Long-term foreign lease over lands in the Philippines

Many foreigners find the Philippines to be an attractive place to invest their money, and to establish their own enterprises. Because of the relative affordability of organizing a business in our country, there is no reason why the Philippines cannot be transformed into an investment hub of various countries in this part of the globe. We could also throw in the fact that investors from English speaking countries find it easy to adapt in the Philippines because of the Filipinos’ fluency in speaking their language. All of these factors contribute in making our country a bright investment prospect.However, there are restrictions on nationality when it comes to owning and acquiring lands in the Philippines. Under our Constitution, only Filipino citizens and corporations with at least 60% Filipino ownership are allowed to own land. This restriction poses an obstacle on many foreign investors who would want to do business in the country. Thus, many of them simply entered into long-term leases of private lands, which they are allowed to do, as long as they comply with all the conditions imposed by law.

Author

Alburo Law
February 11, 2026

Many foreigners find the Philippines to be an attractive place to invest their money, and to establish their own enterprises. Because of the relative affordability of organizing a business in our country, there is no reason why the Philippines cannot be transformed into an investment hub of various countries in this part of the globe. We could also throw in the fact that investors from English speaking countries find it easy to adapt in the Philippines because of the Filipinos’ fluency in speaking their language. All of these factors contribute in making our country a bright investment prospect.

However, there are restrictions on nationality when it comes to owning and acquiring lands in the Philippines. Under our Constitution, only Filipino citizens and corporations with at least 60% Filipino ownership are allowed to own land. This restriction poses an obstacle on many foreign investors who would want to do business in the country. Thus, many of them simply entered into long-term leases of private lands, which they are allowed to do, as long as they comply with all the conditions imposed by law.

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