Working Remotely for a U.S. Company from the Philippines

I'm one of the digital nomads in this group. I'm tied to stable internet and reliable electricity. If my work laptop breaks, I go back to the US, and if there's an in-person work event (rare), I go back for that too. I don't travel to areas outside Metro Manila with frequent power outages. Quezon City has stable electricity and internet. Since I sleep during the day and work at night, it really limits how much I can enjoy vacations or travel. You have to decide what matters to you.

It's totally doable. Instead of working for someone else, set up an LLC, create seller accounts on eBay, Shopify, Walmart, and Amazon, and partner directly with manufacturers as an authorized reseller. Most manufacturers don't require upfront payment or holding inventory. They handle storage and shipping and send the products straight to your customers. Then you pay the manufacturer under the agreed payment terms (usually monthly). It's a business you can run from anywhere in the world, with no warehouse and no big upfront investment. It can be an extra income stream, and eventually you can grow it into your own business. I've been doing it this way for several years.

Working on a tourist visa is risky, even if it's for a foreign company. It's a legal gray area. I don't think the potential risk is worth taking. The chances of getting caught or reported are low, but it still wouldn't be worth the headache (getting reported would probably be the bigger risk). Most US companies also have restrictions because of internal policies stemming from tax and international law compliance. My company allows remote work from anywhere in the world if the company has a local entity there, but I'd also need the legal right to work there. Very few companies will let you skip proving your legal right to work abroad. The easiest legal route is to get married in the Philippines and get a spouse visa, or to get an SRRV. Those two are really the only realistic ways to show your employer proof of a legal right to work in the Philippines. If you work for a company that doesn't verify your right to work, congratulations! That's rare. (There are two other ways, but you can't get them unless you're someone special with enormous talent in a particular field.) I once talked about this with a Filipino lawyer, and there aren't many legal options. The key word is "legal." Do lots of people just work remotely from the Philippines? Yes. Is it legal? In more than 90% of cases, probably not. It's not easy for foreigners to work legally in the Philippines. As of the last time I checked, the digital nomad visa still hadn't "come out," and even if it does, the reciprocity requirement would probably make it useless if you're from the US. I'm not an expert. On this topic you'll hear a lot of inaccurate advice, and some of it could get you into real trouble. Set Facebook advice aside and consult a Filipino lawyer.

This question comes up a lot. Ask yourself: can you do your current job from home? If so, find an employer that allows it. If not, sorry, but there's no magical company that will take on someone who isn't qualified.