A Second Address
January 18, 2021 8:37 PM Subscribe
Renouncing citizenship aside, what would an American need to do to live overseas? And does the US government, as well as foreign governments provide instructions to follow or criteria to meet to do so?
A friend who was staying with a friend in Paris, for example, said the French government wanted to make sure that those foreign nationals wanting to have an extended stay also have a source of income so they could support themselves financially. And with covid-19, I'm guessing countries have different requirements for emigres. Do they lay out language requirements, encounters with law enforcement, medical histories, portable skills desired, etc? Does such a guide exist or does it consist of dozens of independent guides? IOW, under what conditions are transplants allowed to stay or required to go?
A friend who was staying with a friend in Paris, for example, said the French government wanted to make sure that those foreign nationals wanting to have an extended stay also have a source of income so they could support themselves financially. And with covid-19, I'm guessing countries have different requirements for emigres. Do they lay out language requirements, encounters with law enforcement, medical histories, portable skills desired, etc? Does such a guide exist or does it consist of dozens of independent guides? IOW, under what conditions are transplants allowed to stay or required to go?
You don't need to renounce citizenship to live in a different country, you just need to have the appropriate type of visa for that country. I am not aware of a comprehensive guide for current visa types and requirements for multiple countries. Each country will have some sort of website with the information you are seeking, with some easier to navigate than others.
posted by emd3737 at 8:56 PM on January 18, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by emd3737 at 8:56 PM on January 18, 2021 [6 favorites]
Is there a specific place you want to go?
Some common factors that will make it harder/easier:
There are also maybe three things to consider separately here:
posted by wesleyac at 9:16 PM on January 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
Some common factors that will make it harder/easier:
- Level of education — most countries want people with college degrees
- Job offers — if you have an offer to work in a country, that will usually make things much easier
- Amount of money/income — as saeculorum mentioned, you can get citizenship by investment, and some visas are easier to get based on income (I recently moved to Taiwan on an income-based visa). Also, if you have enough savings that you don't need to work, you can probably stay many places semi-long-term on a tourist visa, perhaps exiting/reentering the country every so often to renew.
- Language proficiency
There are also maybe three things to consider separately here:
- Can you get a visa to enter and stay in the country?
- Are the borders currently open between a country that you are in/can get to and the country you want to go to, for people holding the visa you're looking at?
- Can you get work authorization/is it legal to look for work on the visa you're on?
posted by wesleyac at 9:16 PM on January 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
Expatica.com has work info and visa guides for many countries.
posted by mezzanayne at 9:31 PM on January 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by mezzanayne at 9:31 PM on January 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
This is a profoundly general question; can you be more specific regarding your interests?
It’s different for every country, and within a country there can be differences based on career, age, wealth. Some countries require language tests, others don’t, still others require them if you aren’t rich enough, etc. There are also special bonuses for filling desired jobs — one upon a time I could have gotten a residency in NZ as long as I was a panel beater, for example (car body repair).
...and all of these change unpredictably as their respective governments change. One avenue open to me back in August is now no longer open; there is a reason certain law firms specialize in this area.
posted by aramaic at 9:56 PM on January 18, 2021
It’s different for every country, and within a country there can be differences based on career, age, wealth. Some countries require language tests, others don’t, still others require them if you aren’t rich enough, etc. There are also special bonuses for filling desired jobs — one upon a time I could have gotten a residency in NZ as long as I was a panel beater, for example (car body repair).
...and all of these change unpredictably as their respective governments change. One avenue open to me back in August is now no longer open; there is a reason certain law firms specialize in this area.
posted by aramaic at 9:56 PM on January 18, 2021
A quick way to explore the surface of this is to Google "best countries to retire" and browse the results. This will pull up dozens of articles that weigh lots of variables including cost of living, health care quality, climate, and so on. But they will all also exclude countries that are difficult to emigrate to and then focus on visa and residency requirements for the countries that are more interested in welcoming expat residents long-term.
posted by gum at 10:31 PM on January 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by gum at 10:31 PM on January 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
The 'must be earning' rule is not 100% consistent everywhere, but it's common.
Typically, if you wanted to set up home in a new country, you would get a visa that lets you reside there (as opposed to a visitor's visa for business or tourism, which is what you usually get). The rules are not the same everywhere, but the principle is that you bring value to the country. You might be a foreign college student. You might have some unique work skill that means you can do a job that no local person can (this is pretty much how work visas work in the US, and it's a fairly standard rule). To live there on something more than a tourist visa (3 to 6 months, typically) you would apply for another type, like a work visa, and your application would be considered. The visa would make you a non-permanent resident - you can be resident, but only until the visa expires, typically a few years.
They want to make sure you won't starve. You have to pay your way because you aren't getting any social security or unemployment benefit. So there are usually some requirements about 'earn money' or 'bring money'.
Eventually you might get to become a permanent resident, which usually involves living in the country for a while and then making a new application to prove you're worth having. At this point, the US also check to see if you have gonorrhea, among other things, though I never worked out if it counted against you or in your favour. It also asks if you have ever committed genocide, and presumably expects that if you have you will answer honestly.
A few countries, ones that like to increase their populations by attracting a preferred set of immigrants, let you jump straight to this step if you are somehow in the 'extra good' category (Canada, Australia and NZ all do this quite a bit, but most places have some sort of limited system).
Permanent residence typically expires if you move out of the country. You can leave, but not to actually set up home somewhere else a se then you aren't resident any more.
After a while more they might let you apply for citizenship, which is one more round of checks. Then they can't boot you out, in theory, and your citizenship means you can move to another country for a while and come back afterward. In the US this is the point where you get to vote.
Your original and new countries may both let you have dual citizenship (eg the US, the UK, Ireland) or they may not (eg China, India). If either one of them refuses to consider dual citizenship you have to give up your old nationality. (The UK will give it back to you later if you write a letter apologising for giving it up. But we're weird like that.)
There are more exceptions than rules to all this; every country gets to choose their rules and they all choose differently. It's mostly not about the country you're leaving; it's about whether the place you're going actually wants you, and they all have different opinions. But the above is a fairly standard arrangement that I've seen in multiple places.
Your friend needs to (initially) get a different kind of visa that lets him be a non-permanent resident if he is going to stay in France. Otherwise, when his tourist visa expires he is expected to leave. It is about earning money, a bit, but it's more than just that, as you can see.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 10:43 PM on January 18, 2021 [4 favorites]
Typically, if you wanted to set up home in a new country, you would get a visa that lets you reside there (as opposed to a visitor's visa for business or tourism, which is what you usually get). The rules are not the same everywhere, but the principle is that you bring value to the country. You might be a foreign college student. You might have some unique work skill that means you can do a job that no local person can (this is pretty much how work visas work in the US, and it's a fairly standard rule). To live there on something more than a tourist visa (3 to 6 months, typically) you would apply for another type, like a work visa, and your application would be considered. The visa would make you a non-permanent resident - you can be resident, but only until the visa expires, typically a few years.
They want to make sure you won't starve. You have to pay your way because you aren't getting any social security or unemployment benefit. So there are usually some requirements about 'earn money' or 'bring money'.
Eventually you might get to become a permanent resident, which usually involves living in the country for a while and then making a new application to prove you're worth having. At this point, the US also check to see if you have gonorrhea, among other things, though I never worked out if it counted against you or in your favour. It also asks if you have ever committed genocide, and presumably expects that if you have you will answer honestly.
A few countries, ones that like to increase their populations by attracting a preferred set of immigrants, let you jump straight to this step if you are somehow in the 'extra good' category (Canada, Australia and NZ all do this quite a bit, but most places have some sort of limited system).
Permanent residence typically expires if you move out of the country. You can leave, but not to actually set up home somewhere else a se then you aren't resident any more.
After a while more they might let you apply for citizenship, which is one more round of checks. Then they can't boot you out, in theory, and your citizenship means you can move to another country for a while and come back afterward. In the US this is the point where you get to vote.
Your original and new countries may both let you have dual citizenship (eg the US, the UK, Ireland) or they may not (eg China, India). If either one of them refuses to consider dual citizenship you have to give up your old nationality. (The UK will give it back to you later if you write a letter apologising for giving it up. But we're weird like that.)
There are more exceptions than rules to all this; every country gets to choose their rules and they all choose differently. It's mostly not about the country you're leaving; it's about whether the place you're going actually wants you, and they all have different opinions. But the above is a fairly standard arrangement that I've seen in multiple places.
Your friend needs to (initially) get a different kind of visa that lets him be a non-permanent resident if he is going to stay in France. Otherwise, when his tourist visa expires he is expected to leave. It is about earning money, a bit, but it's more than just that, as you can see.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 10:43 PM on January 18, 2021 [4 favorites]
Oh hey, I had this answer ten years ago. As a starting place, here's a list of 206 countries and what it took in 2001 to be a citizen of them.
Naturalization laws by country. Reminder: it's Wikipedia, so it's just a starting point.
Here's something from 2018 that gets you started on birthright citizenship.
posted by aniola at 11:04 PM on January 18, 2021 [4 favorites]
Naturalization laws by country. Reminder: it's Wikipedia, so it's just a starting point.
Here's something from 2018 that gets you started on birthright citizenship.
posted by aniola at 11:04 PM on January 18, 2021 [4 favorites]
"How much is that froggie in the window's response is very good. In my experience, as someone who has heavily considered this, there are three main ways to get a path to citizenship in most of the countries people from america want to move to: marriage, very in demand skills, or lots of money. I say path to citizenship because as they said, usually you get a visa and then once you fulfil certain requirements, you can apply for citizenship. But really it _really_ depends on where you want to go, what skills you have, and how much money you have.
What I will also add is that if you do want to renounce US citizenship, the US government will make you pay them. For people without a lot of money this might not be huge, but where I've seen "normal" people sort of go back and forth on this is inheritances or things like that.
Also, taxes get quite complicated if you live abroad (dual citizen or not), especially if you buy then sell a house abroad etc.
posted by wooh at 12:48 AM on January 19, 2021
What I will also add is that if you do want to renounce US citizenship, the US government will make you pay them. For people without a lot of money this might not be huge, but where I've seen "normal" people sort of go back and forth on this is inheritances or things like that.
Also, taxes get quite complicated if you live abroad (dual citizen or not), especially if you buy then sell a house abroad etc.
posted by wooh at 12:48 AM on January 19, 2021
Renouncing American citizenship is very expensive. The government requires a person to agree a final payment depending on their income and assets. This fee is often between $10,000 and $1 million.
You need to declare your worldwide income each year if you plan to continue to accumulate Social Security contributions.
posted by parmanparman at 2:12 AM on January 19, 2021
You need to declare your worldwide income each year if you plan to continue to accumulate Social Security contributions.
posted by parmanparman at 2:12 AM on January 19, 2021
Renouncing US Citizenship is not a requirement. I say this as someone with multiple passports.
Knowing many Americans and other non-Europeans here in Europe, I can tell you many of the reasons they were allowed to be here. In general, yes, it depends on country:
Marriage
This is how I ended up over here. For Europe and most countries around the world marriage to a foreign national will allow you to live there and establish residency and eventually citizenship.
Family History
You may be able to go live in a country if you can claim citizenship by descent. Other countries have programs (e.g. refugees from Germany) where you can claim based on the fact that your ancestors were unjustly thrown out.
Employment
Many international employers have offices where they need the skills of people from other countries. So the business sponsors you to go live and work there and the local government approves. Note however that often these types of placements may not allow you to stay in the country past a certain period of time. Depends on the country.
This may not just be white-collar jobs but also industries in need of workers - though some of this demand may be seasonal and not come with a path for permanent residence.
Education
If you study abroad then you will usually get a student visa to go study there. In many cases this comes with some time after you graduate to stay in the country and look for a job. So this is a possible route.
Skilled Worker
Some countries actually want people from abroad in what they perceive as a shortage in their own skills or professions. Or they may allow highly-educated young people to just come and live there and give them X years to find a job. An Australian friend of mine came to the UK on what was then called the Highly-Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) though it no longer exists.
Other countries may have some special programs for specific countries, for example, the Dutch-American Friendship treaty which allows Americans to go start a business in the Netherlands.
Golden Visa/Wealth/Retirement
Many countries basically allow you to buy your way in. If you invest money - which can be as little as a $100,000 or so - you can get on a path to residency and eventually citizenship. Also many countries will let you in if you show you have enough funds to support yourself and not be a burden on the state.
As others have said above, usually the first step is, using one of the routes above, to get a residence card. This allows you the right to live and work in that country. A residence card then usually, not always, is a path to citizenship. It is usually in the citizenship requirements that countries have language requirements and may ask you take tests about culture and history of the country. Also note that no country will require you to renounce your US citizenship prior to becoming a citizen of that country. So even in countries that don't like dual citizenships, such as the Netherlands, it is perfectly possible to live here with a US passport.
posted by vacapinta at 3:34 AM on January 19, 2021 [2 favorites]
Knowing many Americans and other non-Europeans here in Europe, I can tell you many of the reasons they were allowed to be here. In general, yes, it depends on country:
Marriage
This is how I ended up over here. For Europe and most countries around the world marriage to a foreign national will allow you to live there and establish residency and eventually citizenship.
Family History
You may be able to go live in a country if you can claim citizenship by descent. Other countries have programs (e.g. refugees from Germany) where you can claim based on the fact that your ancestors were unjustly thrown out.
Employment
Many international employers have offices where they need the skills of people from other countries. So the business sponsors you to go live and work there and the local government approves. Note however that often these types of placements may not allow you to stay in the country past a certain period of time. Depends on the country.
This may not just be white-collar jobs but also industries in need of workers - though some of this demand may be seasonal and not come with a path for permanent residence.
Education
If you study abroad then you will usually get a student visa to go study there. In many cases this comes with some time after you graduate to stay in the country and look for a job. So this is a possible route.
Skilled Worker
Some countries actually want people from abroad in what they perceive as a shortage in their own skills or professions. Or they may allow highly-educated young people to just come and live there and give them X years to find a job. An Australian friend of mine came to the UK on what was then called the Highly-Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) though it no longer exists.
Other countries may have some special programs for specific countries, for example, the Dutch-American Friendship treaty which allows Americans to go start a business in the Netherlands.
Golden Visa/Wealth/Retirement
Many countries basically allow you to buy your way in. If you invest money - which can be as little as a $100,000 or so - you can get on a path to residency and eventually citizenship. Also many countries will let you in if you show you have enough funds to support yourself and not be a burden on the state.
As others have said above, usually the first step is, using one of the routes above, to get a residence card. This allows you the right to live and work in that country. A residence card then usually, not always, is a path to citizenship. It is usually in the citizenship requirements that countries have language requirements and may ask you take tests about culture and history of the country. Also note that no country will require you to renounce your US citizenship prior to becoming a citizen of that country. So even in countries that don't like dual citizenships, such as the Netherlands, it is perfectly possible to live here with a US passport.
posted by vacapinta at 3:34 AM on January 19, 2021 [2 favorites]
One important element you will need to be able to emigrate - is to which country to go to. Youtube, fortunately has many video compilations that can help you decide. For example 10 Countries It’s Super Easy to EMIGRATE To.
posted by rongorongo at 3:43 AM on January 19, 2021
posted by rongorongo at 3:43 AM on January 19, 2021
A main distinction here is residency vs. citizenship. The US, as some have said, doesn't care where you live as long as you file your taxes. However, they may have feelings about where you become a citizen in addition to the US, and WHAT YOU DO when there. I am a citizen of both the US (by birth) and Canada (moved here a bunch of years ago) and I can't hold certain government positions, serve in the armed forces or run for office here. Also, moving to a country with which the US is being fighty is not recommended.
posted by wellred at 6:08 AM on January 19, 2021
posted by wellred at 6:08 AM on January 19, 2021
I love it when I start reading an answer and guessing who wrote it halfway through - in this case vacapinta, whose answer, along with How much is that froggie in the window's, is excellent.
One thing worth emphasising is that typically you would get a (time-limited) work visa, which would then give you the option of applying for permanent residence, and ultimately citizenship.
In terms of guides, each country has their own and it changes constantly, in big or small ways. If you were interested in a specific country I'm sure I could point to sources.
Factors that haven't been mentioned much/at all: the new country may have health/good character requirements. The health requirements could include "that the applicant is unlikely to impose significant costs on the health system", with a list of specified medical conditions that would lead to refusal of the application. Applicants could fail the good character test based on criminal convictions, having previously been deported from another country, or being likely to be a threat to security or public order. They would likely have to provide a police certificate with their application.
Language: for work visas some countries use a points system. Applicants get points for fluency in the relevant language [applying to the UK, I had to notarise a document showing that my degree in English Literature from a New Zealand university was taught in English....]. It's possible some have hard requirements for fluency in the local language, but I suspect English will often be good enough.
In some countries (my experience in the UK on a fixed-term work visa): you would have to indicate that you won't have recourse to public funds - that is, you can't apply for unemployment or other benefits, though you can use the public health system.
You mentioned COVID - some countries have closed or partially closed their borders and are not letting anyone in who doesn't already have a visa, so it would be impossible to move to those countries for the moment.
posted by Pink Frost at 11:58 AM on January 19, 2021
One thing worth emphasising is that typically you would get a (time-limited) work visa, which would then give you the option of applying for permanent residence, and ultimately citizenship.
In terms of guides, each country has their own and it changes constantly, in big or small ways. If you were interested in a specific country I'm sure I could point to sources.
Factors that haven't been mentioned much/at all: the new country may have health/good character requirements. The health requirements could include "that the applicant is unlikely to impose significant costs on the health system", with a list of specified medical conditions that would lead to refusal of the application. Applicants could fail the good character test based on criminal convictions, having previously been deported from another country, or being likely to be a threat to security or public order. They would likely have to provide a police certificate with their application.
Language: for work visas some countries use a points system. Applicants get points for fluency in the relevant language [applying to the UK, I had to notarise a document showing that my degree in English Literature from a New Zealand university was taught in English....]. It's possible some have hard requirements for fluency in the local language, but I suspect English will often be good enough.
In some countries (my experience in the UK on a fixed-term work visa): you would have to indicate that you won't have recourse to public funds - that is, you can't apply for unemployment or other benefits, though you can use the public health system.
You mentioned COVID - some countries have closed or partially closed their borders and are not letting anyone in who doesn't already have a visa, so it would be impossible to move to those countries for the moment.
posted by Pink Frost at 11:58 AM on January 19, 2021
I'm a person from the U.S. who spends a lot of time living outside of the U.S.
I'm not exactly sure what you are looking for thought...
So some thoughts...
Foreign Earned Income Exemption
is a exemption from paying U.S> federal taxes up to around $100,000 for people who
(A) claim residence outside of the U.S. or
(B) are out of the U.S. (and also not in international waters) for 330 days out of any continuous 365 day period
multiple countries have year-long visas for professionals
Thailand Smart Visa: https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/
Barbados: https://barbadoswelcomestamp.bb/
and more!
posted by jander03 at 11:58 AM on January 19, 2021
I'm not exactly sure what you are looking for thought...
So some thoughts...
Foreign Earned Income Exemption
is a exemption from paying U.S> federal taxes up to around $100,000 for people who
(A) claim residence outside of the U.S. or
(B) are out of the U.S. (and also not in international waters) for 330 days out of any continuous 365 day period
multiple countries have year-long visas for professionals
Thailand Smart Visa: https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/
Barbados: https://barbadoswelcomestamp.bb/
and more!
posted by jander03 at 11:58 AM on January 19, 2021
Are you looking at permanent or temporary? One option if you're not looking at a permanent move is a Working Holiday Visa - normally these have an upper age limit, so it's only an option for younger people.
If you're looking at residency based on investment or income, this list might be useful.
If you're looking for long-term to permanent residency with the right to work, each country will have its own particular circus of hoop-jumping and fee-paying.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 6:16 PM on January 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
If you're looking at residency based on investment or income, this list might be useful.
If you're looking for long-term to permanent residency with the right to work, each country will have its own particular circus of hoop-jumping and fee-paying.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 6:16 PM on January 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
I just want to put straight what I think is a typo in vacapinta's answer:
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 6:50 PM on January 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
Also note that no country will require you to renounce your US citizenship prior to becoming a citizen of that country.Some countries absolutely will. But they will not require you renounce it to just to become a resident, and I think that's the word they meant to use.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 6:50 PM on January 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
each country will have its own particular circus of hoop-jumping and fee-paying
Some time ago I wrote down the hoop-jumping required in order to live in Ireland on a work visa, here it is in case anyone is interested:
You need to apply to the Dept of Business, Enterprise and Innovation for either a 'critical skills employment permit' or a 'general employment permit' [obviously the critical skills one is the better bet if you qualify]. To get this you must have a job offer [with salary > 60k Euros for critical skills] and fork out 1000 Euros.
If you get the employment permit you might think you're good to go, but no, this just allows you to apply for a visa [60-100 Euros], for which you can expect to wait ~2 months or more if you've supplied all the correct documentation.
If the visa application is successful, then you're allowed to travel to Ireland & work but, you're not done yet! If you want to stay for more than 90 days, you also need 'permission to stay', which means you have to register [another 300 Euros thanks], which includes being fingerprinted and getting the correct stamp in your passport.
Because of the expense & particularly the time it takes [you need a job offer to even start the process, which can take months], you'll find very few employers will even interview you if you need a work visa - generally only the large companies are interested.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 4:33 PM on January 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
Some time ago I wrote down the hoop-jumping required in order to live in Ireland on a work visa, here it is in case anyone is interested:
You need to apply to the Dept of Business, Enterprise and Innovation for either a 'critical skills employment permit' or a 'general employment permit' [obviously the critical skills one is the better bet if you qualify]. To get this you must have a job offer [with salary > 60k Euros for critical skills] and fork out 1000 Euros.
If you get the employment permit you might think you're good to go, but no, this just allows you to apply for a visa [60-100 Euros], for which you can expect to wait ~2 months or more if you've supplied all the correct documentation.
If the visa application is successful, then you're allowed to travel to Ireland & work but, you're not done yet! If you want to stay for more than 90 days, you also need 'permission to stay', which means you have to register [another 300 Euros thanks], which includes being fingerprinted and getting the correct stamp in your passport.
Because of the expense & particularly the time it takes [you need a job offer to even start the process, which can take months], you'll find very few employers will even interview you if you need a work visa - generally only the large companies are interested.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 4:33 PM on January 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Most countries have immigration guides. Here is one for Canada. Here is guidelines for the "Comprehensive Ranking System" that provides the most common (albeit not only) mechanism to get an entry visa. Most countries have a wide range of visas - some allow you to stay temporarily (with no renewal), stay temporarily (with very easy renewal), or stay permanently. Not all visas will allow you to work.
Every country draws their own requirements; there is no consistency. Some countries allow you to buy citizenship - usually this costs $200K-$500K (in foreign currency equivalent). For what it's worth, the USA does too.
In practice, most people work with immigration attorneys (French example, no recommendation implied) to coordinate all requirements. This is a large business because not all countries make it particularly easy to determine immigration requirements - I provided you with Canadian requirements as an example primarily because they do.
posted by saeculorum at 8:53 PM on January 18, 2021 [8 favorites]