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I would like to ask Xpats how they work out Leaving Family behind?
My wife and I have 4 children and 9 grandchildren, so this was much on our minds as well. During the 6 years we lived in Ecuador however, we found that we were able to keep in touch via social media and video chats. When we visited the US, we had more of their attention and time than we did when we were living nearby. We also were able to bring our family out to visit us, introducing them to a larger world. One of our granddaughters just decided to spend her senior year abroad in Denmark, and one of our sons is taking his daughter to Japan for a month this summer, so I think our travel has had a positive effect on their lives.
-Jim Santos
IL Roving Correspondent
Currently in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
how can I watch a replay?
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CMAJORCHORD said:
I will be in classroom teaching at that time. will this workshop be recorded? -
I il_admin moved this topic from Travel on
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If I take up residency in Greece or anywhere in Europe and then decide I do not want to be there do I simply leave or is there a process? Thank you
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We enquired about Medicare Advantage plan and were told that you CANNOT have and Advantage plan if you live overseas, we are moving to Greece. Please advise??
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I recall one panelist mentioning one insurance company that provided private health insurance for people up to 80. I'm 80 and my wife nearly so, so I wonder if that makes it difficult or impossible to get private coverage while waiting for residency in various countries. Also, is advanced age a barrier to getting residency, when we would otherwise qualify?
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hiw do you begin a oart time move? for example my plan is starting next year going fr a month at a time but how do you find rents that dont break ur pocket until u find the place you would like to move?
i also have a soecial needs adult son...is anyone in my same situation i need to find soecial needs friendky places
thank u and many bkessings
mayra and christian
Good day,
My wife Rita and I have been spending a month or more in several locations as we explore a "roving" lifestyle. We have had good success using tools like AirBnB and VBRO to find long-term stays at reasonable rates. Most aggregates have filters you can use to narrow your searches, so you can set your price range. For example, we found a month stay in Panama City Panama for just over $1100, and a month in San Miguel Allende Mexico for $1200. Since your accommodations can include a kitchen and even laundry, you can save money there as well while you explore your options.I have a special needs grandson (autism), but unfortunately that does not qualify me to make recommendations for your son's needs. I would suggest talking it over with his doctor or other medical professionals to see how he might respond to new and different environments. In general, I can say that outside the US we have often seen there is no social stigma attached to special needs or disabilities.
Best wishes,
Jim Santos
International Living Roving Correspondent
Currently in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
How important is it to have a US mailing address after leaving the country?
Good day,
The importance of maintaining a mailing address in the US varies with your particular needs. It used to be more important in general, but since so many things are handled online now, physical mail has become less important. However, there are still some things that require a mailing address.
For example, do you plan on returning to the US from time to time and renting a car? If so, you will have to keep your US Drivers License, which in most states requires a physical address to renew. Your credit cards may also require a US mailing address, and so on.
Some expats use the address of family or friends to collect their mail, and there are also virtual mailbox services that can send you a scan of the envelope, then either open and scan the contents, shred, forward to another address, hold for pickup, etc. A Google search of "virtual mailbox" will give you several from which to choose.Jim Santos
International Living Roving Correspondent
Currently in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
Is it possible to be an expat without getting resident visa in another country? Or, does the moving countries every 3 months become just too tiring and the inability to create community. One issue I've heard (true or not?) is that when applying for a resident visa one can not return to the US for a period of time or for limited time each year.
Good day,
You've described exactly what my wife Rita and I are doing now. Although we did live in Ecuador for 6 years with a residency visa, we are now exploring the world just by traveling on our passports, and staying from a few weeks to a few months. Most countries will let you stay up to three months on a US passport. Costa Rica and Mexico allow up to 6 months, and Albania an entire year. It will get trickier for us later this year when we go to Europe, as we will have to deal with the Schengen Area rules. Rather than finding it tiring, so far at least we have found it to be exhilarating.
As for residency visa rules, they do vary from country to country, and some do require that you stay in your adopted country for a certain period of time. Ecuador for example at the time required that we not leave the country for more than a total of three months the first two years. Panama and Mexico are two examples where the requirements are less strict.
Jim Santos
International Living Roving Correspondent
Currently in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
This probably varies a lot depending on the country and the setting (urban/rural), but how easy or difficult is it to get a drive's license and rent a car?
You said it - it varies from country to country. I can tell you that when we lived in Ecuador, we were able to skip having to take a driving class by showing our US driver's licenses. However, we still had to take a multiple choice written test (in Spanish), hearing test, eye test, and coordination test in order to qualify. I think you will find most countries will accept your US license as proof you know how to drive, but expect the tests to all be in the native language. Which isn't really a bad thing - it is important that you be able to read and understand the street signs, for example.
Jim Santos
International Living Roving Correspondent
Currently in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
I want to move to Portugal but the amount of paperwork is overwhelming! Can you suggest how I would go about getting legal assistance that I could hire to assist in dealing with application for visa, etc.
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I just want to thank everyone for sharing their experiences and information!
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I have been looking at this site a lot.. I want to invest and move, however I always get vegue information. How do I get someone to interact with me and help me put these plans into action..
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Thanks for this workshop. Once we are set up overseas for good, what would be the Pros and cons of cancelling our US citizenship (due to taxes), while still needing to receive the Social Security?
Hi @WAHBYBEKKA We’ve checked in with Ted Baumann, our Global Diversification Expert, to get an answer to your questions. This was his response,
Let’s address the Social Security issue first. You are entitled to Social Security benefits whether you remain a US citizen or not. You earned them, and they are legally yours, your citizenship status makes no difference.
Expatriation depends on your financial status. If you have significant net worth, you could face an “exit tax” calculated on the value of your global assets at the time of your expatriation. But if your net worth is less than $2 million, or if your annual taxable income for the 5 years before you expatriate was less than $190,000, you should not be liable for an exit tax.
Once you are expatriated, you will not be liable for US income tax on current earned income received outside the United States, I.E. wages consultancy or freelance income, or business income. But any retirement or other passive income like rents, interests, the proceeds from stock sales and other income from US sources will continue to be subject to tax.
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I've considered a move to Crete and will take a 2 month trip there at the end of the year. I'm on my own looking forward to it until I heard about the residency changes. What can you tell me about my chances for long term residency?
Hi @JOHNPATRICKUMBRELLO We’ve checked in with Ted Baumann, our Global Diversification Expert, to get an answer to your question. This was his response,
I’m not sure what residency changes you’re referring to other than the increase in the minimum residential investment to qualify for a Greek golden visa. Currently, the property investment requirement ranges from €250,000 to €860,000 depending on the region. On Crete, because it is a large heavily populated island, the minimum value I believe is €800,000. But if you convert a commercial property into residential use, the minimum falls to 250,000 euros. That’s also the case if you restore a building of historical interest.
But there are other ways to become a Greek resident. Greece offers a Financially Independent Persons Visa that allows you to live in the country if you can demonstrate sufficient regular income. It also has a digital nomad visa. So, if the residential investment is too steep, you can take those routes.
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Two questions: 1. What are the issues arround investment accounts and banking and 2. Medicare and medicare advantage plans if my primary residence is in the UK?
Hi @MARKBATH56 We’ve checked in with Ted Baumann, our Global Diversification Expert, to get an answer to your questions. This was his response,
Let’s start with Medicare. Under current law, you are not eligible to receive Medicare coverage or reimbursement for treatment outside the United States, unless it is an emergency during a tourist trip. If you wish to take advantage of Medicare, you must return to the United States.
Not sure what issues you’re referring to regarding investment accounts and banking, but if you become a full-time legal resident of the UK, you should have no problem getting banking facilities there. If you’re referring to the status of your US accounts, many US financial institutions either don’t want or aren’t permitted by law to service nonresident clients, including US Citizen expats. Many people talk about having received exceptions to this or getting around them by maintaining a valid US residential address, but it can be tricky. If your bank doesn’t know you’re living abroad and finds out, they can freeze your accounts without warning. Some banks, on the other hand, are happy to maintain banking facilities for US expats. USAA is probably the best known.
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How much time do you have to spend in Spain every year to qualify as a naturalized citizen?
Hi @DPHUDSON1 We’ve checked in with Ted Baumann, our Global Diversification Expert, to get an answer to your question. This was his response,
To begin with, you need to live uninterruptedly in Spain for 10 years to become a Spanish citizen. Unless you are a Spanish resident through a golden visa, which is being abolished, “uninterruptedly” means at least 183 days (about 6 months) a year to keep your visa status. For example, if you live in Spain on non-lucrative visa as a person of independent means, you are expected to be in the country for at least six months of the year. But the issue is subjective; the Spanish authorities may expect a deeper commitment to the country and use time there as evidence.
Nationals from Latin American countries, Andorra, The Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, and people of Sephardic Jewish origin can apply for Spanish citizenship after only two years of residency.