Hi all
I will be moving to Cebu in the near future , and will be looking to buy land or house .
So my question is how do you send large sums of money from the UK to the Philippines, its seems to me that £25,000 seems to be the limit per day from uk bank.
But what if I am buying a house and its over £200,000 for example? I have no Philippines bank account.
But do use HSBC and I know they have a HSBC in Cebu.
Any help would be appreciated.
Regards to all , and thanks for your time . Len

It can be very difficult as the Philippines belatedly have introduced anti money laundering laws. Your first move is to talk to HSBC and seek their advice and help.
You need to be aware that as a foreigner you cannot buy land. If your partner is a Filipina then they will own the land and you could own the house on a leasehold basis.

Speak to your bank. It is perfectly possible to wire hundreds of thousands of pounds, or even millions of pounds to another country. There are limits on online transfers and transfers to remitters such as Wise, but international bank wires are an entirely separate matter. .... In fact we fairly frequently see questions here on BE, on the US and Canadian forums, about sending large wires, usually resulting from the sale of a home.

You should open a dialog with your bank as they will likely be concerned about you being defrauded of life savings, and then trying to blame the bank. So although they won't ask you directly, they will be trying to assess that you are "of sound mind", not a pensioner who has lost his marbles. So you should communicate where the money came from, why you are going to send it, and your plans thereafter - presumably to live in the Philippines, etc.

When the time comes to transfer the money/ send the wire, be sure to ask for a "dealing desk rate" (use those words), and you should be given a commercial rate, that businesses get for sending large wires. The dealing desk rate is usually only good for a short time, maybe as little as a minute or even less, as the exchange rates are constantly moving throughout the day, so be prepared to make a quick decision to accept the rate when you are told what it is.

Good advice here. HSBC should be able to help you out with this problem. I dealt with Foreign Exchange in the sixties, a long time ago, and much has changed. With HSBC it would be a transfer from one branch to another, and they might offer you a Sterling account as such. I would endorse the advice given. Speak to HSBC, as they will be au fait, with the current situation.
Building a house here now is a lot simpler, and there are many dedicated DIY type stores, such as CITI where you can buy foreign items. Belmont Tools on National Highway in Mandaue, is a good place to buy tools, of all kinds, especially imported ones. If you want a tiled roof, the only place I found to do it, was Andorra Tiles on Gorodo. They give an estimate based on the plans, then inspect and give a quote, when the roofing stage is reached. I would suggest buying junction boxes from UK.
I hope all goes well for you.

A filipino junction box

I've gone the HSBC route, you can only open the account in Cebu, not from the UK.

You can't lease from your wife.

Talking to your bank is a good idea, but do not ask about or mention money laundering laws or regulations as showing interest in money laundering matters is a fairly sure way to get yourself reported for "suspect activity" especially if soon after you move a relatively large sum out of the UK and into the Philippines. That said, make doubly sure that your bank in the Philippines knows to expect the money. You should tell them the source and purpose of the transfer, and as far as you can, make sure that the bank actually documents what you tell them about the source of your money, and the reason for transferring it.

Also do not ask about suspicious activity reporting for the same reason. In any case it is illegal to tell a customer if they have been reported for suspicious activity, and remarkably banks are prohibited from disclosing whether a suspicious activity report has been filed even if subject to a subpoena or ordered to by a court!

thank you very much for your reply

many thanks for your reply and time . Len

thanks for your time len

thanks for your time len

yes your right . Thanks Len

many thanks for your reply. Len

just wanted to say thanks for everybody's reply and advise . THANK YOU LEN