Easy countries for US citizens to get residence in?

[TheMetetron]

I am thinking of picking up a second residence outside of Sweden. I am trying to see what my options are. The main criteria is that I'm not going to get killed and that online poker is legal. The nicer the country (wealth-wise) the better, but I'm not counting on much outside of the 3rd world. Africa is pretty much out, as it much of asia. Europe or the Caribbean / Central or South America are looking like the frontrunners.

I've been sorely disappointed by the immigration policy of many of these countries. Super easy if I have a pension (Panama/Costa Rica/Mexico), nearly impossible without it. All I would need is $1,000 in pension but I obviously don't have it. The alternative is to invest some obscene amount ($50k+) in real estate or a business. There are has to be some country where a self-employed American can be a resident.

Obviously the lower the taxes the better. Anyone have any ideas? I'm trying to just look at the immigration pages via google that I can find, but it's pretty hard.

[BluffTHIS!]

As a swede you can travel and live freely in most other EU countries (except UK/Eire I think) so that is the easiest course. And the next easiest course is to marry a citizen of a country you want to live in /images/graemlins/smile.gif.


*this isn't really a legislation thread and probably belongs in OOT

[TheMetetron]

Crap, I so placed this in the wrong forum. No wonder I couldn't find it. I thought I posted it somewhere else.

Someone want to move it to where it's appropriate, that'd be great.

Also, I am a US citizen, not a Swedish citizen. I don't have EU free-movement.

[monkeytales]

Argentina is the best place. Excellent!

[BluffTHIS!]

Why can't you find a hot blonde swedish girl to marry if you are currently living in Sweden?

[TheMetetron]

[ QUOTE ]
Why can't you find a hot blonde swedish girl to marry if you are currently living in Sweden?

[/ QUOTE ]

My Swedish permit is permanent if I so want it to be. I don't need to find a way to stay in Sweden. I need to find a way to get a permit elsewhere IN ADDITION to my Swedish permit.

[Lawman007]

According to Barat, Kazakhstan is a great place to live if you like camel meat and really hairy women.

[BufordD]

Many countries let you get a long tourist visa, and then just leave for 24 hours every 6 months. Belize and Argentina might be the best choices. In Belize, all you have to do is spend a weekend in Cancun every 6 months.

[BluffTHIS!]

Then seek permanent residency in Sweden followed by an application for citizenship which will enable you full EU privileges.

Or what about Canada? I think you can stay for a year without a visa/work permit. I don't know how long of absence you would need to comply and then do the year thing again, but if you are going to keep a residence in Sweden anyway, then that should be easy to alternate between same. Just live light on possessions in Canada and get a new apartment everytime you come back and wharehouse any stuff you want across the border to bring back later.

[Olds1997]

My parents live in St. Maarten when the first frost hits Wisconsian and come back when it is Spring. They only had to prove financial support which required a deposit with a local bank or branch of a international bank that has a office on the island which they used First Caribbean. I'm not sure what they put up, but I think the minimum was around $20k.

They had just gotten wireless broadband last winter when we went down for x-mas.

They did vacation/scout on about 10 islands before they picked St. Maarten. Most of the Carribean countries have the same requiements.

Here is a link to a good website for this kind of info:

http://www.escapeartist.com/

Cheyne

[permafrost]

Move this so players from other countries are more likely to see it. Detailed info please and TY!

[TheMetetron]

[ QUOTE ]
Then seek permanent residency in Sweden followed by an application for citizenship which will enable you full EU privileges.

Or what about Canada? I think you can stay for a year without a visa/work permit. I don't know how long of absence you would need to comply and then do the year thing again, but if you are going to keep a residence in Sweden anyway, then that should be easy to alternate between same. Just live light on possessions in Canada and get a new apartment everytime you come back and wharehouse any stuff you want across the border to bring back later.

[/ QUOTE ]

I want something a little more permanent but if I can really just leave Belize for a weekend every 6 months, that'd work. I can't get Swedish citizenship for 5 years. Also, when I am on the beach playing poker, I may not decide to return to Sweden. It's all very up in the air at the moment but I want to be able to stay somewhere permanently (if I desired, not saying I do). I just want that option.

[Sniper]

Met,

Are you planning to do something that might require you to escape quickly?

... fueling the private jet /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[goodgrief]

I don't think you're successful enough to be a desirable permanent resident if you think $50,000 or $100,000 is an unreasonable sum to invest in real estate. My vote: I would work on the income-producing end of things awhile longer, and then I would move to Panama once I had enough money.

I didn't post just to be catty, though. I'm dying to know how you could afford residency in Sweden if you can't afford Mexico. My guess is Swedish ancestry, but it's just a guess. If it's a secret anyone can use, please share!

[TheMetetron]

My Swedish residency won't be discussed, unfortunately. It isn't applicable to everyone to explaining it helps no one. Yeah, sucks, but that's all the explanation you guys get.

Also, I wish I had more money to invest, but I have been horrible at saving it except for the last few months (made over $150k in 2005, spent almost all of it... it was the good life for a while). I blow away these $2,000/mo retiree figures, obviously. I think some sort of re-entry thing may have to suffice for a while.

Also, apparently Belize has a great program where if you have over $2k/mo in income from outside Belize you can move there. Problem is, you have to be 45. I'm not even close, but some of you who are older may be helped by this.

[blueodum]

If you've lived in Sweden long enough, try applying for citizenship. After you have that you can live almost anwhere in the EU.

[TheMetetron]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think you're successful enough to be a desirable permanent resident if you think $50,000 or $100,000 is an unreasonable sum to invest in real estate.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would buy a house for many more times than this in a second. I just couldn't put that much down at the moment unfortunately. You are right I'm probably not the most desireable resident, but I do have money to spend... somewhere has to be willing. Nigera is not an option.

[TheMetetron]

[ QUOTE ]
If you've lived in Sweden long enough, try applying for citizenship. After you have that you can live almost anwhere in the EU.

[/ QUOTE ]

Reading is fundamental. I haven't.

[uncleshady]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If you've lived in Sweden long enough, try applying for citizenship. After you have that you can live almost anwhere in the EU.

[/ QUOTE ]

Reading is fundamental. I haven't.

[/ QUOTE ]

Im guessing he saw this:


[ QUOTE ]
Loc: Sweden

[/ QUOTE ]

[chezlaw]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Why can't you find a hot blonde swedish girl to marry if you are currently living in Sweden?

[/ QUOTE ]

My Swedish permit is permanent if I so want it to be. I don't need to find a way to stay in Sweden. I need to find a way to get a permit elsewhere IN ADDITION to my Swedish permit.

[/ QUOTE ]
Marry the hot Swedish girl, get Swedish residency then you can live anywhere in Europe.

Sounds win win win.

chez

[Vern]

Costa Rica (http://www.costaricalaw.com/legalnet/residency.html)

[BluffTHIS!]

chez,

Although obviously you mean anywhere in the EU and not europe as a whole, IIRC your own UK and Ireland which have a joint agreement, don't subscribe to provisions allowing citizens of other EU countries to live there, nor do the others allow you Brits and Irish as a consequence.

[chezlaw]

[ QUOTE ]
chez,

Although obviously you mean anywhere in the EU and not europe as a whole, IIRC your own UK and Ireland which have a joint agreement, don't subscribe to provisions allowing citizens of other EU countries to live there, nor do the others allow you Brits and Irish as a consequence.

[/ QUOTE ]
I was just noting that Metetron's rejection of your splendid suggestion to marry a hot swedish chick was flawed.

Sorry for the lack of precision but how much can the fine details matter? /images/graemlins/wink.gif

chez

[BluffTHIS!]

LOL very true.

[BufordD]

I am pretty sure you can live in Belize forever on a tourist visa, as long as you leave one weekend every X months. Lots of people do this. They just hop a bus in Belize city for Cancun for a weekend. That being said, Agentina is probably much nicer.

[Tappy Tibbons]

You can get a residency permit in Croatia if you dock a yacht in Croatia, and the definition of yacht is very liberal (just about anything with a motor or sail that floats).

Also, in many of the former communist European countries, you can cross the boarder once every 90 days and they'll let you stay another 90 days. This worked for me last year in Hungary, even though it's a member of the EU. I also saw people cross the boarder in Slovakia by giving the guard a pack of cigarettes. The end of communism in these countries didn't mean the end of bribery and corruption.

[crabclaw]

[ QUOTE ]
chez,

Although obviously you mean anywhere in the EU and not europe as a whole, IIRC your own UK and Ireland which have a joint agreement, don't subscribe to provisions allowing citizens of other EU countries to live there, nor do the others allow you Brits and Irish as a consequence.

[/ QUOTE ]

UK and Ireland are both members of the EU. Therefore citizens of all EU countries including the new member states that joined in the 2004 expansion have the right to work in UK/Ireland. Hence the half million people from Eastern Europe that are now working in the UK.

Similarly as a UK citizen I could live in one of the 24 other countries in the EU.

[dieharder]

welcome to Toronto Canada, you won't know you are abroad /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[chezlaw]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
chez,

Although obviously you mean anywhere in the EU and not europe as a whole, IIRC your own UK and Ireland which have a joint agreement, don't subscribe to provisions allowing citizens of other EU countries to live there, nor do the others allow you Brits and Irish as a consequence.

[/ QUOTE ]

UK and Ireland are both members of the EU. Therefore citizens of all EU countries including the new member states that joined in the 2004 expansion have the right to work in UK/Ireland. Hence the half million people from Eastern Europe that are now working in the UK.

Similarly as a UK citizen I could live in one of the 24 other countries in the EU.

[/ QUOTE ]
Was trying to avoid details but I believe this is correct:
[ QUOTE ]
If you are from a Full EU member country Or Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, one way or another, you are eligible to "The Free Movement Of Workers" agreement, this is a multilateral agreement which means (As a citizen of any member country), you can work in any EU member country including Iceland, Liechtenstein & Norway. The only condition is that you register with the local Police after three months to apply for a residency permit.


[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Current Full EU Members include: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Irish Republic, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK. There are 8 New EU Member Countries who did not get immediate full membership to the Free Movement of Workers Agreement, these include: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. These countries have been full members from 01st May 2004 with varying working restrictions dependant on individual country agreements. Cyprus and Malta have entered the EU without any restrictions.


[/ QUOTE ]

So Sweden looks good.

chez

[goodgrief]

Thanks, friend, that's all I need to know. If it ain't "news I can use" re residence in Sweden, I don't much care for details that I'll just forget anyway, although I'm sure it's a fascinating story.

I'm aware of your suggestion re Belize/over 45s and it's a good one, and if I had to flee the country today, that's probably the route I would go, but since we have lots of time to make plans and Panama has stolen my heart...that's the direction we're leaning. We're "junior" seniors, and my husband loves his work, so we won't be moving where he can't work any time soon. One day, though!

[bad_egg]

I'm a US citizen living in Buenos Aires. I'm only on my tourist visa (3 months, then you have to cross to Uruguay on a short boat trip and back to get another 3 months), but from what I know, it will be fairly simple for me to get a residency permit if I desire to.

At the most, it takes an accountant, a little rearrangement of your finances, and maybe some reasonably priced and highly recommended Argentine lawyers (http://www.argentinaresidency.com/) .

Buenos Aires is a great place to live as well.

[TheMetetron]

[ QUOTE ]
Costa Rica (http://www.costaricalaw.com/legalnet/residency.html)

[/ QUOTE ]

Did you read the page? Which one of those things do you think I qualify for?

[TheMetetron]

Hot damn. I love you.

[ QUOTE ]
If you are self-employed, we can incorporate a local Argentine company for
you and create a "Managing Director" position that requires the appoint-
ment of a foreign citizen (i.e. you). Your company will then issue you an appointment letter which we can use to apply for this visa. Our fee does
not include the incorporation of a local company. The flat ARCA fee includes processing of the visa only.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ship it Argentina.


Edit: I may be getting taxed out of my ass here, by doing this, however.

[knicknut]

Go join Neteller in the Isle of Mann? This is an entirely unresearched suggestion but I know lots of rich people establish residences there for tax purposes.