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Only Philippine citizens can own land in the Philippines. You can buy a House or Condo, but you can't own the land it sets on.

With that said, you can do a 50 year lease on the land, maybe longer I'm not absolutely sure.

I've been there 12 times and I would not consider it to be a good investment and I have met a lot of people there. It is hard to build trust because most of them are desperate.

If you finally find a vacant island that you like....
1) Ensure island is deserted or if not you need to make it so....Only you/ your philippine wife kids/family members may join you...nobody else & be prepared to rough it out for 10 years.
2) Pretend you were shipwrecked (have a small 8 man boat flying a withered philippines flag intentionally marooned on some nearby rocks/sea bed but ensure it is not clearly visble to any passing boat so camoflaging it is strongly recommended. Ensure some family member makes a pre-planned/pre-arrival police report on a missing boat/poor family (ensure you exclude any mention of your name) giving a vague location which is at least 1000 n.miles from where your deserted island is located.
3) Build a basic house shelter (use the available wood/stone on the island.
4) Have some kind of arms for self defence/protection (knife/dagger/stones/gun)
5) Ensure you have sufficient provisions/supply/you should be able to get the shipwrecked boats gasoline engine to be able to be converted to a  portable generator for your basic electricity needs (hv parts ready)
6)  You and your family should always be left alone & no friends are allowed onto the island for a period of 10yrs from the time that pre-planned police report was made & if you indeed manage to survive those 10yrs on that vacant island you can make your philippine wife/kids claim adverse possession (hv sufficient grease money) of that island for themselves.
7) Wish you the best....& its ffffrrrreee
ddddoooommmmm

Maybe he is planning on building a huge resort on the island with 24/7 automated security, signal jamming, automated 20mm sentry, paparazzi proof,  including a small army to protect the property.

I can imagine if you are willing to fork out that much of a investment, it might work if you tailor to the rich and elite. If for personal use, uh probably not worth the headache. Unless you are El Chapo

All jokes aside and like the other posters already mentions. Perhaps you can share a bit more information on what you are planning to do with this island? is it personal or you are planning a resort? either way, It will probably be a logistic nightmare.

mikebrittain wrote:

Only Philippine citizens can own land in the Philippines. You can buy a House or Condo, but you can't own the land it sets on.

Well. Thats partly wrong. Foreigners CAN own max 40 percent of a business, which own land (if that business fullfil some demamds).   I have written about possibilities both long time ago in other topics and to the topic starter in Message.

Bill Gates kind of own an island in Roxas, Palawan   

mikebrittain wrote:

With that said, you can do a 50 year lease on the land, maybe longer I'm not absolutely sure.

Politicians have started discussing to skip that max time, but as far as I know no change decided.

mikebrittain wrote:

I've been there 12 times and I would not consider it to be a good investment and I have met a lot of people there. It is hard to build trust because most of them are desperate.

Yes.  I have found a few though who I trust rather much.  "Just" find clever ones, who understand they earn better by keeping me than scamming me   

((The rest are just examples related to me and my plans.
After many years to find one I trust fully.  Actualy HE hesitated long time to agree to a deal which guarantee him a share of the result estimated to become at least a million to him. HE hesitated so long time so he risked I would have skiped him    and started with an other I thought of elsewhere.   He hesitated even with he would risk only some work time and a bit his reputation. He bother very much about is very good reputation in his tribe    thats why he hesitated. It took some time for him to understand my offer because its much different from what he is used to.
I think if he would have been a scammer, he would have said Yes direct so he would have got access to the money I have send to invest. Before he started buying real estate or them so I get collateral, he could have just disapear with the money, but he hasnt      and now I have started to get real estate collateral by whats bought so far.
An extra reason I trust him is he has lead his team when they have done very good jobs for an American WITHOUT being supervised by the American. They just agreed price and how to be when its done, then the jobs have got done as agreed    told me the American.

And Im very satisfied. He just need to exersise some at go on asking until get satisfying answers    when officials screw up.

(Some of the others , who I trust some, dont suit to be involved in the business I start now by they  live to far away, but I have promised them work if I get second business started, an other type, which will need representatives spread over Phils. But that I will probably NOT start without being in place, because its much more complicated to get it runnin smooth and in difference from the one we starr, my business partner dont have enough experience related to this other business type.)

Islands for sale

Ze Plane Ze Plane . . . .Fantasy Island, contact Tattoo

Gilligan's Island . . . .contact Bob Denver

Pitcairn Island . . . . contact Clark Gable

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Islands for sale
Ze Plane Ze Plane . . . .Fantasy Island, contact Tattoo
Gilligan's Island . . . .contact Bob Denver
Pitcairn Island . . . . contact Clark Gable

There are rather many islands for sale in Phils (at least "for ever" using rights, which most Filipinos count as owning too.)  I have seen rather many adds without even searching.

(Pitcairn island Sweden made colony back when the king back then decided Sweden had to have a colony too   
Thats the only Swedish colony ever - if not count all the countries just taken first by Wikings and later by Sweden during superpower period back before Karl XII screwed up and made Sweden weak around 200 years ago.  Although a good thing with it was Sweden got tired of wars and have stayed out since then.  (E g took Russia, Ukraine, Finnland, Baltikum,  England and parts of Germany and founded Dublin as a trade post.)

I have an Island I will sell cheap hahaha just couldn't help my self, good luck

Wrong on the land you can own 40% of a business but none of the land

Wrong on the land you can own 40% of a business but none of the land if your partner died his part is covered by Philippines law and you would have a new partner, even if your name is on the title you could never have title to the land without a Filipino partner ,. I don't know why foreigners have this thing about owning land in the Philippines, do not invest money you cannot walk away from, lease for 25 years with option for another 25 and forget it, getting title to land in the Philippines is hard enough for Filipinos, when your white face shows up in court, you are about to learn the reality

coach53 wrote:

(Pitcairn island Sweden made colony back when the king back then decided Sweden had to have a colony too     Thats the only Swedish colony ever -

I thought it was unique that Pitcairn Island was a Swedish Colony at one time. . . .I thought I would do some research.

I could not find any reference that Pitcairn was a Swedish Colony.

Okieboy wrote:

I have an Island I will sell cheap hahaha just couldn't help my self, good luck

Don't ever lose your sense of humor Okieboy.

Btw saw a few damaged/patched up boats available around my area (looks good to go for at least its final 500nm sea trip/god willing)....used o/b engines being  sold seperately located right next to our local barangay police station.

manwonder wrote:

Btw saw a few damaged/patched up boats available around my area (looks good to go for at least its final 500nm sea trip/god willing)....used o/b engines being  sold seperately located right next to our local barangay police station.

I need a boat. Where are you located?

manwonder wrote:

Btw saw a few damaged/patched up boats available around my area (looks good to go for at least its final 500nm sea trip/god willing)....used o/b engines being  sold seperately located right next to our local barangay police station.

MW, you're killing me..."god willing,,,"  hahaha so funny..

Okieboy wrote:

Wrong on the land you can own 40% of a business but none of the land if your partner died his part is covered by Philippines law and you would have a new partner, even if your name is on the title you could never have title to the land without a Filipino partner ,. I don't know why foreigners have this thing about owning land in the Philippines, do not invest money you cannot walk away from, lease for 25 years with option for another 25 and forget it, getting title to land in the Philippines is hard enough for Filipinos, when your white face shows up in court, you are about to learn the reality

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This is a very common BELIEF foreigners cant own any land
but Foreigners CAN own max  40% of a company/corporation, which own land (if fullfiliing some demands as e g  NOT ok to do it just for own living at it, but  the is NEEDED by the  BUSINESS . And there are demands about CEO and composition of te board, so foreigner CANT get CONTROL legaly. Some incompetent/scammer attorneys claim they can make foreigner get legal control by documents using Dummies, but thats illegal and wouldnt stand a proper control.) 
So foreigners CAN own  max  40% of land through owning shares.

Basicly same princip as in CONDO organisations. The condo organisatin can own land, and  max  40% of the condos in that condo organisation can be owned by foreigners.

>Enzyte Bob 
Sorry I mixed up memories. 
Saint-Barthélemy was a tiny Swedish colony a while.
Pitcairn island I remembered since I were kid because of stamps somehow. The smallest country with own stamp, I believe.

Okieboy,

Great reply.
Its flogging a dead horse this subject.
You are absolutley correct.

Hagar.

clinty54 wrote:

Okieboy,
Great reply.
Its flogging a dead horse this subject.
You are absolutley correct..

No   

Okieboy wrote:

Wrong on the land you can own 40% of a business but none of the land if your partner died his part is covered by Philippines law and you would have a new partner, even if your name is on the title you could never have title to the land without a Filipino partner ,. I don't know why foreigners have this thing about owning land in the Philippines, do not invest money you cannot walk away from, lease for 25 years with option for another 25 and forget it, getting title to land in the Philippines is hard enough for Filipinos, when your white face shows up in court, you are about to learn the reality

Perhaps I better add some to what I wrote earlier.

Yes Okieboy is correct IF starting SOME types of business forms  THEY "die" if your business partner die,
BUT SEC companies/corporations DONT die just because of a share holder die. They are like e g Ltd companies. The shares get inherited by the hiers, the foreigner has his 40 percent STILL (or what he has if less) and the company can GO ON be alive and kicking... 
(IF the foreigner is one of the hiers - if he inherit shares in this company -   he has to sell shares so he get max 40 percent left.)