad by non residents, which include real property abroad. Instruments issued by another resident follow separate resident to resident rules.
What is still open
These points could not be confirmed from an official source yet, so they are not stated as rules.
- The rate and holding period treatment for a gain on selling a home abroad could not be confirmed from an official source read.
- The tax return form and the deadline for reporting foreign rent or a foreign gain could not be confirmed from an official source read.
- Whether the Philippines applies any wealth or property tax to foreign assets could not be confirmed from an official source.
- The number of tax treaties that give relief on property income could not be confirmed from an official source.
- How the Bureau of Internal Revenue determines that a citizen is a non resident citizen could not be confirmed from the sources read.
Sources
Official pages these figures come from (2)
See what this does to your own numbers
Add a property abroad next to everything else you own, and see the income and net worth that follow after tax, year by year.
Free to start. No card. Rules checked 30 October 2026.
This is education, not financial, tax, legal or immigration advice. Rules change and depend on the buyer's own facts. Advice from a licensed professional in the country concerned is what settles a particular purchase.