Dual citizenship didn’t change my retirement plan. It just sat there quietly until I was ready to use it.
In 2023, I took a trip to the Philippines that I didn’t think much of at the time. I remember thinking, somewhere in the back of my head, “I wouldn’t mind living here.” Not as a plan. Just a feeling. Money wasn’t something I had to think about the whole trip, and I could actually relax. I didn’t connect that feeling to retirement. I just filed it away.
How My Family Got Dual Citizenship
Both my parents were born Filipino. My dad renounced his Filipino citizenship after spending years in the US and became a US citizen through my mom, who was also a natural-born Filipino. Years later, my dad went through the process to reacquire his Filipino citizenship, mainly so he could legally own land in the Philippines in his own name. Foreigners in the Philippines can only own condo units, not land, so without dual citizenship, that wasn’t an option for him. My mom qualified for dual citizenship independently, since she was born Filipino too.
My sister and I didn’t get our citizenship through our parents’ reacquisition. We qualified on our own, through descent, because our dad was a Filipino citizen when we were born. The application itself was straightforward, about three months from start to finish.
Honestly, at the time, we just thought it would be cool to have both. It wasn’t strategic yet.
What Actually Changed
Once I had dual citizenship, nothing changed right away. It sat there as a fact about myself, not a plan. But eventually I started researching what it actually meant, and that’s when it stopped being a formality.
The biggest one for me is land ownership. As a dual citizen, I can buy actual land and a house, not just a condo unit, which is the only real estate option most foreigners have here. I can also apply for loans through Philippine institutions and access healthcare and government programs like SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG, the last of which specifically covers housing loans. Dual citizens also get to stay in the country indefinitely, no visa, no immigration paperwork every year, and can vote in Philippine elections.
None of that mattered to me the day I got my citizenship. It mattered once I started seriously asking where I actually wanted to retire.
Why “Seriously” Took Until Last Year
Retiring in the Philippines wasn’t on my radar until last year, when I started seriously thinking about early retirement in general. There wasn’t one trigger. I just realized I didn’t want to work until 65 or 70. I wanted to actually enjoy life while I still had the energy to do it.
Once early retirement became real to me, I started asking where. That’s when the citizenship I already had stopped being a fun fact and turned into an actual option on the table.
Philippines Over Mexico
I did consider Mexico for a while. It came down to the fact that I already have real ties to the Philippines, family, land, citizenship, none of which I’d be starting from scratch. Mexico still has a place in my plan. It just makes more sense as a long one or two month trip than as home base.
What This Means for You
You don’t need a grand plan the first time something feels right. My 2023 trip wasn’t a retirement decision, and getting dual citizenship wasn’t either. Both just sat there until I was ready to actually use them. If something about a place, a decision, or an option you already have keeps quietly coming back to you, you don’t have to act on it immediately. Just don’t forget it’s there.
What’s Next
Next Tuesday, I’m sharing an update on my Manila condo renovation, the one I’ve been managing entirely from California. I’m hoping to have real photos by then.
But before that, I want to know: is there a place you’ve visited that quietly stuck with you, even if you weren’t thinking about retirement at the time? Drop a comment below. Don’t overthink it, just answer honestly.
About the Author
Ono is a banking professional documenting his journey toward early retirement. What started as a personal question at 39 turned into a real plan backed by numbers, intentionality, and the willingness to do things differently. He’s sharing CraftYourExit because the path he’s building didn’t have a blueprint, and he thinks you might be building something similar.
Learn more about Ono’s story → https://craftyourexit.com/about-me/
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