International Living Community

What is the best health insurance provider for international health insurance, typically required by most countries for an extended stay or residency? I plan on staying in the Phillipines for a few months and am considering residency in Uruguay, Czech Republic and possibly Malaysia, Chile and Panama with citizenship possibilities and reducing/eliminating taxation on worldwide income in the new country of residence being the driving factors of where I end up. If citizenship isn't reasonably attainable I may travel extensively with long stays under 183 days per year in various countries before moving to the next country.

The taxation issue is a nightmare. I've been doing a ton of research myself trying to determine where to move including to countries in 3 different continents. I recommend searching for and reading the dual taxation agreement between the US and Portugal (assuming you are a US citizen). I have read a tax treaty published by the Internal Revenue Service for another European Country (only 25 pages long and broken into sections by type of income), I can not say for sure but it seems they have a prototype or standard agreement, but each country can negotiate differently so do not depend on what follows. For a different European County (not Portugal) in the dual taxation agreement investment income and dividend income is taxable in the country of residence (so Portugal if you were to become a Portuguese tax resident). In that treaty (again not Portugal) I read Social Security was NOT taxed in the country of residence, but is taxed by the US, so if that were to apply to Portugal (and I do not know) you would not not being paying Portuguese income taxes on your social security but typically would on passive income from interest and dividends. Business income strictly related to the US was only to be taxed in the US by the particular tax treaty I read (again not the tax treaty with Portugal). Taxes paid in another country by US Citizens can typically be used as a tax credit (dollar for dollar) against US income taxes owed.