Prohibited Professions

What many do not realize is that even with a visa there is still a huge list of prohibited professions for non-Filipinos. The idea behind this list is to protect the locals in a country where unemployment is already extremely high.  The full list can be found on the Government’s official web site or in the StreetWise Philippines ebook – Making A Living In The Philippines by Perry Gamsby, where it is included as an appendix.

These professions include doctor, lawyer, dentist, psychiatrist, engineer, pharmacist and accountancy just to name a few. When it comes to investing in a business, there is a long list of prohibited businesses and then a large number of businesses which require 40% or more local ownership. This means Filipino partners which can be problematic if you prefer to be on your own.