International Living Community

Hi Rocky,

Let’s start with the general issue of taxes on your retirement income.

The US is effectively the only country in the world that taxes its citizens’ income no matter where they live or where they earn it. In the case of tax advantaged retirement income, it’s going to be subject to normal US taxes no matter where in the world you may live. The main tax break for US citizens living abroad, the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, only applies to income from current employment or business. Passive income like pensions is not included in the tax break.

On the specific question about Costa Rica, there’s good news: the country does not tax foreign source income, whether active or passive. So, if you live in Costa Rica, you won’t pay tax on your US pension income. However, once you are a resident, you will be liable for a 12.5% contribution to the National Health scheme.

Costa Rica is the exception, not the rule.

Most countries, including Portugal, another favorite destination, do tax foreign passive income, including pensions. But most countries have a tax treaty with the US that prevents double taxation of the same income.

For example, if you lived in Portugal, you would pay Portuguese tax at normal rates on your US source pension income. But any taxes you’ve already paid on that income to the IRS would be deducted from your Portuguese tax obligations.

That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t end up paying tax on your pension; it all depends on what your tax bracket is in Portugal compared to the United States. If your Portuguese tax bracket is higher, you’ll end up paying more tax on your pension than you would if you remained in the US.

That’s why it’s critically important to understand relative tax brackets and tax policies in a country before you decide to move there. The ideal scenario is someplace like Costa Rica that has a fully territorial tax system, i.e., one that doesn’t tax foreign source income at all.

For more details about taxes in Costa Rica, check out our Escape to Costa Rica guidebook.

Hi Linda,

Congratulations on your decision to move to Ireland. As an Irishman myself, let me be the first to say, “céad míle fáilte” to the Emerald Isle.

To your question, you’re in luck because of one fact a lot of people don’t know about Ireland: While it is a member of the EU, this green little country is not, in fact, a member of Europe’s Schengen Zone.

The Schengen Zone is a European area with a uniform visa policy, which has abolished passport controls and most other border controls within it. This means that, upon arrival in the Schengen Zone, you only need to go through passport control once—and can then travel freely between any countries that are within the zone.

So, how is Ireland not being in the Schengen Zone a good thing for you?

This is down to Europe’s 90-day tourist visa.

Non-Europeans can visit countries within the Schengen Zone as tourists for only limited amounts of time. For citizens of the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries, that limit is 90 days out of every 180 days. That 90-day limit holds for the entire Schengen Zone. So, let’s say you want to visit France and Italy, both of which belong to the Schengen Zone. You can spend up to 90 days either in France or in Italy… or you can divide your 90 days between the two. But you don’t get 90 days in each.

But, because Ireland is outside the Schengen Zone, once you’ve spent your 183 days there you can simply hop across the Channel to any mainland European country that’s inside the zone and begin your 90-day visit as a tourist.

During those 90 days, you’re free to move around however you like within the 27 countries that make up the Schengen Zone. When your time is up, you must spend another 90 days in a country outside the zone before you can return.

You could choose to use that time to visit home for the Holidays, perhaps.

Or you could simply stay in Ireland.

Remember, the tourist visa limit is 90 days out of every 180. And your 183 days of residency in Ireland does not need to be consecutive, as far as I’m aware.

That means you could spend 90 days in Ireland, hop over to the Schengen Zone for 90, return to Ireland for 95 days, then back to the mainland for the remaining 90. And just like that, you’ve spent a full year in Europe while fulfilling your residency requirements for Ireland.

While we do not have any contacts with immigration firms in Ireland that we can share, you may find the following contacts useful:

Department of Foreign Affairs, 80 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2; tel. +353 (1) 408-2000; website: www.dfa.ie Department of Justice and Equality, 94 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2; tel. 1890 221-227; e-mail: info@justice.ie; website: www.justice.ie Garda National Immigration Bureau, Immigration and Registration Office, 13/14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2; tel. +353 (1) 666-9100/1; e-mail: gnib_dv@garda.ie; website: www.garda.ie

Hi Rob,

Mention the word Caribbean and most people think of Barbados, Puerto Rico, Antigua… crystal clear waters and white sand beaches. Great for a vacation, but moving there… just too expensive, right?

Not necessarily. The Caribbean isn’t restricted to just those few islands. By broadening your horizons, and your perceived idea of “the Caribbean”, you can still find a home at an affordable price.

These are places with Caribbean coastlines where you can purchase a house for a lot less money than you’d spend in Barbados, or even the US. Places where the cost of living won’t leave you penniless, and where you have every amenity that you have back home.

With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of our top five recommendations for Caribbean island living that won’t break the bank… as well as two that just might.

You can find it on our newly revamped website, right here: 5 Best Affordable Caribbean Islands to Live On…and 2 to Avoid.

Hi Mark,

You are correct. The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory. Although it has control over its residency procedures, it cannot offer citizenship, since that is a prerogative of the British crown.

If I interpret your question correctly, it seems as though you’d like to continue living in the Caymans, but you’d like to acquire a second passport as well. And you’d prefer not to spend too much time in the country that offers that passport to get it.

What you’re looking for is called Citizenship by Investment or CBI. This differs from naturalization in that you get immediate citizenship and eligibility for a passport because of an investment in or donation to the country in question.

There are usually two avenues: you can either donate a fixed sum to a government fund or charity, or you can invest a minimum amount in a real estate or other economic project.

Generally, the real estate investment route is overpriced, and you may find it difficult to liquidate your investment once you’re allowed to do so, which is typically five years after getting citizenship. But making the donation means you won’t see that money again, albeit you will have a second citizenship.

Currently, most countries that offer CBI are in the Caribbean basin. They include Dominica, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, and Antigua and Barbuda. CBI through these programs ranges from $100,000 in Dominica to over $450,000 in St Lucia.

Another island country that offers CBI is Vanuatu, an island in the Pacific Ocean. But I would strongly recommend against that one, because it is widely associated with corruption and doesn’t give you much in the way of visa free travel.

In and around Europe, countries that offer CBI or CBI adjacent programs include Turkey, Malta, and Jordan.

The Turkish program is becoming more expensive every year and is currently at around $750,000.

The Maltese program is similar in price but doesn’t result in immediate citizenship. Plus, it requires lengthy residence for the first two years before you’re eligible for a passport. The advantage is that you are then a citizen of an EU country and can live and work anywhere in the Union.

Jordan’s program is also around $750,000, but its passport is also not as widely accepted.

Given that you are already living and working in the Caribbean, I’d suggest you have a look at one of the island programs. But do it soon… These countries are under pressure from the European Union to make their programs more expensive and difficult to access, in order to reduce the threat of undesirable people using their passports to get into the European Union.

You’ll find breakdowns of the various programs in the book written by my father, former Congressman Bob Bauman: The Passport Book.

Hi Raymond,

France has a modern and sophisticated dental system. You will find dentists in practically every town of any size, all of whom are well trained. Basic dental care is efficient and by world standards very affordable, and you will find most dentists speak some English.

A basic check-up will cost €25 ($26), the same as a visit to the GP. If you need a basic filling, it will be an additional €18 ($19), but can be much more depending on the complexity of the procedure. An extraction will start from €35 ($37).

When it comes to more sophisticated dental work, prices start to go up significantly, with a crown costing from €400 ($427).

As with all healthcare in France, you will be given a precise quote for the work before you proceed, which is a legal requirement.

You can be reimbursed by the government for dental work, but this only applies to basic procedures and not cosmetic dentistry. As with the doctor, you pay the dentist directly after the consultation, so make sure you have enough cash.

Many people get top-up insurance to cover the 20-30% of dental costs not reimbursed by the French government—and to cover procedures like dental implants which don’t have the standard price ceiling that most healthcare services have. Top-up insurance plans start at €38 ($40) a month.

Charges can be dramatically different from dentist to dentist. There are additional charges if you require treatment on a public holiday or on a weekend, as well as extra charges for emergency dental treatment. Nonetheless, the prices are generally low compared to those in the U.S.

Read more about dental care and healthcare in France in Chapter 8 of Escape to France.