Country guide — Asia-Pacific

Expat insurance and health insurance in the Philippines

Quiet residential street with colourful Spanish colonial-style facades, historic district of Vigan or Intramuros in Manila, Philippines

In short

There is no general legal requirement for health insurance for a French national settling in the Philippines, but several long-stay statuses require it in practice: the SRRV retirement visa requires proof of health insurance valid in the Philippines, and the new digital nomad visa (Executive Order 86, 2025) requires insurance covering hospitalisation, emergencies and evacuation. The France-Philippines social security agreement, in force since 1994, does not cover the health-maternity branch: there is no cross-border cover of care between the two countries. Foreign residents holding an ACR I-Card can voluntarily join PhilHealth, the national scheme, but this does not replace international cover. In practice, almost all expats seek care in the private sector, concentrated in Manila, and take out private insurance or CFE cover.

Source : France Diplomatie — Philippines, Health

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Key figures

3,029 French nationals registered with the consular register in 2025 (nearly stable, -0.03% year on year).
Life expectancy at birth: 69.9 years in 2024 (World Bank) — behind Thailand or Vietnam.
Current health spending per capita: 194.05 USD in 2023, about 5.1% of GDP (World Bank).

Local healthcare system

The Philippine healthcare system rests on a national health insurance scheme, PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, created in 1995), reinforced by the 2019 Universal Health Care Act. PhilHealth covers part of the cost of hospitalisation and some outpatient care at accredited public and private facilities, but out-of-pocket costs remain significant and the public network has limited resources, particularly outside Manila.

Care provision varies greatly by region: the private sector, concentrated in Metro Manila (and to a lesser extent Cebu and Davao), groups together the reference facilities for foreign residents — St. Luke’s Medical Center (Quezon City and Taguig/Global City) and Makati Medical Center, both JCI-accredited. In the provinces and less urbanised islands, access to fast, qualified care is markedly more limited, a point France Diplomatie explicitly highlights for travellers and residents.

Legal and visa obligations

Tourist visa / short stay (9A): no legal health insurance requirement identified in the official sources consulted. Stay extensions are possible in stages, up to 36 months cumulative, with no insurance condition found.
13A (spouse of a Filipino national): no specific health insurance requirement identified in the sources consulted for this non-quota visa.
SRRV — Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (Philippine Retirement Authority): proof of health insurance valid in the Philippines is required in the application and must be maintained for the duration of the visa; no minimum cover amount is officially published for the Classic category. Since September 2025, the minimum age has been lowered to 40 and the required deposit varies (roughly 15,000 to 50,000 USD) depending on age and whether a pension exists — to be checked directly with the PRA before taking any steps. See retirement insurance abroad.
Digital nomad visa (Executive Order 86, signed in April 2025): health insurance covering hospitalisation, emergencies and evacuation/repatriation for the whole stay is required in the application; no minimum cover amount confirmed by an official source has been found — rate varies by insurer, not publicly disclosed by the authorities. See digital nomad / mobile freelancer insurance.
No PVT between France and the Philippines — see the definition of the PVT.

No official set fine has been found for lacking cover; specialised guides mainly mention a risk that the relevant application or renewal could be blocked.

Cost of some medical procedures

Orders of magnitude from specialised sources, not official fee schedules.

Cost of some medical procedures in Philippines, public and private sector
Procedure	Public sector	Private sector
GP consultation (OPD)	rate varies by facility, not publicly disclosed	≈1,200 to 3,500 PHP (~19-58 €), e.g. St. Luke's, Makati Medical Center
Emergency room consultation	rate varies by facility, not publicly disclosed	≈2,500 to 6,500 PHP (~41-107 €) excluding procedures
Night of hospitalisation, private room	rate varies by facility, not publicly disclosed	≈9,000 to 25,000 PHP (~148-412 €) depending on facility and standard
CT scan	rate varies by facility, not publicly disclosed	≈12,000 to 22,000 PHP (~198-362 €)
MRI	rate varies by facility, not publicly disclosed	≈18,000 to 28,000 PHP (~296-461 €)
Vaginal delivery	rate varies by facility, not publicly disclosed	≈150,000 to 350,000 PHP (~2,470-5,760 €)

Social security agreements with France

France and the Philippines are bound by a social security agreement signed on 7 February 1990, in force since 1 November 1994 — the Philippines is therefore among the countries with an agreement with France, unlike Thailand or Indonesia. But this agreement only covers old age and survivors’ benefits (totalisation of insurance periods), as well as disability and family benefits for certain seconded workers.

The agreement provides no coordination for the health-maternity branch, work accident and occupational disease insurance, or death insurance. Unemployment insurance is also out of scope.
No cover of care received in the Philippines under a French pension: voluntary enrolment with the CFE or private insurance remains necessary for recognised health cover.
An employee in local employment (not seconded) is subject to Philippine social security law and loses, for that activity, cover under the French scheme.

Which insurance for my profile

General matrix — does not recommend any specific product or insurer.

Which insurance by profile, for Philippines
Profile	Regulatory constraint	Points of attention
Tourist / short stay	No legal requirement identified	Travel insurance with repatriation strongly recommended, including outside Manila
Spouse of a Filipino national (13A)	No specific insurance requirement identified	PhilHealth accessible via ACR I-Card once resident status is obtained
Employee in local employment	Affiliation to the local Philippine scheme, outside French cover for this activity	Supplementary cover useful for private care, evacuation and care outside the Philippines
Retiree (SRRV)	Proof of health insurance valid in the Philippines required and to be maintained	Check the expected cover amount directly with the PRA before filing
Digital nomad	Health insurance (hospitalisation, emergencies, evacuation) required in the application	Check that the contract explicitly covers the Philippines for the whole duration of the visa

Hospitals and care network

St. Luke's Medical Center (Quezon City and Global City/Taguig) — JCI accreditation, reference for international patients, among the highest rates in the country.
Makati Medical Center (Makati) — reference facility in Manila's business district, generally lower rates than St. Luke's.
Outside Metro Manila (provinces, islands): markedly smaller private offering; evacuation to Manila or abroad to be planned for for complex cases.

Practical steps

Register with the roll of French nationals living abroad: free, recommended as soon as you settle, at the French Embassy in Manila (Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati) or online on the Service-public site.
SRRV application: file with the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA), with proof of health insurance and a bank deposit; conditions to check directly with the PRA, which have been changing since September 2025.
Voluntary CFE enrolment: to be done directly with the CFE, since the France-Philippines social security agreement does not cover health.
PhilHealth affiliation (optional, residents with an ACR I-Card): PMRF application for foreign nationals with the local PhilHealth office (LHIO), annual contribution of 15,000 PHP (PRA retirees) or 17,000 PHP (other residents).

Frequently asked questions

Is health insurance mandatory for all French nationals settling in the Philippines?

No, there is no general legal requirement. Some long-stay statuses require it in practice, notably the SRRV (proof of insurance valid in the Philippines) and the recently created digital nomad visa.

Does French social security keep covering me in the Philippines?

Not for healthcare. The France-Philippines agreement, in force since 1994, does not cover the health-maternity branch. Voluntary CFE enrolment or private insurance is necessary.

Can I join PhilHealth, the Philippine public scheme, as a foreign resident?

Yes, under certain conditions: holders of an ACR I-Card can join under the informal sector scheme, for an annual contribution of 15,000 PHP (PRA-registered retirees) or 17,000 PHP (other residents). This affiliation covers neither care received abroad nor certain benefits such as maternity.

Is there a PVT between France and the Philippines?

No, the Philippines is not among the partner countries of the French PVT scheme, which counts fifteen bilateral agreements to date.

Is the Philippine public sector accessible to foreign residents?

In theory yes, by direct payment or via PhilHealth for members, but almost all expats turn to the private sector, concentrated in Manila, given the public network's limited resources and the wide gap between Manila and the provinces.

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Written by Expavy

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